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!).

Please may I join you all? Am having a really big rethink about what we spend and why - not necessarily frugal in all things but changing our priorities, if that makes any sense? So, no more frittering on crap (lunches at work, trips to Waitrose to get some milk where I end up spend in thirty quid on godknowswhat, etc) and...no more clothes, makeup or haircuts for me at all until the end of the year!

I have just bought tickets for Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet at £60, but I'm offsetting that with a veg curry made entirely from leftovers

My freezers bursting, it makes me feel better that way.

£15 on four long sleeve thermal tops from M&S online outlet.

Sainsburys mobile lost my £10 top up but I rang them & they've credited it back to my account

Also sorry to go back to previous topic but I was googling vouchers again, this time specifically for wagamamas as we've never been to one and DSD would really like to try more Japanese food. There didn't seem to be much, one site said "up to 40% off in wagamamas" and you know where you click "show offer and open site"? Well all it did was open the normal wagamama site which had nothing on it about any offers. Maybe it was because it was the mobile site (am on iPod)? Is there anywhere that's good for vouchers to print out and take to restaurants (apart from clubcard obviously which we use loads)?

Oh and the hotukdeals thing, is that a pretty comprehensive list (ie if it ain't on there then it doesn't exist!) or are there other good places?

Sorry to ask this, I guess it's been covered already in previous threads but it's all new to me!

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IN HAMLET?!?!?!

Mmm Benedict...

Fuzzpig I usually go by hotukdeals. Try signing up to wagamamas newsletter you might get a voucher?

Hot deals is what people have found, it's not comprehensive.

There's loads of voucher sites but as you've found a lot of them aren't any good.

Moneysavingexpert has a good list, their forum will have meal deals etc.

Thanks I'll try those!

Ah, Benedict... Love him, as does DSD. Can you tell me more about these tickets please Lacuna (and welcome by the way :o)

It's on at the Barbican, not until next August though! So have bought tickets 'for dp's birthday' (yeah, right ) next October. But am a member of the Barbican so got them early, general tix not on sale until Monday I think. Not cheap but worth it imo.

See, that's what I mean. Priorities!

Makes perfect sense NK, in fact my late father would never eat either Chinese or Indian food because he said it bore no resemblance to what he had eaten in China and India on his travels before getting married. Your dinner sounds delicious.

Welcome Lacuna, hope you enjoy Hamlet.

I've remembered DD1 needs to have classmates over To study. Will feed 'en cheaply, pasta with ham y toms. I want To try Girl Called Jack's Black bean soup. DDs say they don't like beans but they eat my homemade baked beans, so I'm relying on the chocolate To persuade them.

My freezer is also bursting, again, after yesterday's shop.

Yesterday was expensive. £3.50 for lunch, Tesco £148. That did include 3 months of cat food as it was reduced, 6 months of Brita filters (yep, they were reduced too!) and a bottle of vodka. I wasn't going to buy that as DH is working both Sundays before we go away, but it was reduced and came with a free glass. I didn't mind until I got home and found a bottle of vodka in the fridge that had about a double out of it!

Today, NSD.

If anyone is interested Tesco are doing £2.50 for a cineworld cinema token which will get you a ticket. £2.50 for both children and adults until 1st September. I went straight online and bought some as it would have cost me £20 to take DD and friend to cinema yesterday when they wanted to go and there are a couple of films I want to see too but can't afford the cost of a ticket normally.

Oh thanks so much makingchanges, I'd not bothered with the cinema tickets on clubcard as they didn't seem like that good value but this offer seems much better! I'd been planning to maybe go on the kids club thing (1.35 each if booked in advance) but this would give me more options.

Could you tell me please, how long do you have to use the vouchers once you've received them?

Which vodka had a free glass? I need booze for next week.

Also lacuna I totally agree about making experiences a priority. We'd not been doing much for years due to young DC, then injury/illness making it difficult, but we have recently started to be able to do a little bit. Frugally but still! We've been to a couple of theatre shows now DS is old enough to concentrate, and I'm looking at some Mini Maestro concerts too. Also going to the Matisse on Thursday, seriously excited! Mum didn't get DD a birthday present this year so she's told DD she can choose anything in the Tate Modern shop :o good luck mum...

Hope you enjoy Matisse, and that your DM doesn't end up regretting that suggestion, lovely as it is.

On the subject of tescos, does anyone have any experience of their clubcard Christmas saving scheme? Was looking at it earlier but wasn't sure if the boost now would be better value?

Never mind actually just got the clubcard cinema email myself (but wouldn't have noticed it in my spam-filled inbox had you not mentioned it, so still grateful!) and it says they are valid for 6 months. Which means we can use some for our new (2 years old) tradition of family trip to cinema at Xmas followed by Pizza Hut buffet, at £10 worth of vouchers for the four of us (DSCs all have those unlimited cards so go free) it's a fab saving! :) Might exchange two lots so we can go sometime in summer or autumn but not sure what films are due out?

Sorry thelong haven't used their Xmas saving scheme, not even heard of it actually do you mean it's different to using the boost for toys etc?

It seemed to imply that you could save all the vouchers you get in a year and they'd send them in November. Not sure if there's a boost then though?

Adora I feel the need to point out that the reason I'm excited about the Matisse is due to seeing the art, not because of my mum spending money :o amazingly 7yo DD is more excited about the art too. She has had a think about what she would like though (I suggested she got some ideas as she tends to get totally overwhelmed in large shops) and she reckons either some 'grown up paints' (watercolour type things as she's still stuck with poster paint at home) or some 'art prints' - either would be a great choice I think :) she got a framed poster of Starry Night from the internet Santa last year and was totally over the moon, she would like to increase her collection! I already have a print of the Snail though :o can't wait to see the real one again, the last time I was about 12.

But thelong isn't that kind of what they do anyway? At least, if you don't spend your vouchers they just stay on your account for quite a while I think (that's how we built up a ridiculous amount, as we didn't actually bother looking at the site for over a year)

I'll have a look at the Xmas thing next time I'm on there.

79p on milk in Lidl. Only time I left the house today!

Welcome Lacuna and enjoy Matisse, Fuzz :).

I thought it was kind of what they did anyway too, Fuzz. I was wondering if I was missing something?

I think they last about two years now but I know I have had them expire in the past but at least now they are all online so I no longer lose them. I bought £20 of cinema vouchers. 2 for dd and 2 for an adult to go with her and 2 each for DH and myself. I want to see a film that is out now and before I go to sleep which is due out in September. I quite fancy another film too but know 2 visits to cinema without dd will be hard enough.

We looked at the clubcard Xmas thing before. Didn't feel it was good value for money so didn't bother though. Am doing quite well on card offers at moment, got 3 tickets to Warwick castle for £17 using x4 offer on nectar at moment and since we have over £100 in nectar points to use feel glad to finally be using these. Will be a good day out when DH off with us at end of month.

The free glass is with Absolut (70cl bottle) fluffy which was already on offer at £16. The glass scanned at £3.99 but they changed the price to free as that was what the shelf and box both said.

I have been using my Tesco vouchers for Merlin passes, but I don't know if I'll get enough in future if I'm being frugal.