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

My dc love raspberries as they can wear them on their fingers like finger hats. No idea who taught them that

CoolCadbury that is really unfair. DH already gives me everything he can. He pays the bills with what is left and has about a tenner left for himself.

Marking my place, will catch up & check in tomo. Heading out later on my own dh working so I've a babysitter booked & I will drive so night out will cost about €30 or so. Haven't been out since beg of June other than weddings etc I'm sadly excited & proud of myself for going ahead & going despite dh working, he's working a lot so I've decided if I dont do things for me they won't happen. We were meant to be going to a local production of Annie & he couldn't commit to dates, now unless there's space left at matinee tomo we've missed out.

Just checked it finished today ??

Itsfab

Ok, another way to approach it would be to audit the bills he pays and save money there. This is an old thread but it shows what one slightly cross woman can do.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

Obviously, if you reduce outgoings on non-negotiables like utility bills, food, insurance policy's, then you have more to spend on fun stuff.

We used to pay £30 a week for food three years ago, now it's nearer £40 and dh comments on it.

I think cool is thinking the housekeeping hasn't gone up but all the prices have.. I PROMISE we are never mean on this thread.

It's been going over 3 years and we just don't do mean. Onwards and upwards.

Sorry itsfab . I meant to put a smiley after that comment as it was meant to be tongue in cheek.

Thank you fluffy you put it so nicely than me and my big mouth.

Fluffy DH is in finance and I know we are already getting the best deals on everything but we have a mortgage, school fees and three kids who cost us a lot of money. I have had the same house keeping for years because that is all he can give me. New job in the last year = good as a lot nearer to home but a lot less money too. Never mind, no one starves. It would just be nice to not have to be bailed out with CB every month and have to worry about the over draft.

I just spent £1.90 on some sausages from the local butcher for my DH - we have just moved house so I wanted to explore around the new area.

I spent some time photographing clothes to put on eBay this afternoon.

About £5.40 spent today, bananas, more oats for flapjacks and art materials for school. Couldn't get all the paper needed but DH wants to go look at patio furniture tomorrow, he's building decking this weekend, so I'll look in the larger shop.

DD2 didn't end up going out last night, just spent time with BF and his family at home, so she's giving DH back the £10.

Itsfab do you use lentils in your cooking? Or beans, they really help to bulk out meals and make them much more filling. I often add a handful of lentils to a curry, Fe (sorry, keyboard won't give me a small f there). Also, can you get away with a veggie meal or two per week? Veggie risotto, pasta, stew, maybe? Eggs instead of meat, big chunky Spanish omlette with a salad? The carrots you have growing can bulk out a bolognaise if you grate them in, ditto Chilli, curry, soup, salad. Food prices have gone through the roof here too.

I want to grow stevia. DD2's BF's mum grows it and in raw form it tastes lovely, not only sweet, so if I can't find seeds I shall beg a cutting.

Glad the babysitter replaced the food, must have been a shock this morning.

Aldi shop done, £34.64 on 6 main meals, bottle of wine and packed lunch top up. Cheap day out today meeting friends and children at the park followed by dinner at my mums.

I'm back and even though October is going to be expensive for me I intend to do my best. My aim is to have 3 NSD's a week. I've got a big event planned in early October and will be catching up on clothes shopping. I have been avoiding clothes shopping for quite a few months knowing I would splurge. Unfortunately I've just had a few big bills come in so the savings I was putting away for my weekend away have been spent on those. That means I'll be dipping into savings I didn't want to touch but I also hope it means I will be a more discerning shopper and looking for a bargain and things I will love and continue to wear for a long time.

I can but hope!

Today is going to be very expensive as I am taking the boys out to an annual event that is very special for all of us and always costs a load. I've got a few plans in place to minimise the spend but am not confident it will be a reasonable spend and more like exorbitant. I get caught up in the moment.

October is going to be expensive here too. I need to order a new school blazer and get some school shirts for DS, all only available from the school shop plus school fund for DD and I expect a letter about the annual school trip and first installment for DD too, so that's going to be £200 altogether. I hope to be able to raise that through eBay and I have to be radical as to will have to be put on eBay, as we are going to move at some point and we cannot possibly accommodate all that stuff in a much smaller house, so it's only reasonable to declutter anyway. I managed to do 10 listings yesterday and I still have ten free listings for this month left to use.

