Fearless Frugaleers Finding Their Feet in February

[SpottyTeacakes]

I've got fruflu

On a train to visit friends in the Midlands, but feeling wretched. If I could have got the nearly £80 I paid for train fares back, I would have cancelled. I'm out of paracetamol and it's too soon for ibuprofen. Bah, humbug!

Spends: £3.19 on Sinex spray. £5.50 bus fares to the train station. £13.50 on Costa lunch, after using up my card points (about £3 worth!) and £3.55 on water and a magazine, as I finished my library book last night. Total: £25.74.

laska hope DGD pulls through

collie and fuzz Im sorry things are so stressful at the minute

knitting I hope work picks up soon. I crochet but Id be far too slow to make anything from it

Some freebies today - bag of thorntons in the o2 app and a cafe nero as I had a full card from when DH dropped his drink recently they gave him a full loyalty card to replace it :)

Bit spendy £23 in boots on some much needed new makeup (came with a free lip crayon thing) and a lunch meal deal. Did get 550 points back so they are starting to add up nicely (going to use them for presents through the year).

Just booked the dentist for my filling :( next wed is the day

No fluffy. Sadly not. One was, but it is taking me so long to pay it off that it now pops interest on each month for me. I got myself in trouble 2 years ago when exP stopped paying maintenance for 6 months or so. Apparently he hadn't noticed and I had no contact details for him. Found him on facebook and it took about another 6 months to get on track. So by then I was up to my eyeballs.

Do you think it's worth me applying for a new 0% card? My credit is so-so because I have little to no available credit (it gets better each month).

Moneysavingexpert has a section on credit cards and which you are most likely to be accepted for.

I forget how they do it though. It's got to be better than paying interest though.

Just waiting at the vet's with a sense of doom about how much it might cost...

Sorry to hear about your granddaughter laska hope she is ok.
Hope you feel better soon creme have you seen the thread about the lurgy that's going around? That's what we had a few weeks ago.

Can I ask, I've noticed a few posts about claiming money back from supermarket shops, how does that work?
Also interested in the credit card chat. We have two credit cards with about £2000 on each. Not interest free, DH insists we can't apply for an interest free one though because we are on a low income he thinks it would damage our credit rating to apply? Anyone know if that's the case? I also seem to remember reading a thread on here somewhere about someone suggesting you pay credit cards using a standing order rather than a direct debit, I don't really understand how that would work though?

LSD here, £5 on nappies and chocolate.Made soup last night so DH took some to work for lunch as well.

Moneysupermarket give you a good guide on the likelihood of you being accepted on which credit cards and it won't affect your credit rating. Dh and I get no interest credit cards no problem and we don't earn much.

Have ye seen all the threads that are trending on mumsnet in the mumsnet email? all things we're concerned about - cost of days out with dc, penny saving challenge(my own not great at the moment, kind of contributing to it every second week) and food bills

5

You need the shopitize, checkoutsmart, click-snap and topcashbacks snap n save.

Then check the offers against Mysupermarket and find out where the product is cheapest.

Some offers are online only or at specific chains. Dh and I both have accounts I can double up on offers. Topcashback offers are payable as Tesco points, you can boost them.

Thanks need it's good to know it's not just us. Ds is much better since he turned 4 actually (touch wood). We're just working our way out of it in steps I think, and finding out how far the improvements can go, little by little.

In my mission to keep chatting with him, we've ended up doing a Darcy Bussell Pilates DVD together. It was hilarious and very improving. That and a walk round the block and now tea time.

LSD today. Just 80p on a can of rhubarb & apple fizz. Yum.

It was a colleagues birthday today and his wife (who is Thai) brought us in plates and plates of the most delicious food for a birthday treat! Spicy garlic chicken, ribs, spring rolls, etc. Yum.

Walked to and from work - freezing. But nice walk. Great to be on way home and it still be light!

Dinner is in oven. Tonight's is breaded chicken with tomato spaghetti.

