No-Spend November - sign up for a frugal month ahead!

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

Everyone welcome, if you've been lurking then de-lurk and come and join in!

NSD - No spend day
LSD - low spend day

We are a friendly and supportive bunch, recording our spends, frugal wins and frugal fails daily/when we can. Lots of good tips on discount vouchers, household cleaning and maintenance, cheap meals and more!

I've been there Robin. For years my account was at zero every pay day! If you put your mind to it, you'll get out of it.

You're definitely right about getting DHs onboard MissA! Mine is away working for 3 weeks at his companies expense, so I'm determined to show him what can be achieved! When I met him he was in £20K of debt. He's out of it now, thankfully! To him it wouldn't matter if he got paid £5 a week or £5000, he'd spend the same regardless! He's very stubborn. I think I need to confiscate his cards and give him an envelope...

As far as Christmas is concerned, I'm doing all my shopping on one day! Otherwise I buy random gifts/wrapping paper etc, forget I've bought it and buy more. Last year I had a box of stuff I didn't even use!

Wishing you all the very best for your MRI today MissA.

£17 food shopping on coffee pods and some other bits. Doing really badly with the spending, but I can almost see the light at the end of the Christmas present tunnel!

Thanks jones just waiting now but the reception is bursting at the seams so I suspect they're running quite behind...

I'm really poor at this nsd or lsd. Apart from dont go into the shop any major tip? Oh is away until friday so apart from a pizza order (asda) for ds tea I'm not buying food. The fridge raider will have to make do with what's left till then.x

Well what a palaver, I had the scan and once it was over noticed I was a bit red - by the time I got to the changing rooms I was covered in a huge rash all over my body and face, I took a huge allergic reaction to the dye they used! I am in a and e now on IV steroids and anti histamines. Scan went well though, results a bit later hopefully.

Oh no MissA!!

Oh, you poor thing.

annie I think it's all in the planning.

£10 petrol.

Oh gawd missA what a bloody nightmare! I really hope the results make it worth the extra stress.

£4.20 cafe (for 3 of us since I was asked to pick up neighbour DC yet again) while DS at yoga. That's it today.

Although I received my £20 amazon voucher (from a survey) so I doubt I'll make it to midnight before spending it :o

MissA I meant to say, it took me three attempts to post earlier, it's just a relief it happened in hospital and not at home. Make sure you log it with the gp along with your milk allergy so they realise your an allergic sort of patient.

ohmissa what a disaster! Hope you get sorted out soon
mazzledazzle a full day shopping like that would make me cry I just don't like physical shopping, last year though I spent most of a day before ds arrived online doing the christmas shopping and it certainly helped.

I use a spreadsheet to keep track of ideas, what's got and what's not and costings - anal but it works!

Went to shop yesterday for milk - spent €2.80 knew I needed something else couldn't think of it, it was sugar, will have to go again this eve as dh survives on coffee...grrr

Oh and was under a lot of pressure this morning so never brought a lunch and spent €4 in shop on a sandwich and soup, did I think of the sugar then no!! ds and dd have bug so spend the time sorting them out instead!

This is turning into an actual farce- because I am in a and e which is a reception black hole I missed a call from my consultant with the results of my scan and I didn't even get the missed call until just now and she didn't leave a number; the hospital secretary says she's gone home.

I spent £1 on some sweets from a charity box at work. It's a children's hospice so more than worth it. Plus my sugar level was really low and I was on my own at work!

60p in a chunky kitkat I really needed it

Blimey MissA you don't have a lot of luck at least the scan is done now, hope you are feeling bit better

Ohhhhh!!! Bloody hell MissA. How crap. Poor you. Farce it most certainly is

LSD, car wash for a fiver. The car goes down to the farm where we keep dpony and gets caked in mud, I resign myself to spending this money once a week during the winter months as, otherwise, all the mud just drops off all over the drive and DH moans. However, I am very friendly now with the lads at the car wash and they do a 'no shammy' for a fiver for me!!!!! I have negotiated a deal in other words

Thought I was home and dry after this spend until I came to do some washing up - no liquid, so DS dispatched to the local shop with £1.50!!

And DH has taken £20 from my cash to pay for a prescription, he will repay later. I've now set him up for the scheme to pay monthly for £10 x 10 months. He has asthma (brown and blue inhalers so 2 prescription charges) and anti depressant tablets, so it should work out in our favour

Oh - and signed up for the Orchard Christmas Food to Order or Finest Meat programme too.

61p can of coke and 65p bananas at work. Scraped my car on a pillar when parking this morning, hopefully tcut will sort it.

Must start xmas shopping now dd bday is over, might do the stockings this week as they are cheap and easy

Missa what?! Unbelievable. You poor thing, you couldn't make it up could you? Really hope you will get some answers tomorrow.

Nsd here again, going to see if I can spend less than 5 pounds this week and will have a grocery delivery on saturday. Got a couple of things on ebay so hopefully will bring in a few pounds. For the first time i am counting down the days til child benefit comes in! Hope everyone is well.

Oh miss :( fingers crossed for you xx

A spending day today...
£3.39 Gregg's brekky and lunch snack (not preparing breakfast and lunch is a big warning sign for me that I'm slipping into 'cba' - food for tomorrow is already prepped and ready to go)
£7.64 groceries in Aldi - enough for dinners til Friday.
£9.98 in Aldi on two bottles of prosecco for Christmas presents - almost done now!
15p on apples in tesco - had an orchard voucher to redeem...I've also signed up to the finest meats!
£5.40 drink at bookclub.

Wednesday and Thursday must be NSD to keep on target so I've started a list of anything I need to get (a couple of small presents and birthday card for mum) ready for Friday.

Pass my professional subs were over £800 last year, also payable by end of December, but fortunately my employer pays it for me ????

Ok, it has been manic here this week, so I'll try to remember what I have spent since Friday.

Saturday: parking £1.40, suit covers to keep the DC costumes clean and neat with all accessories in one place, sorted by costume, £7.50 (for 6, will need some more, but not yet), 2 pairs of cork insoles £4 (DD1 only likes the cork ones as the foam ones scrunch up), they are to go in her dance shoes that I bought second hand, a size too big, to get my money's worth out of them as they are only worn for shows. £6 for a pair of flesh coloured knickers for DD1 to go under a white leotard, could only buy adults ones, need to take in the sides to fit her as she is only 7 (but they don't do flesh coloured kids pants). Various elastics for dancing shoes/costumes, plus an Alice band I need for DD2's costume £1.70. A great local shop that seems to have everything!

Sunday £2.40 on sweets for the DC after DD1's swimming lesson. Went out for dinner, DH paid, but I drove.

Monday £27 on top up shop, bread, crisps, lunch, Bovril etc. £10 for extra dancing uniform T-shirt for DD1. 15p for DD2 to get a mini bag of chocolate buttons in her break at dancing.

Today £5 on lunch.

I need to buy DD1 her stuff for panto. New leotard £8.50 plus 4 pairs of tights £12-£14 depending on the brand. Fortunately I already have the silver shoes (second hand) plus ballet shoes (will need to buy even more elastic, different kind again).

Off to London for work tomorrow, will be train fares and car parking, but all to claim from work.

Oops, I forgot Saturday £47 in the school shop on new backpack for DD1, new jumper for DS to replace the one he has lost, 2 new ties as the old ones have pen marks I can't get off, plus new ballet shoes for DD1 as needed for cabaret and panto and she has lost one.

NSD yesterday.
Just had the twitch and ordered £32 of sticking fillers for DS on amazon. Having no idea what to buy him is not good as I'm just getting random stuff