Super Savvy Savers Skid towards September Saving Spree

[lilacclery]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2209167-Slow-Cookers-are-shit

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2224969-saving-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2258202-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-6-start-the-new-year-with-a-clear-purpose-and-keep-moving-forwards-even-by-tiny-steps?

orchard.tesco.com/ Sign up to this.

www.topcashback.co.uk/home And this.

www.quidco.com/home/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ditto

Plus this.

www.hotukdeals.com/all/deals/new?page=3 Check this daily.

Kudos to PeoniesforMissAnnersly for the links

lovetoknit love Lanhydrock. Went there last weekend.

Just spent £25 at The Book People. I got 17 books for DS 2nd Birthday and Christmas. I also had a 6% voucher code and got 3% cash back too. He loves books and we realised we'd be wasting money if we bought toys instead. We'll get him a token toy/puzzle for both birthday and Christmas.

He has so many toys and his grandparents will spoil him toy wise. feeling successful!

Have been struggling to keep up due to the app being down and the thread moving so fast. Welcome to all newbies, not sure about all the Christmas talk though!
Have had a very costly week here. My budget to the end of Sept doesn't have much left in it already. Ds and I are off to London for his chest brace fitting this week. We get the train on Wed night & come back on Thurs will try to keep the spending down as much as possible. Train tickets are already paid for but I need to pay for the hotel £69

Catch up later in the week.

Hi ladies please may I join? August had been really hard financially and I need to get on top of it. I sat and worked everything out today and we are absolutely fine but we fritter it away. Mostly by dh buying lunch instead of taking a packed lunch and me popping to the shop for milk and spending £20+. If we keep going we can't afford Christmas. I have sat dh down tonight and made him go through everything with me. We are not going to waste any money this month. I am officially on a no spend September. I have a budget for Christmas gifts invade j see any but that's it.

We bought a house a few years ago and it's in dire need of renovation. We have done a bit but there is so much more to do and we want to get all the bedrooms replastered, carpeted and decorated next year. On paper we can afford this, which we thought we couldn't. It's really made us realise how much we waste. We spend on lots of little things that we don't need and go without big things we need. I even booked the plasterer to come in January to do the 1st room today.

Thank you for the mincemeat recipe I will make mine this week. I don't like alcohol so could I just leave it out?

Over night have made £12 selling an old handbag on eBay. And have an actual bidding war happening!!! The item was listed at £1. And is now up to £16.99 , exciting!!

Morning!

Ememem that's fab!!v exciting for a tues morning :)

northerner big loves for having to travel all way to london for your little ones chest brace fitting

Lolly welcome! And sounds like your on the right path...It'll be worth it! There's lots of tips and advice on here :)

Lolly welcome.

Ememem I love a bidding war.

Greetings from Sorrento We arrived late last night and I have woken up early to the most incredible view from our room, I will post pictures later. Needless to say, the airport wasn't particularly frugal, but are they ever? Hotel is stunning, but not frugal either...

Welcome lolly We definitely fritter money, you are not alone.

Good luck northender, hope it goes well.

Should be able to check in regularly now we are here and wi-fi connected.

I will read back now.

Welcome lolly

Welcome lolly
I loved lanhydrock while we were hollybobbing.
Need to work out Sept but tbh I'm scared and getting a bit ostrich like. I will give my head a shake in a bit.

Dance wear shopping later today. May come home without an arm or/and a leg!

I can be very ostrich like about money. I've started checking my online banking regularly which will hopefully keep me more focused.

New pupil visiting today - best actually do some form of tidying

Happy September, frugaleers!

Funny you say that - I have unusually checked my bank account 5 times in the last 24 hours even though it was a bank holiday so my balance wouldn't be quite right anyway. It'll catch up today but I'm getting obsessed with checking and I can't stop staring at my budget spreadsheet. I suppose it is no bad thing!

Collie our beach was like that until the EU intervened and force the local council to upgrade our sewage facilities. Now the beach is completely clean.

Lolly if it's any comfort we are exactly the same, spent on little unnecessary things then have no money for larger important stuff.

Spent a fortune yesterday, new coat for dd1 and stuff for her Birthday (today) PJ's for dd2, a new lock for the back door and a fleecy blanket for each of the children in an attempt to delay having to put the heating on for a while, Fruit and salad in Asda, 2 Yankee Candles from Debenhams - and loads of Daffodil bulbs ready to plant for Spring Total Spend - £148.91 ????

I'm hoping that will be the one and only shopping trip until next payday, which is 26 September.

Most of our monthly DD's and SO's have come out today, oddly enough that's a bit of a relief as I know exactly what we've got left for the month and can (hopefully) plan ahead.

I remember someone looking for Loom bands sets - Toy's R'Us had the Crazy Loom, huge set for £2.47, and also I picked up 5 pairs of Pringle socks in Matalan for £4, I've put them away for DH for Christmas.

about all that business of saving up for Christmas lunch - we gave up buying all that extra stuff. We used to have chocolates and schloer and all that but we find now that we are much happier having a normal lunch and a good walk out. Otherwise we just spend the afternoon totally stuffed and uncomfortable, which is no fun. Its much cheaper too.

I'm another ostrich with the bank account. We've been quite ok over the weekend, though I am feeling like I have no control over what my DH spends. Today I need to order a rain cover for my new buggy, but aside from that I don't think either of us need to spend anything. I've been getting my spending "fix" by starting the Christmas shopping or doing a food order for the next week. The ease of online food shopping means I can stick to my £50 max (I aim for £40 but that's failing at the moment with me off) and take things out of my basket when limits are reached.

