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.

Spotty I thought you had done her hair like that! It's fabulous!

Blue dd is only five her hair is 100% natural I promise!

blue there's a Christmas board, under fun and games on the forum list. There's a bargains thread there where people post things on offer for Christmas gifts. No link, just in case you get sucked in, you can't blame me!

oh my goodness! It looks like you did her a head of proper highlights spotty! They're so well defined lol! I guess I will have to book an actual hairdresser then (too chicken to dye my own!)

Thanks Pink, must check it out (bang goes another half hour lol!)

Pass and Girlie sorry to hear your kids are struggling with being back at school. My ds really had a hard time at school last year but he is coming home for lunch this year and things have really calmed down (so far, touch wood). I think he was finding the unstructured time at lunch too difficult, but having a bit of tlc at lunch really helps. I hope you find something to help your kids. Good luck there.

Spotty I pay £90 for those highlights! Lucky girl

Am feeling quite depressed about all the money going out at the moment
£260 car service
£220 DS annual football training fee
£120 dentist

None of it budgeted for and we're only half way through the month ??

Hey, just trying to catch up. This thread moves so fast! Hope all the poorly people get better soon, and all of the unsettled DC start feeling more secure, as they adjust to change.

No heating on here until October. DS is begging for it to be the 1st, but I would prefer to hold out to nearer the 31st! Managed to get through to November without it the past 3 years, but our new house is 1930s and semi-detached, so it seems a bit optimistic. I purchased 4 sets of thermal curtains from Tony's textiles online for £117, which seems reasonable to me, and a freestanding towel heater for all the damp towels that won't dry properly, for £27, from Amazon.

Electrolux, can you find out from your energy supplier if you can get their warm home discount? I applied and I'm eligible. I think it gives £140 towards your winter heating costs, although it might not be paid until next spring. You can apply online, on your supplier's website.

Surprised at the variation among all of the Scouts/Cubs/Beavers groups! DS pays £13 a month for his new Scouts group, but his last one, only about 6 miles away, was £20 a month, so even that's quite a difference.

Today's spends were £5.85. £5 on gas card for the week and 85p on milk.

Pink I used to have a mobile number when I spent a couple of summers in UK will see can I root it out for you later.

Creme, no heating on here until 1 Nov at earliest according to DH!

We'll see...

I popped into town just now to pick up a parcel.

Didn't get DS toothpaste - forgot! But spent £3 on the bus and £1 on a wind up bath toy for DS. Could have spent much much much much more. But I didn't. I really felt the urge to splurge. I was in Accessorize for ages staring at a tartan scarf and a dark red hangbag.

Had a whiff of the White Company winter candles - sales assistant kept giving me a funny look so I felt compelled to leave.

Anyway, back home and just put on a sausage & chorizo casserole for tea.

I'm marginally proud of myself for having control.

spotty DD at 14 has still got hair that is 6 different types of blondes and stunning. Curly though. Lost count of the number of random comments we have had over the years. Broke my heart when she decided to have it all cut short this summer [weeping large tears emoticon]

Fighting with a teenager over hair wouldn't have worked though but I still struggle with it. I had to go for a coffee next door to the hairdressers as I couldn't stand to see all the hair on the floor

lilac you're an absolute sweetheart, thank you!!

My budgeting attempts are getting hilarious. I've been working really hard at frugaleering, but somehow I went from always breaking even (for years and years) to being several hundred pounds overspent this month through trying to budget. MassiveFail. Oh well.

On the plus side my grocery spending has gone down quite a lot this month, and ds and I both look better now that we're not wearing clothes that resemble compost.

I just spent £1.99 at Snapfish with the acrylic block offer. So excited! Another Christmas present done.

Just realised I've only €15 left until payday next Wednesday. All bills are paid tho, and I have a good bit of food left.
Did the budget for next month and its looking tight. We have a lot to go out, car tax, kids need new shoes, I need new car tyres, utility bills are due. Gah! This living within my means sucks

£2.50 on squash and 80p on work stuff.

£20 petrol plus bread and milk. This they were about £3 together bloody garage.

Saw the Dr he gave me sertraline and propranolol and wants me to self refer to time to talk (as the name says). I told him that I am happy and I do enjoy life it's literally just the anxiety. Anyway hopefully it'll help. The Dr is friends with one of the Drs at work that I get on really well with it. I feel better just for having seen him.

Need I would have been devastated! I dread the dc getting a say in their looks

How do we find the acrylic block offer collie? I just googled for it and can't find it.

That's sounds like quite a success spotty. I went to see a talking person and it was hugely helpful, just for finding out who I am these days.

Pink I agree about living within our means. It definitely sucks.

On the plus side I just visited a neighbour who has very fancy job and has ds in full time daycare and she says it costs £1500 a month, so I feel a lot better about doing ds's care myself now. I had no idea it was so expensive.

Ipsos the photos block is on the Christmas thread I think. I lurk on there.
Nsd. Went round a supermarket and bought nothing, go me!

"Spent" £17 boots points on a sinus rinse today. Just done it. Very strange sensation. The sporners would have loved it. There was a bit of a pop and a load of green flew out of my nose. Gross.

Dr suggested it might help he suspects post nasal drip is causing my cough. Yippee!

Sold a pair of Dhs trousers on eBay today so off to the post office again tomorrow.

ipsos its here. promo.snapfish.co.uk/bestacrylic/comuk_bestmagazine_acrylic/ it took me ages to sort. Could only do it on a laptop as the app & mobile site don't have the acrylic block option. bit weird.

Positive thoughts for those with dc having a hard time back at school. Dd has had issues at school on and off and it is sooooo hard.
Dh went on a career development day on Monday and came back having won a 2 course meal for 2 at a Campanile hotel . Our nearest are Manchester and Liverpool so we're going to use it when we go on our annual Christmas shopping jaunt.
Thanks for the insurance cashback advice fluffy I'll make sure I keep at them.
£20 spent at Booths today but £8 of that was on 4 reduced pizzas which are delicious. I had a rubbish full-on day at work today so they made a perfect tea with some HM coleslaw.

Well done to your DS north

Ipsos What do you think has tipped the balance into over spends? I would wonder about the sense of working to pay out £1500 of net salary in childcare myself if I were your neighbour.

Spent £3 today so LSD.

DH has mysteriously given me £80 cash for a rugby ticket that he bought. No idea where he got £80 from!

Just changing my Abel and Cole order. I am really pleased with them, having used them for 2 months now. It's expensive, but I seem to use less meat and veg as the quality is fab, not that this makes sense! I've done a moroccan lamb stew in the SC for tea, with prunes and peppers.

DD and DS are definitely eating better. I am putting a tray of fruit out for them to eat when they get in from school and DD is having a yoghurt.

Nice one resisting collie. Almost a no spend today (work day) except my eBay seller fees came out ..just over £8. Though I sold a spiralizer (another impulse buy that was going to be the most amazing thing ever, wtf) to a friend for £15 so that's something.
ipsos tell me about it. I pay £1100 for 4 days a week. It's painful but with no one local to pick up the pieces and a long commute it is the only way we can do it. Cannot wait for DD's free hours to come in!