Judicious January Jangling & Juggling *blows budgeteering bugle*

[claretandamberforever]

Sorry, couldn't resist going overboard on the J's

Happy new year y'all. Welcome to expert budgeteerers, newbies, lurkers and de-lurkers. We're a very friendly, non-judgmental bunch so please use this thread as you choose whether it's as a spending diary, to confess your money sins, ask for help or have a general whinge at the cost of living.....

I will update, soon, NSD for me Friday.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I 'started' January yesterday so Christmas is finally behind us. Didn't quite finish the month on target but I'm thinking there's no council tax to pay out of this pay packet so I should get back on track.

I'm planning on sending the dc out with dh today to the park while I do a load of cooking. Tomorrow we may go and watch Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2, which is only £1.75 each. I like the idea of family Friday. I think I'll have to draw up a list of things we can do.

Morning all. I'm working this morning so won't be spending. Dh has taken Dd to auditions at a local theatre. Its the first time she's done anything like this and I'm anticipating lots of queuing so have sent them off with plenty of supplies in good frugal style! dh is going to park at the railway station which charges £2 a day at weekends.

This coming Wednesday I had the chance of a trip to the theatre or meeting up with some friends so I've gone for the latter as it only involves taking something to eat (will make a cake I think) and no other financial cost.

I really agree with what ohhelp said about not always having cupboards fully stocked. I found we spend less when shopping less often as you're just more imaginative with what you do have and try to make it go further.

Have a good frugal weekend everyone

NSD yesterday! Spent most of the afternoon/evening painting the bathroom and have quickly realised the paint I have is not going to stretch so will need to spend in B&Q today. Someone said earlier in the thread that they were spending the year tackling all of the small, inexpensive jobs around the home; that's the plan here too - no big projects! The bathroom was last painted 6 years ago, we're not replacing tiles or floor or suite so spending under twenty pounds on a tub of paint to get a quality finish is ok by me.

We've been invited out this afternoon by dfil to Cafe Rouge as he has some vouchers. Hopefully LS for us.

Have managed to avoid grocery shopping all week and am hoping to get through to Monday with what we have. Currently defrosting the huge box of Christmas roast leftovers which will become bubble and squeak for dinner today and tomorrow.

picnmix I found 5:2 on Thursday horrible! Had a really bad headache by the evening. I think I need to hold off from having breakfast until later in the day. I'm going to persevere next week though. It must be having beneficial effects as I didn't snack last night after dinner. Kept thinking 'ooh, what do I fancy' but then realised that I wasn't actually hungry so had a cup of tea instead!

NSD yesterday, this morning will be spendy as need to buy tickets for DDs dance show st the end of the month, but will get most of that back.
Swimming this afternoon but only have to pay for DD as DH is a gym member so gets in free and I don't go in! Trying family Saturday, dvd is last of the Harry Potters, really looking forward to it.
Wanted to ask a non-frugaleering question (it sounds like the sort of thing fluffy would know the answer to.........)? Our washer drawer is really gunged up, and I wondered if there is a simple cheap way of getting rid of it before it causes a problem?

Morning all. A fairly frugal week completed and I've just taken delivery of the weekly foods shop: £70 which includes all packed lunch ingredients. It'll see us through until next Saturday am so I'm reasonably happy with that.

DH has a small bonus coming at the end of the month. Tax man is taking 55% of it :(

I'm really starting to wonder if there are some other ways to get a second income. Thinking about doing some private tutoring in the Easter and half term holidays...just need to put some feelers out to see if I'd get any students. I won't tutor students from my own school though - I think there would be a conflict of interest then.

TheOnlyMrsW

Put the drawer in the top of the dishwasher & clean out the machine using a bottle brush, hot water & soda crystals.

In future put detergents in the drum.

Ohelpohnoitsa It is very tempting and could be quite lucrative. I think if I did A Level tutoring I could charge that sort of amount. I really don't have the time in term time but if I did ten sessions over Easter and 4 or 5 at half term it would really help out but it is quite a lot of work in terms of planning each session. GCSE might be more straightforward but probably not such a big hourly charge. I'm going to ask a colleague who does tutoring what the going rate round here is. I teach English, so I think there should be a pretty good demand.

I agree about not being well stocked all the time... It's too easy to buy lots of stuff 'for emergencies' but then never use it because you always do another shop before needing to use it.

I've been lurking for a while but I'm loving this thread am over budgets like a rash, about 4 years too late but better late than never ! Have a big holiday to pay for plus DP and I waste money on just rubbish it all has to stop!

Well... I did a big shop today. Two big shops.

