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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.

Judiciously June frugal thread now including Christmas bargains.

680 replies

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/06/2014 08:13

Everyone is welcome.

OP posts:
trinitybleu · 02/06/2014 22:05

Fanta she's family so treating her as such! She's veggie and gluten intolerant so not too bad. Am doing some things all the same and some things similar i.e. did a curry for all last night and burgers / wedges / salad tonight so just did her a veggie burger. Doing her packups as she's down here to do some part time hours for low wages (well she makes it!)

Spent £100 at Aldi yesterday plus £25 at Asda / Sainsburys for gluten free stuff. Hoping for a NSD tomorrow.

trinitybleu · 02/06/2014 22:11

Fanta she's family so treating her as such! She's veggie and gluten intolerant so not too bad. Am doing some things all the same and some things similar i.e. did a curry for all last night and burgers / wedges / salad tonight so just did her a veggie burger. Doing her packups as she's down here to do some part time hours for low wages (well she makes it!)

Spent £100 at Aldi yesterday plus £25 at Asda / Sainsburys for gluten free stuff. Hoping for a NSD tomorrow.

lilacclery · 02/06/2014 22:34

Got 25% off ynab from www.marottaonmoney.com/helpful-mobile-budgeting-tool-free-for-college-students/
italianwiking I know you're probably busy with baby now but I know you were interested before.

lilacclery · 02/06/2014 22:52

This is a recipe from the author of the cookbook I won. Made 5 scones using my middle size cutter - big one decent scones, middle one - I'm being good with carbs size & small one - bringing along for tasters at class.

m.independent.ie/lifestyle/food-drink/how-to-make-brown-soda-scones-for-10-cent-each-30191734.html

MissMysticFalls · 02/06/2014 22:58

Been ill the last two days so no spending for me! Treating a friend to a takeaway tomorrow to thank her for petsitting but shouldn't be any major expenses this week otherwise. In my head though I am spending so much money doing up the house we haven't managed to buy yet!!

AuditAngel · 02/06/2014 23:17

Took my sausages and mash to the office, but didn't get a chance to eat due to lunchtime meeting. Nipped to Tesco, £1.20 for microwaveable veg bag to go with sausages tomorrow, meal dal for £3 plus fruit salad reduced to £1.30.

£110 for this term's dancing lessons. Haven't had the bill yet, but term started today and I had cash (from Dear Mum's shopping) so paid before I got the bill. Was quite nice to be told I hadn't been asked because I always pay straight away . Will definitely get my money's worth from this month's dancing lessons as DS & DD1 will also have Sunday rehearsals for 3 or 4 weeks preparing for Joseph.

Now need to pay for school dinners Sad

AdoraBell · 02/06/2014 23:19

£2.40 on bits today and £2.50 for DD2 to take I to school. We forgot last week and a pal paid for herBlush.

Mad is Cherrios your standard breakfast? I find those and most other cereals about a satisfying as a fresh air sandwich.

AuditAngel · 02/06/2014 23:20

MadScientist I have 2 adults and 3 DC and am aiming for £100 per week food bills. Not quite there yet, but also gave my parents staying (into week 5 now.......) Mum has been giving me money towards the shopping, but only their specific stuff like ready meals, not the extra bread/butter/bigger joints, that said, thus week she gave me £100, which was more than their shopping cost.

SpottyTeacakes · 03/06/2014 05:36

Today I need to pick up some bits like antihistamine for our holiday. Will go to the chemist below where I work as I get 20% discount.

MadScientistsRuleTheAsylum · 03/06/2014 05:45

£400 for the month seems treasonable - I did some meal planning and £100 ish per week seemed about right. I do have one in nappies still and a DH who doesn't think it's a proper meal without meat in. I would eat veggie given a free choice, but hey...

Have made my packed lunch again . I may succumb to a 68p can of diet coke again, but that is way better than the £6-8 I was spending daily... No wonder I'm skint!

Am going out for a curry after work with some friends, I guess £20 will be enough and £1.60 for parking.

Hope the weather stays nice :-)

MissAnnersleyismyhero · 03/06/2014 07:40

madscientist DH and I realised a few years back that we were each spending between £5-£8 per work day in Pret/Eat etc on lunch and that this worked out (at a conservative estimate) at £60 per week going on lunch! We almost overnight started bringing pack lunches and would eat them in the common room of the centre we both belonged to in town, we got a lot of stick from friends but we noticed the difference in our bank balances almost immediately so we didn't find it too hard to break the habit.

