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?

£11.26 for McDonalds for the children and £13.50 for DH and I take away dinner on return from holiday. DH also decided to buy our niece a present. She has just had her second set of major brain surgery, and he wanted to buy her a present. Cost me €40!

need I can understand what you're suggesting but phones devalue very quickly. I know this is somewhat different but I looked in selling my working S2 at the start of June and was offered £100, I've just sold it this week for £40. You might make a few pounds but I suspect you'll just break even come December.

Cheap day out with dc. Haven't worked it out exactly but under £10. Back to school tomorrow.

I spent £21 in tesco today but it was just the top up of milk cheese and some baking stuff, oh and they had tampax on 3 for 2. Hopefully tomorrow will be another NSD

Almost a NSD yesterday but then DH called me at work to suggest we take my mum out for dinner (she's here looking after dd for the day and has been feeling a bit down recently) we went budget - hungry horse and ate from the 2-4-£8.49 menu so the total cost for dinner was £28.30. Going out has really cheered my mum up and consequently reduced my stress levels and DH earned extra brownie points so it was worth the expense. Not quite the start to the month I'd planned!

Frugal things: have started tracking energy use again as I did last winter. Gas is negligible without the heating being on but we really do need to make inroads into cutting back on electricity.

My car has it's mot today. Hopefully they will finally fix the locking too .

Spend day yesterday as we went to London. Managed to stay within my £50 budget though so train was £12.65 (God bless Southern Rail and their £1 child tickets and still allowing the railcard discount for adults!), £22 for lunch out and £8 for entry to The Crystal Science Centre.

I need rocket, a haircut for DS and felt tip pens today for back to school tomorrow (not entirely sure why as we had about eleventy hundred million of the bloody things at the beginning of the holidays!!!). Hopefully will just need to spend about £20.

£11.02 in the little shop mostly on reduced items and a ready meal curry for my dinner as everyone else was either fed or out. £6.49 on two birthday cards I really grudge this but both are big birthdays and one is a relative. I will need a present for that one too as we are going to the party!

I can commiserate on the broken phone. Ds2 dropped his I-pod and broke the screen - not worth replacing. He got a new one for his birthday last week with tesco clubcard vouchers

Morning all.

Need to get bread today. Not sure what else I need.

Will make a stationary list and whatever else the kids need for school. Need one jumper and a school bag. Yes I know....totally unorganised!

My dd wants a new phone. She's had a blackberry for 2 years which is in it's way out, she wants an iPhone. Any good deals about, does anyone know?

Sometimes I love the fact that you've literally frozen your spending :o

Got to go into town later for the last couple of school bits, and I'd promised the DCs we'd go to Shakeaway. Quite looking forward to it myself actually :o

Still looking at travelodge locations. We considered London as we've just booked a family Christmas concert at st Martin in the fields (been wanting to go for a couple of years so I'm really excited) but even with the voucher the room would cost around £100. Can't possibly justify that when we are only around an hour away, so back to the drawing board. We looked at IOW too but not sure it's worth the travel for only a night (or two, as the travelodge on IOW is dirt cheap)

Just spent 30 at Asda - I was there because last night I finally made ds try on his school polo shirts, and well... let's just say he needs the next size up pretty soon.

I wasn't feeling too guilty about sending him to school with 'old clothes' but this morning started the guilt thing. So, went to Asda and Tescos and no size. ARGH! they are all sitting pretty in the warehouse as they are all available online!

I did buy next year's size though, so we will be ready next year.

so the 30 was on some shopping (from the list!) and some party stuff for dd's party. i think we are set for it. I've got the pinata, and a pass the parcel game. that's ok isn't it? have party bags too (ds is sorting that today - he's at home packing them - I've given responsibility to a 6 year old. OMG).

I just need party food. So I'm thinking chicken nuggets, sandwiches, sausages, sausage rolls? anything else that's easy to make? I'm incredibly busy in the week run up to the party.

Packets of party ring biscuits, crisps and maybe a couple of punnets of grapes?

Haven't decided re the phone and can't get back to the Apple shop until next week now. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Was going to be a NSD but have to pick up two prescriptions so £16. It's the little things which add up isn't it?

So far today
£5 on a road rug for my ds. My friend was selling it. He loves it.
£3.36 in Tesco express.

This afternoon, taking dd out for stationary and pe trainers. Bloody stationary, bane of my life.

Ooh some free spam - that's my frugal lunch sorted then

Found I had some bus passes already on my keycard so today should be a NSD until after we go swimming and then I expect we'll end up buying something on the way home to eat as dinner's always a rush when we get back on a Wednesday.

Struggling to keep up with all the posts on this thread but will try harder...

NSD.

MMF it took me a while to work out what you meant there :o

Haven't had corned beef for ages actually... might try a frugal CB hash sometime for dinner!

Great news Bantam on the extra cash you will have and to your DS. I had a NSD today again if you don't count my weekly petrol bill.

Is a NSD absolutely no spending or is it no spending other than regular outgoings. Where I live public transport isn't an option so I pay for petrol weekly. I must say I had done slightly less driving so paid a little less than normal. Anything left over will go into my general savings envelope for rainy days.

Mojito - it's what you decide an NSD is. there aren't any fast and hard rules. I think essentially, I go to work everyday, so I will have to spend on petrol so I don't count that. If it's a regular payment like a DD for bills, nursery fees I don't count it. I only count it if it's something I have to spend extra, like say lunch out (because I couldn't be bothered, or because I was meeting someone), or say if the tyres need replacing.

But I do complain on here about money spent on afterschool club fees!! :)

£1.70 in Aldi.

It's the first time I can remember us being spammed in 3-4 years.

I don't count our monthly outgoings (direct debits, mortgage etc) as being part of a NSD. I also budget for petrol and then for anything that I need to budget for (Christmas, holiday etc). What is left is what I consider 'disposable income', and if I spend anything from this, that's spending

Three parts to the prescription for DH, so £24!!!

Last day of the school holidays today, My bank balance will appreciate the return of school .
I am working tomorrow and should have been at work on Tuesday...took the day off to save childcare.
£10 McDonalds today plus £11 at softplay this morning. I have about £1 in my purse and can't draw anymore out until Friday (my rules) so I will have to take a packed lunch to work.
Sending a cheque into school tomorrow to cover school dins for DS who goes into year 6. DD has free school meals this year as she will be year 2. Shame I can't have free meals forever! Hee hee. Also, paying a chunk of school trip for next year. Groan.
Tomorrow should be a NSD. I often wonder if I should go full time (currently do 3 days) as I would have a massive increase in NSD's as I don't spend anything at work! Mind you, massive childcare in the hols (we rely on childminder/hol club) would make it pointless. I do like my 2 days off for housework/shopping and odd trip out (by myself)!

Oh, I also went to Home Bargains today and spent £8.10. I did buy 8 plastic containers for freezing meals. I plan on batch cooking a bit over the winter months. Any ideas for the slow cooker (stuff that can be frozen) would be appreciated.

needastrongone If your DH needs prescription regularly you may be better off getting a pre payment card. Three months is about £27 I think.

bantam well done to your DS that is great news

£24 in Tesco on a top-up shop, I said to DD that she could choose a new cereal and even she said 'aren't they all expensive?'. I am training her well!

Nsd