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Original poster

September savers/frugaleers continue into October

999 replies

574ejones · 20/09/2015 17:43

All welcome!

OP posts:
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5
bobblypop · 01/10/2015 19:38

ipsos I work in mental health (being a bit vague to not totally out myself!)
and yes ds was being thoughtful It does make me feel guilty though that he should have to worry about such things. At the moment I am doing quite a bit of extra on call and out of hours work as we really need the money!

CremeEggThief · 01/10/2015 19:39

I always used the economy setting too, when I had a dishwasher (high fives Fluffy).

bobblypop · 01/10/2015 19:41

and yes to +1 on the heating/water. I keep trying to explain this to other members of my household who seme to insist on switching the water to "on" any time they need extra hot water (and so it stays on for days until I notice Angry)

ipsos · 01/10/2015 19:41

Gosh, you must have a busy life bobbly.

NK5BM3 · 01/10/2015 19:51

ipsos we have 13 panels. We didn't think we could get so many on which was a bonus. 6 on the back and 7 on the side. Our neighbour that we are attached to can't put them on as his roof doesn't face the sun in a useful manner. Other neighbours too won't benefit as much as us so we were lucky.

The problem with the twunt is that although my boss who is my line manager is the overall boss, she apparently doesn't really report to him - I don't quite get it. Example : It's almost like nurses will have the head of nursing to report to, but everyone reports to the CEO of the hospital. So CEO might have oversight of everyone but her being a nurse will not be disciplined by that CEO - if that makes any sense. And because the head of nursing has no jurisdiction over me, I don't have any jurisdiction over her either because we are line managed differently.

Argh. V difficult. And her line manager is v much protective of her. Not entirely sure why. Everyone seems to be of the opinion that she's no good.

Lovetoknit · 01/10/2015 19:53

Just checked the Lidl magazine for next week offers and on Monday they should have the radiator reflector foil £4.99 for 6mx0.5m, they also should have rubber seal or brush seal which can be used on windows and doors £1.99 for 4 or 5 metres and draught excluders for £3.99 if you don't want to make them yourself

Wolfcub · 01/10/2015 20:03

Taking a breath and preparing to be irritated by tonight ewfl

ipsos · 01/10/2015 20:07

NK5 Yeah it's always like that. Nothing can be done because of stuff and people and blah, and everybody hangs on grimly until the bad person leaves or dies. Things I've tried in the past:

  • Talk to the CEO and see if (s)he is worth his/her salt. The managers do talk to each other and gossip amongst themselves and if enough people report this person she may get the heave-ho, or at least be moved.
  • Keep a diary of all individual incidents that are happening. That really helps in the long run, especially in a case of constructive dismissal, in which a person is effectively forced to leave by someone behaving badly.
  • Make sure all communication with her is in writing (email). That way there's a paper trail you can show to a manager, and if she's any sense she won't be so awful in writing. If she asks for a meeting and you sense trouble, as for her points in advance in writing.
  • Don't keep it a secret. You are not in the wrong and sucking it up and keeping quiet will just make you miserable. A good friend of mine solved a problem like this just because she was the only smoker who was in the smoking shed with the big boss and got a chance to talk to him privately.

Good luck.

ipsos · 01/10/2015 20:09

NK5 solar panels sound great btw. I'll look into those.

bobblypop · 01/10/2015 20:10

Fluffy, not sure about a fund. .... I am hoping once finances more on track I can put aside certain amount each month for trips. Trouble is with so many dc there is always one trip,or other! At least 150 is now paid which is half. I do feel sad that if the teacher hadn't rung me he may just not have gone...
Anyway...nsd today, yay
Dds will need bus money tomorrow and dd3 needs money on her dinner card....I am loving the Dds new cashless system at school which means I can put money on directly
AND see what they are buying!
Should be a low spend weekend as I will spend most of Saturday sleeping after working Friday night, then working again Sunday! Dh is going to do an aldi shop, and dc will hopefully be happy with the park. Do have to pay for next block of skating lessons for dd2 though which will be £35 on Saturday....

Girlfriend36 · 01/10/2015 20:21

Ahh Bobbly your ds sounds sweet, I think it is good in a way that he has some understanding that trips are expensive and hopefully will appreciate it more. Also do not feel guilty for working and having to use after school clubs, thats life! My dd has the odd moan about ASC and the cm however I point out that I am out working to pay for a roof over our heads, food in our tummies, the occasional break away as well as all her clubs and school trips!