One thing I still do (I now get lunch free 5 days a week in work) for DH is to make soup and freeze in individual portions, he can take that to work with bread/fruit and microwave it, because it is frozen it keeps well all day and keeps the rest of his lunch cold if he has a drink etc.

I also make extra when we do paella/risotto/spag bol and he takes a portion to work the next day.

On days when there's no soup or leftovers he will take bread, tomatoes and a little pot of egg mayo he makes up the night before.

In September when he starts his new job he will get free lunch every day in work, which will be amazing!

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 03/06/2014 07:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/06/2014 08:00

You can freeze the lemons in wedges & slices for using on fish or in drinks.

Water bill came, 6 months useage is £133 so I've knocked £10 a month off the bill since Christmas.

Yy to soup, I've got a vat of red lentil, carrot and chicken stock on the hob waiting to be liquidised. It should last me all week and I can have it with curry powder one day or extra hot chilli powder the next. It cost me about £2 to make.

OP posts:
FantaSea · 03/06/2014 08:52

Mad I think £400 a month sounds reasonable. It is difficult if you have to incorporate meat into every meal though. I buy the 3 meats for £10 in Tesco and get a chicken as one of the meats and then some mince as the other and then something else for the third.

MissAnn you are so right about work lunches running away with you, it is just a sandwich and bag of crisps but it is so easy to spend £5 a day at least, and that is £100 a month for one person! Shocking really.

Hoping for a LSD day today - DD has another exam so I will find myself in the giant Tesco. I am going to miss that once she finishes! She needs some more printer paper so at least that is cheap in there.

Hope everyone has a good day Smile

CoolCadbury · 03/06/2014 12:15

Another NSD today. Woo-hoo: three in a row!

threedeer · 03/06/2014 15:13

NSD today. Went running (free) this morning and gave DC snacks from store cupboard for their breaks between exams. Dinner is risotto made with one of MN's famous everlasting chickens (had half as a roast dinner yesterday and other half with peas, onions, risotto rice, cheese and a splash of wine tonight.)

East thanks for the M&S 3 for £10 tip. I'd never have thought of looking there.

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/06/2014 15:23

NSD today.

I'm trying kidney bean and carrot burgers tonight in home made pitta breads with salad.

OP posts:
Ellisisland · 03/06/2014 15:28

Mmmm fluffy they sound yummy

NSD yesterday and today

Will be spendy tomorrow though as will need to get petrol and some bits for out weekend away in Cornwall on Friday.

Charlieboo30 · 03/06/2014 16:10

Fluffy - I am Envy about your water bill. £30 a month here for a two bed terrace with no garden! Our landlord won't let us have a meter! It makes me so annoyed as my PIL pay £17 a month, on a meter, for a three bedroom house with a huge garden.

Well, called to sainsburys and spend £12 on the bits we needed. Then wandered into the clothes section as ended some new bras. Ended up spending £24. I have no willpower whatsoever.

SpottyTeacakes · 03/06/2014 16:15

£23 in the chemist Shock

CremeEggThief · 03/06/2014 16:32

NSD.

PinkSquash · 03/06/2014 16:42

I'm having a LSD. £4 for DS1s after school club and £1 for DS2s toddler group. Didn't go to the supermarket today but may have to tomorrow as we're running low on fruit.

Our water bills are £60pm and we are fairly frugal with water. That's with a meter too. So expensive here Sad

I need to figure out where all our money goes each month. We seem to spend so much on bills, I can't understand why.

Northerngal29 · 03/06/2014 16:47

I'm quite annoyed with myself today got a bit carried away in Sainburys. I only needed fresh fruit and I ended getting clothes and household things ontop of that. Treated my DD to a Kfc as she hasn't been very well and it perked her up and I got my Nephew his xmas present in originally was £20.00 but managed to get in for 4.99 in the sale bargain. On a brighter note had a NSD yesterday

Passthecake30 · 03/06/2014 17:53

Nsd apart from extortionate train fare and parking

Boss bought a ton of kitkats and twix in so I ate those instead of spending my own money (warm in the office. ..didn't want it to melt Wink)

SpottyTeacakes · 03/06/2014 19:34

£40.45 on mine and dd's travel insurance Sad and I can't get the docs to print from my iPhone as it's saying it can't find the printer?! AngryAngry

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