Hi all busy day today, dd and I cycled into town and spent ages there as had lots of jobs to do, then cycled onto my mums, then cycled onto a bike shop as my mum has bought dd a new bike for her bday! Big surprise and dd is thrilled then cycled all the way home - tired now!!

Spends;
£7 MacDonalds
£3 in Primark on a gift
£3 in Greggs
£4.50 in Wilkos on caddy liners (bought 3 packets as its def the cheapest place to get them!)
£8.10 in Accessorize - got 2 pairs of gloves and an ear warmer for this all of which were reduced.

Went into Next to exchange some bits dd had got for her bday and got very confused! I think I spent £50 on clothes for dd however got 3 pairs of trousers and a t.shirt for this, it all got a muddled as I was exchanging some things and returning others as well as buying stuff as well The clothes are all needed as dd is growing like mad at the moment.

Ipsos my dd has been much better health wise in the last few years, I remember when she started school it felt never ending! When is your ds 6? It def gets easier as they get older.

Have you heard the advice about eating local honey to improve hay fever symptoms? My sil swears by this and she has had hay fever for years.

Oh how frustrating Knitting sorry you've had that note.

Bad news here too, well lack of good news anyway - it was 7 days since DH's interview and he's not had a phonecall so assuming he didn't get it. Really hoping they at least have the good grace to tell him at some point and even just one sentence giving the reason why he didn't get it. In the past I swear it was standard practice if you'd had an interview, not just leaving it. It's so frustrating.

I'm going to suggest DH contacts his previous employer before this, it was his first job after his back surgery, just being an in store demonstrator but they might have him back. Weekend/casual work but that doesn't matter now the DCs aren't in school and I'm not working ATM anyway.

Thanks Girlie, ds is 6 in May so we're heading in the right direction. Thanks for the thought about honey. I did try that it but it gives him epic thrush in his mouth. Many many of his relatives work perfectly well, so I'm hoping he grows into them and that this is just all toddler and young child stuff.

Cheap day today at least. Just £2 parking.

Technically a nsd as the money hasn't left my account. In reality £23 on tu online.
Sorry it's bad news knit. And no news fuzz

Bloody hell, the cat has to go back for blood tests, £170 plus more if he has to be sedated plus the consultation fee from today. We thought we might have been able to put money in savings this month, doesn't look likely now.

Sorry, some of you are worried about far more important things than poorly cats, am just ranting.

I think it's okay to be concerned for your cat too. I had a cat when I was a teenager and it meant the whole world to me. Good luck there.

pointless flippin' eck that's a lot! had no idea stuff like that was so expensive. I'm grateful you posted the cost because our cat is ageing and she's had a few funny blips recently. I'll have to think about an emergency cat fund.

DH had his interview. Just have to wait now. His notice period is what puts people off :( its so long!

Sorry to hear about the lack of news fuzz.

Lovely day with ds1 as ds2 at nursery we went to cinema saw pan on kids showing so £5 and took own snacks then pub lunch £8 as had water to drink and then £5 in lidl on treats for afternoon at home.

It's okay pointless, completely understand, although it's a pain financially. The pony will cost me £200 at least this month, getting tested for a condition that the tests show he doesn't have!

Fingers crossed collie, how does he feel it went?

Shame fuzz about the lack of news, very disrespectful too.

Brrrr the heater in our sitting room accidentally got switched off yesterday so it hasn't heated up since Sunday evening. It's very cold in here I might have to go to bed! Good for the wallet though...

I've found an amazing part rent party buy house. We would only need a £12k deposit and to warn an extra £8k a year. obviously I'm dreaming but it doesn't seem out of reach, we're still young.

collie fingers crossed for your dh. How long is his notice period? Can he work round it? In our field in theory we need to give 12 weeks notice and sometimes even more. Eg. If I do get this job, even if I resign the next day, I can only start in July. However, one of my colleagues recently resigned and because he's even more senior than me, he should have had to give 6 months (which means August or so) but he managed to have his last day at the end of May. So... Maybe there is some wiggle room, especially with accruement of annual leave?

I have a vv bad tummy ache at the moment. I don't know if this is appendicitis or constipation!!!