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

Ooh fluffy while you're here ... We got 2 LED bulbs to try in Aldi, they seem good so far v bright etc., how do they save money? Or is it just that they're Eco?

Lunch at cafe today 30ish £ and then later to the hospital with hamper basket...

Led bulbs cost less to run. A normal energy savers 11w on average, LEDs are 4-5w. Switching them off when you don't use them saves even more of course.

Our useage last year was 10 units a day, now it's 4.5 a day after changing bulbs and following the tips on here and mse.

peonies they're way lower wattage than normal bulbs

£50 at boots for lots of 3 for 2 vitamins for kids and us. Eating leftovers now for lunch. Kids having meatballs and leftover spaghetti. I had yesterday's stir fry noodles and dh is having mussels, spaghetti with onion gravy and a yorkie pudding. Amazing!!!

Off to cook some more...

Went to Lidl and spent £30.21 and very pleased had quite a lot of stuff for that. Got home and checked their FB page for a comp I saw. Couldn't find the comp but there is a £5 off a £30 spend voucher on the FB page validity ends today so if anyone is going down this afternoon, this might help you. Annoyed to have missed it but the cost of petrol means it's not worth me driving down again.

Need to meal plan and stick to it for next week. Hoping to only spend another £10-£20 on food the rest of the month.

It's freezing where I am so we've been putting the heating on. Only 1 or 2 radiators though. If it was just me and DH I wouldn't have it on at all but DD loves rolling around the floor in just her nappy on. Expecting to be a fortune in gas over the winter .

Oh and NSD

Extremely expensive weekend away so back to being frugal between now and Christmas.

chocolate I am very tempted to put the heating on too as it is bitter here, and I am sat with two jumpers on and a lap quilt! Will try doing active for now but I don't think I will be able to resist when it gets dark!

Bought an Xbox one today for DS2s birthday in December. Will eventually get all but £100 back, as money from family will go to pay for it. Glad I did get it because it was the last one in the shop and they couldn't guarantee any more before Christmas!

Used orchard vouchers for fish today well the 3 x £1 ones on some reduced plaice n coley as was slim pickings on the fish counter n fish aisle was shocked as normally buy From asda or days with great selection.

Husband just making fish goujons out of it all with ds.

My roast is taking forever as my bottom oven is still broken so having to use the top one

Have you got a slow cooker spotty?.

NSD.

I'm doing pies in a slow cooker & finishing them off in the halogen oven. Rock'n'roll.

Yes I do but it was my roast potatoes and pigs in blankets that were taking forever! Going to be £90 to fix the oven

Blimey. I'm sure there was a whole cooker on hot deals for less than that recently.

Mini frugal win: I spent £1.50 in the coop and got 4 pints of milk, 2 packets of croissants, 1 large farmhouse loaf and eight small baguettes. I just came in when all the fresh bread was being reduced.

£28.50 after voucher deducted in Lidl yesterday. Got loads, I was fully expecting about £45 so very pleased.
£28.41 in Home Bargains today. Presents for a toddlers' birthday party plus a few spares to stash for the next ones. Also got a Xmas pressie for DD, plus odds and sods we needed.
Should be NSD tmrw then petrol and a mini shop on Tue - but I will be close to the market on Tue so hoping for bargains!

Expensive weekend overall. Ish.

Took out £100 cash, but I budget for that and that's 'gone' from the calculations already. Of this, £12 in pound shop, £6 in M&S which was NOT frugal as it was jars of cooking sauce, but I usually cook from scratch, can't this week and M&S sauces are really lush.

DH spent about £18 in B&Q on various essentials.

Show jumping competition today today. Entry fees for 3 classes were £21. I filled the box up on the way but had budgeted for this and cost £10 less than I calculated. DD was 2nd in the hardest class and won a £20 voucher for equine rug cleaning. Allowed DD some chips at £2.

Sadly, dpony usually trashes the rugs before they can be cleaned so £25 at Amazon for another.

£6 on some bathroom scales. Thought I had put on weight, and I haven't - hooray. £12 laptop charger but work expense. £16 on a collar for the poorly dog, with calming pheromones. £16 steam mop.

Ouch!!

I couldn't Ebay the perfume that DH bought, I would feel just too shit doing it, he's so lovely!!

£9.17 on spices. Forgot the saffron though so will have to go back.

Can you use the orchard vouchers together in the one transaction?£
Got some through the other day.

£184 car insurance but cashback brings it to £137.

Dpony sounds a character, how do you trash a rug? There not exactly flimsy.

Expensive day in the end

£2.40 in card warehouse - 2 birthday cards and a large roll of wrapping paper for that.

£9 in gifts for my friend and brothers bday, that includes 3 books for £5 in The Works which is good value!!

£2 tippex

£50 on Amazon - Christmas presents for dd.

Oh well, NSD tomos then....

NSD yesterday. I was feeling miserable with a cold though and had no energy to set foot outside the door.

Today I spent €3.10 on ice creams and €3.53 on groceries.

I've a few expensive months coming up. I've just paid DD's cubs registration fee (€50). In the next few weeks I'll have to fork out for school swimming classes (€60) and her dancing classes (€110 for term). DH is running the Dublin marathon which will cost €90 although thankfully he's paid that already. DH also has 3 weekends away. 2 of them will be fairly cheap but one will be expensive. And obviously we've Christmas to consider. And DD's birthday in December. Arrghhh!

Went to the cinema yesterday, £30-ish for the four of us. Then £20 in the supermarket, bread, chicken, minced beef plus fizzy drink, 3x 3litres and packs of pretzels for the bloody school bake sale.

Tomorrow I need loo rolls, no offers available last week so I've left it until the last roll this time, and veg.

NK if you have time would you mind telling me how your DM does the pork and celery you mentioned please?

Will catch up properly later.

80p on pet food for the pet corner in the local garden centre. Ignored all other pleas, my purse stayed firmly closed. DS begged for a chocolate lollipop, so I said I would sub him and he could pay me back....all of a sudden it was less appealing lol. I have said that I am saving up for treats in half term however, I can't say no all the time eh.

Spent £55ish online amazon/smyths for some bday and xmas presents...proud of making a start, has to be done so I might as well spread the cost!

Made a lovely frugal pud tonight - a sponge pudding topped with free blackberries from the freezer. Would've been more frugal to make a smaller one stuffed now