As to the food bill, in this house a chicken is still just one meal, with two teens, especially on a Saturday, after swimming and other activities. I have to buy bigger chickens.

However, in our current state of emergency, we are coping well on our budget.

I hope to have finally paid off my Ex's utility debt this month and I should be in credit with the providers to finally reduce or even half the direct debits. I looked at Fluffy's link yesterday and this is exactly what I have done to reduce our utilities, including media. An angry phone call to a provider with a threat to leave mostly gets you a reduction. We are now spending half of what it was before, but it's still really warm here and no heating needed. The forecast looks good as well.

I think I will get into the habit to go through all my spending once a week.

My lucky find yesterday was spare bulbs for the ceiling lights in the family bathroom. The garage is still full of useful spares, as my ex used to buy things again, if he couldn't find them. Especially for the car.

Karen You could always use the chicken carcass to make stock and make a good veg/noodle soup going - uses up whatever veg you have left and helps get a second meal out of that chicken, even if it is just for stock. If I'm not looking to have soup that week, I still make the stock and cool it and pop it in a container in the freezer to use another time when I DO have veg that need to be used.

NSD today. I really do need more of them.

I've never made stock from a carcass despite being quite a good cook how does one do it?

I just put the carcass in a big pot, toss in a carrot (unpeeled), onion (peeled and cut in half), stick of celery (if you have it), salt/pepper, and fill with water enough to cover the carcass. Then put cover on pot, bring to boil, and lower the heat and let it simmer for a few hours. Then take out the bones and veg, strain it, and voila! stock!

I still need to replace my sewing machine, and Hobbycraft sent me an email about sale prices on sewing machines. I'm studiously ignoring it right now, as other stuff (bed for ds2 and light fixture) MUST come first.

Thank you Adora and Alice.

DD quite likes soups - I'll do that next time (next week). With lots of vegetable and noodles, that should be a cheap meal.

Now I still need to find this famous 'ham in the slow cooker' recipe.

Once a frugal routine is established, it will be easier to follow through, I hope.

Its fab

We are in a similar place matie, I feel your pain, it is hard to juggle and we both work hard, I am getting better at cooking though which is helping...

Fluffy, Cool cadbury and everyone else on here are lovely, this is my favourite board, it helped me last year when I was proper broke.

LSD today just a fiver on food bits, got outlaws first thing, then I am meeting my best friends new fella, then I will drag kids and dog around local park, then do sunday lunch then baths for everyone. Working all next week so should be lots of NSD.

The babysitter so read this post, feel guilty now for making fun of her now.
But not the knitting bag woman, because she didn't bring it back! :) LOL

Thanks will try the stock. Do you put the carcass in whole? I assume it breaks up anyway.

Spendy day today as we desperately need new saucepans. Also sainsburys have 25% off so will grab the dc some vests and socks etc.

I'm feeling sick today have been since last night need to get in the shower really but my bed is too comfy.

Spotty Yep. Just pop the whole thing in the pan, bones, skin, gristle and all. You'll be removing the bones and straining it later anyway.

I need new saucepans as well, but I can make do with what I have until spring. To be fair, I can make do with my bed until spring as well, even though I would LIKE to replace mine. One bed slat is broken, but it's at the bottom edge on the side I don't sleep on (huge bed), so can be put off until spring as well.

The list of things that need replacing or repairing is getting longer and longer. Even though I try to take care of a few things a month. Depressing sometimes.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2195493-Website-rip-offs-block-their-cookies-and-save-LOADS-AND-LOADS-of-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

Previous frugal ideas. Read the second thread down by TIP.

Today should be NSD. £80 cashback from nationwides tracked but its for switching the joint account so when it comes through we will split it.

Finally found you. Was wondering why the thread was a bit quiet!

spend day yesterday as I stocked up on all my makeup as Boots were doing 3 for 2. I did separate transaction to make the most savings. The Boots lady looked like this -->.

Free fun day on the beach today so hoping for a LSD.

DH is still paying for loads of jobs. Including one in the Isle of Man. I have relocated 4 times in our marriage for him to get a promotion. This is a move to far! I have told him so too.

Does anybody make a vegetable stock? I've tried it once based on Hugh F-W's recipe in his veg everyday book but it was horrendous. I've been put off since then!