We are the Marvelous Frugaleers - Mindfully Managing our Money in May.. Come join us!

[Laska42]

So here is a new thread for all the Magical May Frugaleers!

All are welcome to come and join our friendly supportive group if you'd like to take control of your finances in May and beyond..

We are working together to support each other, live within our means, pay off those debts and save for the life we want!

Good luck everyone for another month

40% live over a year, 3% live 5 years. It is a form that you don't notice until it is really well advanced. Chemo will reduce it and surgery will remove the most of it. My dad has prostate cancer - which has responded really well to treatment (surgery causes more problems than it solves). We expect him to die of old age after he gets his telegram. I think that is why they think that treatable is "cureable" - unfortunately the stats aren't so kind in my mum's case. I feel as if I am becoming a cancer encyclopedia

Anyhoo - I have derailed the thread enough!

Waiting to be able to give him the full facts sounds like a plan. Just hope for all of you that's ot long.
I am one of 4 and would hate to think my bros had kept it from me. Even if they swore me to secrecy until mam told me herself. Telling him is best. Tough for you all. X

Oh and derail away. Stress can equal bad spending habits!?

Nsd yesterday at last. Worked all morning and have down with horrible cold so don't feel like going far, hence no spend. Dh popped out for milk etc and that was it.

Hopefully today will be an Nsd or LSD too. On the upside Dh work says they are getting a bonus which should be around £600. So we can afford to go away in September. We should get approved for holiday for DS as its only 5 days and family visit/occasion and the school are quite flexible as we have a huge amount of non British parents including DH. I can't wait and it means DS can spend time with his grandparents.

So we are trying to be super frugal and put away the money for spending over next few months, which will really be the hard bit.

to everybody trying to deal with bad news.

Dds 4 and her one day off wasn't authorised for a very special family occasion Disneyland Paris

Unescorted sorry you're having such a tough time. I think it's unfair that your parents won't let you tell your brother.

My dc are being truly awful atm, mainly dd, I don't know what's wrong with her.

Several friends of DS have been authorised recently one to go to India and one Pakistan. One who was a Brit didn't get authorised because it was purely a holiday but it seems if you have strong family reasons and go for under 10 days they will consider. It may be because at out school the international parents are in a majority. They have actually said in their guidance that they will consider especially if you have 95 - 100% attendance which DS has.

There will be a good chance he will get to meet his new cousin and this is the only way he will get to see his grandparents as sadly money is now so tight that them visiting UK is out of the question.

Otherwise I guess we will pay the fine as it will still be cheaper as we could never afford school holiday flight prices.

Do the school do uniform grants? Or second hand? I bet lots of grants go unclaimed.

Interesting sporting. Everyone at dds school, apart from one family, are white British. That's the area we live in though. Growing up I had never spoken to someone of a different ethnicity until I was 14 and I'm not that old.

We want to go and see pil at some point in New Zealand and we will definitely be going to term time, probably either side of half term, (only if pil can pay!) but I'm quite sure it won't be authorised.

Lots of schools have second hand uniform from parents, ours does a sale at end of Summer term so it might be worth asking about that.

The school is a bit of a different case, there is only 1 kid in DS class who is white British and that was the one who didn't get authorised. Most of the school are Pakistani descent, Afro Caribbean, Eastern Europe or elsewhere. We I guess are mixed, I'm British but dh is Southern Europe. So I guess they may have a bit more leeway. But they definitely say not above 10 days and strong family reasons and good attendance and only if there are no academic concerns. So hoping we'll get it but not disaster if not.

unescorted sorry to hear you are having such a tough time of it personally I would tell my brother as I would hope he would tell me iyswim.

NSD.

Put all my aldi plants in & mowed the lawn.

We ache all over.

Sorry you are having such a crap time Un

I have trouble getting my head round the school fines thing, it didn't exist when I was at school in England, and is unheard over here in France (parents would have a fit if they tried to implement something like that here). Many of our pupils have Arabic origins and they go to see family in Northern Africa at least once a year. It's always a week or so before and/or after the holidays, otherwise they simply wouldn't be able to afford it.

Yesterday was spendy as my DM came over to babysit while DH and I had an afternoon/evening to ourselves to celebrate our wedding anniversay. We went shopping (Lush €12, bookshop €8, ice-creams €5, coffee €4), then we went bowling and played pool , which came to €45 with 2 cokes , then we went for a meal (€41). Total of €115 which is €25 over budget. Meh.

Bacon and leek risotto for dinner. Yum.

Nsd.

What am awful situation Un - I'm very sorry. I think your instincts that you must tell your brother are good.

£3.50 on cake and £5 on raffle tickets at a fundraiser today. Less than I had budgeted and a good day out.

Busy day at work but a NSD so thats good.

Have tried to eat healthily today to make up for all the rubbish I ate yesterday ave done quite well I think definitely had my 5 a day for once

How's the cat?.

55 in millets on walking boots. There was a food festival in town £10 on overpriced yummy goods (£1.50 a cupcake anyone!) £80 on swimming lessons. Decided to keep both kids in. £79 on sainsbury shop.
Aldi tomorrow and matalan for the 25% off ladies wear voucher thing

4 on milk cream and sweets. The kids are full of sugar - merangues with cream seemed like a good idea this afternoon. Not so sure now they are bouncing off the walls.

NSD so far but ordering takeaway as soon as our friends get here...

65p on sweets for DD1 after swimming lesson.

Not that great fluffy he saw the vet again today and my mum said she came away none the wiser really. He has another lesion in his mouth which was bleeding last night the vet thinks something is attacking his immune system. I personally think it is either the same thing my girl cat has got or something really similar (they are half brother and sister) he is going in on Tuesday for a GA and investigations.

My mum is devastated as she is thinking the worst. I have always found with cats that its getting them through their first 2 years is crucial, once they are over 2 they don't really seem to get ill (well until they get really old!)

We are looking after my dads dog again this week - my cats are not impressed