The super savvy savers continue steering their way through September

[northender]

Thought I'd start a shiny new thread as we've filled the other one so quickly.

42 sainsbury delivery coming in the morning

I had a great morning this morning. I went along as volunteer photographer at a school's electronics day and took loads and loads of photos. Everybody was very accommodating as I snapped away with my camera and after all that fun it was a NSD. Bonus!

spotty in theory it should be easy. We pay for food and petrol on our joint account. All bills come out of it.

It's just my spends. I think I need to actually have the cash on me. To see where and how I'm frittering it away.

But now I'm thinking I need a cute new cash purse......

Got a refund on a dress - Primark didn't want to refund it as I didn't have the receipt (it still had all the tags etc) but I pointed out the really rubbish stitching so after wandering off to talk to a supervisor they agreed.

But then I also bought some lego on sale in the local toy shop, so not sure I can be smug really! £15 instead of £26. The bigger set was one DS has drooled over in the shop anyway, but I'm thinking that from now on I'll just get lego whenever I see a set on a decent offer, to put away for Xmas/birthdays - my DCs are both utterly lego obsessed so basically any set will go down well, they aren't actually fussed about what range it is.

I actually need a wallet too ememem my lovely looney tunes one fell apart a few months ago and change kept falling out! I've been sticking all my money in my bag/pocket since then.

I really love the Totoro ones I've seen online.

I swear I am actually a grown up. Ahem.

I know what you mean about the DC doing sport north. Although it is great that they are fit and active, our lives seem to revolve around it. Thursday night was hockey training for DD, then football training for DD, then football training for DS1. Friday night was hockey match for DD then rugby training for DS1. This morning was a football match for DS1 then a football match for DD (at two different places), then tomorrow is a rugby tournament all day for DS1. We have no other life!

Tiny win on the Tesco order - substitutions meant that I got more Quorn fillets and salmon fillets than I paid for. I like it when that happens.

Spends today:
Bus fares for DS1 and DD to football - £1.50 (I have my weekly pass so travelled on that)
New boot bag for DD from Sports Direct - £3.50
Coffees/hot chocolates and chocolate bars after football (I know, should have taken a flask and snacks, but I forgot how cold and hungry everyone gets!) - £5.25
Flowers for the house - £4

Tonight will be spent preparing food to take to rugby tomorrow. And I will be taking a flask!!!

Dinner tonight is cod in tomato, olive and garlic sauce with green beans and new potatoes. Cost approximately £5.50 for 5 of us.

WRT to family cook books I like Jamie's 15 minute / 30 minute dinners, but that is mainly because I always seem to be in a rush! A good one for frugal cooking is Economy Gastronomy, it shows you how to batch cook by turning one dish into lots of different dinners. Most of the recipes do seem to take a while though, which was fine when I worked PT and the DC didn't do so many activities but is tricky now. I use the BBC Good Food website too.

The only reason we manage any sport at all is because the DCs don't have school anymore! We just couldn't do it before (partly due to not driving though, the leisure centre is 2 buses away for example). Thankfully there are home ed specific clubs here - cheaper too. And a way to avoid waiting lists - I found out the other day that the 'normal' gymnastics classes have a list of 2000 children waiting for places!

£9.70 bus fares.
£1.05 cheese and onion pasty (a thread a few days ago gave me a craving for one!)
£1.90 on a slice of carrot cake to accompany my free coffee in Caf?? Nero.
£17 on my credit card in Ikea, which is rather restrained really, isn't it?

I have spent my birthday money/voucher very wisely today on a really warm winter coat. It was £50 in Next so I was just able to afford it. It's like wearing a duvet so I might wear it around the house instead of putting the heating on
My lovely mum bought lunch in Pizza Express and also treated me to a skirt from Topshop which I fell in love with but I'm going to have to buy a top to go with it. Hoping Asda or Sainsburys have something suitable.
Otherwise just £4 on the train fare. I think I was very restrained today as I don't go into town often!

jemima love the cod recipe as I have loads of cod portions in the freezer and keep forgetting them. Thanking you!

Tonight will be Spendy and I initially budgeted £15 but I forgot car parking so let's make that a budget of £20 and hopefully I'll have change for the bus on Wednesday.

I am so tired

Hi all hope you are having a nice Saturday night!

I have been in my pjs since 6.30pm been working all day and stopped for fish n chips on the way home £6 but that fed me and dd.

Had to pay £3.70 for parking at work but can claim that back.

I saw on another mn thread about these really nice winter boots Mellino or something? I really want a pair now!

Agree with feeling like your life revolves around kids clubs! I am trying to work out how I can rejig it so that the whole wend isn't taken over by swimming, running and horse riding!! Am thinking about having all the clubs on one day which will be knackering for dd but at least gives us a clear day to do other things as well!!

