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?

Aldi voucher day on Thursday in the mirror / record.
Nsd yesterda and £44 in sainsbo on Mon for the weeks fresh bits

NSD yesterday.

Waiting on a €10 tesco giftcard from a survey site, normally they come fast, ordered on the 1st, how long before you'd query it? Also waiting on the pending rewards to confirm so that I can claim another €10 giftcard. Will either keep them for Christmas shop or to include with childminders christmas gift. She's hopeless with money so vouchers which can be used towards food are great.

missA did AXA come through for you?

bought jeans for myself, pack of vests and a swimsuit for dd in littlewoods sale, but instead of putting it on the account as usual I paid for them straight away €27.50 all in, very pleased with that

£2.50 bus money for the week dd3
Just ordered two packs of school socks for dd1 aka kev the teenager £8
Payday tomm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lists you've investided in friendship and memories, always worth doing if you can spare the cash.

MissA hope you get transferred and feel better very soon.

Fur my Kevlara is in need of yet more undies, but she also needs facial cleanser this week

Fluffy keep pestering the CEO. Here stores advise customers to photocopy recipes for large purchases in case it gets lost. Might be worth doing that in future.

Yesterday was spendy, here goes

Greengrocer £11.50-ish
Supermarket £36
Coffee and cake for me, £3.40
Doughnuts for DDs £1.60 -ish
Second greencrogers because I forgot eggs £2

Couldn't get honey so didn't buy porridge. DH used the last to make Bircher muesli so I'll do the granola in a few days. And then there's DD1's face wash and undies to try and get. Also top up of veg/fruit/ salad. Oh, and petrol. T'is never ending.

Lilac well done paying up front for those things.

So far its been a nsd but I need to do some shopping so doubt it will stay that wy. Thank you to the poster who mentioned the amazon kindle newsletter. I hadnt signed up but will now.

Must remember to buy the mirror tomorrow I forget every month

MissA thinking of you and hope you are feeling better

lists I think a good friendship is well worth a bit of money spent on it, true friends are valuable

£17 in primark on some joggers for and a couple of nightshirts for DD, then £8 in Tesco on a few essentials.

I just managed to get £10
Off sky bill fir 12 months by saying was cancelling??

I want ti cancel bt and move to talktalk saving £240 per year but would have to pay cancellation fee of £180 at the end of next minth and cant pay that in one go. However they have said will knock £20 off per month so thats good.

Thanks fanta , lilac - I was well enough to be discharged so I didn't need to use AXA for post-op care. I am pursuing further tests and treatment with them as it didn't seem to me that this surgery was conclusive. Currently waiting for private surgeon to call me back, which his secretary said he was planning to do today.

Adorabell, have you thought about giving your teen an allowance for stuff like face wash.... You know what your spending without repeated request and they learn to budget. I buy the school stuff.

MissA oh that's good news, pleased you're feeling better

Checking back in. Only missed a few days but A LOT of posts

Good habits going well this month, but the horse box started sounding like a tractor on the way home from training on Monday night, so the extra that I had managed to think I was going to save is going to be eaten up, and some more.

So, next year, we are going to have more of a contingency fund for such like this I think.

Meal planning has gone a bit crap too as DMIL not so well, so I am trying to get to see her every day, which means I am having to rely on convenience food, luckily from the freezer. I have a slow cooked chicken broth for tonight though, and will save some for her too.

I a doing the Tesco Orchard fish programme but can't remember when it starts. I have £10 off an online shop with Morrison's too. And a Next VIP slot for later, I could do with some boots but will see.

peonies -

Oh god I'm really panicking.

Got a letter from HMRC saying they are investigating our claim because our income is wrong. They said they have the info as £11k but we are likely to have £26k. The numbers make sense for before/after DH got his new job in Feb. But DH definitely updated them with his wages.

But this is for the year up to April next year?! I don't understand how this works. Phone line is engaged and I'm feeling sick with panic (as I always do when anything like this happens)

(Sorry I haven't been posting for ages. Been heading for a relapse of my ME for ages - and now off sick.)

We do the teen allowance thing, but I buy school stuff and pay for trips and occasionally will treat to some Primark clothes. DD spends it immediately, DS is the richest kid in town and stashes ALL money he gets!

We also pay £40 into an account for each of them and I have a very old endowment policy which is due to mature when DS is 18, just in time for Uni. It would never ever have paid the mortgage that it was linked to, but I kept paying it, as it was only £50 a month. Hopefully, this will really help to kick start their further education, or whatever they chose to do.

I keep meaning to ask what small luxuries folk still maintain? For me, I have a fresh pot of coffee each morning. Just a one pot cheap one from Tesco but that sets me up for the day and I rarely drink coffee again. But still, more expensive than instant

What claim fuzzpig. Explain a bit more and I might be able to help? Their lines are always engaged. Keep trying.

NSD today and my mum has invited me and dd over for tea which is an added bonus

Morrisons tomorrow though although it should be a fairly basic shop......

Small luxuries, hmmmm

I buy a few brand items that I could get cheaper but like them so I guess that would be classed a luxury?

Things like heinz beans and radox!!

Thanks needs :) It's tax credits, we get both Working and Family.

So before February, DH was working weekends in a casual job, and I was already down to 12hrs (due to my illness). Then at the end of Feb DH got a new FT job. I am positive this was all updated to HMRC at the time as I remember the end of year statement etc in April. A slight overpayment I think as obviously earnings suddenly increased.

So now they are saying they thought our income for 2014-2015 was going to be £11k but have now calculated it will be 26k so they need to investigate. The latter sounds about right but I was positive they already had the new info, I don't get it.

Trying not to panic but this could be a significant dent in our measly savings and more struggling week to week too if the award is wrong :(

For a start DH definitely told them because we went above the necessary 30hrs a week when he got his job - before that we weren't getting WTC because it was below 30.

Ok - have you got proof that you advised them about the change in income? Which is always a good starting point.

I am not good with tax credits etc as we don't qualify but both self assess and every single year they threaten to send us to the debt collectors as they haven't recorded correctly that we elect to defer to annual payments.

We can prove that we do tell them, every time, and they back down (if not apologise).

I am not sure how it would work the information they have is correct, but it would help agree some form of arrangement.

Bloody crap though

I meant to say income/circumstance, sorry.

I have 'posh' tinned tomatoes too, DD seemed to get a rash with the value brands.

MissA great news that you've been discharged.

Fuzzpig hope it's all a big misunderstanding.

Spendy day here

£4 hospital parking
£18 top up shop chocolate
£5 on photo for dd's bus pass. Ffs she's 4!!

Branded cereals here and expensive chocolate and super expensive ice cream - all helps to keep me on the frugal train in the long run.

Heinz ketchup for me - I give dd and dh ownbrand!

Oh fuzzpig I'm just the same with panicking unnecessarily! Every time an official looking letter arrives I get a sinking feeling which is bizarre as 9 times out of 10 its something lovely like NT renewal! I don't have any experience of tax credits so can't offer anything useful but did want to say that a few months ago I had a letter from HMRC changing my tax allowance following a few hours casual work I did. I massively panicked but it was easily sorted once I finally got through to someone. I hope you get through soon xx

Glad you're home missa - have you eaten yet?!