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Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

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Original poster

October continuing into Novemeber frugaleers part trois

989 replies

Lovetoknit · 21/10/2015 12:46

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

OP posts:

ipsos · 05/11/2015 10:48

Thanks for the thoughts on housework. :-) Dh says he likes doing the laundry. I was surprised. It's funny how dh and ds get a sense of self-respect from doing housework and I get a sense of self-respect from not doing it. :-) I might start giving money to ds anyway though. I think 5 is old enough to have money management as part of his thinking.

I think we are working towards a housework scheme though. I explained to dh that at my current rate of paid work I could contribute £300 a month to the family income and he looked quite shocked. I think he's definitely on board now.

Whatabout · 05/11/2015 11:10

So this is our first month on me being on just maternity pay. If I stop work this is £500 more than we would have. So, we are trying to see if we could cope on that. This month I've paid for preschool £200 and car bill £177 and some other bits out of our account instead of savings. We now have £400 to the end of the month. DH is away next week so that should be a cheap week with just me and Ds1 eating. We both have a night out next weekend to afford and then we are away at centre parcs. Centre parcs is paid for and I'll take £100 for food and treats while we are there. I'm hoping one tank of petrol for £50 and two shops of £50 should see us to pay day.

needastrongone · 05/11/2015 11:19

Ipsos I like your comment about self respect and housework, I get that. Having a tidy and clean house for me is about control. I don't feel in control otherwise, which is stupid. An untidy house means I am busy in reality. But it feels like I should be able to do it all. Good plan re money. DH might be great at housework but he can be incredibly patronising sometimes about the financial contribution we both make...

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 11:27

All housework falls to me here, as a lone parent. When XH lived here, he did quite a lot, but only after I told/asked him to do it. It's actually easier just doing it all myself, to my standards. I would really like a cleaner, just for all the monthly/quarterly jobs, like windows, wiping down woodwork, cupboards and the oven. Oh and dusting. I hate it! I can just about bring myself to do it every fortnight, but every time I attempt the venetian blinds we got in July, I lose the will to live. Soooo boring!

ipsos · 05/11/2015 11:36

It's a funny business need, balancing the roles of all in the family. I'm very aware that we are quite an academic family and there is a lot of pressure on ds to be academic, so he is working hard at that. I hope that by taking on a thinking job and giving ds some housework to do, our lives will become somewhat similar and he will be able to relate to me as being in a similar situation to him.

Having said that, my dm taught maths throughout my childhood and I still was quite dismissive in my own mind because she only did 5 hours a week. I had no idea how hard she was working just to stage-manage us.

ipsos · 05/11/2015 11:37

There are articles in the press today saying that there wasn't enough electricity in the grid yesterday and that cost soared and will be passed on to consumers. D'oh.

northender · 05/11/2015 11:44

Struggling to keep up at the moment.
Collie enjoy the help while it lasts
Wirral hope you're okay

*Rant warning!!**

Has been a low spend week here. Glad it's my day off today as work is frantic and stressful at the moment. I feel sad that the public sector has been so well demonised by the right wing press that people really believe it's an easy life. I'm in the NHS and eat lunch between patients or at my desk and work unpaid overtime most days. Dh is in the Prison service and it's desperate there too. He's an accountant and gets so frustrated by the waste that still goes on, not at his level and below but at a much higher level. He needs to get training for a group of staff which he could get through the local NHS trust for £900 but as first aid training is commissioned nationally it's going to cost £3k+ and there is nothing he can do about it.
We're at an age where we are so well established with our pensions that it would be difficult to leave the public sector. Otoh I'm not sure that the stress levels are sustainable in the long term.

Sorry for the rant, to balance it out, things outside of work are really good & I feel much brighter in mood than a couple of weeks ago. I am making a conscious effort to lose weight through healthy eating and exercise so I'll see how I get on. We invested in a NutriNinja (similar to Nutribullet) and it's in daily use, even ds(14) is enjoying using it. I don't want to go back on ADs if I can help it and my GP is supporting me so fingers crossed....

Some sort of beef casserole for tea tonight, spaghetti with sausagemeatballs tomorrow, not sure beyond that.

ipsos · 05/11/2015 11:52

Sorry to hear that North. All my NHS friends are so overworked and under-appreciated at work. I find it really worrying, because at the same time my family have a lot of unresolved health problems and I know very well that my GP's surgery are too over-stretched to help us. The ironic thing is that this government is all about big business, which is what my dh does, but even he is struggling because he can't travel because of our health troubles. The whole country just seems to be tying its self in knots.

northender · 05/11/2015 12:33

Couldn't agree more ipsos, people in all sectors are having to work harder and harder for the same or less in lots of cases. Is there going to come a point when we all hit burn out or will it sort itself out before then?

SpottyTeacakes · 05/11/2015 12:37

I'm only reception at NHS but it is so stressful. Add to that the amount of patients who have private patient standards ie moan at a twenty minute delay, want a script done that minute etc.

