Join the Fantastic Frugaleers for a February full of frugality

[northender]

Shiny new thread ready for Sunday. Newbies very welcome. This is a wonderful thread full of encouragement and support

The person earning twice as much as me (bosses regular coffee companion) had to manage and recruit 25 students. (Instead of my 180+) Ironically a third of whom were also doing research and administered in my department...my boss was so nasty he 'forgot' to organise pigeon holes for my recruits during a massive refurb... then blamed me. Prick.

Wow vinegar that's impressive. Surely universities will snap you up?!! I'm in a university.....

I can well believe it Vinegar, people can be vile. I prefer animals in general.

You'd think.. but I was offered a job and my boss contacted them and they withdrew the offer after the conversation. I am dependent on that reference to back me up and sadly he uses and abuses that power. I of course would like a chance to prove otherwise, but so far the dick has been able to get away with victimising me even after I've gone. Oh for the chance to misuse MY power on his face one day!

It was fun to learn that our rating dropped like a stone in satisfaction surveys the year after I left. The chair who was led by the nose by my boss didn't complete a year in the post. Guess he listened to the wrong person. Still doesn't help sadly

I have to say I really really disagree on the car lease front. If you invested the amount of money you paid monthly for a car from the age of 25-50 you'd be a multi-millionaire. They're a rip off.
Much better to buy a cheaper, paid for car and save the money - you can get a decent car for £2000-5000 and the repairs shouldn't be a fraction of the cost of a fleece.

Unfortunately, sounds v much like work, my work place. Which part of the country are you in? If I get through my version of ofsted in a few months time, I'm going to be asking for a pay rise and look for new job...!

Do you have to give him as a reference Vinegar? Is there another colleague that you got on with okay that would do? When I left a job after falling out with the ward sister (i'm a nurse) I used a different friend colleague as a reference.

He sounds like a bully so I would find a way around mentioning him at all.

Did take dd to the cinema, tickets are £5 each on a Tuesday we saw Big Hero 6, it was very good and we had a cheeky drive through McDonalds at the end £6.20 for both of us. Was a treat and much appreciated by dd so worth it.

Tomorrow in theory should be a nsd.....

Introductions first, I'm Audit, 45, DH plus 3 kids who have an expensive dancing habit. They have a big show coming up and I seem to be hemorrhaging money at the moment. Also have 2 dogs and a cat. My Dad died earlier this month so. Currently gave my mum plus sister and her fiancé staying with me in our stupidly expensive big house.

Monday £5.60 on 2 soft drinks in the pub as we have a new team member (might as well drink alcohol!). Steri strips £1 ish, but can't remember. Lunch £4.39 in KFC as the pub trip meant I couldn't eat my left overs.

Tuesday £1.25 on different steri strips (I cut my finger when making stew on Sunday), 20p for some mini donuts for the kids after collecting DD1 from play date.

I also got my dancing lesson bill of £110. Plus just been told £40 for costume for DD2, and about £30 girls another costume for DS. On the plus side his teacher has said his existing DJ will do (saved £20 on buying a new one) but his trousers are tight so may need a new pair.

Agree with MissA on the car front, I have always saved up and bought a car outright. My previous car was a Toyota Yaris, it cost nearly £5000 almost new, cost very little to run, was very reliable, cheap insurance and tax and did me well for 8 years at which point I traded it in and got £1000 back on it!!

My current car a Peugeot is not doing quite so well on the economical front and I am thinking in a month or two of looking to trade it in for something better on petrol, another Yaris if they have one!!

3/2
£9 payment for 2 brownies trips
£3.60 DH in coop (from food budget)

vinegar, that's appalling - I'm so sorry. When I fell out with my boss (long and boring story) I asked another colleague to be my referee when I moved on: I wasn't giving the boss the chance to scupper me in a new job.

NSD here. But the electricity bill has just arrived and is ouchy. Will have to pay that at the weekend.

Pass. That's a week?? although not every week but it's starting to creep up! Freezer is sort of full since Saturday!

Tayto I d ask in credit union cow they do different rates for different types of loans.

NSD and I found out online that if you plant the bottom bit of a whole thing of celery it will regrow ( I don't know what it is called, the base of it where all the sticks join) and also that you can take cuttings from a basil plant. Two good money saving ideas there!

Eurgh - car tax bill has arrived :-(

On positive NSD!

1st: £1 on necklace (eBay)
2nd: £45 B&M, £20 petrol
Today: £10 Subway

Need a top up shop on Thursday or Friday- budget £10. No more spends for rest of the week aside from this fingers crossed.

NSD, hoping for another tomorrow and hopefully Thursday

£13 in M&S on fruit and lots of yellow sticker Chinese food which I've frozen to serve up with fresh stir fry for dinner at the weekend, £5 on bread and milk. Off to look up how to take basil cuttings, we eat loads of the stuff. I've never successfully grown it from seed but do split and grow on potted plants from the supermarket.

tayto it was the case that you could get a loan of 3 Times your savings now it's moved on. If you have a savings record it helps.

Permanent tsb have save & borrow now. Save min of €70 Per month for 6 months, get a loan of 4 times that at end of 6 months. Savings are kept as a lien until loan is finished.

Should be nsd today but if my drs can't fit me in for a blood test I'll go and have it done at the hospital instead. I've got an appt for tomorrow but then I won't get the results until after the weekend.

Morning all. Intro first: I am 41, it's me, DP and nearly 2-yo DD, plus 2 aging JRTs (so far). Currently agonising over whether to TTC #2. I am knocking on a bit so need to get a move on if so.
Gone frugal since I went p-t in Oct, although I am f-t in Feb and Mar to help work out which will help financially, but knacker me out.
Spent £22.15 yesterday in Aldi mainly on nappies. Baby event = nice big boxes. Also new beaker for DD. Freezer pots, bread and cooked chicken breast (untold luxury). Hoping for NSD today, no had one this week yet.

Hoping it's going to be nsd today. It's really icy so am walking to work (saving £6.08 on parking). Have made a yummy salad for lunch (saving about a fiver).

Need to buy things from boots. But can't be arsed carrying them home so will wait it out until the weather clears and I can take car.

Have some angry ebayers chasing me to post items. They've been posted but due to weather the mail plane hasn't left since Friday. Sigh. The pitfalls of island living.

Hmm I've had a swollen index finger knuckle all week, thought it was cos I grazed it, but woke up today and ring finger is so swollen I can't get rings on (they're ususally miles too big!) and there's a red shiny patch of skin on it too. sooo don't need any more health issues!

Managed to get a blood test appt at the drs so have saved money. Ds and I are going to make some cheese scones with stuff I already have in.