An Avalanche of Austerity for April - Mumsnet frugaleers continue!

[MissAnnersleyismyhero]

Thought I'd start a new thread for April

Signing in....NSD yesterday but extension is underway and we are currently pondering if £7k is too much for the kitchen cupboards and work tops (will get oven , freezer etc online as cheaper)... I don't want to scrimp as it's gotta last (forever??!)

You get bored of kitchens though, what looks the dogs danglies now looks passé in 15 years time.

£26 going out of our joint today in o/d fees from last month. Entirely my own fault too.

And yes, am v excited about a fresh ynab month - will sort out the new categories tonight with DH and am determined that there'll be fewer adjustments this month

dementedma see if you can get the regulars on the YNAB support thread to help you work out the reconciliation. I had to adjust by £7 to reconcile with the bank, which is so unlike me, I spent ages trying to work out but it just wouldn't reconcile, so in the end I manually adjusted it. I don't intend to make it a habit of it though.

Today is YNAB day because I am starting to stress about money because there are big spends on the way and I need to make sure that I have enough to cover it all. Can you tell I haven't been YNABing for over a week?

Morning all, 2 in petrol station (badly organised this morn) and 42 on grocery delivery tonight. Not a penny more!
I have taken out my money for the whole month (40) and pinned it up on the fridge - the act of physically removing it from the fridge encourages me to question - do I really to spend this?!

Have been looking at YNAB but am a bit confused - is it possible to use on an Ipad?

Morning all, and happy April...
Today should be a NSD, grocery shopping yesterday, 43 Euro and 20 Euro on bus/tram/train card for DP, so he can get to and from work.
lilacclery so fare perhaps a bit disappointed, looks a lot like my own homemade budget, so at the moment, I am prob not going to buy the product, unless it gives a big aha experience during this month... But for people, who has never created a budget before, I think its a good tool... I used to be a banker (actually a mortgage administrator) so perhaps I just expected to much....

Extra expenses budgeted for this month: garden fence £800, boiler service and new thermostat £200, DS' birthday presents and party £100. I am keeping the costs of the birthday party down by having it at home. About 13 children, if they all come. I'm a bit stressed because the living room can just about manage 14 children, if I move furniture around and out, but not if the parents stay. I have already had a parent saying "son and I would love to come" .

I think I have just woken up stressed today.

Thanks for the new thread MissA.

I fell off the March one but am back to budgeting for April! Had a spendy day yesterday so I can start the month with an NSD!

I would like to join if I may please .

I need to get my spending under control - I've had a spendy March with a lot of birthdays to buy for.

Not completely NSD today, 10 Euro for Lebara top up for phone. But that lasts me a month worth of calling home, which I think is worth it. I have 2 phones, because the normal phone provider here in NL do not provide any good cheap deals on international calls, so have DP old phones for international calls; a bit annoying sometimes to carry 2 phones...
And my top up is calculated for in the budget :)

I'm slinking back in, tail firmly between legs. I had a hen do last month and it was so unavoidably expensive that I kind of had a "fuck it" attitude for the rest of the month and have been sticking my head in the sand and not tracking what I spend or anything. I'm back at it for April. I really need to stay on track all month, but it's so damn hard! My budget is so depressingly tiny, literally £2 can leave me short for something vital so there is no room for anything enjoyable, any little treats. And I feel like I need some treats! Which is slightly pathetic seeing as how I am A Grown Up but there you go. At least the weather should be getting better soon so we can do more out door things. It just feels as though it will never ever end!

On a more positive note, my mum bought me Jack Monroe's cookbook and it's fab. Vast majority of recipes use ingredients you'd regularly have in so it's easy to whip something up last minute and everything I've made so far has been delicious :) Well worth a look (though buying an austerity cookbook is a bit of an oxymoron! Good if you've got a birthday coming up though!)

Need petróleo Today.

£1.20 sainsbos basic tea bags
£2.10 morrisons cheap saccharine tabs

£5 petrol

Anyone else noticed sainsbos doing a "super six" on veg? Pity it's years too late. Plus aldi are doing a similar selection for 59p not 69p so sainsbos can fuck off as far as I'm concerned.

You tell 'me Fluffy

I will

£2 on a raffle ticket at dd's Easter party. Won four big Easter eggs

Thanks MissA for the new thread.

NSD today which is great. The milk is running low but I have 6 long life skimmed cartons in the garage so that will have to do. I will encourage toast for breakfast.

I have completed my menu plan from the freezer and hope to get off with £40 shop in Aldi tomorrow or Thursday as I have my £5 off. Morrisons have 12.5kg sacks of tatties for £3.75 at the moment so I might pop down there at the weekend.

We will be having a Chinese takeaway tomorrow as we have friends coming and this is what they like. Hopefully dh will pay - it was his idea!

Lucky spotty! Now you just need to resist opening for two weeks!

fluffy I've noticed more supermarkets competing with aldi, they must be getting worried!

12.46 in aldi, mostly lunchy stuff, salad and milk, however I think I can stretch what we have for a good few days yet. I've got a slow cooker full of Jamie's store cupboard lentil soup on the go.

I am going out to meet friends tonight but will keep it low-key.

Thought I'd try this this month...

Frugal to-do-list:

1. cancel free trial if sky movies
2. sign up to amazon free tv trial
3. pay in petty cash cheque
4. get car ins quote through Tesco for 150 extra points
5. submit meter readings to EDF

Let's see if the list grows and if I cross this lot out by the end of the month! Happy April everyone!

Spring are you using a cashback site for the car insurance?

Jinty that's a good idea to have long-life milk. I was finding that having to go to the supermarket for milk meant that I was spending about £30 on a few extra bits when all I needed was the milk. I now freeze milk and bread to keep me away from the shops.

Hi fluffy I do admit to being the proud New owner of a quidco account but still really haven't got the foggiest! My car insurance doesn't renew until seotember, I just got a till promotion at tescos for extra clubcard points for getting a quote.

Topcashbacks quicker at paying out ime & they price match quidcos cashback if its higher.

I prefer topcashback too

Withdrawn 30 euros of my 100 euro pocket money, but only spend 2 euros in Cheapo version of boot (plus got a shop card, which gives me a free packet now I am pregnant with diapers ect. in) 2 euros on stamp for a card home and 2 euros on an ice cream, since the weather is nice and it was my first trip alone out (sounds pathetic, but DP first day of work, and in a whole new country and city, so he has been nice to go with me for a while, so I could get use to where things are located ect.)