July Frugal thread, Just chatting and saving.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Everyone welcome.

Can I join in?

Really trying to save some cash at the moment, we have a fair amount coming in but it seems much more going out.

I'm so upset with my 12 year old son right now, I put £25 on his school dinner account when I got paid to last him right through to the end of term I just logged onto the account and he's spent every last penny of it, some days he has spent over £4.50 in one hit. I'm really disappointed as he did this before and I explained to him why he could only spend a set amount each day and he promised he wouldn't go over. I have a suspicion that he has been buying food for other kids as most days he's been buying 2 drinks and 2 pizza slices or 2 rolls and 2 milkshakes. I've told him that from now on it'll be a sandwich and a bottle of water as we can't afford for him to keep doing this. Today he ate nothing at all during school because the account was empty, he leaves home at 7:20 and gets in at 4:10 :(

Anyway, I'm a terrible impulse buyer but I've made a list of things that we will need to buy during the summer holidays, mostly school uniform as my daughters are changing school. Going to try very hard not to deviate from this list, husband is much better at being frugal than I am, infact he's quite thrifty. He has applied to open a 'spending' account with our current bank, so we can transfer my income/wages into it every month whilst his income pays the bills (He earns 3 times what I do).

Nobody in this house needs any new clothes (other than school wear), dd1 has her 10th birthday coming up in several weeks, I've already got her a new school bag and a pair of DM's. She's hopefully having some friends over for a garden party - not sure if they'll come as I don't know the parents and they are new friends from the school she will start in September - and other than some chewing gum, she hasn't actually asked for anything.

Today I've spent £4.75, £2 on nectarines, £1.90 on 4kg of potatoes, 75p on muffins for the girls and 10p on a bag for life. I was planning on a no spend day, but I'm pretty pleased with today's spends.

Thanks Fluffy

Black dress... how about this Debenhams reduced to £7.50! or this? £10.50 wear with black tights and shoes for the funeral but both could also be glammed up for later use going out..and if you are little then shouldnt be too short

So much for not spending any money so far in July
A spendy day ..
I met DS for lunch - £12.50 for us both (that was nice, havent seen him for 3 weeks)

Then £22.50 in Monsoon on pair of culottes in the sale (planned though)
£22 in B&Q on a storage box (for DS bedsit) and a plant pot as bathroom plant has outgrown its pot whilst we've been away
£30 in art shop on new pencils and drawing pens (have taken up cartooning hobby again) and my old ones were really rubbish
and (naughty, naughty me ) unplanned.. just bought a lovely skirt on ebay for 16.89 BNWT (was originally £99 in Toast).

That has to be it for treats oh but I did order a swarovski crystal bracelet to celebrate being mortgage free the other day, its not arrived yet

Not very frugal in the real sense then but just a little bit of savings spent (and it is all about living within ones income and not going into debt isnt it?)

I've found a brilliant site, you type in what you want off Amazon & it compares all the European Amazon sites and tells you which is cheaper. Then you can click the button to buy it. There shouldn't be any duty to pay either because it's free trade within Europe. Obviously alcohol is a different case.

Sometimes it's hundreds on electrical stuff.

www.curiua.com/

Welcome Candy

Outwith I put a £5 limit on school friend presents as well!! Always seem to find something quite nice, have you got many discount shops near you? I like The Works, they do nice books and craft stuff. For one of dds friends I bought some lovely gel pens and a note book set which came to £4.

For boys if you have a Sports Direct you can get a football for under a fiver, otherwise puzzles or games always seem to go down well. Poundstretchers do some nice but very cheap toys as well.

Have you got a Card WareHouse near you? They normally do 7 cards for £1, all lovely cards and I keep a regular stash that covers most ages!!

Hope all the poorly frugalleers feel better soon

Hi everyone, I hope you don't mind me popping back in.

I've been off MN for a while (most unlike me!). Home ed going reasonably well, frugality not so much!

I'm not really up to tracking every spend at the moment but I'll hang around if that's ok?

