August Frugaleers Part II

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

Thought I would start a new one since the old one is full!

Welcome scribblings.

Welcome scribblings! This thread is great.

I used to spend when I was bored and when I felt like I deserved it I am definitely less materialistic since having DS. And actually much happier since living the frugal life.

Just googled Cock and Collect instead of Click and Collect.

Welcome scribblings. I have two teen DC, although I am not single. Also mindful of the fact that both wish to go to Uni, and associated costs.

ursula It's really easy to spend on random stuff isn't it? Then, when you add it all up....

Having a relatively calm day catching up with jobs and chores. Cleaner is back after her two week break, I am lucky to be able to afford a cleaner, but it's the best £20 I spend a week.

Just about to make a Moroccan lamb stew for the slow cooker. I have all the ingredients in. It's a recipe from a book I bought from Sainsburys about 4 years ago, called A Year Full of Recipes, it cost about £4 and it's brilliant. I am also very impressed with the Abel and Cole Veg book I got free. If I get time I will be making chocolate and beetroot cake too today.

I think DH might have thrown away a new mascara of mine.... I only use mascara and bronzer. The bronzer is cheap Rimmel but the mascara is a Clinique one. I can't find it....

binglet Seems a bit odd re the dogwalker, given she was clearly aware his is reactive, and usually on lead. Clearly an accident. Still, think of the money! I was up very early with my two and had a wonderful walk, met lots of other very early dog walkers, with well behaved dogs, and was glad I hauled my arse out of bed at that time of morning!

collie I had ds 2 in nursery since January, 2 mornings a week. He had just turned 3, and felt he badly needed some company and I needed a little break tbh, he is a very difficult spirited child. It wasn't very frugal, but he absolutely loved it, so can definitely understand why you want to continue with it! Especially if you need it when you go to work! Hope you figure it out! And sure you've just saved a fortune on a coat for him!
My ds is going to preschool this year tho, so that's free! Big savings!

pass welcome home! Sorry to hear about he rain in majorca! Definitely not something you could have budgeted for!

what Thanks for the tip on the charity shops! I'm not even sure where they are, think they are mostly in the city tho, but will try and go to the naicer ones!

scribblings welcome to the thread! Sorry to hear about your divorce. It really helps to keep you in the frugal mainframe by posting here.

Lol at cock and collect!

Payday today! Hurray! Need to try my best not to go mad spending! Do need to get some groceries, just enough to keep me going over the weekend until I do a big shop on Monday. Not doing anything else tho, I'm fed up of trying to keep the kids busy. They can watch tv all day, I've stopped caring.

Hi scribble. Sometimes it is easier to sort out your thoughts by articulating them, and we don't mind and will answer them if you want. Well done on the plan.
So got my orders sainsburys came in a massive box, spent a further £20 on weekend stuff.

£53 at vets
£23 amazon

Thanks for the lovely welcome, all.

I was sad to divorce, but more for the family life I wished we'd had rather than the actual reality IYKWIM. I've been on my own a couple of years now, and every time I think I can't face something new (downsizing, buying my own vehicle, sorting out repairs) I generally manage to muddle my way through.

I'm not anxious, like I was, and that's amazing to me. I wish I could explain it to anyone like me at the start of a scary separation process after 20+ years together. It's a different life, but it gets better and better, which I wouldn't have believed for a moment.

Anyway, I probably made myself sound a complete tech-head in my first post. I'm not really a spendthrift magpie drawn to anything shiny, but I am trying to ask myself very seriously whether I need anything new so that I can reach my work/life goal.

Today's success: I just cancelled a direct debit for a sim card in an old iPad I hardly use. It's only £10 a month, but I've been mindfucking putting off cancelling forever 'just in case' I need it. Phew!

Welcome Scribbling

£38.93 on weekly shop. Some of that is for next weeks meals too.
£1 on loo roll.

Frugal fail, bought the wrong curry sauce for the shopize app offer so I cant claim it. Might try taking in back on Tuesday and getting the right one. Rookie error

Got free bread and frozen fish portions on quidco clicksnap so I'm not counting that as a spend.

fluffy the clicksnap thing looks good. How does it work? there isn't much info on my Quidco app.