One at the Asian supermarket where we bought our 10kg of rice and other things. The last time we were there was probably 3 months ago so I think that's fine. That was £55

Then at sainsburys where I picked up a large topside of beef and it's roasting now! So we are having roast beef for dinner. I've also picked up other things - and did keep to the list and came away £63.

Frightful.

We were at the panto this morning and it was really good. I brought bread rolls with ham cheese etc and we all ate them. I did buy ice cream for them but that was £4 (crazy prices!!). And that was it.

Hopeful for NSD tomorrow.

I've also made lasagne for tomorrow/the week ahead. Will be making some other things ready for next week!

Spendy day for me today. £8.25 at the pictures. A treat for me as no DS this weekend and I've vowed to do more when I don't have him. I also had a run which is free of course!

I needed make up so £19 in body shop but I got £15 off (should have been £34) using vouchercloud. I then bought DS shoes but I had a voucher left over from my birthday so only had to pay an extra £1. Then £14 in petrol.

I got my £10 Tesco voucher from the sun in the post today

turnoff sounds like you're doing great. My standard fasting day is a thin slice of toast and three scrambled egg whites at about 11 and then rice and veg ratatouille at 7.30. I try and push the breakfast as last as possible.

Upload that bodyshop receipt onto topcashback, you'll get an extra 4% off.

It all adds up.

Broke out a bit today and spent £20 on a dress in the Fatface sale, £4.45 on cards at Paperchase, £28 at Wilkinsons (new shower rail, mop and net rod), also £2.60 on a chai latte, £3.60 return bus fare and £4.10 on craft glue for DS. So, £62.75 altogether.

Today's spends - £40 petrol, £10 drinks at lunch, £19.98 kitchen and bathroom paint, £1.49 milk, £14 on a pair of converse trainers (I have been holding off for ages to buy something like this)

NSDs yesterday and today. Forgetting all about them tbh, we don't spend much on a daily basis because we're not normally near shops so it's always online, and I tend to buy anything online at once, so I may just ignore my NSD status from now on! Frequency doesn't seem to be my issue, it's what I spend when I do eventually spend.

Just realised this week that I will have a large spend later this month on a gift I've been planning for several months (just didn't know when I'd finally be buying it), so I'm going to record it but also look at my overall spends without the gift too - it really is a one off thing and I don't want it to skew my perception of the regular/small spends, which is where my money is going.

Also totally unsure of what do with voucher or points spends? Do they count?! The money isn't leaving my account...

£8 on nibbles & twining s tea for family who visited, tbh it didn't taste any better to me than the sainsburys smart price but they are my favourite relations so its worth it.

£40 in aldi, dh came with me and that bumps the price up.

£5 on cat litter.

I don't count loyalty spends, or cashback spends. It's a bonus not money you earnt.

The mango online outlet (different to the main site) is having a sale, summer tops for £2-3 if anyone needs summer clothes. It's worth a bookmark.

Evening :)

A Small spend £8.50 on a much needed replacement mop and floor cleaner.

I have a gammy eye. I know exactly what it is, a bacterial infección I've had a couple of times, on the eye lid, right by the last líne. This means I need an antibiótico cream. From a Dr. Moré bloody money.

Last week I Spent £120 on 3 blood tests for DD2, still need To do the other one, and £60 To see DD2's Dr. to update and check about the last test. That was over Two days so it was £8 going in and £2.40 coming home, plus £6 on a mid morning snack for DDs.

Dr.suggested I take DD To a specialist re her bunions, so I asked him what can be done. I'm already doing it so can wait úntil things ease up money wise. There was a glitch in DH's business which has now been removed so things should Get back on track soon.

Felt like screaming Today, DH was talking about what if we can't sell the house for another few years, will be the wrong time To move DDs etc, so we could rent -even further away from the school, freinds, work, shops, Dr. etc. I have had enough of the road tolls and driving thousands of kms a year just running DDs back and forth. There are houses with in walking distance of the school, I want To live there.

Fluffy was it their English Breakfast tea? I don't think that one is worth the price, but I like some of the others. Glad you have rellies who are worth the expense though.

DH's PA brought us a gift of fresh coffee from a tríp To Brazil, smells fab but I have yet To taste it. Will open it Tomorrow

North How did the audition go?

Delasi I don't count voucher/points as a spend. I sometimes post what I've bought with it, like a dress for DD this week- used a gift card so I don't usually put the amount. And DH paíd for a dress for t'other DD so I'm not counting that either ( each was £25)

Nahmate you've reminded me I need a mop head in next week's shopping, Thanks.

NSDs for me yesterday and Today. DH bought extra dog food so I won't need To Get that when he jets off soon.