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

Sorry I still haven't caught up with everyone's posts but I just wanted to copy and paste what I wrote on my other (home ed) thread as it would be really helpful if I could get some advice on the financial aspects pretty please :)

Here it is:

DH and I went through the lists and we both agree we want to HE unless things improve very soon.

But I really think I'll have to give up my job. I have spoken to my mum and she was surprisingly positive about HE in general and has faith we can do it - but they wouldn't be able to commit to weekly childcare which is absolutely fair enough. She did say they will enjoy seeing us during the week sometimes and agrees she wants DCs to benefit from their knowledge and passion about different subjects (both are very geeky, like we are, but about totally different things!), and she even suggested that they can take us to different places (dad drives ).

But with that all being confirmed, I really don't see how I can work when we used a CM it was £10ph for the pair of them. I need 6hrs childcare for my Wednesday shift, possibly 5 if they lived very near the town centre. £60 cost when I would earn less than £40 (4hr shift). I also work every other Friday so that's £180 a fortnight assuming DH could still do Monday evenings and DSD could do alternate Saturdays, neither of which are always guaranteed. I only take home £450ish a month! Although I would be a little better off, I'm not sure it's worth the stress for under £100 a month.

The silly thing is I have often wondered about quitting anyway - I love my job but sometimes I am utterly exhausted. I just had 3 weeks off and have hit absence triggers again.

Thing is if I chose to quit presumably I would be forced into JSA as my DCs are school age? So wouldn't get HB and might lose CTC or something too

Spendy day but less than normal for food shopping. Will report in full later.

Fuzz would you need or want to keep your career options open for Fter you have HE the kids? Or do you have a skill that could mean you could earn when the kids were asleep etc?

I guess if you can manage without the money and you don't need to keep a career open then it does look like a lot of variables that's can go wrong.
Up to you in the long term as you know what's best.

My new juicer arrived so I ended up spending 13 euros on fruit and veg - something healthy I suppose so shouldn't complain.

Will have to pay for DCs piano lessons tomorrow but that's in the budget.

LSD again today with another £1.99 on a birthday card. Really need to make a trip to Card Factory as cards are so expensive.

Evening all

Bank: £381.47 (was £346.47)
Purse: £19.02 (was £96.38)
Jar: £29.15 (was £32.60)
Grand Total: £429.64
reduced by by: £45.81
Days to payday: 8

Spends:

£42.36 – DS2's birthday tea.

£3.45 – bus fares

Budget looks like this...
Account interest to debit £16.08
Sports & bus fares £18.00
Petrol: £78.28 (put £30 in last night which hasn't debited yet, some of this is reimburseable by DH's employer)
Groceries: £123.15 (Only 1 more big shop to do)
Leaves £194.13 for incidental spends

Tea out was a little bit more expensive than I thought it was going to be – we only had 1 main course (which was BOGOF – the two dishes came to £25), we had one drink which came to about £10, and we had a sharing dessert at £8. I suppose it's not too bad at less than £11 each.

I read my gas & electric meters yesterday, first time in 40 days, and I don't think I'm going to submit it online because it will trigger a direct debit review. Between Boxing Day and yesterday including standing charge and VAT it's come in at £256, which is no surprise given that the fan heater in the living room has been on almost constantly when we have been in the house. I made a payment of £132 at the end of January so have £124 to catch up with. Hopefully the coldest months are out of the way now. I'm also in the process of replacing lightbulbs with energy saving ones as the blow, I don't know how much that will save though and they are about £5.50 each so it's likely to be a while before I see any fuel savings.

Fuzz, I would be extremely cautious if you would need to rely on benefits. I'm not sure but think you would not be eligible for jsa for a while if you left your job or were fired, you might not get hb either. Is your DH earning?

Nsd again today - woohoo! Even convinced myself not to go out for lunch after eating mine at break time

I've done my baking. Oh gosh - those 30 minute rolls that look so easy? Took me well over an hour and I'm still hiding in the sitting room away from the disaster zone of the kitchen. Why am I so hopeless at baking?! The dough was so so sticky and didn't form into a nice ball. Instead of 12 small rolls I ended up with 4 enormous splodgy lumps! Oh well, at least dd had fun making them and they tasted ok :)

fuzz is there any funding for HE?

Nsd for me, had a brilliant day too!
First my dm text me to say a very dear friend of hers had been given the all clear from cancer! which is the best news I've had in a while.
Then had a late Christmas present from my sister arrive, a game with figures that I've wanted for a while but couldn't justify the spend
And my dh is home tomorrow after being away for the last few days, he should be home just in time for dd1s dance show. Although she doesn't know this, incase he doesn't.
vinegar I presume it's the same as normal flour, which I've used 12 months after opening and storing in an airtight container.

No funding for HE.

DH is working FT so we wouldn't be completely reliant on benefits, he's on 21k so we don't get any HB or WTC at the moment but I get CTC. I earn £450pcm so it would be quite a drop.

Was just drying DD's hair earlier and she started saying how she wished her birthday was tomorrow. Thought she was meaning because of party/presents... Then she said "because I think when I'm 8 I'll be brave enough to stand up to [bully]" :(

Dh is on the naughty step. He came home and picked up his plate, eyed up the half of shepherds pie cooling in the Tupperware container, and asked if he could have more !! He clearly doesn't know me.

Fuzz that's heartbreaking

Oh fuzz .

