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Frugal January, part two.

786 replies

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/01/2015 21:57

Everybody is welcome.

OP posts:
AuditAngel · 21/01/2015 09:24

Yesterday £20.85 buying 2 ready cooked chickens (I forgot to get meat out of the freezer, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it), a newspaper for my mum, plus a sandwich each for me, mum and sister while out running mum around.

lilacclery · 21/01/2015 10:17

audit you're grieving and trying to organise a funeral, fair play to you for still posting your spends!

Encyclo · 21/01/2015 10:36

needs just 7 more work days after today. I am making my stately progress out the door and feels bloody brilliant!

spotty that is so fecking unfair. I also think it's unforgivable and deal breaker to not pay staff on time. Especially in January FFS!

audit great to see you. How are you coping? Good on ya for coming back to post Flowers

SpottyTeacakes · 21/01/2015 12:10

Childminders free in the day but too full for school pick ups. Just sitting having a little cry Blush

MissMysticFalls · 21/01/2015 12:10

sigh invoice from accountant has arrived. That's another few hundred I'd forgotten to budget for. Thank goodness for the loan from DM. Was hoping for a NSD today but just been informed that we're out of bread and milk so expect DP and DS to come back with two bags full of stuff from the supermarket...luckily one client has offered to pay me in advance of me doing the work so I may have a bit of cash in my cashflow sooner than I thought!

needastrongone · 21/01/2015 12:25

oh spotty, It's crap isn't it? I don't know what to say Sad

needastrongone · 21/01/2015 12:29

Oh, and I twitched again and bought two more hoodies. They are for birthday presents though, and reduced from £36 to £15. I have budgeted £100 for birthday presents for the month so all cool.

Trying not to twitch again and buy a cost from Joules, reduced to £60 from £100. It's my birthday next week, might get DH to buy for my present. I don't need it though to help me be strong!!!

Encyclo · 21/01/2015 12:36

Oh spotty :( How frustrating for you.

sigh "just been informed that we're out of bread and milk so expect DP and DS to come back with two bags full of stuff from the supermarket"

This. Exactly this.

Passthecake30 · 21/01/2015 13:01

Breakfasted with the school mummies today.....and was almost charged £5 for a bacon roll....when I could've had a full English for £4......I stood my ground and the lady at the till fiddled with the cost and charged me £2.40 Smile

Made £15 on ebay....must find more things to go on! Some things haven't sold, but everything's worth a shot before it heads to the charity shop eh.

spotty my dp is also a SE builder. He leaves at 7am (generally works 8-4) and I find it so frustrating that if the kids are ever sick it falls down to me - as they wake up after he has left and the illness manifests after, or because he can't let his clients down if he's left them without a kitchen/toilet etc. gets on my nerves as I would've thought being SE is more flexible Angry

lilacclery · 21/01/2015 14:28

Message on my calendar today 'I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something' Made me smile!

Fluffycloudland77 · 21/01/2015 15:16

Childcare is a disgrace in this country, it's the elephant in the room whenever the government prattle on about getting people into work Hmm.

You'll have to start your own nursery up Spotty or send your sister links to local houses on rightmove.

£15 on loose powder & lanacane anti chafe gel which is supposedly a dupe for smashbox primer. We shall see.

Booked a facial at the local college, dermalogica for £11!, plus a manicure for £6.50 with paraffin wax. It's not till February though so I have time to get my nails in better shape before the therapist sees them.

OP posts:
Ememem84 · 21/01/2015 15:24

£25 today. went out for a hack which should have been for 1 hour. Ended up being closed to 2 so i got moneys worth. That's my treat for the month.

Have also been given a bag of veggies and fridge things from parents who are away tonight for the week. So this cancels out the need to go to the shop.

DH works in town, I am out of shampoo so have asked him to get some from boots. hoping he remembers...

SpottyTeacakes · 21/01/2015 15:56

Lila I love that!

Fluffy that's a bargain facial etc such a good idea to go to a college.