My bin lid is refusing to close and I honestly cant work out how to fix it. It was only £5 from The Range so I'm thinking of getting a new one. Can't have a house smelling of bin and unable to close with a toddler around.

need After speaking to the dog walker FINALLY, it's seems to me it's been made a bigger issue than it was. He slipped harness, and had a bit of a bark off with a staffy. In my view if they had actually fought one of them would have come off with an injury. BingDog would be no match for an angry staffy even if he thinks he's the chuck Norris of the dog world I think it's a plot to stop walking him as he has to be walked alone and that looses them money for that walk as they normally walk 4-5 dogs at a time.
I used to get up earlier and walk him before work, so will just start that again from Monday. Looking forward to some extra cash each month.

Welcome scribblings, you're in the right place!

I'm going to mark my place and jolly well read this thread until it sinks in. I dip in and out but don't always manage it in RL.

Poor Bing Dog. It sounds like they want shot of him. At least you will have an extra £100 a month.

Collie

You buy one of the items on offer, then take a photo of the reciept and upload it and you get money back. Theres a little blue rectangle top right above the offers, you click on that to upload the receipt. There's apps for clicksnap, shopitize and checkoutsmart which are easier to use.

Click and checkoutsmart are the same companies so you cant submit the same receipt to both and make a profit but you can have an account with both. As can your OH, so potentially 4 free items of each can be bought on separate receipts.

Bit of a faff but free food is free food.

Checkoutsmart and shopitize only pay out when you reach £5.

Ledhut have cancelled my order but no refund yet. I suppose it will take a few days.

I'm not anxious, like I was, and that's amazing to me. I wish I could explain it to anyone like me at the start of a scary separation process after 20+ years together. It's a different life, but it gets better and better, which I wouldn't have believed for a moment.

I really need to hear things like this, so thank you so much I'm in week 7

Bing I find a morning's walk really, really good for my mood. You'll know all of this already of course (unless you're a night owl) but just wanted to say that it's not just the financial benefit

£7 on picnic food.

Went to a country park which had a massive playground and was free to park. Dd wanted an ice cream but I said no as we have some at home.

Spent £5.50 in Poundstretchers and got a lot for this

a bag of sugar 45p
bottle of bleach 60p
some drain unblock stuff £1
toothpaste 45p
smelly candle £1.99
box of tissues £1

I forget to check in there sometimes but they really are cheap!

Not sure if will make it to swimming as have a headache and can't be bothered have got a cheque from the pet insurance people though £84!!

Someone I know near me has just put their two bedroom flat on the market for £235,000

thanks for explaining fluffy! Definitely going to try it out.

We are having an indoor TV (YouTube) and music day. I'm so tired and achey. And DS is exhausted.

Today is the most un-augusty August day.

It's 24 degrees here and going to be 28 tomorrow.

Oh, myturnnow the early days are tough, and in my case financially/practically/emotionally paralysing, especially as I didn't want to upset the kids.

I found it best to count each day spent not staring anxiously at the ceiling as a mini victory. Gradually, there were more victorious days than days where I felt beaten before I'd even got out of bed. I had a little holiday with my boys this summer where, for the first time in years, I didn't dwell on all the other happy families; I just enjoyed the pleasure of being away with people who love me.

Take heart, it might seem like a very steep path to climb all on your own, but eventually the view from the summit can be breathtaking.

Now, back to thinking about frugality... I'm back to work FT from Monday, so I just had a jolly good rummage through the kitchen cupboards and dug out lunch boxes/tupperware/bentos. Staying out of the canteen, and using up leftovers has got to be a money saver, plus I've managed to s.l.o.w.l.y. lose weight all summer by using a free app (myfitnesspal). Much easier to add food I've prepped myself to the app than guess canteen calories. :)

Welcome scribblings
Just managed to catch up after I finished painting inside kitchen cupboard. Went in yesterday for tin of soup and found out one of my tins of tomatoes exploded at the back of the cupboard. Had to take it all out and found some mould at the back too. After we moved in we changed the kitchen to add more storage but kept 3 old build in cupboards. So I have spent 2 days cleaning and painting with damp proof and special paint which should help in the future. I guess it's one of the disadvantages of living in an old house.
Another horrible wet day, feels like autumn and looks the same for the weekend