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?

Today's spends. £78.36

Stationary £17.54
Wilkinson £3.18
Asda £32.74 (incl school trousers and bottle of wine for cooking)
School trousers (next) £20.00
Costa £3.90 (dammit)
Parking £1.00

Hope to avoid spending till Friday.

I also got a few refunds today, £10 in tk maxx and £24 to my next account.

Thank you to all for the sausage casserole recipes and also the cheap meal ideas. I'm going to add cous cous to my shopping list this week and use some to make as a salad for work and some to go with meals. I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever cooked with it before. I'm also going to try the fried rice option and I'm sure we'll have leftovers of that. I need things to bulk my DS up with.

Had NSD today so happy with that. Looking for another tomorrow.

Northender - congrats on being nearly debt free. That is amazing. I need to sit down and work my finances out and start truly planning to be debt free. You have inspired me.

Nsd. Making chicken pilaf for dinner mmm

Here are my spends
On Sunday I spent £1.46, buying a newspaper and some leeks
On Monday I spent 81p, on some milk
Today I spent £8.78 on some croissant, biscuits, and a new king size duvet, then £7.13 at the butchers on meat to last a week, then 95p in jackfultons on some yoghurt, and £1 on some toothpaste. So £17.86 in total today.
Tomorrow will be a speedy day as am going shopping for some new clothes for DS1.

It's DS1' s birthday party on Saturday, have decided the theme will be superheroes as he is obsessed with captain America at the moment, he keeps saying to me 'I look like captain America mummy, because our hair is exactly the same'. There will be 8children here as well as my 3, so11 total but DS2 isn't old enough to know what's going on. Have decided to entertain them with decorating buns, pass the parcel, and maybe letting them play on the Wii.

Spent morning while little one at school sorting his clothes boxing up to small stuff that was barely worn or new still for next one and anything worn alot but still wearable I bagged up ended up with a good bag load and after a clear out last week of General stuff n having been to charity shop I popped this bag on stuff on local Facebook freecycle pages n as free on a selling page thought would help someone out and am shocked at the pm I have had saying "you still got the clothes" no please or I would love these please for my son/grandson etc how rude are some people I replied to a couple saying it's normally polite to say please and both said don't bother then!!! I am now not answering the rude ones and waiting for someone who really needs them to reply.

east I do not blame you. How rude!

£5 gym creche
My friend gave me some veg from her garden

£26 spent out of budget, however, a number of things were on my list of things needed around the household (sandwich bags, wax baking paper, tissues, miscellaneous things like that). I did spend £3 (included in the £26) on a 10 pack of diet coke, however, it works out 30p a can, and I've been buying them once a week at 65p a can, so it's cheaper (even if I drink 2 cans a week!).

Friday I need to buy school shoes for ds2 (so about £16), school socks, and school shoes for ds1 (another £16). Ouch. But their shoes from last year will probably only be good for another few weeks, and then out they go.

East I'm with you, so rude!!

Glad I wasn't being a grumpy pregnant woman :)

So on your behalf east - so rude! Such a nice thing for you to do - we've been very lucky with hand-me-downs for dd and it's made the world of difference to our frugal lives. We really appreciate those who pass on to us and I really hope you get someone lovely who will love your stuff as much as you did.

Another NSD here! So pleased! We could do with some milk but there's enough for dd to have a small cup before bed so I'm not going to the shop to top up. We're going to have a spendy weekend though as we're off to a wedding. A long drive and I still need to get some money out to pop in the card (which I haven't actually bought yet!)

Frugal things: have returned to my 'no cuppa til I get to work' to cut the electricity first thing in the morning. It's fine, my morning cuppa is pure habit and usually ends up half finished going cold as I don't have time to drink it anyway!

Evening all

Frugal things

1. Paid off my catalogue today which frees up £13 a month before I have to start paying any interest.
2. Took leftovers from Sunday's roast into work as my lunch
3. Got up to date with internet banking.

Budget looks terrifying with 5 more days to get through til pay day (possibly 4 if my wage goes in on Sunday as seems to be the case with HSBC).

Petrol Budget: £18.95 left (this will get spent)
Grocery Budget: £128.70 left
Everything else: £57.42 overspent.

Someone on another thread has kindly calculated, all being well (please God please) that I could be debt free in six years if I start overpaying my credit cards by £10 per week, so I'm definitely going to try and have a go effective from 15th October when I'll get my wage proper (rather than just a week or so at my new salary).

£17 on my travel card for the week and £2 for staff collections.

£1.48 on 6 pints of milk. Should be the lot for today.

thanks for the recipies I'll be trying some. Sausage casserole looks lovely :)

NSD!

Thanks sixforgold alot was brought cheap second hand initially so don't mind giving away free I have been given plenty in the past and always been so grateful just can't believe people are so rude.

Six I am also impressed by your waiting for work for a hot drink I need tea first thing. Also I don't drink tea at work as water is yuck and get a scum on the top!

NSD today. Risotto for tea made with leftover chicken from Sunday and the stock I made last night, 'twas lovely. Enough left for a lunch for one of us .
Bantam I'm glad you got the catalogue paid off, keep focused, you'll do it.

Yay nsd!

Hopefully will be one tomos as well although might need to get milk!

Lunch today was sandwiches and tea was a bacon salad with home made dressing - was very nice

I can't function without a coffee in the morning. Work coffee is yuck. Bleurgh.

Gawd I sound terribly tight don't I!! I do absolutely need a cuppa in the morning but almost enjoy it more at work - I have a good 15mins between arriving and starting where I can sit and enjoy a scorching brew rather than taking sips of cold tea whilst pinning dd down to brush her teeth!

Actually I'm looking for other small ways to save on electricity...I know I should turn things off at the plug etc but sometimes there is no time! Cutting back on kettle boiling is my starting point!

Nsd ??

£5 on pizza for dinner (got home too late to do sc beef) & £10 petrol.

Going swimming with friend and babies tomorrow

Six I always flick the kettle off before it's finished as I'm sure that saves electricity

Spotty I do the same!!!