Managed to hurt my hand earlier as I saw a spider climbing up my leg and completely panicked. No idea what I hit my hand on but was screaming and flapping them around a lot its now gone a funny colour and has a lump coming up on the palm bloody spiders.

I'm glad to hear of the LSD for everyone.

Today was £44 on a weeks shopping for DS and me. Is that a ok amount to spend on two people?

I was going to spend £10 on a movie but I've resisted and re watching the rented film last night.

Thanks for all the info on recipes, my winter meals are very..... Similar.

How old is your ds Free? £44 would be the upper amount i would be aiming to spend on me and dd (9yo) I tend to do a big shop in either Sainsburys or Morrisons once or twice a month for £50 and then just top up in Lidls for about £20 so £150 a month on food max!

We've been spending about £50 for two adults and two dc (5&2) for our food shopping recently. It really helps when there's already two meals in the freezer from batch cooking!

I spend £40-£50 on food most weeks for me and DS ( nearly 13) too, Free. That includes all toiletries and cleaning products and packed lunch stuff.

Hello, don't quite know why this week has been so hard to stay in touch!

Wednesday -NSD
Thursday I took DD2 out for a special mummy day out before starting school. She chose Legoland which is good because we have passes. About £5 on 3 drinks and an ice lolly each, plus £17 for a gift.

Sainsbury's about £15 buying mince (mum forgot to get it out of the freezer) and salad and bits.

Friday - £80 to get the guy out to fix the door part of our burglar alarm which he broke trying to change the batteries. Blasted man couldn't arrive while I was doing the school run.

Also spent £30 on Amazon including £27 on food bin bags, but that's about 2 years worth.

Saturday - £150 on Tesco shop. That included £20 for DD2's birthday presents and a couple of stocking fillers.

Annoyed to discover DS needs water colour paints for his homework, wish he had told me earlier, now I need to go to town tomorrow.

DH broke the alarm, not the man who came to fix it!

I've got to set my alarm for every two hours tonight to test my sugar levels. Hoping dh will let me have a lie in tomorrow. Both dc have nasty colds, dd cried when she sneezed because her throat hurt.

This weeks meal plan:

Beef rendang (freezer)
Roast chicken
Chicken Caesar salad
Chilli with jackets (freezer)
Sausage beans mash
Beef casserole
Pasta and sauce

Took our dd this morning for her audition for Duchy ballet, dh was bit stressed due to traffic jam and us being bit late and then we found out the audition is not on till tomorrow
LSD today £5.94 at 99p shop for squash, mayo, diary for dh and couple bits for school for ds plus £23 at Lidl mainly on some meat, fruit,veg and couple baguettes. I always spend more when dh is around.
2 loads of laundry done and also lot of firewood before the heavy rain came again.
Homemade pizza and garlic bread for dc, chicken curry for me (I had some leftover sauce from takeaway in the freezer) and prawn and mushroom curry for dh with rice and naan bread. Made a big tray of Czech gingerbread cake 2 days ago and it's all gone so I shall be baking again tomorrow.

Oh no Spotty that doesn't sound good having to wake up every 2 hours, is there something causing your sugars to play up? Sorry to hear the kids are ill as well, my dd was coughing loads earlier and I had that feeling of impending doom I love Autumn but not all the coughs and colds that suddenly appear.

Meal plan hmm

Tomos hoping my mum is doing a roast dinner

Monday Pizza and salad
Tuesday jackets with tuna, cheese and salad
Wed salmon rice and veg (note to self remember to get salmon out!)
Thus fishmongers, chips and beans
Friday hmm not sure!! Maybe scrambled eggs as we have lots of eggs at the moment!

Ginger bread cake sounds nice love receive please!

Scrap that I've run out of test strips fuckity fuck massive fuck. I won't be able to get any until Tuesday either. Shit. Nothing messing them around just still trying to get it right since having a pump and as the dose is calculated hourly I need to work out which hours need adjusting.

Yes first week back at school and they're ill! It doesn't bode well for the rest of the term!

girl he's three next month. Eeekkkk. That means a party!
audit it sounds like a very busy afternoon.

Meals this week
Monday : chicken pasta, ready made.
Tuesday: stir fry
Wednesday: salmon, rice and veg (freon freezer)
Thursday: pork mince from sausages, with pasta (from freezer)
Friday: chicken curry. (From freezer)

I use the Good Food website too and a slow cooker facebook group.

Meals this week:
Chicken fajita
Steak (need to get my iron up during pregnancy, dh is thrilled!) wedges and veggies
Beef and ginger stir fry
Spag bol
Cashew nut, lemon and broccoli chicken
Lasagne (leftover spag bol)
Cottage pie (freezer)

I've bought half the amount of meat as usual and plan to bulk everything out with vegetables.