An Avalanche of Austerity for April - Mumsnet frugaleers continue!

[MissAnnersleyismyhero]

Thought I'd start a new thread for April

expecting It's hard to entertain them when they are little and you have the school holidays. If your DC like craft you could spend some time making birthday cards (alongside your easter cards) for any friends or family birthdays coming up, that way you are ready in good time.

When DD was small, we used to go on walks and pick up various leaves and twigs and bits and then come back and make collages with them. She used to love gluing and sticking and it would keep her going for hours.

I now see the downside of having an online shop pending. It is coming on Wednesday but I can amend my order up until midnight tomorrow night - I can't leave it alone! I have already added on a few more bits so really have got to stop.

There's a garden centre near us that does lots of things. This Easter they've got a free egg hunt, free story time, free meet the farm animals and biscuit decorating.

Also have you seen the gruffalo trails done by the forestry commission? They're at 25 different forests around the country we're going to go once the weather warms up.

It's the rain that is the problem. DS has sensory issues and does not do rain at all and for the same reason cannot tolerate indoor play areas either. He can just about manage the cinema (but sits on my lap which I quite like) and museums. But when it's raining, it's harder get him out of the door. I think we are making strawberry cakes in the afternoon.

Poor dc are being abandoned today whilst I clean I've tidied and hoovered the whole house and done two loads if washing. We've had an early lunch and I've put dinner in the slow cooker. Now need to wash up and clean the kitchen.

Blooming rain! It makes me spend money! 6 in cafe nero. 11 in Sains.
Have paid off 400 on CC this (salary) month just from food savings and frittering less. Why didn't I do this years ago?!

insideleg £400 this month? Well done, that's loads .

Inside that's really good! I'm really struggling already this month. I'm going to London to see a friend (first time out since having ds 16 months ago so can allow that, right?) and the dc both desperately need new clothes. Also my dad's birthday.

insideleg well done.

NSD.

Spent £105 today but that was on our annual pass for the attraction near us. That includes a petting farm, inside and outside play areas and other bits so it's well worth it.

Potty training is killing me though!

Congrats insideleg I saved loads using a sainsburys savings account and a save back card. Basically when you got to pay for your shopping at sainsburys you can ask them to put money in your savings account as well. I always get them to round my shopping up to the nearest tenner and put the difference in my savings account. Amazing how quickly it adds up.

Thank you everyone! It feels great, and really worth being careful - even though I can get a bit fed up. ellis I like that idea! I do a lot of internet banking and have some online accounts that I want to add to. I have precisely £2.30 in savings in total. Terrible really but once I have cleared the CC i will be saving as much as I can.

Well done inside leg its a great feeling isn't it? I get the "why didn't I do this earlier?" too but at the end of the day, you're doing it now and that's the important thing.

Renewed my car insurance today. My renewal quote was for £254 (plus £40 cash back 3 months later) . I rang and said I had a lower quote so they increased the cash back to £60. I said I didn't want to wait 3 months for the cash back at which point he paused for a moment and then offered £60 discount now . It never ceases to amaze me how much leeway there is in negotiating insurance. I'm sure the majority of people don't negotiate and that's how they make most of their money, like the energy companies.

Well done inside that's good going.

Glad you got the discount North and yes, so much leeway. Few years ago, before we sold up in the UK, DH took the car to have a tiny dent fixed prior to selling it. They wanted £840 and when he said said no they actually asked him how much he was prepared to pay.

The maindealer did it for £50 because he'd bought loads of cars off them and they were making money on this sale too.

Spent £2.50 on kitchen towel and £2.55 on school run, will get veg later at the greengrocer's.

Nsd

Well done insideleg

2.74 in Aldi, 1 in Jack Fultons and 4 in Tesco on batteries.

If you buy some ikea bags off amazon you don't even need to pack, you just lob it all in & off you go.

Use more than one bag though because if you can't lift the bag into the car you have to pack in the car park.

NSD. I haven't been out at all. I did quite a bit of cleaning and made soup!

If you have a dobbies garden centre near you £4 of Tesco clubcard vouchers can be used for a membership which gives you two free hot drinks each month. Ds3 and I go for a large latte and a hot chocolate and then have a wander round. I was thinking on joining dh so we could go more often.

Dentist tomorrow. I hope that's not too expensive!

Just watching the programme about the coffee shops. Apparently, the average coffee shop goer spends about £450 but some spend about £2000 on their coffee habit.

Hi, I've been doing some clearing out and found some citric acid from when we used it to descale the sterilizer. Does anyone know what else you can use it for? Seems a shame to throw it away.

I think you can make elderflower cordial with it

Hello... But late but was overseas at the start of the month for work! NSD today but v spendy week. Good news is I suppose a lot of the spend was work and it's been claimed. Bad news is spent some £25 on choc and about £25 on shopping stuff. Doh.

Oh and thanks for setting this up missA. And glad adora is fine... I was in Paris when the news came in re earthquake!

Descale the kettle and draining board? I wouldn't throw it out as there will always be something that could do with a quick descale.

Spent a fiver in the green grocers and another quid on bread to feed four growing preteens. DD1 has classmates over for study, again. Have decided this year it will be cheaper and less hassle to have them here rather than DD1 going to theirs. No extra petrol and we're home so I'm not spending up to two hours of the evening collecting her. Just need to adjust my shopping to allow for cheap filling snacks.

Cadbury is that per year? I'm not surprised, DH and I briefly had a habit of stopping for tea and toast on our way to work. Then we moved in together officially and looked at our budget/outgoings and realized our habit was costing £40 a month, 20 years ago.

Thanks NK, how was Paris? Do you get any time to sight see and relax when you travel? I haven't been to Paris for years.