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 missed that six. What sort of essentials? I struggle in jan after being paid early then it's my mums, sisters, best friend and close friends birthdays all in that month!

I am planning on stocking up on things like washing powder, loo roll, meat - basically anything that costs more than £5 and can keep or freeze!!

MissA - I think they need to operate and sort your insides out asap!! I think you are so brave and doing so well not to drown in self pity which is what I would be doing thinking of you

Have had a nice relaxed morning, dd had her friend over last night for sleepover so they played nicely for a change this morning, I have baked some banana bread and have a casserole in the over going out in a min for dds swimming lesson.

spotty DH and I bought each other's rings - I paid for his on my CC and it was part of the debt that we only just cleared last year. We've been married 6 years so that small portion was on there for prob 7 years, def good to clear it now if you can, and how lovely that you will look at your ring and not only think of your amazing wedding day but your kind and sweet GPs who paid for it.

Ok guys - I had pain most of the night and terrible pain this morning although I didn't eat anything. Now feeling ok and very hungry and wondering if rice crispies which were fine yesterday would be ok... What do you think? Too risky? I can't decide!

I don't know MissA I don't think I would want to risk it.

Dp's ring cost a fifth of mine so I thought it best I buy it myself!

Oh MissA, that's a tough call. Maybe a v small amount of rice krispies and see how it goes?
Spotty how kind of your grandparents and lovely to be able to pay for the ring.
We've had a spendy weekend as it was my birthday yesterday so dh and I went out last night. We had a great time and both dc were on sleepovers so we could be a bit drunk and have a lie in this morning! dd's birthday next weekend so the spending will continue. It is all expected spending though so not too disastrous.

Well I had a small cup of tea and it ...revisited me a whole later rather violently. I think I'll stick to sipping water. Do let me know when this gets boring or TMI

I have been planning our garden while sitting here today, I want to invest in a green house as even without one we managed to grow about a months supply of tomatoes in pots this summer (DH eats a LOT of tomatoes hah) and also we have not looked back since planting large amounts of herbs, it saves us real money as those little packets are so dear.

I've planned a new Herb bed with parsley, chives, mint, coriander in the green house, basil in green house, sage, lemon balm, and we already have a big Rosemary bish and several thyme bushes.
A bed for garlic and three bean/pea wigwams dotted around. A lot of interesting squashes growing on a pile of compost behind a fallen tree trunk.
A new greenhouse with tomatoes, peppers and chillies.
Two new low beds with leeks, carrots, spuds, beets, radishes, sweetcorn.

Adding 6 or so raspberry canes to the blackberry bed, and building a triangular raised bed for salad leaves which I'll sow every other week end to ensure a crop from spring through to autumn.

Finally we have to plant a fruit tree, probably a cherry, as we had a tree removed that was diseased and it was under a conservation order so it has to be replaced.

Been terrible with keeping up with this. Here's my last few days. Apologies for just dumping it and running

Thurs
£28 breakfast for 4 - a treat as DS was in between dr/hosp appts and I wanted to say thanks to my parents for babysitting.
£4 elastic for the seat covers my mum is making for us (she bought the material already :))
50p parking
£19.97 pizza (FAIL)
18 DVD (preordered ages ago) - accounted for in pocket money

Fri
£4.10 bus pass
£3.10 breakfast in cafe while I waited between school run and doctors
£2.79 Co-op - doctor told me to try fizzy water instead of still to get blood pressure up... Yuk. So I got some juice to mix with it. But it's still yuk.
£3.50 fee for upcoming pizza day at DD's school (not actually handed it in yet but it's in the sealed envelope so IMO it's already spent!)
20p 'fruity Friday'
£1.10 DD bus fare
£13.98 2 DVDs for DH's Xmas presents
£12.96 Macdonalds for dinner, me DCs and DSD.

Sat
£4 bus
£5.05 breakfast/lunch
£1.99 quiz pack - accounted for

Sun
£2 DD pocket money (forgot on fri!)
£65.55 Tesco... and just realised I forgot a couple of things :(
£10 window cleaner - cross because he's done it twice in the last few months without us asking, when before he'd always wait until we were there to say yes (or no, which was always fine). Have texted to say please only do it when we ask from now on.