LSD. I had to go out and buy painkillers at lunchtime as I'm coming down with a cold and was feeling achey and shivery (but the painkillers are now tucked in my desk drawer so I'll have them next time I need them). I'm working at home tomorrow to try to shake it off and avoid infecting other people in the office.

fuzz Being honest, I would be nervous, given the circumstances you describe, I am with tewi. Sorry, that's not what you want to hear.

Just watching Eat Well for Less - £350 a week on food, £350!!!!!!! 17 trips to the supermarket a week. How? With 4 kids!! I have to have a delivery to fit in with my life

Chunky veg soup was lovely, I also made Applecakejack from the Mumsnet cookbook as the last two apples I had were a bit 'furry'

kat Great news re your mum's friend

Oh I know it's massive need and would be a very risky move :( (and don't apologise - I need to hear it!) it would be different if our rent was cheaper TBH but that won't happen for at least another year I reckon.

What further complicates it is my health. The last time I was off (before this recent three weeks) I was told that we've got to start procedures again because of my absence (I was doing brilliantly for months but then started getting flare ups again and have been off loads in the last few months) - they've made all the Reasonable Adjustments they can, so I really don't know how else to fix it because I feel like I can't even handle a paltry 12 hours a week anymore :(

DD has finally gone to bed. Obviously I told her that it's not about being brave, it doesn't matter how brave she is because this girl should not be so horrible her in the first place! The timing makes me even more sad though because she's been looking forward to this school trip but now she's dreading it because of this girl

Sorry I keep derailing!

Fuzz I would be worried about how you will manage financially as well, I think I would be working on the issues the children are having in the school. Remind me how old they are again? My dd is 8yo (nearly 9yo) and we had a lot of issues last year with kids being mean. Dd is quite sensitive and fell out majorly with her best friend, it was hard work for quite a long time but she has come out the other side of it now and everything has settled down.

Fuzz , really , it doesnt sound enough for the 4 of you.. im not sure youd be entitled to any benefits apart from CTC, however im no expert . perhaps you should post on the money matters thread , someone there will know what you may be are entitled to. My son was badly bullied at school and its affected him as an adult still..

Today spent 10.53 in Boots 2x hairdye but i get one half price, shower gel , handwash.
£3.49 in Halford on 5l screenwash

£13.25 in co op (inc 2 bottles for tomorrow night..). il have to get some veggies tomorrow.

Sausage sarnie for dinner.. sossies, salad , pitta bread mustard and tom sauce .... nice

however my son bullied as a teen.. not as younger child.. things do go up and down with younger children,

DS is 5 in yr1 and DD is 7 in yr3, different schools. DD was very happy at the infant school but was really struggling with the massive juniors even before the bullying. But then it's not even halfway through the year yet.

DS is just utterly miserable about it, no bullying etc but finds it very hard.

It's not going to be a case of instantly pulling them out anyway, nothing rash like that - more that we are seriously considering how we will manage if things don't get better. We are doing all we can to keep them happy at school like they used to be.

need I'm watching too. Was also at the cost of their weekly shop. Then just now at their attitude to the marinated chicken which they were really snobby about but in fact was their usual brand but just a different flavour.

£10 petrol
£10 work supplies

fuzz I think your work situation and your DC's situation need to be looked at separately iyswim? Work is making you unhappy and the DC's situation is too, but you might need to deal with each one individually.

Another NSD!! Almost at the end of my antibiotics. Feeling ok. Work has been manic. I have no time to do the stuff I need to do and I spend a lot of time trying to pick up after my rubbish administrator. And I am too tired to do stuff at home after work beyond easy emails. And I'm trying not to read work emails at home as it makes me v cross.

So I had a chat with the headhunter and it sounds like an exciting job plenty of responsibility and opportunities to make a difference. Potentially pay rise of 15k but I'm not sure if it's worth the commute to London and the definite missing of my kids during the work week.

He's going to send me the person specification and then we shall see...

Fuzz. I think you should try and push for your new home in the other council. That way you will sort out the housing issues as well as school
Issues... Good luck.

north They came over as nice folk, but they were very snobby in general I thought about all aspects of food. And clearly not short of money anyway

Fuzz I do hope things get better soon.
I watched the Sewing Bee and have recorded Eat Well For Less to watch tomorrow. £350 a week? Really?? That's about £100-150 more than we spend in a month!

How can anyone find time to go to the shops 17 times a week?! Everything is convenience food for them though: jarred sauces; marinated chicken; pizza; carrot batons. I expect their new potatoes were ones you steam in the microwave already in a dressing.

oh fuzz your poor DD It's good that you and DH are united on your decision-making though. I feel like DP and I have got much closer since we've been having to handle having less money and I'm so relieved we have the same values when it comes to what we want for DS and what that means for our finances.

NSD.
Found a recipe to make jaffa cakes online on BBC website as one of my brother's birthday presents (his favourite) so feeling good about that. At some point this weekend we need to sit down a figure out exactly what our new budget will be for the next six months and see what it means for what we can and can't do. Currently just in emergency frugal mode until the dust settles.

Agree with TeWi about Waitrose. Was nervous when we moved as it's our only supermarket for miles around. But although you can spend a lot there if you want, for the basic stuff we've found it's really good prices and I love getting my free newspaper, especially at the weekend - it's an indulgence that I gave up spending on.