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Original poster

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

999 replies

PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 26/09/2014 10:20

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

OP posts:
SpottyTeacakes · 29/09/2014 06:16

Spendy ish today. Ds has his post op follow up so need parking plus it's my step mums birthday so need to get something for her. Only have john lewis at home to go to though Confused

eastmidswarwicknightnanny · 29/09/2014 06:47

Hope ds appointment goes well spotty I hate hospitals parking charges I think u should get a parking card thingy out machine on way in n once applied done the receptionist swaps for a free get out car park card ours used to do it just on children wards but stopped. I understand they charge to prevent people parking for work or shopping but really - as a nurse I never got free parking so got the bus or cycled Inc late at night wasn't safe really.

When I go now I park at Morrison's n walk 10mins n hope appointment is on time n doesn't go on to long as it's 2hr parking

trainersandaches · 29/09/2014 07:10

Yesterday I spent £23 at Aldi on the week's shop, then £45 at Argos on an ironing board and some hair clippers so I can cut my DH's hair.

Need to book train tickets today but other than that it will be a NSD.

SpottyTeacakes · 29/09/2014 07:15

East when he had his op the parking was £36!! When he was in SCBU we were exempt. It's so annoying this hospital isn't near any shops and it's cheaper to park in town. I won't have time to walk it though because I'm going to stop in john lewis for my free coffee and cake first Grin

Itsfab · 29/09/2014 07:41

I need to get a watch battery and a frame to replace the one smashed when DH tried to hang it on the wall plus a second one to replace the one that is too deep to hang so hoping about £8 for the battery and two frames from the pound shop.

CoolCadbury · 29/09/2014 08:11

NSD yesterday. Fingers crossed today as well. I have had a lot of NSDs this month. Obviously lack of actual income is a major factor. Am off to a good start for October though as have 3 days work lined up this week. I think that's double what I have had in the whole of September. Smile

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/09/2014 08:24

I'm sure it will go well Spotty. JL home sell naice hand creams etc.

itsfab is the battery cheaper on eBay/amazon? Dh fits mine but he watches youtube videos to see how it's done.

I've been paid but into my old business account which they've had the card back for so I have to go down with Id & withdraw it in cash. If they believe I am me, dh had trouble getting his savings out on Sat.

cool I'm really pleased you have more work lined up.

sixfor Do you like the bulbs? The ikea ones are really well priced but we don't live near one. Plus we always have a row in ikea so we avoid it now!.

ItalianWiking84 · 29/09/2014 08:40

Should be nsd. Going to visit a friend and her daughter Smile

Original poster
PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 29/09/2014 08:45

spotty good luck at the appointment. I think hospital parking is an outrage, taking advantage of people who have no choice but to be there.

Am going to try hobbling into town and getting my eyebrows threaded today, they haven't been done in over 3 weeks and I look like a hairy mammoth.

OP posts:
ItalianWiking84 · 29/09/2014 08:49

spotty good luck today...
Here you get a card to put in the car when you have appt at the hospital so you don't have to pay. When you go to the parking machine you type in your appointment number and then it prints a free ticket

FantaSea · 29/09/2014 09:32

Spotty good luck at the hospital today, hope it goes well. I agree, I think charging people to park at the hospital is outrageous.

Original poster
PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 29/09/2014 09:44

At our local hospital where I live now Hmm they just charge you like any pay and display car park - DH was spending £4-6 a day to see me. It makes me very angry. Not to mention if you are driving/driven there for A and E - you still have to pay! And there was 1 nurse on my ward one night (which is against NHS guidelines, there should be at least 2 HCPs on ward at night) and TWO car park sneaks checking people's tickets. DH saw them. Angry

OP posts:
listsandbudgets · 29/09/2014 10:39

I agree hospital parking fees are extortionate. Last year we had to rush dd into A&E and she needed an MRI. We'd paid for 4 hours parking which we hoped would be enough but it wasn't. Everytime DP or me tried to leave to sort out the parking DD became hysterical. We ended up with a £60 fine which we appealed eventually with the back up of a lovely consultant successfully. I can feel my blood pressure going up just remembering that time.

I hope all goes well for you Spotty.

I'm going to try for a NSD today. I'm off to Aldi tomorrow to get all the things I didn't get in Morrisons because they're cheaper / better quality in Aldi. Need to remember to use my vouchers.

