Let's make merrily with August austerity!

[CremeEggThief]

Hello All,
I've taken the liberty (again!) of starting our new thread for August. The merrily sort of ties in with Christmas and keeping an eye on any bargains out there, if you're super organised and like planning ahead.

Today's spends were £5.10 on travel, £1.20 on 2 bottles of water, £4.20 on 2 hot chocolates and £17.25 on a meal out (long story!).

Poor you MissA hope you make a speedy recovery

Hello all

I used to be a regular on here under another name and even started a few threads meself. However when the password debacle happened, I lost my login. I've managed to resurrect this one so I'm going to make the effort to post daily as I've become addicted to spending money again! Massively overspent over the last few months to the extent that I'm almost up to my overdraft limit which is terrifying me.

Spends today:
£25.99 at Morrisons (I was a bit cheeky and got a few vouchers from the Sun so most of this was actually meat, and over three transactions. Two more to spend tomorrow).
£4.79 - on a book about how to think like a thin person (my brain needs reprogramming)
£10.00 loaded into my internet betting account.

Money earned
I did 5 hours overtime at work which should net me an extra £50, and I have another 5 hours planned for next Saturday. However this is just going to be given to DS1 as he's 18 soon so it'll be for his birthday but at least I will have it to give to him.

Plan:
Stop taking my debit card out with me on weekdays.
Update my spreadsheet as soon as possible so I know where I am.

Right - am off to read back. Thanks for 'aving me.

MissA we have all been worrying about you! Sorry you feel so rough, I do hope you feel a lot better soon

bantam welcome back I am the same, if I don't make a conscious effort to be frugal, it is so easy to slip back into old habits.

DH has just come downstairs to announce with a huge amount of huffing and puffing that we need a new bed. I have been to investigate and it turns out the screws that hold the base in place have come out, so I got him the necessary tools and gave him instructions how to fix it. I had to stand up against the mattress which was on its end the whole time which brought on a massive hot flush but other than that, it's all good for the time being

Bantam welcome back.

MissA, well that's a relief, it's always better to find something to pin the problem on then say "no, no idea but here's some more painkiller".

£5.80 in morrisons on meat.

Painted the lounge with my fancy new decorating kit, took 8 hours and that's just the first coat. The finish looks amazing.

to you all it's so nice to see all these well wishes. DH brought my laptop into hospital today so I am hoping for a bit of netflix tonight as well as easier access to email and MN than from the phone.

Hoping time goes quickly here, can't wait to be at home again to be honest and hope I do get let to go home on Monday as they said this morning.

Good to hear from you MissA! Hope there's some monitoring though re the pus!

£27 on clothes for my brother's children - parents returning home soon so it's for them to bring back. Parents paid for £47 sainsburys.

Glad you're on the mend MissA. £3.50 on sunglasses today (Massive saving in accessorise) and then £25 on petrol. Tomorrow should be a nsd then off on holiday!

Im ashamed .... spent £40 on alcohol last night

NSD today though as ive lay on the sofa feeling sorry for myself for most of thd day.

MissA. Hope they've fixed the source of pain now.

Welcome back, Bantam.

£18.30 on travel, collecting DS from the airport (50p of that on a bottle of water) and we had a special 'welcome back' meal £40, including tip, that I put on the credit card.

Fantasea I get to see him if I pay!

When the kids did Joseph at Windsor they gave us a special price for tickets. So I took the older two (who were doing the show) so they could see it from the front, went with DH and went with my mum/sister and a friend and her kids. 9 tickets, all for the price of about 4 tickets (plus the friends tickets).

The other shows I have seen DS in (Joseph was DD's first show) I gave paid the full price for tickets. Scrooge cost me about £200, Evita was DH's Father's Day present.