Watching Pride of Britain

Wolfcub · 01/10/2015 20:34

Nearly £8 on rice for one meal.I could cry

ipsos · 01/10/2015 20:45

How did that happen?

Wolfcub · 01/10/2015 20:48

On ewfl Ipsos, they were using packages of microwave rice . Swapping to normal rice saves nearly £8 per meal for a family of five

ipsos · 01/10/2015 20:51

Ah... Yes I used to use those. :-) Ooops.

needastrongone · 01/10/2015 21:00

I like the family though! Their room is very green....

Hope you feel ok soon ipsos

I have only just sat down for the day and I am buggered. Having a large glass of white. DD and me are away for the weekend at a competition. I love the weekends away but trying to get prepared, leave the house in order, get up to date at work etc makes me tired.

And bastard DH left his work keys at home, tried to lock up at 6.30 to come home and realised he couldn't, so I have to drive to the other side of town, just while I was starting to prepare tea, to give him his keys.

Check this out though guys -

Had my brake pads changed and the local garage, costing me £90.
The dealership quoted £560 Shock

needastrongone · 01/10/2015 21:06

ipsos Sorry, with the amount of posts that are on this thread, I have only just noticed yours about the article, thank you, I will have a read now Smile

Did your DS bounce to school? The 3 year old next door spent at least an hour inside my horse box today (I brought it home to pack up and clean) telling me all about Fireman Sam Smile

ipsos · 01/10/2015 21:06

Thanks need. Cosied up with with a hot water bottle here. Frugaleers is doubly great when stuck in bed. :-)

Sorry to hear about the busy time you're having. It's brilliant that your daughter is ready to compete again though. So please she recovered so quickly.

Well done on the brake pads. That was a great win.

ipsos · 01/10/2015 21:08

Sorry need I've been stuck in industrial wittering mode recently. No need to read the article if you are frantic already.

Ds did well at school and was pleased as I'd found out what the other kids were doing while he was off and taught him at home. That saved him a bit of extra strain on his first day back. The three year old sounds fantastic.

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/10/2015 21:18

I bet his mum was very grateful to you need. She probably knows way too much about fireman sam.

I still use packet microwave rice. Life is too short and I cannot cook rice. My mum can cook rice perfectly every time and genuinely thinks it's easy. She only uses own brand rice too.

Baffling.

NK5BM3 · 01/10/2015 21:23

Omg need that's extortionate!!

ipsos thanks. I do get a chance with the boss more often than not by giving him a lift home sometimes. Also I travel quite a bit with him so I do get to share thoughts. Whether he hears or whether he agrees is another thing but at least he nods and makes useful noises which indicate to me that he knows that I'm not always wrong.

NSD. Credit card bill came and was half the bill it was last month! Yay! Think it's working that means we have no time to shop for anything beyond food!

HairsprayQueen · 01/10/2015 21:28

If I buy microwave rice I actually use it, if I buy proper rice it sits in the cupboard until I eventually give it to my mum in a clear out as I just hate cooking it. So proper rice= false economy.

Collieputthekettleon · 01/10/2015 21:32

I've had an incredibly shit afternoon! NSD though.

October goals:

End the month in credit
Reduce car insurance by approx £10 a month
No buying clothes for myself, DH or DS this month
No buying DS toys this month
Plan a frugal 2nd birthday "teddy bears picnic" for DS & his 3 mates which is next month. (Homemade invitations etc)
Withdraw cash and only buy treats with cash. No cards.
Purchase one Christmas item per food shop.
Take more nectar surveys and use my Coupons to bump up Nectar balance to £20!

This month will be hard. Bring it on...Grin

Collieputthekettleon · 01/10/2015 21:35

Need this happened to use with our old car. Ford dealership quoted £600 to repair something. Local garage did it for less than £20 for labour as we supplied the part which was £17.

Microwavable rice fan here Blush only buy it when it's on offer.

Girlfriend36 · 01/10/2015 22:12

Need i remember going to a dealership when I lost a hub cap (?sp) and they quoted me something ridiculous, then went to Halfords and bought one for £7 Grin

I go to a local Garage for tyres and they are very reasonable, plus they are always very friendly!

Rice is easy to cook and I say that as someone who is not a great cook Grin the trick is never stir it and twice as much water as rice, put water in cold, put lid on boil up and simmer - don't look at it or touch it for 20 mins and you can't go wrong Grin