DP has just sprung a bombshell on me. He wants to go to a work dinner later this month. The blooming dresscode is cocktail dresses Shock First I don't possess one. Second I'm size 20. What on earth am I going to do without breaking the bank? I'll need new shoes too got NOTHING that wiill do

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 29/09/2014 11:27

I have tons of appointments at the hospital between ds1 and ds2 and sometimes myself. A good £5 each time. Drives me potty that I need to put aside money just for parking. And there's no way I can walk or take the bus with the dcs as it's daytime appointments, so picking up from school, driving to hospital, then back to school. Highway robbery.

SpottyTeacakes · 29/09/2014 11:27

Hospital was fine consultant happy. Ds unhappy that he couldn't stay and play. £1.60 parking.

£10 present for step mum.
£1.60 gingerbread man for ds.

SpottyTeacakes · 29/09/2014 11:29

Alice I'm the same. Atm I've got one appt a week for four weeks at £4 a time add in the petrol money as it's forty minutes away and it's absolutely killing me! Going to ask dp to pay for my next two lots.

Itsfab · 29/09/2014 11:50

I have spent about £12 today and got no frames and no watch battery. It will have to go back to rotary as it is a fancy pants one.

£3 in the pound shop, about £6 in Boots and 85p on cream for my cream of onion soup I am making. Won't spend anything else today but my car needs servicing so that will be lots Sad.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 29/09/2014 12:05

Ds1 broke his glasses - well, the nosepiece anyway. He has a second pair that is supposed to be ready this week. So he's without until the second pair is in - then I'll have to take him in and get them both fitted properly, as the first pair kept sliding down his nose. Very annoying as he would take them off and play with them then. Hmm

I've got a list a mile long for the day I finally get into town - and I'm going to have to bring ds1 along in his wheelchair. Technically, I will need to get his glasses and race him back to school, then go BACK to town, pay a second lot of parking, and get my errands done. grrrrrrrrrrr Does my head in!

CoolCadbury · 29/09/2014 13:33

spotty glad the consultant was happy.

I forgot I have to buy lunch for tomorrow. Need to root around for some cash. I hope the shop won't mind me buying food with small change only.

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/09/2014 13:40

It sounds very stressful Alice.

28p fish in tesco.
£3.80 loo roll and a fish slice (£2.50 of that is a try me free offer so I will get that back at some point).
£1.95 eggs aldi
£8.50 led light bulbs
£3 catnip mouse for the cat.

Got my money out of lloyds, the other branch hadn't closed my account at all so I'm going to complain.

ItalianWiking84 · 29/09/2014 13:49

alice sounds very stressful Sad
I have had glasses all my life. Never easy with children, I remember I had some special things with rubber on that prevented them from sliding down, unfortunately don't know the English word for it but I'm sure the optricience probably knows
Vut hope you have chance to get a good cuppa and cake later, you deserve it Cake

Original poster
PeoniesforMissAnnersley · 29/09/2014 14:20

Glad DS is ok spotty.

Can I just tag in late to the rude muffin party, Shock Angry itsfab I'd have posted something else poo after that! Grin

OP posts:
Mojito100 · 29/09/2014 15:01

NSD today. 2 more to go this week.

lilacclery · 29/09/2014 15:22

Ohfab I know you've gotten loads of advice on how best to handle this but I can just tell you what my mother did with me. I was extremely fussy and she was working full time, admittedly budget for food wasn't a big issue, that I'm aware of anyhow but when I started secondary school at 12, she told me if I wasn't eating what they were eating I'd to cook my own. For one full school year I ate chips with aromat and mayonnaise every evening, luckily I'd a high metabolism at the time and good skin!

It helped me in that in the years following it I learned to be a very good cook and baker, and now eat a wide variety of foods.

This thread is moving so fast I can barely keep up and haven't got around to posting my own spends yet! I know that I'm within budget though which is a great help. In September I more than doubled what I paid off my debt in August and in October I hope to double this again.

confusedandemployed · 29/09/2014 16:19

NSD today - excepting 1 on chocolate from the charity box at work. Grr. Hungry day today.

Spotty glad your DS appointment went well.

Hope you're feeling ok today Itsfab. Sounds like you're having a rough old time of it.