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Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Austerity in October - *blows the budgeteering bugle*

480 replies

claretandamberforever · 01/10/2013 08:19

In here please.....

Pinch punch, first of the month.

OP posts:
ilovepicnmix · 16/10/2013 21:14

I had to fill my car up today so that was £53. £2 on a birthday contribution at work and then £3.36 in Tesco including a couple of yellow stickered bargains. I've got an expensive weekend coming but there's nothing I can do about it.

northender · 16/10/2013 23:19

This week is going well so far. Gave ds £2 last night for a scouts trip which ended with fish and chips (another £4). £1.40 today on bread rolls for tea. Nothing else that I can think of so far.
Going to a wedding party on Friday night, Dh and ds going to a football match on Saturday, black tie do on Saturday so the weekend will be spendy but I've budgeted for it all so hopefully we'll manage to stay within budget.
Good luck with your job application claret

northender · 16/10/2013 23:19

Forgot to say, still no tumble dryer or central heating on!

NK5BM3 · 17/10/2013 07:01

Morning all
NSD yesterday. So all good. Again brought lunch which tbh would be something I'd still do even if I wasn't trying to save. I find the sandwiches quite bleaugh after a while and frankly to pay a min of £2.80 and then £1.10 for coke rather off putting when I know the actual cost of these things at least at the shop!! Grin

Won't be an NSD today as going out with girl friends tonight for a meal. Looking forward!

Karbea · 17/10/2013 07:48

northender how are you drying your clothes then? I hung some out on Tuesday and they came in as wet as they went out

Fluffycloudland77 · 17/10/2013 08:35

I check the weather report and get it all done on that day, I've got two loads out now & two more to do.

roguepixie · 17/10/2013 08:47

NSD's on Monday ad Wednesday this week. Spent 90p at Post Office on Tuesday. Online food delivery coming today so that makes today a very spendy day.

The first handmade Christmas present is nearly finished too.

confusedofengland · 17/10/2013 10:29

Morning all. Not been on for a day or two, so trying to catch up Grin Spent £23 yesterday in Tesco, which included one Xmas pressie for a niece (£18 down to £6) as well as the usual bread, milk etc plus a shedload of deli products that were 75% off (and which DH suggested we could feed to the cat Hmm Shock)

In case anybody is on the lookout for something cheap & tasty to keep in the freezer, Tesco Value range does a box of 4 frozen breaded fish fillets for 85p! They are not massive, but with jacket/oven chips, bread, salad/veg plus maybe a pudding, they will feed 4 adults & I find one fillet is big enough between my 2 DSes. I think they are pollack, too, so a good, sustainable fish (and everybody here agrees they taste great).

Should be small spend today, just £2.49 (or however much it is) for Happy Meal as treat for DS1 after school. Will catch up some more later, hope you're all being frugal Grin

northender · 17/10/2013 12:26

karbea I do the same as fluffy. Today that may have gone slightly awry as there was a heavy shower after I put the first lot out but we'll see. At this time of year things often need airing afterwards. I always try to get to at least the end of Oct without dryer or heating.
£2.20 on apples and yoghurts this morning. Also £2 on yellow ticket sausage meat to be used for tea. Oven drying the last of my tomato glut which has been a delicious revelation. Minimal cost for an expensive tasting treatSmile

AdoraBell · 17/10/2013 13:40

Confused most deli productos would be bad for Cats, preservativos, high salt content etc. freeze what you can't use quickly.

My dishwasher takes about twice as long on the ecónomy setting, does that sound about right or have I just got a bad machine?

Couldn't Get all the art supliese locally yesterday so I need to Go further afeild Today. They need them for Tomorrow so I can't leave it. Spent £2.55 on the school run this morning, then £66.66 on petróleo.

Claret good luck with the interview.

And Well done on the knitting Rogue (I assume the homemade pressie is a knitted ítem, apologise if not)

CremeEggThief · 17/10/2013 14:18

Hi all,
I finally got my smartphone back, so hopefully I can catch up a bit more now :). Spendy day on Monday, as I took DS swimming (just over £15, on travel, a snack and swimming itself) and then we had our tea out (£11 for two delicious pasta dishes in a local cafe), so about £27 altogether. Tuesday was £3.30 on travel and £21.82 on Tesco shop, so just over £25. Yesterday was £10 paying my CM and just under £2 on organic milk and nice bread from Lidl. NSD today :).

