Stampeding through a sensible, scrimping September!

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

Thought I'd do the honours

With kids back at school and autumn weather drawing in we all need a very sensible September. I'm putting up my thermal curtains and refusing to put on the heating until October. Who's in?

Charity shops do vary a lot - I also find no correlation between a better area and better stuff. One of the mums at school who I slightly knew worked in a charity shop and said that a lot of the stuff was distributed to other branches, some a long way away, so the reverse must happen and so we are not looking at 'local' stuff. I find the animal charity shops have the best buys, we have a PDSA shop and I have had some brilliant bargains from there

I'd love to find something decent in a charity shop.
0xfam is tthe worst for over pricing. Primark t-shirts for £5

WireCat I also find Oxfam bad for over-pricing.

I have found the 'best' charity shops apart from the animal charities are the standalone ones not the chains like Oxfam and Scope. There is one near me which supports the local hospice and that is good for reasonable pricing. Unfortunately much of the pricing depends on the people who are working there at the time not having a feel for how much the item cost when new. I have also seen items which priced nearly the same as when brand - new

Oxfam are having a larf - we saw an old, wooden chopping board with a carved wooden floral edge in a glass case in an Oxfam marked "£50 - vintage kitchenalia" - it was a chopping board ffs! With loads of scores and scuffs from being used!

We have a local hospice one in our new town where I've found loads of really reasonable stuff - a hobbs cardigan for £4.99, brand new Zara jeans for the same. I also found a tweed blazer from GAP in an even smaller and pokier charity shop for £8.

£14 boots
£3 tesco

MissA £50 for a chopping board! Maybe that included the glass case

£5 at play gym yesterday. Didn't realise that gym class didn't start back so because I'd driven the distance, we stayed. It was just as well as I needed them to release some energy! They did go to bed nicely!

£25 at Aldi today. No meat, coz we got tonnes in. Let's hope this lasts till next week with store cupboard stuff!

Made banana muffins this morning, using up ripe ones.

Spotty - I just topped up my mascara with some contact lens solution. I saw this tip on a random tv show. It takes out the clogs you get in mascara from air getting in it when you use it and makes it go so much further. First time I've tried it but it worked a treat. I reckon I'll get double the usage out of it now.

I had a bad spend day today. I was rushed when grocery shopping and then had DS2 with me for some of it. I wanted to stick to $100 but ended up spending close to $200. Damn it. I then bought takeaway as I was home late an we have one of the kids friends for a sleepover. I'm out with family shopping tomorrow but intend to not spend any of my money just help them spend theirs.

Had to go into town to pick up ds3's new glasses and spent £40 in M&S. It did include 2 bottles of wine but still.... I rarely go into town these days thank goodness.

Our Oxfam does 10 children's books for 99p but is otherwise not much good. I have got lots of bargains on ebay.

Got to go to a party tonight. Will try not to spend anything.

Spent about £2 on chocolate. But it was necessary. Really.

£20 on gas meter and £20 on electric meter.

£15.59 in asda.

I've done a menu plan till next Friday. Bought a few bits today and will get what I can in Aldi on Monday.

I think the big spending is over....l hope.

Spendy day yesterday. Bought DD some socks, stockings ect. in H&M for 25 £, bought DP birthday presents 85 £. But then his birthday is sorted.
H&M had a promotion, so if you bought for 10 £ of childrens clothes you get a promo card worth 5 £ that you can spend next week in store. So both my mom and me got one, so next week I need to remember to get something in there for both cards :) (Of course we dont use £ in Denmark, but trying to change currency roughly)
Fanta How about making a sandwich on wholegrain bread with salami, fried onions and remoulade (see below for recipe) thats typical Danish althougt we eat it with dark rye bread and as open sandwich.
scandinavtoday.blogspot.dk/2013/06/learn-how-to-make-easy-and-versatile.html

By the way have a Italian tomato sauce recipe if anybody wants?
Just going to have a read trough and then post again :)
Today nsd

£1.80 milk and biscuits.

£2 mouthwash for Dh's sore tooth that he won't get taken out due to the cost of dentistry but he's spent more on mouthwash I reckon so go figure.

Italian thank you very much for the recipe, that is really kind of you. That sandwich sounds great

Fluffy will it help to point out to him that if he doesn't get it treated, he could get a particularly nasty infection that will cost even more to take care of?

Well I was going to beat him to death with a bottle of listerene & bury him under the patio

I think it will take a nasty infection to persuade him. Which will stop the local anaesthetic working so would postpone surgery.

We go away at Christmas so you can gaurantee Christmas Eve he will wake up with an abscess.

fanta you can also make one with pate, fried bacon, fried mushrooms and cucumber.
or eel and scrambled eggs.
both typically Danish :)

Well, as expected it was £200 for the girls iPad. A broken screen isn't covered under the warranty, although that had already expired. Fortunately because we had bought direct from Apple it was "only" £200 for a like for like replacement.

Also had to take DH's iPhone in as that had a hissy fit, initially they said £45 to repair, but then " oh, as you bought it direct from us it will be free" great customer service from Apple again.

In addition, £4.20 parking to go to the Apple shop; £6.49 in H&M while waiting for the phone to be fixed (hat and earrings), £10.49 in Smiggle but that included an iPad cover reduced to £6 from £16 for DS. Takeaway lunch £15.

I bought a ticket to go to see the kids in their last show tonight, £15, and parking will be £1.20

oooooooh Fluffy why do I get the feeling you've been there before?

fluffy maybe you could try the old bottle of whiskey + pliers option?

Yesterday's spends were £13.95 on a few bits from work, and £71.07 on weeks shop at tesco. Also tv licence, water, gas & electric were due so that was £135.
Today spent £14.93 at work.

Nsd here, i went for a catnap while dh was out and woke ip 5 hours later

Hi all

This has been a very long and expensive month - it's never ending! I've got this weekend, the whole of next week, and next weekend to get through before payday.

9 days to payday...
Grocery budget: £162.58 left
Petrol budget: £18.95 left
Everything else: £179.77 overspent

Which means I've got £1.76 left to last until payday.

Next month will be a bit easier though with a small bit extra in my wage and not having to fork out for driving lessons (woo). My aim is to start trying to have money left from the "everything else" pot to keep in the bank as "emergency / overspend replacement" money but keep it in the bank so that it reduces the interest I pay in my overdraft fees. Obviously it aint gonna happen this month though!

I love browsing in charity shops and there are loads in my town. I wish I were a slim size 8/10 or even a 12, as there always seems to be loads of nice stuff in those sizes whereas the bigger sizes, not so nice. The British Heart Foundation shop have got ridiculously expensive lately, yes they are cheaper than the high street, but they seem to forget the stuff is second-hand. I did see a nice Warehouse shirt that I was tempted to buy for £3 in one of the independent charity shops though but it was a 12, and I am by no stretch of the imagination a 12 and not likely to be for a while.

Hi all

Am feeling slightly stressed as seemingly have very little left in my account already and its only a week into the new month

Plus this month i have to pay for dds swim lessons £65 and pay to get the kitten spayed which is also coincidentally £65! Gah. Looking to save money on the food bill and any other top tips, my food budget is going to be about £25 a week for two of us, is that feasible?