MissA glad to hear they found something, hopefully it won't recur?

audit thanks the surgeon doesn't think so, and I'm planning on asking him for a CT scan before I leave here to rule out any hidden pockets of infection. He said that apart from an external cause (eg bowel or gynae infection that somehow got out of hand and spread) the possibilities were that it came from my appendix site which is a mess of scar tissue and could have something lurking perhaps or from the actual appendix stump which has been closed off in an unusual way. I'm hoping a CT wil rule out the hidden infection option, and then it's a waiting game to see if it comes back. Which is a bit depressing but at least this time they'll believe me and help me rather than giving me paracetamol and telling me it's cramps.

Audit I was wondering if they gave you any discount. How lovely to get to see both of them in these shows, they must both be very talented

MissA I really hope they can sort you out and that you are home soon. Living with any constant pain is dreadful so I am hoping that it doesn't come back. Will they give you a follow-up appointment or will it be a case of checking back with your gp?

fanta I'll have follow up with the surgical team as an outpatient I hope plus I am gunning for a scan to make sure there is nothing left hiding in there, that should give me the best reassurance that it won't recur.

I'm starting to feel bored in hospital now - a sure sign I'm feeling better!

MissA oh good, that sounds like a good follow-up. If you are feeling bored, that is a very promising sign! Fingers crossed for you that you can come home soon

Right - all of my Morrisons £5 off £10 of meat vouchers are now all spent - small freezer is full and we'll be dining like kings for the next month (woo) - well, sort of.

Spent approximately £23.58 in two transactions in Morrisons this morning - probably won't be spending anything else today as I'm not going anywhere.

Spreadsheet is updated, so no nasty surprises lurking hopefully.

Earned £8 today as I do DS1's paper round that he doesn't want to do anymore, and also an extra one. It only takes an hour and the weather was okay today. I put it towards my Christmas fund which is now about £225 which is just for my two lads. The eldest will be 18 in September so I plan on giving him £100 cash and I have already bought a Superdry and a Hollister sweater in the sale through the summer so he will have those two.

24 people to buy for...
13 are adults
8 are under 12
3 are teens

So far have only bought for three of the adults.

4 paydays left which means I have to try and put 6 presents away per month... don't think I'll be able to do it which means that my credit card will have to come out again.

Although I do have some Tesco vouchers so I could buy possibly 2 presents with those.

the three teens will want money so that'll be £10 each.

Tomorrow will be day 1 of leaving my cards behind when I leave the house tomorrow gulp

www.hotukdeals.com/deals/save-5-your-school-uniform-with-f-f-tesco-via-daily-mail-sunday-17th-aug-1977099

Daily mail coupon for £5 off F&F school uniform at tesco.

Nsd. Mil bought us all coffee and cake this am as she's leaving the uk tomorrow.

I've sorted out my kitchen food cupboard (dp put a new one up and put everything back in the wrong place ), just put two loads of washing in the tumble/on the airer, have hoovered and put a chicken in the oven

NSD :)

And have done some overtime in work. Been looking on pinterest at dome ideas for christmas going to try and make it a frugal but magical one so she says.

I bloody love Christmas

Me too im bieng sensible this year starting early :) I always seem to have a meltdown the week before christmas thinking I havent got enough. I want to be organised not running around like a headless chicken

I've got quite a bit already. Probably going to get lots when we go to New York in December

Dome ideas? Is this some new magical thing I don't know about?
I'm getting out of jail hospital tomorrow. Literally counting the hours!

£45 for lunch for 6 people. Have roast chicken on and have made cauliflower cheese (spotty? Fluffy? All your fault!! ), roast potatoes, carrots. Will make yorkies and then we are done I think.

Christmas is usually low key. Although I think given that we will be heading to the in laws, I'll have to get presents for several step nieces and nephews and something for the FIL and MIL. Plus of course dh and my dcs.

But that means no need for food purchases! :)

No dome ideas MissA I should learn to check my spellings

NK5 yorkshires hospital food is dreadful, I have no idea how people are supposed to get well on it.

miss tired I was imagining some kind of present filled wonder dome!