CremeEggThief · 17/10/2013 14:21

I have a couple of throws out on the line today. It's been our only dry day this week. I haven't got heating on yet either, but I tumble everything I can. Anything that isn't suitable for the dryer is taking two or three days to dry on the airer or over the bannister though :(.

Fluffycloudland77 · 17/10/2013 20:40

£1.25 on tea towels. £6 on meat I can't buy in aldi but dh will reimburse me.

£10 petrol.

69p on bread.

Had a free flu jab as I'm a HCP. My thermals arrived so I will be toasty all winter Grin

I need more pegs for the washing line & a proper wooden prop.

ilovepicnmix · 17/10/2013 21:10

Just short of £3 today on goodies from b&m.

No heating on here either. I do live in a warm flat though so it's pretty easy. If it was just me I reckon I could go without for a lot longer but DSs room is the coldest room in the flat so it will go on soon.

NK5BM3 · 17/10/2013 23:44

Just £20 spend on meal out with girlfriends! :) happy.

roguepixie · 18/10/2013 09:05

Yes Adora, hand knitted shawl for DMum. Am then going to start on the thrummed mittens for my DDad - will do him thrummed socks too. The good news re DMums present is that the yarn used is/was all part of my extensive stash - so stash shopping was the only shopping carried out Grin. Also have the yarn/roving for the mittens/socks too so no additional expense there either.

NSD planned today and across the weekend - can't see a need for anything barr the Sunday papers (the only papers we get all week)...I love me the SundayTimes

Oh, btw, there is a 'Mumsnet Yarn Club' on Ravelry now. Think you can just click to join (if you are interested).

CremeEggThief · 18/10/2013 16:01

£6.65 on lunch out; £9.96 on some bits from Tesco; £1.47 at the Card Factory and £1.80 on a bus fare. Also need £3 for bus fares for tonight. So, £22.88 altogether, I believe. Tomorrow should be an NSD, hopefully.

Have a nice weekend, all Smile .

Fluffycloudland77 · 18/10/2013 16:11

£3 cat biscuits (scared to buy the big bag because he will go off them)
£4 nicky loo roll. You can now safely use any of my loos and not have to drip dry. I've even got soap in them now.
£1.10 aldi on beans and tortilla chips. The assistant was very chatty which held the queue up. I've made a mental note to avoid her in the future.

Dh has hopefully sold something of mine at work but I'll find out later for definite and £17 of cashback should go in next week.

Fluffycloudland77 · 18/10/2013 18:24

Check if your company runs employee advantages.co.uk, it's giving 6% off vouchers for M&S, sainsburys, morrisons, topshop, currys.

The % varies but its better than a poke in the eye.

RunDougalRunQuiteFast · 18/10/2013 18:26

Can I join in please? I don't post much but like picking up all your tips!

Dwerf I noticed earlier you wanted Karrimor boots, do you have a Sports Direct near you? I sent DH there lat week for work boots and dog walking boots, he got two pairs of Karrimor for £42. It's a bit if a mad jumble sale, but prices are usually really good.

NK5BM3 · 18/10/2013 23:15

Very spendy day. But for good reason. We were at Great Ormond st today for my son's check up and the consultant has said that she'll stop his meds now and review in 3 months!! I'm so pleased (understatement). Smile

So today spent £15 on train (usually £45 but I had a rail voucher for another journey which was mega delayed so we only paid the difference). We also got it on the friends and family card which was great.

Lunch was £60!!! At yo sushi. Am starting to think they are quite expensive. Dinner was about £40. Stack of books for £22 (mostly children's but one grown up one for dh). Went shopping and got 10 items for £145. Most of it heat tech. Grin

Tomorrow will have to do weekly shop but don't envisage more than just bread and milk type stuff and fruit. Fingers crossed anyway.

I'm not upset about the spend. Most of them are to replace either old worn stuff or stuff that don't exist. Plus we write celebrating!!!! DS no longer on the drugs regime!! Omg!

AdoraBell · 19/10/2013 02:58

NSD Today, DD2 Spent some savings, DD1 tried to mis understand me telling her there ain't no money and seemed genuinley surprised when I didn't buy dresses and sándals that's How I know she never listéns

Fluffy Well done on the fully equiped loosGrin. There's a cashier I always avoid here, had to forcebaly yank DH out of his que once. He leaves the devider at his end of the conveyer belt and picks up each ítem to examine it before scanning it. Doesn't sound too bad but I've seen people with fully laden trollies Get through the other tills faster than this guy can proccess a basket of goods.

