October Frugaleers part deux

[CremeEggThief]

HI all, took the liberty of starting a new thread.

We are with utility warehouse, fab and consistently lowest prices. And they are good to current customers as well.

Struggling to keep up too. Spent £70 in Aldi but £30 or so was Xmas gifts and stocking up on laundry stuff while its on special buys so not so bad. Day 3 of the car buyer not showing up, despite him telling dh at 12 that he was on his way. We're finding someone else to take it tomorrow, we waited in as long as we could for nothing.

I need to get some more clothes but there's no point until baby is here. Currently I've got 2 pairs of leggings, 3 pairs of PJ bottoms, 3 dresses and 3 black vests that fit me

Em That's a tidy saving you have in mind there. :-)

I'm having the oddest time here. I've been trying to do little volunteer things so I don't get isolated while ds is at school. Then suddenly this week I totally overloaded myself, and then this freelance work came along. Now I have a constant really annoying adrenaline rush and can't sleep. It's just the tail end of PND I think, but super-frustrating when I'm just starting to get a bit of fun lined up. I only need to write 3 or 4 little bits of text a week, but it's weirdly hard when I'm coming back from being so worn out.

Does anybody know if that's usual when trying to break into a freelance job after dc starts school?

Morning all...another one here finding it hard to keep up (well I read, always, but run out of time to post). I had a moment yesterday in the supermarket when I found myself buying smoked salmon 'just cos I felt like it' and knew it was time to post again before I find myself buying fillet steak and prosecco rather than the usual brisket and tap water!

ipsos sorry to hear you're feeling a bit anxious - especially 3am anxious. Just take it one day at a time...what have you got planned for today?

annatha that car buyer sounds so annoying! I hate it when people don't show. On a much smaller scale I just took some things to charity that I had sold on fb but had a no-show. Decided I didn't want to waste time chasing it up.

That's a good idea Ursula. It's mostly a nothing day, and dh has holiday so that should be an improvement. :-) The writing man hasn't given me my next project yet, which is nice for getting some breathing space.

annatha I can never work out what's in people's minds when they keep you hanging on like that... takes a special sort of time waster.. move on and I hope he turns up when it's sold!

annatha how annoying for you. Hope you get rid of the car soon

NSD today. Just enjoying autumn. I love it!

ipsos... you are doing so well.. try not to dwell on the adrenaline rush.
It's so normal to take time to adapt to new situations. Try and take things in bite-sized chunks and really soon the freelance work / DC at school will feel normal and routine too xxxx

thanks for the mortgage calc link fluffycloud.

We've just re-mortgaged as our last fixed rate expired.. Got a 10 year fixed rate at 2.99%, which I was delighted with.. but even then, overpaying £200 per month will knock nearly £9k and 18 months off the term...

Fantastic - going to try to do that, especially as thanks to this thread, I'm going to finish the month in CREDIT! woo hoooooooooooooo. First time in 10,000 years

Just tried that mortgage calculator thing too fluffy and it would save me £18k in interest and knock 4.5 years off my mortgage. Hm.

But, I need to do stuff around the house, like carpets, new door and a new fireplace! Honestly. Should I just save up for these renovations or should I pay down my mortgage?? We are in a better situation these days as no extortionate nursery fees to pay for... And we are still living frugally. Having family that lives half way round the world doesn't help in terms of flight costs. And of course living away from family means no help with child care either.

Spent £5.70 yesterday on lunch with colleague/friend. Today, £2.25 on school dinner for ds and £36 for cleaner.

NK5BM3... I think knocking 4.5 years is brilliant.. that would swing it for me I think.

ipsos I think feeling anxious is perfectly normal. You have had a significant period of being a SAHM, with all that this involves, but also able to organise your own time, with no 'obligations' to other outside parties. Now, the balance has changed. Even if the job in itself you know isn't overwhelming, it still does take some planning and change on your part. I have just come to the end of DD competition season and am realising just how wound up I feel all the time when I am constantly meeting myself coming backwards with no down time.

NK Finding the balance between getting things done (spending money) in the house and paying off 'debt' is hard. I know a couple that were so determined to pay off the mortgage early they sucked the life out of living iyswim? I also know folk who save nothing at all and live in the moment.

bbc Great deal. We've just got 2.14%, fixed for 2 years. I could have had 2.49 for 4 years but am not as brave as you with regard to speculating what will happen to interest rates.

I have a friend coming for lunch. Making thai red curry and sweet potato soup. It's a very long time since I have had the time to have a friend over.

Eek! £97 in Asda! That included washing powder, dishwasher tablets and cat litter which always bumps it up a bit. Also spent £15 on some much-needed warm clothes for DD and £12 on the wooden pots and pans to go with the play kitchen we're giving her for Xmas. My mum is going to give her those so I'll get the money back.
Meal plan:
Tonight - cauliflower cheese
Tomorrow - shepherds pie from freezer
Thurs - I'm going out, DH is doing a sc chicken casserole with extra to freeze
Fri - lasagne
Sat - going out for our anniversary but leaving spag bol for DD and MIL. Going to make big pot of Bolognese tomorrow to use for several meals.
Sun - making a posh cheese and potato pie with gruyere and stilton in. The recipe makes loads so hoping to have it cold for a few lunches next week.

ipsos I think need hit it on the head. After being a sahm for so long, only suiting your ds and yourself, to go from that to having responsibility is really tough. I've been a sahm for almost 9 years. I'm terrified of even applying for any volunteer work when my ds 2 goes to school next year. Give yourself a break and be kind to yourself. It will get easier as you find a routine and balance.

Electrolux sounds like we are having a similar month. Have no money left at all until payday on Friday.

fuzz you are most definitely not a bad mum!! You tried to get him.there! Hope you are feeling ok today x

Went to the doctors this morning, paid on credit card. €55. Then to get my prescription, apparently I'm not well at all, and had to get 2 different antibiotics, an anti inflammatory/pain killer, and gastro resistant tablets to go easy on my stomach. Which cost €45. Credit card is now maxed outv so many unexpected things have happened this month. It was already going to be tight.
Still, 2 days until pay day and its a much healthier pay check!

Spotty - how are you feeling today?

What - haven't heard anything about everyone getting smart meters - wondering if it's a long term thought. We're with EDF and they're offering £30 off a smart meter at the mo.

Needa - Red Thai Curry and sweet potato soup sounds yummy. Hope you have a lovely time with your friend.

Tescos today - £5.83 - frozen peas, chicken in breadcrumbs (on offer), fishfingers, quorn mince and bananas. Hopefully that's it for the day.

Off subject but I know there are a few medics amongst us - DD just ate part of an acorn (I think). How worried should I be?

This thread moves so quick. Will catch up whilst waiting for midwife appointment, eek I'm measuring 40 weeks at 37! So off for an emergency growth scan. Maybe I should cut back on food thanks to everyone a bit back that gave me tips about Christmas and a newborn £16 yesterday in tesco of my money on heartburn remedies, £50 ish in tesco/aldi of food budget money which is fairly good, we budget £200 a month for food and £200 a month each for me and my partner for individual non essential purchases. Hoping today is a NSD.

Electrolux - no, I'm not willing to pay for a smart meter, so £30 off hasn't attracted me. The moment I can get one free, I'll be applying.

31weeks -good luck with the growth scan. I had a few of those (as DD was measuring small), last one was an emergency growth scan. If the sonographer isn't happy, you'll probably see a Doctor today who can run through things.

Good luck, 31weeks. Hope all goes well.

£44.71 on my online weekly Sainsburys shop. It really is hard work keeping it under £45! Should only need broccoli, milk and possibly eggs at the weekend.

Blimey! 947 posts in only 14 days!

I'm back!!! Wedding was a success. I MOH'd like a boss. Budgeted £80 for spends and ended up with £35 left over Sunday morning. And DM paid for breakfast. Bar shut at 11 and I was so busy rushing around that I didn't really get to utilise it. So yay up £35. So that's gone into the pot for "top up shops" between now and next Tuesday (payday). which means the £80 CHB we got paid yday can be used towards carpet for our newly decorated living room. I'm so chuffed with us, we used to be a "chuck it on the Cc To get it done" couple. We've just redecorated the lounge for under £200 (paint, wallpaper and skirting) and that's money we had saved up.

DP mum is buying us underlay for Xmas and we have a savings account maturing in 11th December so will put carpet on cheap CC and repay it in full as soon as the money comes in. Also have £200 coming from work lottery/savings fund, but that's hit and miss when we actually get it. So hopefully should have a fully functioning lounge for Xmas.

Meal Plan:
Monday: Pasta Bake
Tuesday: Ribs and wedges
Wednesday: Chicken & mozerella spag bake
Thursday: Chicken casserole
Friday: Freezer fish and chips
Saturday: Stir Fry
Sunday: Sausage Roast

Sorry to hear we have some poorly frugaleers. Hope everyone's feeling much better today.

Pointless, I have absolutely no idea about acorns. Just keep an eye on her. It will probably find its way out again

31weeks how exciting. Not long now. We had to have growth scans too as DD femur length was measuring oddly I think. Cant remember. Probably short as she has the stumpiest legs I've ever seen

I also just cancelled my ridiculous car insurance which was renewing Thursday. I can get it for 1/2 price elsewhere and get cash back on top. A few years ago I wouldn't have bothered and just carried on with same insurers. Tonight I will sort new insurance and then tomorrow it's house insurance!

Thanks for the encouragement. I love this thread. :-)

I'm having a quiet day today to recharge. :-)

Sorry to hear about all the medical stuff pink. Hope it works at least.

Binglet, it's a really nice feeling when you feel like you've got extra and can do something positive with it. We moved house last week and all our curtains were too short. We replaced two lots, but aim here was to get curtains for our bedroom this winter - cut back a bit and now have them! What colour carpet would you like?