As girlie says for the stocking up...washing powder, dishwasher tabs, toiletries and nappies, also a well-stocked freezer and cupboards. I usually keep my stocks of things quite low but if I add a few things to each week's grocery shop it will definitely ease January's grocery bill :)

Spendy few days....

Friday had a Chinese, £18 as wandered around the supermarket and could see nothing that appealed to me at all. Very strange....and then af arrived a few days earlier so that explains it...oops

Asda delivery yesterday, £80, included beer at £24 stocking up for Xmas, then cooked up a storm for meals to freeze for work days

Card factory today (£10), vouchers for Xmas /bday presents £105, Posh whiskey for dp dads 70th, £32, frankie and Benny's £41...... Xmas shopping seems to always ends in a spend up on food as kids start fading, will have to plan better.....most of the rest is getting done online without them or online anyway. At least I do to have to cook dinner, sometimes I just get fed up of planning what people are going to eat, buying it and cooking it.

missA hope you're doing ok, what are you doing to keep yourself occupied in hospital??

The outcome of our outing was £15 for DD's present for MIL plus card and wrapping paper, £33 on trousers for her which she really needed, and £3.40 on coffee for me and a bottle of water for her. Could be worse. On the other hand, I had a first world hissy fit because I couldn't find Lexia raisins anywhere for the Christmas pudding, an ended up ordering them online..for £17 for a measly kilo, because the delivery charge was £7.50.

NSD again today, hope this continues!

Nsd and a lovely day to boot.

Should be a nsd tomos and tues in theory as well.... may well go down hill from there though as am feeling the need to get some Christmas presents. I haven't got anything for any of the adults yet (mum, dad, brother etc) but am definitely reigning it in this year

Oh and I was looking at getting dd some theatre tickets for next year for her 9th bday. I looked at the new Matilda show and tickets were so expensive £77 each

I was astounded and really quite cross as that is no where near a reasonable amount of money to charge to see a show imo. It makes going to see a show sadly unaffordable for lots of people.

Sorry just needed to rant!!

Girlie we saw mamma Mia recently on a Saturday afternoon and it was about £27 or something? That does sound really expensive!

Aldi was £94. But we definitely got lots, including alcohol and lots of top ups like juices (ran out), coke etc.

NSD.

A cars an excellent prize lilac

spotty £500! What a wedding present.

Are lexica raisins dipped in gold? You must really like them to pay that much.

A nsd for us today. Should have one tomorrow as well I think.

Cor, a car is impressive! :)

passthecake I'm reading a lot, catching up on the to read list! Also reading a favourite blog from the beginning, skypeing friends and family. DH comes in the evening after work and we have coffee and watch to together or chat.

I also have (as of today) a 3DS with some games DH got for me to see if that helps pass the time.

I need to write reports for all my classes at work and also do their exam marking which will take about 8 hours.

I reviewed a book for an academic publisher (used to be an academic before I went into teaching and still get asked sometimes to peer-review things) and sent off a 7 page word doc to them of suggestions, that took about 9 hours.

I wish I could knit or crochet, I'd have everyone's Xmas pressies made by now!

I know, I know - it was a stupid thing to do. They seem to be unavailable just about everywhere this year, and MIL's recipe for Christmas pudding doesn't work without them. £7.50 was the cost of delivery, which is the bit I'm slapping myself for - I ought to have kept trawling till I found somewhere a bit cheaper.

LSD - just £4 at a local park for DD and friend.

Sounds like you are at least being productive with your time MissA. I would be faffing on here too much

Great car win!!

Lovely pressie spotty, what a nice thought.

Wow missA I am so impressed! I'd probably spend my time surfing the web and nattering to strangers!

Wow MissA! Very impressive indeed, in between bouts of pain no less. Hope things settle down and get sorted soon.

Will PM you... Want to ask you something offsite.