Today I am writing my autumn / winter / Christmas bucket lists. I'm going to write my store cupboard Christmas list so I can choose some things to buy each week (the big tins of chocolates are in!). I'm also going to write who I have bought for already and who is left to buy for for Christmas. I've covered off a lot of people already so I need to be careful I'm not just buying for the hell
Of it now.

Welcome lolly
collie someone in an old thread said they had pinned their internet bank website as their home page so more frequently.than not, checked it as they opened the www. Seems like a good idea.
Today I need to ring and delay direct debits. I also need to make something for lunch tomorrow as I have invited extended family. Maybe a lasagne or stew. Hoping the weather holds as we are meeting friends at the park in the afternoon - free. If it rains it will be at least £15 at softplay. Tbh I would prefer softplay as it is wet and cold and I can chill more knowing all dcs are are safely enclosed. Inspired by fluffy's spring clean, I intend to give my house a quick once over....zoflora at the ready!

I love this frugal corner of mumsnet...reading everyone's posts really gets me to be on the ball and organised....this time last year I never would've dreamed I'd be getting the house ready for winter, monitoring lec&gas and making plans for Christmas shopping. I was an ostrich, last minute fritterer hahaha

Woo hoo, my cheque from e-2save has arrived. So, £21.60 up. I'm on a plan that means you send off bills and they reimburse you the whole cost of the tariff over the year. I think they rely on you forgetting to do it.

I'm going to have a nsd, plan tomorrow's spends and list some stuff on eBay.

Last Christmas I purchased

Tiny envelopes
Christmas twine
Christmas pegs

And made a family advent calendar by writing little notes, folding them up & popping them in the envelopes. Some days were simply reading a christmas story, singing a Christmas song, watching a film etc. Others were "go for a drive to look at Christmas lights" or "bake mince pies"...

It was a fab way to enjoy Christmas as a family. Can't wait to unpack it in December. Some things had to be done on a weekend or on Christmas Eve but that was fine.

Just thought I'd share my frugal advent idea. I'm wondering if Christmas themed craft stuff will go up in price in the next few weeks. I don't know though

Collie that's lovely! I sewed a felt one last year, I think it might need some repairs this year and I may put in some activities rather than sweets every day :-) Wilf was only one last year but quickly realised what was in the pockets..

Argh I'm somehow skint again.

Just checked my online banking, thought I'd be approx £28 overdrawn, but I'm £67 - oops.
Had arranged a cashout of my quidco account which was at £70 and went spending at the weekend, things I needed but apparently spent more than I thought. Really need the banking app to catch me up so I can work out where I really am. Weekly pay sucks.

Made a freezer tea last night, bit of a mixed bag of sausages, grilled tomatoes topped with pesto and mozarella, corn on the cob and mixed veg. trying to empty the freezer so the next week will be mixed up foods and see what I can create.

welcome lolly
We really like Lanhydrock and since we just paid again our NT membership I want to make an effort to use it more especially when they have extra events on for family and try to visit other places too; Cotehele had medieval family fun day yesterday but dh didn't want to go there because of all the extra summer traffic - he hates getting stuck in traffic and is worst than dc complaining about it
Collie that's exactly what I want to do with the advent calendar I am going to make with the panel I bought last week.
Hobbycraft had a bin full of reduced Christmas card making bits when I went it last time but I was very good and didn't buy since I need to check my stash
I checked the bank account every day during the week since dd come out on different days, we have a "budget" account for all the bills so I just transfer money when needed.
Washing is done so going to put it outside, fingers crossed again it's supposed to be another sunny day

Thank you for the welcome.

I'm a bit gutted this morning. After all my planning last night I worked out that on payday this Friday I would have £24 left over before the wages go in and wouldn't have gone in the overdraft. It's not a lot but we have had a holiday this month, school stuff and 3 birthdays so I knew August was tight anyway. I looked on my bank this morning and I am £77 overdrawn we went out for a meal over the weekend and I picked up the last of the school stuff. It's my own fault as i thought the money had already come out.

Until Friday I will only need to buy milk and put £20 in my car. The bank statement has made me more determined than ever. If we really tighten our belts this month I can pay off a £200 cc bill.

Posted too soon sorry.

I have washing on the line and another load in. It's quite blowy here today so I am hoping to get a few loads dry. I have a cake and some cookies to make and I am making pasta bake and homemade garlic bread for dinner. I am going to a friends for a meal (a large group of us). Everyone is driving. So no alcohol will be consumed so I am taking a jar of homemade jam and some flowers cut from the garden (is that okay?)

I did have a lovely surprise this morning though. I looked after a friends daughter last week for 3 days, she is really good friends with my children so it was no hassle at all. Friend sent me an email from Amazon this morning with a £10 voucher attached. I'm not sure wether to use it for my kind or towards Christmas. As I am not even spending vouchers this month I will decide in October.

Have a great day everyone

I'm very overdrawn too lolly :(
Ds2s b day gifts, some clothes off eBay for the DC and am still waiting for a couple of refunds from Amazon.
When I get paid in Friday I will probably have £150 left for the month.
It's my b day in October and I am going to ask for money so I can buy myself a treat.
Am going to try and get lower car insurance in October when I renew.
And I can upgrade my phone in november and am considering going with a new provider so I can a really cheap deal.
That should bring my direct debits down...any tips on cheap mobile deals for a new customer?