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Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Marvellous Money Saving March.

999 replies

CremeEggThief · 28/02/2015 19:53

Hi All,
Thought I'd start a new thread for all regulars and anyone else who is interested in saving money in March Smile.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
PegLegAntoine · 09/03/2015 13:42

Hmm I can no longer put off getting a few essential household bits. It's getting a bit warmer so need a butter dish, need new heads for the DCs' toothbrushes and also replacement filters for my water bottle. Off to amazon I go. Sigh.

And I NEED NEED NEED CAFFEINE. Craving Dr Pepper. And more chocolate.

Promised DCs we will get a scrapbook for all our adventures too. We've already collected tickets, maps etc so hopefully it will encourage more writing too. Not sure we will get it today though as if it stays dry they'll have their scooters with them (DH usually takes them to the skate park on Mondays).

Still haven't caught up on thread, frugal waves to all!

Iamnotanugget · 09/03/2015 14:34

Not all Boots stores do it, you just need to strike lucky. Just like some pharmacists give the morning after pill for nothing and some charge £20ish.

Have made a couple of big but essential purchases which has pushed me way over budget so I'm going to re do my budget for the year so I don't keep rolling a negative over which is demotivating.

£2 on playgroup. spotty we finally tried marmite pasta and it was a surprise hit so thanks for drawing my attention to it and thanks to whoever posted the 30 minute roll recipe, it saved me again this morning.

babsmam · 09/03/2015 14:48

Spendy day £130 on weeks food shop.

SpottyTeacakes · 09/03/2015 14:50

Ouch babs

sportinguista · 09/03/2015 14:56

£14 in Aldi on window cleaning thing and a new cover for mini greenhouse plus some tangerines and oil. Other than that no spends. Cash back so I get bus fare for work tomorrow which I claim back as expenses. Got 2 days work and hopefully will get some more freelance work. Was nsd yesterday. Doing a painting as gift for my sister. Set up printer and scanner bought from Amazon with voucher I won. Had a fair amount of stuff lately which has been free one way or another.

All meals planned for week it's going to be a busy week ahead.

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/03/2015 15:03

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Q38CDKI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Q38CDKI&linkCode=as2&tag=frukdi-21&linkId=CFZLNEWEUVLVGQDR

Free book on amazon on how to live for free, there's some good ideas and some I don't like. Snaring wild animals? Wtaf.

Only free till Friday.

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/03/2015 15:04

I forgot, £48 on a vacuum cleaner part but john Lewis customer service have said they will reimburse me.

needastrongone · 09/03/2015 15:17

Just downloaded the book fluffster Smile

NSD today. Seem to veer from NSD to mega-spend days at the minute.

Had a massive leak last night from the bath. It was dripping all down the kitchen and utility walls and out through the sockets. Shorted the whole house.

I have to say, I love our (small) builder. We have lived here for 3 and a half years now. Nevertheless, we have a plumber arriving on site Wednesday and the paintwork will be done Friday, no cost. Some friends are buying from Wimpey and are having a mare.

bootygirl · 09/03/2015 16:08

DS had minor surgery couple of weeks ago went through bottles of calpol & nurofen like nobodies business. I think bottles are smaller and higher doses. Now that he can swallow a tablet hope to just give him cheap paracetamol!

Had to make another appointment for Dr for ds1 his acne is really bad poor fella finally agreed to go. After using up my expensive cream to no avail!! So that's €42 for GP and then however much prescription will be.

No spends so far but that is bound to change lol

lilacclery · 09/03/2015 16:39

booty as you know we pay highly inflated prices for our medicines in Ireland. I stock up with chemistdirect.co.UK once a year & get free delivery over ,£30 and use parcel motel for delivery.
at one point I debated getting fucilthalmic eye drops for dd at veterinary shop as its exact same thing as cat got there but my conscience wouldn't let me in case I was wrong. It's over the counter there!

bootygirl · 09/03/2015 17:25

Lilac
I know it's awful is not it! Thanks for link. Dh has parcel motel!

girliefriend · 09/03/2015 17:49

Few other spends today, 50p for parking, 5p library fine and £1.50 on fish food for the tadpoles have found dd a bike. Its a bit big but very smart, suspension and gears etc cost £45 and will collect it tomorrow.

Also sold some of dds clothes on fb, if buyers turn up have made £16 so far Smile

Dd came out of school feeling sick, has eaten some tea but now curled up under blankets on the sofa, oh dear the bugs seem never ending Sad

bantamgirl · 09/03/2015 17:59

Afternoon all. That's Monday out of the way and on the home straight to pay day :-)

Bank: £121.44 (was £158.09)
Purse: £0.00 (was £15)
Jar: £19.75 (was £22.20)
Grand Total: £141.19
Reduced by £54.10
Days to payday: 4

Spends:

£15.00 – weekly bus pass which is only actually £14.50 but I just realised upon checking my purse and having no money in it that the robbing so-and-so didn't give me the 50p. I'm so mad, I hate paying the bus company a single penny more than I have to – especially today when I had to wait 20 minutes because the bus didn't turn up.