Nsd from me but dh is getting milk, nappies and wipes

CremeEggThief · 21/01/2015 16:24

How frustrating, Spotty. Childcare provision leaves so much to be desired. I lost lots a few years back, paying out for two days a week after school, so I could be free to do part - time supply teaching. I ended up getting ten days work in a year through my agency! It still rankles.Angry

I've decided to cancel Sky, as I'm sick of paying £52 a month. When I rang them to cancel, the best deal they could offer me was £36 a month, so it's off to plusnet and back to freeview. I have to pay £6 or something for a router, but from the second month, it will only cost £18.45 a month, so a massive saving for me. I also cancelled what I thought was life insurance, but was only an ccidental death plan. Do you think it might be worth seeing if I could claim anything back for that one? So, hopefully I've managed to save about £43.50 on future monthly outgoings. Oh and it's been an NSD Smile.

northender · 21/01/2015 16:28

Well done on the eBay sales pass. I made £35 at the weekend and now have 3 more items on but I'll be lucky to sell any I think. As you say, always worth a try.
Have done well so far this week and so will have a bit of money over from our weekly budget (financial weeks start on a Thurs in our house). Any surplus will go towards decorating dd's room in the Feb half term.

lilacclery · 21/01/2015 16:33

Just been informed we're out of strawberries - a staple part of dd's playschool lunch and grated cheese - a staple part of dh's lunch so guess I'm going to aldi on my way home from my class tonight. Wouldn't mind I was there last night for a little topup shop!

Frugal win cancelled my tesco delivery saver and they've awarded me €16.50 through their guarantee scheme so I might use that week after next for an online shop delivered on the Fri night as I'll be away that weekend.

Also I figured as I've 3/4's of a tank of diesel I don't need any this week and put that €20 towards a pair of boots for casualwear/work, a brooch for bil(he plays music it's €3.26) and a thing for my hair on aliexpress.

fuzzpig · 21/01/2015 16:36

Girlie I only just caught up on thread, I'm sorry you've been feeling so anxious. It's horrible. I have had anxiety for many years - in fact, when a psychologist once asked me if I worry about things a lot, I said no. I then realised this was because I am SO used to worrying about EVERYTHING that it became my baseline IYSWIM? I didn't know any different. Unfortunately that realisation made me hyper aware of anxiety and I ended up getting drastically worse. Anyway, what I wanted to say was, well done for going to the dr. I reluctantly started sertraline last month - it's mainly used as an antidepressant (I have depression too but IMO it's only as a result of worrying all the time) but is also used for anxiety. I have never felt that medication is the full solution, but it's really surprised me by taking the 'edge' off. I no longer spiral into a pit of panic and despair, and although I certainly still worry and overthink, I can detach myself from it a little, and be slightly more objective, and also practice mindfulness/acceptance more successfully - ie just 'sitting with it' and not getting cross with myself. HTH a bit Thanks

Yesterday:

20/1
£1.75 chips for DH before college PTA meeting... Which seem not to be gluten free after all, so he went to work in agony today (he's coeliac). It's his birthday today too, poor bunny :(
£4.60 train fare to meeting

I'm thinking some more about our finances. Now that I know I'm not getting that lego set as it's no longer available (:() my credit card can remain unused. DH has some owing on his though, and a bigger overdraft to pay off (I'm in and out of mine, he sometimes doesn't see black all month!). So what I'm thinking is, I'll transfer anything above £5k from my ISA (about £500 I guess) to DH so he can pay the CC off (I know some may balk at this but all money is completely shared between us so it's just transferring not 'giving' him it IYSWIM) and put the rest in his account. The depressing thing is that technically means we haven't saved anything else - the £5k is what my dad gave me last year from some money he inherited. We've often had to use what we've saved over that (£100pcm). DH does have a little savings account but that's only a couple of hundred. I think that might become a Christmas fund as we may (that's a big may!) get a ps4 this year if it's a bit cheaper by then (and if the back catalogue is available for download).