Electrolux so sorry xxx

Welcome Candy theres lots of friendly unjudgemental support here , we all have different incomes and prorities , but the same sorts of goal of being frugal within our means ! it certainly helps to keep posting...

I have become debt free since I started here last noovember and its just so great (used to run a £3000 credit card debt ) .I highly recommend YNAB if you dont have any budgetting spreadsheets / software.. despite my spendy confessions in the post above its changed my spending and head in the sand habits..

Sorry for the sad news Electrolux. Funeral clothes are hard if the weather turns hot, I would get some supermarket trousers and a plain top. If you get a skirt you might feel like you need black tights, could be very hot. Though if you are so tiny can you wear kids clothes? Trousers from a school uniform range (sorry if I'm being daft, I have no idea what it's like to be tiny)

£25 on another nude bra as I miss it when it's in the wash, £25 trainers for ds. Everything is looking knackered and I feel less poor so feel like I can have a little splurge.

outwith you can get 7 cards for £1 in card factory. I have a 5 yr old dd so my go to gift is a £5 graffix craft bucket or similar.

In frugal news we transferred a balance on a cc to a new 0% card, £5400 for 26 months. Have set up a dd to pay off £200 per month, hopefully it won't be too noticeable.

Road tax to pay soon.

Hello to the newbies.

Welcome back laska glad to hear Greece is doing OK, we fly out on Friday (not thought about packing yet )

Unescorted sorry to hear your news. My dad died in January, Mum has been staying with YS since.

Today £57 on Diesel (can reclaim) £3 lunch, car service...... £649 it was a big service and the brakes needed replacing, both pads and discs. Good news is that work pays it!

Pass our cc debt is similar and we are doing the same amount. Hopefully clear in 2.5 years max.

Welcome candy hopefully that'll teach your ds to think about what he's spending you just be really upset. He won't starve though

Electrolux sorry about your dad

Welcome back fuzz!

OH and I have turned his back garden into an allotment, and mine into a mini-allotment.

We are going to need another freezer.

Any suggestions for a cheaper brand that is economical to run and reliable?

Hello new people. Welcome back fuzz I was wondering where you were. Pleased HE is going well.

Nsd as at work today.
Electro do you know anyone you could borrow a suitable outfit from? Or parts of?

Line I got my allotment freezer from the local second hand shop. The guy repairs and resells them? £35 and it's still going strong in my garage 2 or more years later.

we all have different incomes and priorities, but the same sorts of goal of being frugal within our means

This has really got me thinking this morning. It's made me realise that it's ok to have a different definition to other people and to be doing frugality in my own way.

Thank you Laska

babsmam, thanks for that suggestion. Is it cheap to run? I'm becoming obsessed with the running costs of everything!

Sainsburys have nice birthday cards for 25p each-generic cupcake/fairy and football ones, perfect for kids parties but some designs that can be used for adults too.

I find novelty lunch bags go down well as presents-even if child is usually on hot dinners, there are always class trips or days out where a packed lunch is needed. Wilko's do some lovely ones with water bottles attached; I've just bought a beautiful red 'satchel' lunch bag for £5, my daughter is obsessed with it. Would make a good present (and always worth keeping an eye out in wilko/asda etc as they will reduce them all a week or two into September to get rid of the excess back to school stock. Buy a boyish one and a girly one to keep in for the parties where you don't really know what the kid is into!). You can often get character bottles or lunch boxes in poundland to bulk it up or make it look more expensive (plain lunchbag with minions/frozen water bottle) will still prob be around the £5 for a quality present.

And as a parent, useful tat is always preferable to clutter-up-the-house tat!

Thanks everyone for card / birthday present ideas, they'll come in useful. I think I need to stock up when I see things too.

Electrolux, I'm sorry about your Dad. It's horrible to lose a parent - be kind to yourself, and take any compassionate leave and help that's offered.

Hello everyone, please can I join? So need to stay motivated to spend less as would love to pay of debts and maybe even save for a holiday! Been reading this board for a while so ready to learn as much as possible from the experts .

Hi eliza I'm another Beginner