Need to pick up a few bits Tomorrow, eggs, fruit and ice-cream.

That's fantástico News NK5BM3, so pleased for you and DSGrin

ilovepicnmix · 19/10/2013 09:18

That's great news NK5BM3!

Welcome Rundougal!

I thought I had forgotten my lunch yesterday so spent 70p on a packet of supernoodles Blush Typically I then found it behind stuff in my boot.

Today could be very spendy. It's my birthday tomorrow and I have friends visiting later. We're going out for a posh meal and drinks. This afternoon I'm meeting a friend in a shopping centre. I think I will treat myself to getting my eyebrows threaded. This is something I used to do without thinking about it but it doesn't fit with a frugal lifestyle, or my new budget. Sod it.

northender · 19/10/2013 11:32

Great news NK.
Happy birthday for tomorrow picnmix. Have a lovely meal outSmile
My weekend has been good so far. Dh didn't feel well last night so I went to the wedding do on my own, saving money! He's OK today so will be OK for the black tie do tonight. Havent been to anything like this for years, dh's suit fits, just! My dress needs a bit of livening up so am going to have a look round some charity shops this afternoon and see what I can find.
In the end October should be a good month for us budget wise so am feeling pretty positive at the moment.
Have a good weekend everyone.

claretandamberforever · 19/10/2013 11:53

Hi all, haven't been on for a couple of days.

Spends...
£1.00 on a bet which won't come in as I've backed my own team but I'll win £13 if it does.
£15.75 Home Bargains, £24.65 Tesco and £17.20 at Morrisons this morning bringing my weekly grocery shop to £57.60 and I also got rabbit food, budgie food and bubble bath in that.

This leaves me £65.36 in my grocery budget to go shopping with next Friday, but as the following week is school holiday week I won't need to buy much in the way of packed lunch stuff as there's only DH needing a pack-up next week.

Personal/family spends is £89.33 remaining with 12 days to get through until payday although I need to hold as much of this back as I can because my road tax of £124 is due at the end of October. I will have £52 to add to this because I am STILL waiting for Post Office credit card tor refund me the erroneous payment I made to them. I waited two full weeks and rang them yesterday and they admitted a cock up had been made and they are going to 'rush' it through for me.

Petrol Budget has only a worrying £11.53 left in it. DH is making noises that he has a lot of works mileage to do next week so I'll probably have to borrow from my personal spends budget to pay for that but his boss is very good at paying back the mileage quickly.

I had my interview on Thursday and they had shortlisted ten but on Thursday two blobbed so they interviewed 8 in total. Unbeknown to me one of my colleagues had also applied so she was interviewed too. From the questions although the job title is 'supervisor' they seemed to want someone with a lot of HR experience. My gut feeling after I'd calmed down was that I hadn't been successful but I'm disappointed as although I didn't really want 'the job', the money would have been nice and I'd even let my imagination run away with me and was planning a holiday for next summer. I think I will write a letter and ask if there's any chance of a pay increase as I have had increased responsibility since I started compared to everyone else, yet everyone else got the same 1% payrise.

My old, old, line manager contacted me (Public Sector) to say that for the first time in three years their department had been granted permission to advertise externally and lo and behold on Wednesday the job was online. He told me unfortunately their department doesn't have any say in the shortlisting, it is all done by HQ who don't know me, and don't know what a hard worker I was so I needed to make my competencies as good as possible to score highly. I still have my competencies from when I worked there so I copied & pasted them in, however, I am worrying now in case they are not good enough as to me, the three they wanted are the weakest examples I had. I submitted the application form on Wednesday night but I'm regretting not holding off for a couple of days now to see if I could tweak them, and once the form has been submitted there is no going back. I have regretted the decision I made to leave every single day and even ignored my gut decision at the time which kept screaming at me to stay.

Need to find MOT certificate to see exactly when MOT is due. Car is 13 years old so I am sure it will fail but depends how much it'll cost to put right. I think it's mid-November so I could always just off-road it for a couple of weeks and get it done on 30th November.

God, that was very long wasn't it.

OP posts: