September savers/frugaleers continue into October

[574ejones]

All welcome!

bing that sounds about right. I haven't thrown up since about 130 so am really hoping that's the end of it. Just rung work and they've ordered me to stay away for 48 hours. Actually longer depending on if a certain staff member is in (immunocompromised person with long term terminal illness) if she's in on Friday I have to stay home then too. But that won't count as a sick day or annual leave for me.

binglet welcome to Kernow!

NSD today! DH spent £5 last night on a scarf but he had a gift card.

Hello from sunny Norfolk! Having a lovely week away so far even though has been a bit spendy on lunches and ice creams/cream teas . Fab time on the steam railway on Sunday and we happened to be here for the annual Forties weekend so there were loads of events on and hundreds of people dressed in outfits from the era. Great fun!
Off to the zoo today but have Tesco vouchers and we're taking a picnic so that's my frugal effort for the day!

Hope you feel better soon em - those hospital vomiting bugs are hideous. And babs am glad to hear your DS should recover soon. Have a lovely day all.

Thanks collie. It's just beautiful. It's a friends caravan we are staying in and already planning our next trip down here. Even DDog is behaving himself and enjoying the countryside life.

Dh has just bought me Ellie Goulding tickets for Christmas. Not frugal but not my money

Thanks all. Am snuggled up in bed watching I player and sipping water. Hoping I'll feel like eating something later today.

Also seriously hoping dh doesn't get the lurgy.

Struggling to keep up a little bit here.
Monday was spendy - £12 on a card and keyring for our wedding anniversary, then £29 on train, £3.50 on a coffee, £17 on dinner and a drink pre theatre. I knew it would be costly! Avoided temptation for London shopping and/or moar booze though which was good.
Yesterday was £47 filling up the car, and £17 on post-dinner drinks after DH kindly treated me to tapas for our wedding anniversary, he also paid the babysitter! Broke as broke now till payday so need to be a bit quieter and get some NSDs in.

£14.10 on badminton for DS1. £5.50 ish on Lidl for top up shop (including my first pack of mini stollen of the year which will not be saved until Christmas week). And picked up the flyer with the voucher so thanks for that tip off Love

em hope you feel better soon!

It's finally pay day! Hurray! Money isn't in the bank yet tho, it usually hits around 12. Need to do a grocery shop, we literally have nothing to make a meal. I've been very inventive over the past week, so used up everything I could. Kids badly need shoes, ds 1 has been complaining about his for a few weeks and ds 2 is wearing light canvas summery ones, so needs a warmer pair. They both have fallen arches and ds 1 has joint problems, so shoes for them are always expensive!
Feel such a relief that we will have money today. Was dreading anything coming up over the past week.

Forgot to add, in case any of you don't follow the Christmas thread, argos have 3 for 2 on toys this week, and Amazon have price matched (reduced by a third) on loads of things, lego especially!! Might help someone for Christmas presents!

Oooh, thanks for that Pink - I'll have a look and see if any of the presents I've planned (Lego!) are affected by the price matching! They don't ask for particular sets but I know any Lego will go down well. DCs wrote their Christmas lists the other day they know they won't get everything on their lists, although I hope they really understand it as they've not really done proper lists before. DD asked for a sketchbook, a Percy Jackson book and a Van Gogh poster among other far less worthy things :o we are cutting back hugely this year so I'm glad that they have written some things down and I can really think about the few things we will buy.

In other news... I'm seeing the Dr later and am going to finally let her sign me off for longer. I'm guessing she will suggest 4-6 weeks. I've been resisting for a while but I just have to accept that the job is too hard (physically) with the state I'm in. I miss my job :(

I'm also going to talk to the CM and see if she will agree to cancel some of October's sessions which I haven't paid for yet, given the circumstances. If she says no (which will be perfectly reasonable!) then I'll still send the DCs there, but I could do without the expense (and effort of getting them there and back) especially as I guess I'll be on sick pay soon.

DS2 is now two weeks old so I am slowly rejoining the world! I've managed to keep up my online food shopping so that has really helped reign in the finances and allowed us to keep away from too many take aways.

I was hoping that breast feeding would be bit more successful this time and I could avoid spending too much on formula, but supply issues thwart me again. All the health care professionals told me it would be fine this time, silly to listen. So formula and nappies are costing me more than I hoped. I have an infection in my c section so I'm not up to trying reusable nappies that I have from last time that my DS1 didn't get on with (skin was very sensitive).

My pay slip just arrived, more pay than I expected (it's right my brain is wrong!) and trying to work out if the childcare vouchers is right, it's in as an addition to my pay in the earnings and then as a deduction. That I believe is correct, it zeroes out and they aren't deducting them from my maternity pay but I am getting them. I think usually they are in the earnings side as positive and negative and then listed as a deduction so therefore £243 taken from my pay before tax. Does that sound right to anyone?

Sorry I'm not catching up properly, I'll try and keep up from here!

Well done Whatabout. It's great to hear from you again. Take it easy there, if you can.

