October continuing into Novemeber frugaleers part trois

[Lovetoknit]

Hope it's okay to start the new thread since the other one is already full
£1 at Cornwall Ambulance shop for 3 books for dc after I dropped off my old slow cooker and some books and £1 at Prospect hospice for some wool and fabric
Just made cauliflower cheese with some bacon and cavolo nero for dh who had it for lunch and there is enough for his dinner too, the rest of us are having homemade burgers, buns and wedges

Or getting rid of it all together. I'm not certain of the rules but I believe if you only watch catch up tv and no live broadcasts I think you can get away without it.

We pay it quarterly I know I should change it to monthly but have never got round to it! We definitely need it.

I think you can do it online spotty. I changed my direct debit via the TV licencing website. Id be screwed if our TV license was anything other than monthly

Thanks collie I'll take a look.

I got the title changed although knowing us we will be on a new thread soon

Following the soup ideas here when I was catching up I made bacon onion & carrot as well as sweet potato & coconut soup, all from ingredients I already had in & covers tomorrow's lunch as well. Yum!

Been cooking today - apple pie in the oven, I'm rubbish at pastry so it's a bit of a mess. Also made stewed apple for the freezer and a bit pot of braised red cabbage, some for tea tonight, the rest to freeze.
DH has a chicken in the slow cooker and I'm going to have veggie sausages along with the red cabbage, mashed swede and roast potatoes and parsnips. Really looking forward to it, it all smells amazing!

Oh well done pointless I've got red cabbage in the freezer I had forgotten about

I was rubbish at pastry until I watched jamie oliver do it in the food processor using the blade attatchment.

Now I can do fab pastry. I'll be doing my own mince pies this year.

Dh has cleaned the kitchen, outside of the cooker, dusted the whole house, 'properly ' hoovered the whole house (including moving sofas etc), de moulded the windows and cleaned the bathroom. I have put the chicken in the oven tbf to myself he never does any of the small daily things which is what grinds me down!

Frugal win today. We went for a walk around the lanes near our place. 3 hours later we are home with two waitrose bags full of chestnuts.

Some are roasting.

Some are being given to dad.

I will use the rest for stuffing for Christmas, and make a puree for a tart and might bake a coffee and chestnut cake.

Well done spotty. My dh and ds are doing lots of helpful things this holiday and it's amazing the time it frees up for breathing.

Need I know.i did treat myself to 2 steaks plus some vegetable chips for my lunch today as DH is taking DS and DD2 out to a family party. DD1 has a rehearsal for panto, and I don't want to eat out today, with everyone drinking, and me driving. I did slip in a few stocking presents (only about £15), I bought masses of frozen , but there wasn't much extra. I am finding my diet is more expensive as I have been having fresh raspberries and strawberries each day. I bought some frozen fruit, just need to remember to get a portion out each evening.

It's true ipsos it makes such a difference. I don't mind doing the day to day stuff but I hate then having to do a 'deep clean' on top of it.

I'm feeling stressed about tomorrow as dd has judo 8:10-9:00, she has to take in her vivarium, pumpkin, pe kit and wellies as well as judo kit obv, then I've got to be home for a phone appt at 9:15 and try to keep ds quiet whilst I'm on the phone, then dentist at 11:30. I also need to look into changing our phone and broadband package.

DD1 is at panto rehearsal. DH, DS and DD2 are at niece's party.

I have bought DD1's mouth guard needed for karate tournament next weekend £2.99 and gone into TKMaxx for some Christmas bits £65. That includes a lovely Melissa and Doug plane set for a nephew £13, DH's boys lucky dip present £13 for a Spode cheese knife and 6 spreaders, some ginger jam and ginger do I can do mum a stocking (she can't be the only one living here without a stocking and we have DH's old one she Dan use) also some hot sauces for DH.

I want to audit (ha ha) my gift box and get everything together in one place so I don't lose stuff.

Spotty Take it easy there. Could you rearrange one of tomorrow's appointments?

I think I'm going to try to cut back on stuff that I have to do over this winter. I always try really hard to be super-mum, rushing round doing a thousand things and then I end up knackered and ill which is no use to anyone. I've decided to try and be sensible and just take time to rest, and perhaps become more sturdy as a result. If only there was a version of YNAB to organise this!

Sounds like a busy day tomorrow spotty! We went fossil hunting today and found some "fools gold" ammonites on the beach. I have spent £6 on sweets and chocolate I'm ashamed to say! However I have done my food shopping, filled car up with fuel and kept within my budget over the last few days. I always spend a few quid here and there on the internet after payday so am feeling pleased I haven't this weekend!

Hi all, have had a busy ish day, just sitting down now! Been into town and to a craft fair and have somehow spent £20

£2 in Next, took some tops back as too small for dd and the next size up was £2 more!

£5.50 in Greggs on lunch for me and dd.

£2 to get into craft fair

£2 on drinks for me and dd

£7.50 on a bday gift for my friend

£2 for dd to have a go on a ride.

So thats £21 gone and really very little to show for it, its scary how quickly money can vanish.

November goals are to not go over drawn!! Need to work out a budget and stick to it, also need to include some Christmas shopping.

Started an online Morrisons shop earlier but lost the will with it, hate online food shopping not even sure why but just find it incredibly boring apart from anything else!!

Has anyone had any experience with the Forever Living range? There was a lady with a stall at the craft fair who claiming that one of her products would sort out my skin and cure my IBS if thats true would be £20 I would gladly spend!

Lol girlfriend, check out the bot-watch thread for FL comment.

Just lurking as downloaded YNAB this month after reading some of the budgeting threads.

Anyone using YNAB with variable pay dates? I'm finding it a little cumbersome to have to split income over two months from one pay run... Any ideas?

I've been on holiday over half term so have only just caught up with this thread. I apologise if I can't fit posters' names to their circumstances - I recognise a few but tend to speed read and lose track. Congratulations to the lady with the new baby - Lysander is such a beautiful name.

Our holiday was lovely and we didn't over spend our budget, thankfully. Now we are back I need to regain control over the finances.

Friday was exceedingly spendy as I bought tickets for DS1 to see the Harry Potter play next year. He grew up with the books and I used to have to buy two copies on each new release as neither of us could wait for the other to finish. One year, he sat on one sofa and I sat on the other and we would gasp and exclaim at different points and then one of us would have to wait for the other to catch up a few pages so we could discuss it. He's going on his 21st birthday so I'm happy to spend the money as it will be something special.

I've meal planned for next week and done my Tesco order. I also plan to drive to Aldi next week to see what they have and whether it's worth me doing part of my regular shop there.

I should have gone to the Co-op today for some carrots to go with our roast dinner, but I can't be bothered now and might make do with just mashed swede and peas. If I resist then today will be a NSD.

Hope next week goes well for everyone.

FL is aloe so works on some people's skin (but you can buy it much cheaper in boots) no way it cures IBS!

If aloe vera did that the nhs would prescribe it. The fl bot threads are in money matters.

£15 on sunscreen.

Good find arsenic! I love fossil hunting.
Would have been NSD if we hadn't run out of milk.
Had a lovely autumn walk in the sunshine this afternoon, DD was jumping in all the leaves and chucking them about. This autumn has been fantastic and provided plenty of free entertainment for our family.

Spendy day, done planned, some not. But more Christmas shopping done. Aldo some Halloween bits in the sale.

Is anyone else finding that dcs are a bit feisty today after over-exertions last night?