I forgot how much I like the toddler group I went to. Got coffee, cake, biscuits, mini sausages, breadsticks, crusty bread and did painting, play dough, singing and general playing all for £2. Only put in £10 of petrol because it was an expensive station.

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 12:50

The only thing more stressful than work stress is the stress of being out of work. No money and feeling on the scrap heap years before retirement age. Applying for jobs that are far below your skill and educational level and being rejected for those too. Sorry, I don't want to rant, but I am having a very bad week. Well and truly in the grip of depression.

Whatabout · 05/11/2015 13:02

Creme that sounds very hard, i can't imagine how stressful that must be. Are you having treatment for the depression? I'm sorry my memory is awful at the moment (I too am feeling the fingertips of depression creeping in) so can't think. CBT is very helpful, I had some on the NHS but there are some excellent books you could borrow from the library.

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 13:10

Thanks what. I am on Citalopram, but it's much more beneficial for my anxiety. My mood always dies low at this time of the year. I also have mild CFS, so don't want to go back into full-time primary teaching, but I have been trying for years to get a part-time job in teaching, in between stints as a supply teacher, a volunteer, a supervisory assistant in a Nursery and a full-time teaching assistant. I get very little supply teaching too, since I started doing it again in April. I tried applying for a temporary Christmas retail job this week, as I thought it would be good to get out of the house, get some company, take my mind off things and earn a bit of cash, but I even got rejected for that.

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 13:10

*dips low.

SpottyTeacakes · 05/11/2015 13:13

Creme that does sound hard. I expect you're over qualified on the Christmas one. Have you tried boots for Christmas work? (Or was it boots?!)

Have you got time to talk in your area? We have them, they're self referral and amazing.

I was thinking last night, as you do, that when if I win the lottery I'm going to stay on this thread still

Girlfriend36 · 05/11/2015 13:24

Oh dear sorry to hear people are feeling down, think this time of year doesn't help when its so dark and miserable out. I work quite hard on keeping my thoughts positive, I find affirmations useful as well but have struggled with anxiety quite badly this year really. Agree that the NHS is going to go poof at some point and implode! The amount of visits and the complexity of those visits is just going up and up. That said I love my job (community nurse) and can't imagine doing anything else, am struggling with the increase of hours though.

Spent £130 is Asda however got lots and lots for this!! Reckon probably only £50 ish was on food the rest was on Christmas presents, toiletries as well as a Minion onesie for dd now have got Christmas presents for my step mother, the childminder, dds two teachers (?plus TA) plus Christmas stocking filers and a baking kit so feeling quite good about what I have got for the money.

If you are looking for Christmas gifts Asda have 3 for £10 on lots of nice toiletry gift sets [santa]

Also picked up some sparklers for tonight, am always surprised at how cheap they are!

Wirralmumof2 · 05/11/2015 13:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

blueteapot · 05/11/2015 13:36

Creme.

My DH was out of work for a year when we moved back to NI, and it was a dark time for him mental health wise. He has had depression for as long as Ive known him, which flares up and down, and more recently anxiety has crept into the mix a bit (thats why i dont mind doing all the housework - Id rather he didnt have that to worry about too on top of a stressful job / commute) but a change of job has helped somewhat. Job hunting was awful for him, I think its a vicious circle as its hard to get motivated / energy
to do it and then knockbacks etc make it harder again. Take care of yourself

CremeEggThief · 05/11/2015 14:04

Thanks everyone . Best thread on Mumsnet, this. Xxx

Wirralmumof2 · 05/11/2015 14:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ipsos · 05/11/2015 14:26

north from the sound of it, quite a lot of us on this thread are already fairly burned out, going by the number of auto-immune conditions. I think I am actually old-fashioned burned out, having done all the baby and housework 24/7 for far too long. Ooops. Soon the whole country will burn out and maybe we'll all see sense finally.

LOL! spotty about the lottery. Me too. We could share the proceeds if we had any idea who we all were in real life.

I keep wondering what would happen if mumsnet went poof. How would we find each other? Maybe we should have a code word like "Frugaleers-Extrapopolous" to post on twitter and we could all immediately find each other again. :-)

SpottyTeacakes · 05/11/2015 14:27

I would love to have a frugaleers meet up its a shame we're all so spread out!

ipsos · 05/11/2015 14:33

Sorry to hear about the winter struggles Creme. I figure it's only two months until the bottom of winter now and then it's up-up-up towards spring. Hang in there. Tesco vit D and Ca and the bees knees if you have notion to try one.

ipsos · 05/11/2015 14:55

I keep trying to imagine what a Frugaleers meet up would be like. :-) I kind of imagine that although we all have such similar views on money, we all may be extremely different in other ways and might just scare the socks of each other. Maybe one day when we are all 90?

Whatabout · 05/11/2015 15:12

We'd all go somewhere that was free to park (I hate Paying to park!), all drink tap water and cackle like a coven.

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