And to just add, we got our first energy bill since i turned down the stats, we've used 15% less gas than the same period last year! So thank you very much for that!

I'm still slowly building my Christmas goodie pile, I've also just bought myself some £3.90 Christmas pyjamas from Amazon. Just need to find some cheap matching Christmas clothes for the boys for some photos, I'll give them to grandparents as part of their gift so that'll save some money too.

This thread is moving way too fast! I can't keep up and I check in several times a day

welcome back whatabout sorry to hear you're having supply issues, will you mixfeed? The cloth will happen when you're ready, no rush.

welcome littlemiss
Must check out Argos 3 for 2, dd is starting to get interested in lego, lucky she's happy with a small amount. She got one of the magazines when out with her friend on sunday with about 6 pieces free with it and was thrilled!

We have decided to spend the water conservation grant on a vasectomy - I'm due €100 as is dh and then one children's allowance payment for the two will cover the balance. Delighted with this as I am done with putting hormones into my body. So instead of water conservation it's conservation of my sanity & health it's being spent on. I had planned on spending it on clothes for work but this is a much smarter idea.

Payday tomo, must do up my ynab.

Garage still didn't give me an amount for my repairs, won't be as lucky as north

What What did you do to get the gas use down? does it make you feel hard done by or is it stuff that you don't notice?.

I've just read our water meter, we've used £35 worth in 4 months and the next bill is the beginning of December so I am hopeful that I will have a smaller bill by then. We both put £10 a month away so it would be nice not to have to use it all on that. Working out water bills is not easy.

£1.61 on cheese and cat food in lidl, picked up leaflet with £5 voucher in it, it's valid until the 4th Oct.
£1 on a small dish to make cottage pie in.

Is that £5 off a certain size spend? Apologies if I have missed this already.

I have turned down the temperature of the hot water in the tank, only by a few degrees. I've also reduced how long the hot water is on every day. We were hearing more than we needed. Our appliances are cold fill and I don't bath the kids more than a couple of times a week (flannel wash instead when needed, eczema). Don't notice any difference at all except that we are now £80 in credit for gas and electric on a £66 monthly spend (dual fuel so this is total not for each). We've also changed a lot of bulbs and I happily sit in the dark for longer than most people would!

what the Lidl voucher is £5 off £40 spend.

what tis bringing back memories of my c section take it easy with a cherry on top. Getting in & out of the car was so painful for weeks. But I managed a walk on the beach a week after DS was born. No idea how!

So so so pleased to hear the progress with your gas bill. I did the same a few months ago when fluffy recommended it. Also changed the light bulbs. I'm quite happy to sit in the dark for a while in the evenings too it helps me feel rested after a busy day.

fluffy £35 in 4 months is impressive! Our direct debit is £40 per month but am hoping we are in credit.

Ooh Lilac what magazine was it that had actual lego pieces? If you can remember I'd love to know please :)

Welcome littlemiss
Hope everybody feels better soon

£10 at the Range today for pompom maker and pack of Christmas fat quarters (£6.50 for 6), they also had some with Minnie Mouse and Frozen but I managed to resist sorry but I am like a kid in the sweet shop in the fabric/craft store. My ds even suggested I should make things to sell since I seem to enjoy it so much
Our first veg box arrived today, I just hope I can persuade dc to try some new veg
It's toad in the hole tonight but dc prefer small Yorkshire puddings with sausages rather then alltogether as one dish, I use the bbcgoodfood recipe and they always rise really well and dc enjoy helping with mixing the batter

Just posting quickly as I'm trapped under non sleeping 6 month old dc3.

Small top up shop today. I have to find cheaper sun block. it was 30 degrees today so we went me bought new summer hats and sun block too.

I need to re menu plan for next week.

what lovely to hear from you! Hope the infection clears up quickly!

fuzz I'm sorry to hear that you have to give in and go out sick for a while. It's clear from your posts that you fight tooth and nail for your job. Hope the like-minded makes it a bit easier on you though.

lilac my dh got one 18 months ago. It's glorious, such a weight of my mind. Hugely recommended! Good use of the money!!

Back from a grocery trip, €55 for petrol, but had a voucher for 8c off a litre, so only paid €51. Groceries were €82, but had run out of literally everything, so happy with that. Off to the shoe shop after I collect ds 1. God knows how much that will be!

I've one of those diesel vouchers too, plus the two dc's need shoes too.

Dd is size 12, she inherited a pair of Dubarry boots from her niece - but they're brown and she needs black for school plus I'd prefer her to have ones that fit her right for everyday anyhow, she has high arches and wide feet niece has narrow feet. They'll do for trucking around with for sure though. Niece was wearing them at age 7, dd is 5.5!

fuzz I didn't see what they came with, she had a handful of them in her purse. I'll ask her though.

pink delighted to hear of another success story.

Nearly had a serious frugal fail and bought a £3 jar of pasta sauce in local shop because I was feeling lazy. I came to my senses though!

Look after yourself what