an Ostentatiously Austere October...join here for a frugal month ahead!

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

All welcome to join the MN frugaleers for another month of recording our spends, frugal wins and frugal fails!

NSD = No Spend Day (let's have as many as possible!)

LSD = Low Spend Day

East my dc always wake at six!! Sometimes 5:30 sometimes 6:30.

Ok you lot with kids who sleep at 7/7.15... How do you do that? What time do you feed them? It doesn't work for us I don't think. I'm back at 6/6.15 with the little one from nursery. The earliest they could go down would be 8.30. They tend to do about 9/9.30! Wake up at 7/7.30.

I'm knackered by the time they go but it doesn't really work for us. although I suppose if my kids do go to bed early then I'll make greater efforts to get then earlier from nursery/school to start dinner earlier.

We've tried rejigging their time clocks through long haul flights etc but to no avail...

Not a clue. Mine are up at 5am, without fail. Ds1 is often up earlier, and he is always up a few times during the night.

NK ds is asleep by 6:30 and dd 7/7:15. When I work I only work until 1:30 so they have a bath in the afternoon more often than not. Dinner is 5/5:30 and ds goes up at 6:15 (when he was younger he just gradually brought his bedtime earlier himself)

A lovely day today. DS asked if we could used our Merlin passes to go to Legoland. Popped into M&S to get picnic food (plus sons cupboard bits and ready made mash for dinner) £24 less £12 credit voucher I had from returning school trousers.

£3 on drinks (we have refillable Merlin bottles that cost 75p to fill), £8 on a gift for DD1, sister bought DD2's present, DS chose not to get something as he wasn't really keen on anything.

Sod's law.. Amazing but true. Ds6 was in bed at 8 and dd4 has followed and is now asleep!!! Ds bit poorly with cold though but wow!!!! I get to watch downton abbey in 30 min!

Went to the cinema last night near dps parents, £3.50 a ticket rather than our local one at £9.50! Bargain.

Went to the pier and park today, dps parents gave kids change for slots and we paid a couple of quid too. Not bad at all.

Dp gets kids home from childminder at 5.30, I get home at 6.15 or 6.45. I pre cook at weekends plus he does quick meals of pizza, fish fingers, waffles etc. He loads the dishwasher, I eat and then at 7-7.10 get them washed. Downstairs at 7.20/7.30 for ds to read, listen to a book, and back up by 7 45/8 for bed. Up at 7-7.15 (struggle at times! ). At weekends I push bed to 8.30pm so we get an 8am lie in

We are hooooooome horray
Thank you all for all your support and nice message
DD has finally started eating but still refused bottle and dummy. Doctors have found out that she is a very stubborn bottle refused.
They tried everything and she still refused. She's definitely have Italian blood in her body.
We were so close to having to lay a drop on her because of dehydration but luckily we got the breastfeeding back up to work although less is coming at the moment but just have to fed her more often and hopefully it will soon be back to normal.
We are now all happy to be home and dp can go back to work Wednesday.

Well done Italian!! Glad dd got round to feeding again. Just have lots to drink and rest as much as you can. It will hopefully get back to normal...!

Excellent Italian ....phew!

Such good news italian! Spend lots of time cuddled up with your dd to stimulate your milk production xx

NSD / pyjama day here!

Fabulous news Italian. Rest and feed her often and everything should be fine. I suspect your milk supply will go up now you're home and not so stressed.

I now have lovely new fleece pjs from Sainsbury's. Dh doesn't like them but they are SO warm. I can't quite bring myself to wear a onesie but these are similar. Dm treated me so I'm calling this a nsd.

Tiny frugal win. I did a shop with asda last month and signed up through topcashback with a new email address. I needed to amend the order so I've been credited for 2 first orders, £11.54. Just need fruit, £4 for playgroups and £25 petrol. I have £62 until Friday so can be done.

Italian sooo glad you're home and doing better.

Really glad you're home italian good luck with milk supply it sounds like everything will be fine now

Spent £20 at dinner on Saturday.

£40 in tesco on bedding for spare bedroom as having family visiting soon.

£60 in BabiesRUs on DD (she has hardly any toys so managed to get 12 things for her)

£30 in Mothercare (but actually free as had gift card)

Need a small top up shop for the week ahead- milk and some veg so think around £5 will do.

Fantastic news Italian, I always found taking fenugreek used to help boost my supply

Thanks for all the kind words sweet ladies.
I'm feeding and feeding but damn my nipples are painful. But I can live with that.... Hoping that within this week we will get back to more normal feeding patterns. Just have a quick check up from the baby nurse at home and then my doctor wanted to see us too for a double check.
Hoping to be back on track with spending at the end of the week

Great news Italian so pleased for you.

I've been away over the weekend for work but managed not to spend too much. Really need to rein it in now. DH is still waiting for the outcome of an interview. I don't think he's got it as they were supposed to let him know on Friday.

Still in the middle of running down freezer stocks so shopping bills are low at the moment.

Hello, checking in as need to clear overdraft. I have a pack of chicken thigh fillets defrosted and ready to use for tonight's dinner. Any ideas please?

Unfortunately it'll be a moderate spend day today. I need to buy a new carbon monoxide alarm, a new butter dish, a new outdoor light, and some trousers, shirts, and jumpers for ds1 as he's gone through a growth spurt and literally all of his are now too short. I was delaying that because the weather was mild, but now it needs to be done.

Bit of an "ouch" day. Plus a bill to pay as well.

Yesterday was not the nsd I hoped. Made taco fries but when I went to put on the fries there was only enough for half of us so went to chipper for homemade ones €8 on pure comfort dinner on a wet & miserable Sunday evening

Hello clippity, this is exactly what I did yesterday with my defrosted pack of chicken thighs! www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2397/crispyskin-chicken-thighs

Dh said v yummy! I didn't have it as I had something else but it's something for me to have tonight!

Wonderful news italian. She gave you quite a fright there.

I have to buy a chicken, I cooked one last night but I think it's on the turn so ill see if the cat wants it.

I feel an idiot because I didn't check the date on it.

So that will be £3, 17p stuffing, possibly curry sauce.

I'm buying duvet covers off a seller on eBay that sells ex-hotel stock tm, I'm a bit dubious but she gets good feedback and at £15 for a superking duvet cover you can't complain.

Clippity I'd do a curry.