£8.40 – Tesco (£1.25 were family groceries, £1 was DS2's friends crisps, 75p for DH and the rest on pop, crisps and sandwiches for DS2)
£28.25 – Grocery shop
£2.45 – bus fares

Budget looks like this: 141.19
Petrol: £141 budget / £109 spent / £32 remaining
Groceries: £270 budget / £259.66 spent / £10.34 remaining
Interest: £12.40
Kids activities & bus fare: £13.20
Leaves for everything else....£73.25

Laska42 · 09/03/2015 18:03

LSD £3.01 in co op on reduced celery , carrots, hummus and not reduced cottage cheese. ...Snacks for a few days at work

Dinner is the rest of (yes, admittedly luxury, but oh it was good) fish pie this evening Grin

Lunch more Dr chicken soup ( it was a big potful i made)
Dh still at home and he had some too ..

Laska42 · 09/03/2015 18:04

Oh, and £35 into savings account.. as underspent budget last week in the end

babsmam · 09/03/2015 18:26

Yes it's rather a lot but the cupboards were bare.

No other spends today although I do need some new winter boots Andy hey are in the sale at the moment on clarks. i got the summer stuff out of the a tic a and we all need clothers. moRe cash!

I am throwing away my faded, bradley fitting clothes andam about to end up,with none at this rate.

Pointlessfan · 09/03/2015 18:41

fluffy sanitary towels for 15p is very impressive, where were they from?
We had bubble and squeak for tea with leftovers from last night. We have a lot of things left that we didn't cook at the weekend because of being ill so I'm wondering what to do with them now. Prioritising the aubergine as it won't keep.
NSD but we are running low on Calpol too and have reached emergency levels of bananas - DD will not be happy!

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/03/2015 18:47

Tesco smartprice. It's just cotton wool and a sheet of plastic isn't it at the end of the day.

The EU puts 5% vat on them which I find annoying because its not like there's a lot of alternatives to sanitary protection.

SpottyTeacakes · 09/03/2015 18:51

I think it's ridiculous that sanitary products are vatable Angry

Laska42 · 09/03/2015 19:04

pointless here is my

Aubergine Chickpea and Spinach curry (its always gets rave reviews and you can make it as hot or not as you like ... )

1 x 400g tin chickpeas
2 medium aubergines, cut into cubes
2 onions chopped
A couple of sprays of olive oil
2.5cm knob of fresh root ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic,
1 hot chilli pepper, seeded and chopped (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Turmeric
3 cardamom split
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
225g spinach, chopped roughly
Bunch of fresh coriander chopped
Vegetable stock cube made up to about 400ml

Stir fry the onion in a couple of sprays of oil to brown, adding a little stock if it seems to burn
Add the aubergine cubes and just enough stock to keep them moist,. Add the ginger, garlic chilli, coriander and cumin and stir fry a little taking care not to burn the spices. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the turmeric the cardamom the rinsed chickpeas and the rest of the stock or water Bring to a fast simmer the turn down heat and cook for 25 minutes, or until the aubergine feels soft but is still in cubes. Add the spinach and cook for a further minute or two till the spinach is wilted . Add the chopped coriander ,

Season with salt and pepper, and serve. This is even better made the day before you want to eat it . and good with a dollop of 0% fat yoghurt and some more fresh chopped coriander

Passthecake30 · 09/03/2015 19:12

babs have a look at the generic toothbrush heads on amazon if you usually buy branded?

I also use the 14p (?) Asda smartprice sanitary towels if I can get away with them.

I use supermarket own paracetamol/ibuprofen for the kids, I guess I could save money by getting ds (6) the 6+ meds as I guess it's stronger but where dd is 5 it's easier for them to have the same. When she's old enough I'll move up...

£180 on a peppa pig world break in the summer hols (1 night, 2 days) while I feel flush and the cheapest hotels are still availableSmile

CremeEggThief · 09/03/2015 19:20

NSD, although my Tesco order will come out later. £ 43.something, after using £ 20 off voucher.

I will read through later.

OP posts:
lilacclery · 09/03/2015 19:37

booty if you Google there's often a money off discount code too.

pointless definitely use your aubergine I'd so many ideas for the one I bought last week & hens ended up with it this morning as it was gone off!

TeWiSavesTheDay · 09/03/2015 19:44

£4.50 sausage and chips for tea for me and the DC... Not in the budget at all but eh, sometimes it's worth it!

We used our world book day token as well today. DD went for one of the £1 books which was good for the wallet!

Laska42 · 09/03/2015 20:10

I got my Monsoon reward voucher today and have ordered two pairs of summer trousers one navy and one black for my holiday .. £42 inthe end.. I may only keep one pair but needed over £40 for the free postage .. Actually i could have bought lots more as they have lovely stuff this year , but decided to keep to basics as of course i have lots of summer tops already ..