Anyway, I hope doing this means we can start the year with a bit more clarity/simplicity and fewer interest charges! We will then not use the CCs at all for a while I hope. Hopefully will get the ISA up to £6200 by the end of the year (my £100 standing order isn't til the 28th of each month so haven't done any this year yet) - if we can avoid dipping into it again!

It's not like we've even bought anything massive to account for this (the tumble dryer which I'm still completely in love with BTW was bought with money from my parents bless them) - just random stuff that seemed essential at the time.

It's scary how quickly stuff adds up though. I've got a few bits we will need soon - toothbrush heads, butter dish, brownies uniform, condoms :o they're all reasonably low cost but it will come to over £50 certainly. That's not including the DVD cases we need (DVDs are our big weakness so we put them in those caselogic books to save space) - they'll have to wait another month or two. Got DSD's bus pass and both DSDs' phone top ups to do soon as well!

Couple of other things I need to sort out too - magazine subscription I should cancel, internet/phone deal, blah blah blah. Just haven't got the headspace for it all today. Oh and need to cancel a school dinner for when DD has a trip. At least that one is simple! Have started on my old painkilling medication so really hoping it kicks in quickly.

Good grief, sorry for that epic waffle Blush

Fluffycloudland77 · 21/01/2015 16:49

Creme, it can't hurt to ask them.

Actually you've reminded me to have a whinge to Fuse! About my bb cancellation fee.

OP posts:
CremeEggThief · 21/01/2015 16:54

That's what I think, fluffy Smile.

CremeEggThief · 21/01/2015 17:00

Fuzz, I think that makes sense. Savings aren't worth prioritising over debts.

girliefriend · 21/01/2015 17:05

Thanks for that fuzzpig anxiety is horrible, am so fed up with feeling like it!! Have spent the day and most of last night retching, spoke to the dr who said I seem to have had quite an extreme reaction and to stop the ADs for now and poss restart on a lower dose, am reluctant though after feeling like death all day!!

Did manage (with the help of my mum Blush) to get my dd to her hospital appointment which was no mean feat given how rough I have been, £3.60 on parking.

Also £2.30 school dinner money.

fuzzpig · 21/01/2015 17:54

Ah sorry you've had side effects. What a pain. I started on half a normal starting dose - dr said it was ok for a week or so, I think I stayed on half for about 3 weeks Blush

Be aware also that on some ADs you might actually feel worse (as in emotionally) for the first few days too. Ironic huh. But worth knowing just in case.

Right am off to order a pizza as it's DH's birthday and not up to going out or cooking something nice.

bantamgirl · 21/01/2015 17:55

Bank: £750.98 (was £801.48)
Purse: £33.10 (was £44.35)
Jar: £56.50 (was £58.80)
Grand Total: £840.58
Reduced by: £64.05
Days to payday: 23

Spends:
£50.50 dentist
£ 3.82 – bottle of wine
£ 7.35 – groceries (£3.24 of which was for DS1 food tech lesson, rest was a top-up)
£ 2.38 – must be bus fares, bit of a random number

Finally got around to doing my balance transfer today so I won't need to make a payment to my Tesco CC this month as the balance will be paid off, and the Natwest will request payment on 18th Feb by which point I will have been paid again. And instead of paying 16.9% interest to Tesco, I'll be paying 4.9% to Natwest.

NK5BM3 · 21/01/2015 18:38

Any thoughts about good slow cookers to buy? Dh has broken the lid of our current one. To be fair that's ok, our old one was still in ok condition but the switch was wonky (and I've been worries about being electrocuted) and more importantly, it was bought for us by our horrid SIL. So I'd be happy to purchase a new one - let's put it that way!! Grin So any suggestions welcome. No need to be mega high end. Just something that us frugal people would appreciate. Ie brands or shops that I should try. Thanks a mil. Will catch up soon. Having dinner now.

SpottyTeacakes · 21/01/2015 18:44

NK I've just got a tesco £15 one. Does the job for me Smile

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