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?

Alice could you blend the oats to a powder before you start for DS1? DD couldn't tolerate any sort of lumpy food until she was 3yo and I used to do this for her.

Fanta no, it's the mushy consistency at all. Unless it's relatively solid, he won't touch it. Won't eat jelly, gravy, sauces, soups, oatmeal. He will eat oatmeal in oatmeal raisin cookies - not goopy there.

He's 8 and just this last month he has finally been receptive to tomato soup. I put the food available for him so he has the opportunity to try it, but often you can see him shaking and gagging. It's a huge sensory thing for him. He's made huge progress over the last 5 years even though it seems to have taken forever.

What about porridge fingers?

hmmm.. had to google that, have never heard of it. Looks interesting. Thanks. Never hurts to try.

Alice oh dear, poor little boy. I'm sorry I misunderstood, I thought he needed it all smooth like DD did. I had the opposite problem in that DD needed everything pureed.

Fanta no worries at all. No need to be sorry.

Alice ah ok, thank you

I love porridge but dd won't try it says it looks like baby sick she normally has weetabix and or toast.

Have paid for dds swim lessons but otherwise not spent anything today [happy] plus had a lovely day, baked banana bread this morning and had lovely walk round a local nature reserve this afternoon.

For dinner we had morrisons savers pizza with lots of salad and wedges. Banana bread and custard for pudding which was lush!

Tomorrow have to pay the after school club for a couple of sessions but otherwise shouldn't have to buy anything (will be at work so won't really have much opportunity tbh)

£10 on coasters but paid with a gift card. So no actual money spent.

Made a pear and blackberry scrumble for pudding. Pears from our pear tree (pears don't look v pretty but v yummy!) and blackberries from our garden/woods at the back. So I guess that's pretty frugal?! 500g flour (30p?), 100g sugar (20p?), vanilla essence, some milk and 250g butter (95p). So about £1.50 for pudding that will feed us 3 nights. Ds and dh had 2 helpings!!

Not too bad today.

£1 sweets for children
£1.95 for loaf of bread and some donuts

Total £2.95

£208.58 so far this month not including the usual direct debits.

Tomorrow HAS to be a NSD it just must be. This can't go on

NSD.

NSDs for me yesterday and today, but DH spent money yesterday. Photos, car things, clothes for DD1, and today he topped up my car with petrol and got a few groceries -£32 in the supermarket.

Tomorrow I have to get art paper for school. Only 1 shop carries the brand they need

auditangel private lounge sounds like a lovely treat.

Scrumble sounds lovely I made plum & Apple crumble today one for freezer and one for eating .. apples from our garden, plums from my uncle's...so only used storecupboard ingredients...Had to buy ready made custard pots then cos after being to playground & having baths planned for both children I knew I wouldn't make it with custard powder & milk even though I'd both in!! Almost a nsd, bought formula too but that was preplanned.

On the plus side - DP won a free pass to a steam railway so we used that today and made blackberry crumble with berries picked locally.

Ooh and were a bit worried about the fact that the village we're moving to is only served by a Waitrose but guess what? Bargains! E.g. Waitrose own 50/50 bread is a quid compared to 1.35 for branded.

On the minus side - bought lunch while out today and yesterday had to spend quite a bit on public transport as I was too tired to safely drive after bad nights with DS lately.

Girliefriend will the vet let you pay half now and half later?

Total spends after the first week of September: £71 (+ a £5.50 direct debit).

DH and I bought lunch today which cost £27. A nice treat but feel a bit guilty and has bumped up my spends

Stuck to "top up shop" budget and spent £26 including delivery. Will come tomorrow evening and should hopefully do us the week! Have a few meals planned- chilli, lasagne, meatball pasta, a chicken curry and fajitas!

Alice- Haven't used it before so will get back to everyone once I've got to grips with it. I've also seen Quidco mentioned here on Mumsnet so will check that out.

Wishing everyone luck in the second week of September

Well I thought I would have to go shopping g for winter clothes for all but after pulling everything out of the loft it appears I need some work tops andDH needs a few bits. Couple of hundred saves there until DD grows again. puts brick on DD head to stop growth. She isn't 7 yet and in age 9 clothes for the length. When do they stop growing?

Poor DS has a cupboard full of hand me downs but they are decent enough

NK your scrumble sounds great

thanks FantaSea! :) here's the recipe if anyone wants it. I didn't have apples - it was fine. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1580646/blackberry-and-pear-scrumble

Spendy day yesterday, £500 on a laptop, last one lasted 8 yrs so hopefully it'll do the same and then isn't quite so bad? !

Also £16 on clothes for dd...just as I thought we'd sorted winter clothes she grew again! I now have 8 hoodys on the local fb site (hers and ds) but no takers. Only wanted £1.50-£2 each for them, thought a frugalier would snap them up. ..but looks like they'll be going charity shop.

Also nandos for lunch spending £20 voucher we had last xmas plus £7ish.

Kitchen is nearly finished so soon I'll be able to cook properly. Last week we had a combination of microwave meals and takeaways. This week we can use my mums portable 2 electric ring as I have electricity woo hoo. ...gas coming later in the week. So fajitas today, omelette and new potatoes tomorrow. ...pasta another day....and then I dunno, running out of ideas as not cooked for so long!

I need to stop spending! It just feels like constant money out. I need more NsD's than spending days and that's my aim for this week.

I didn't realise there were 2 bills I hadn't paid so got stung for those today with additional $15 on each bill as late fee. I'm really cross with myself. On the other hand I revieved a speeding fine and I didn't believe I was speeding so rang to say the camera was wrong and the lady on the phone agreed and cancelled my fine. Just saved $150 which was a good result.

Bought steak for dinner as forgot to get something out if freezer so $9.30 on that. Otherwise no other outgoings today.

I want NSD' from now until the weekend and will see how I go.

Hi All.

Been away for the weekend, so I'll jump back in from now on.

Cheap weekend doing a pony competition. However, I forgot the horsebox needs taxing at the end of the month so that will cost £160. And the general cost of equine related activities in general.....

Thank you about the advice re paying monthly for prescriptions, which will work out to be cheaper.

I am sorry about those who have lost their job or whose partner has. It's hard. Not quite the same, but when DH started the business I have just given up work to be a SAHM and was on a very good wage and he decided to leave his well paid job to do it, and only take out half the salary that we were used to. It was very hard at the time and I worried constantly, but it did work out so fingers crossed. We rarely went out, the tiny DC got all their clothes given or bought from charity etc, we bought little and had no holiday etc.

I find that clothes don't sell so well on the Facebook selling sites, but that's just my own experience!

NSD today has been blown, as ddog2 who was bitten last week can no longer walk on his bitten leg, so the vet is doing X-rays. So, that's £90 for the excess on the insurance. And I am a bit cheesed off, as my little dog did nothing at all to provoke the attack (another story).

Tea is sausages from the local farm, very cheap and very lovely, enough to have with chips and egg for a good old fashioned meal that DS and DH love, and tomorrow I will do sausage casserole.

Can one of you lovely ladies give me your yummy sausage casserole recipe. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times and would like to give one a go.

Also, what do you classify as a cheap meal. Someone mentioned beans on toast, baked potato etc and I was wondering what else you do that I could add to make a list for myself. Some of these are quick fixes which will also help if I forget to get something out of the freezer. Our quick, cheap and healthy option is always egg related.