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Stampeding through a sensible, scrimping September!

999 replies

PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 31/08/2014 08:06

Thought I'd do the honours Smile

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?

OP posts:
CremeEggThief · 02/09/2014 17:01

£17 on bus travel (weekly ticket), £5.60 postinh my two eBay items and 85p on milk.

Congrats to your DS1, Bantamgirl.

WonderIfThingsWillChange · 02/09/2014 17:03

Thank you all for the advice. Unfortunately we don't have mortgage cover as DH worked overseas in a hostile environment and nobody would give us insurance.

I contacted the car finance today but we need to have paid off half the value of the car (we are a long way from that) so I'm really worried that if we fall behind we will have car repossessed and it will affect our credit rating but not sure what else we can do?

My work has a cycle to work scheme so can get a bike and pay in monthly instalments which is a relief.

One bit of good news today is that the mortgage company have approved our request to go interest only for 6 months!

AdoraBell · 02/09/2014 17:37

Glad you have a bit of leeway on the mortgage Wonder fx for DH finding another job.

Passthecake30 · 02/09/2014 17:42

Thanks to a PP for reporting the buy one get one free in superdrug, I stocked up on "root touch up" which I use half a box at a time between 6 weekly home hairdresser visits. £4.25 for two, bargain.

listsandbudgets · 02/09/2014 17:45

I'm really rubbish at this. I'm very good at spending money though.

Took dd out to lunch as it was the last day of her holiday and I'd promised I would. £11.50 so not too bad

2 boden t shirts for dd on ebay £4
loaf of bread and some fruit £2.45
charity donation £1

and a frugal win - dd decided that instead of going to cinema she wanted to go blackberrying with me. We got loads probably about 4 litres of them. Will have some after supper tonight and freeze the rest until I have energy to make crumble etc.

£18.95 which is a lot better than yesterday but still gives me a running total for month of £130.40 and we're only on day 2 :(

disneymum3 · 02/09/2014 18:14

Mortgage was paid yesterday but other than that was a NSD
Today I spent £2.16 at work on bread and milk
DH has spent a total of £13 at work.

Fluffycloudland77 · 02/09/2014 18:18

Raided the markdown counter, 19p pint of milk, £1.29 four chicken quarters, 69p tube of sausage meat for home made stuffing.

girlwiththegruffalotattoo · 02/09/2014 18:43

Nsd for me. Tomorrow will be spendy but it's things for Christmas so I'm happy to be spreading the cost.

needastrongone · 02/09/2014 18:55

Spending day today sadly. Petrol (£65), school shoes for DS (£50), riding lesson for DD (£15). And 400 poo bags for £10 on Amazon. Had already budgeted for the first two so my spends were the latter.

I need a bit of advice but I really hope I can explain correctly the scenario.

DS has smashed his Iphone 4s. It is on a contract, which is due to expire in December. The new phone would have been his main Xmas pressie.

We went to the repair shop today, but the guy said to buy all the parts needed, with no guarantee that there still wouldn't be issues, that I had better pop along to the Apple Store as they have an 'exchange' policy. However, even in it's current state, I can stick it on Ebay and get £30 (it's wrecked!!).

So, Apple were very helpful. They will 'exchange' the phone for a new 4s for £159.

Or, I can renew my contract now, instead of in December. The get out clause would be £130 but I get a new 4s.

At first I thought that I should renew as it will cost me £30 less.

Then I figured if I pay the £159 and get a replacement phone, then renew and sell the 4s which comes with the new contract, surely I would get more than £159 I have to pay? Especially just before Christmas?

However, I know the Iphone 6 is due out, and will devalue the 4s and I have no knowledge of the market for Iphones anyway.

In any event, I am pissed off with DS for dropping his phone anyway. And I could really do with not having this expense at all. DS has offered to pay for the repair, but DD has an expensive hobby, and gets more spent on her anyway, so I feel it's unfair to make DS pay.

No phone insurance, it was offered, but actually, I would have paid more than the cost of the repair by now anyway.

What do you all think? [smile}

SpottyTeacakes · 02/09/2014 19:09

Nsd.

babsmam · 02/09/2014 19:09

35 on emulsion paint today and 11 on fruit and veg. Slimming world is costing me a fortune. Hope I lose weight.

NK5BM3 · 02/09/2014 19:14

£13 at waitrose treating a good friend to lunch. Had a good chat and he helped with some things I needed doing for work.

£5 at sainsburys for Dd's birthday stuff.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 02/09/2014 19:24

NSD, other than specific bill due and £10 on electric meter. No spend now until Friday.

lilacclery · 02/09/2014 19:44

bantamgirl thats lots of good news together! Well done to your ds.

WireCat · 02/09/2014 20:13

Needastrongone....how about he gets a cheap Nokia till Christmas?

A NSD for me in the end. Tomorrow and Thurs I need to finish off the school shopping. Dreading the stationary. Why is it so expensive?

Well done to your son bantam girl. Someone's son passed their test on my fb, wonder if you're the same person!

PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 02/09/2014 20:51

nnedastrongone I am confused and I read your post 3 times Grin

I was always crap at maths.

Ok so you renew the contract and DS gets a new phone which he keeps. You then exchange the old broken phone and get a new phone, which you hope to sell for more than £159, to offset the £130 for the contract phone?

How much do brand new 4Ss sell for?

OP posts:
NK5BM3 · 02/09/2014 21:00

Well done bantam girl and ds!

I've just received the topcashback email and there's a deal there on Disneyland Paris which sounds good! Can I just ask you experts here on cash back cards... If I say buy one of those deals say £700 for a 3 day stay at hotel x etc and the deal says I'll get 8.92% cash back, does that mean I'll get 8.92% x £700 back? So roughly £60?
Which will mean I would have paid £640 for the stay in Disney?

Thanks.

needastrongone · 02/09/2014 21:03
Smile

Apple will exchange the phone for £159 so DS has a new phone. We leave the contract to expire in December, renew to a new deal, which will come with a new phone. I then (hopefully) sell the new phone that came with the contract for more than £159. But that's speculation.

Or, I renew the phone contract NOW and pay £130, DS has a new phone and I flog the old knackered one on ebay for a few quid.

Or, I do as wirecat suggests and buy a cheap phone. The issue is that DS is about to be 15, and that doesn't cut it with young folk Smile

needastrongone · 02/09/2014 21:06

A 4s Iphone, in the same colour as DS, with no contract is £260, a quick Google tells me Smile

needastrongone · 02/09/2014 21:09

adora - can you dispute the penalty at all? It seems a bit unfair.

AdoraBell · 02/09/2014 21:41

There's no appeal system here for it need. DH is mightily pee'd off as he's been driving 40 years without any penalties until this. There is also no set penalty, he's been advised that everything depends on what mood a judge is in on the day.

bantamgirl · 02/09/2014 21:59

Wirecat - it is indeed me! I just noseyed on your photo and had it confirmed by your love for Horton Market. ;-)

Small world eh?

Preciousbane · 02/09/2014 22:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WireCat · 02/09/2014 22:26

Ha Bantam! Small world indeed!

sometimessunshine · 02/09/2014 22:41

£50 shop at Tesco, this included batteries for torches as DH has taken the older DC camping for a couple of nights before they go back to school.

Good news on the DH credit card situation, we had a talk about it and we have frozen it in the freezer (DH couldn't quite bring himself to cut it up). We should hopefully be able to clear the balance by the end of the year.

I've just applied for the Warm Home discount scheme, £140 towards our electric costs. Here's the link incase it is relevant to anyone else;
Warm Home