Amazing April Austerity.

[CremeEggThief]

Hi All,
Taking the liberty of starting a new thread, as I went to post spends on the old one and it's full.

We had a lovely day out at the seaside and visited an old lighthouse as part of it. As we rely on public transport, that's always a big part of our days out spend.
£9.60 bus fares.
£9.60 train fares (with the family railcard).
£6 lunch from Sainsburys ( £3 meal deal each).
£4.50 entrance to the lighthouse.
£7.10 coffee, hot chocolate and cookies in a café afterwards.

Oh and DS needed a haircut, which I think was £6.50.

Good morning.

Sorry, I've lost the thread over the last couple of days, the competition season has started again, so I lose half my time. Pleased to say that DD's team came 2nd out of 19 teams in their first competition on Sunday, which is a cracking result this early, so we are happy here.

Lilac, hope you are ok. It's a process is counselling so stick with it if you can.

Welcome back lucksy and what.

Hoping for a LSD today, unless I do the Aldi shop.

New dishwasher was fitted yesterday. Silly excited about running the first programme last night, even though it wasn't totally full in truth. The results this morning confirm how crap the old dishwasher had become!

Made a few purchases from DH's dividend, and agreed what will be spent from it this year, now the lid has gone on that pot.

Welcome back lucksy and what
NSD on Sunday
Went to cinema to see Zootropolis yesterday with the gift card we got for X-mas and there is enough left on it to go again so will leave it for next half term
£1.48 for 2 cards, £3.60 for book of stamps and £11 at Lidl
NSD today

Morning. Just checking in

I signed up for Tesco online shopping. I've no car and DH is often busy at weekends with a hobby, so I think it makes sense to do it this way and pay the delivery charge. Tesco isn't as cheap as Lidl or Aldi but it's cheaper than my local supermarket. So far my shopping total is €62.73 although I've still to add in a few things -and maybe some wine-. It took me ages to input everything but I'm sure I'll get faster as time goes by. I think in future I'll make my shopping list first in Excel, sort it by category (dairy, fruit and veg, dry goods, laundry etc.) and then input my order. I was surprised to discover that it's not always cheaper to buy in bulk. For example, it's cheaper to buy four individual tins of sweetcorn than a four pack. On the other hand, it worked out cheaper to buy a large bottle of fabric conditioner than two smaller bottles.

Aside from the grocery shop, I've to pay €3 for cubs.

collie my car was very rattly I thought it needed a new cv joint or bushings, turns out the tyres were losing pressure as the rims were bent(from me hitting kerbs/potholes etc in rural Ireland ) very cheap solution though just remove the bends

all in it cost me €230 I was expecting this and had earmarked €150 for it and I'd €390 saved for my car tax so rather than tax for 6 months I'll tax for 3 and pay extra against my credit card with the balance.

Counselling is on a donation basis €20-€50 guide, counsellor advised me just to pay €20 so that's ok weekly

need I'd the same experience when I got my new dishwasher last year, turns out even new my last dishwasher wasn't great. Next week it'll be fully paid back, bought it on buy now pay 6 months later with littlewoods. This was the first time this option ever came available to me with littlewoods. We don't really have 0% cards in Ireland so it was a good experience.

love was Zootropolis good?

tayto do you pay delivery saver? This is really good if you're going to be getting deliveries online regularly. I have signed up in the past. I'm now in the habit of doing my shopping on a Thurs eve after my second job and it's out of the way for the weekend. When you've been using it for a while you just go into your favourites and add stuff to your order that way. It becomes much quicker.

Are you using computer phone or tablet to put in the order?

My Sainsburys order came today. £43.73, using my 22p price match voucher. So, here's my meal plan, although as always, I might change a few days around.
Tuesday: mushroom omelette, sweet potato chips and salad.
Wednesday: Mediterranean vegetable, broccoli and borlotti bean pasta bake. (We had this yesterday and I prepped another one for the fridge. There's also a portion in the freezer.)
Thursday: pizza. DS is having a sleepover this night!
Friday: veggie burgers in baps, wedges and salad.
Saturday : vegetable, Quorn and butter bean casserole (freezer).
Sunday: veggie chilli (freezer) and rice.
Monday: macaroni cheese with spinach.
Tuesday: same as Monday.

About to go out for a pub lunch with a friend/ old work colleague for a pub lunch with our DS'S (who go to the same school), so back later with today's spends.

Hello everyone.

Need new dishwasher sounds lovely, in our new house there is currently no where for a dw to go may have to completely rebuild the kitchen to fit it in I can not cope without one!!

Good luck with the boiler Lucsy

Popped into town to catch up with my mum who has been away fro a few days, £7.50 lunch. Parked in Morrisons and all their ticket machines were broken so that was free - frugal win!

£11 in Poundland on mostly toiletries.

£4.50 in a charity shop on some Monsoon 3/4 length trousers, am pleased with them as perfect for this time of year!

Wreck we are staying at nodes point, I'm hoping for good weather too!

£25 on a game for DH, £30 in ssinsbury, £70 on new clothes for me for a funeral. I've lost weight and nothing fits so it's a pair of black trousers, a black shell top and a blazer. I'll wear all the bits quite a lot I think so worth it.

Hi all :)

Not caught up fully yet but Tayto Hotel Chocolat is a nice chain of chocolate shops. Ludicrously expensive, but I really like their stuff. We don't have one in our town (probably a good thing for the sake of my bank balance!) so when we do go somewhere with one I tend to pop in and get myself a little something :o and their end of season sales are good as it goes half price.

Ipsos I'm sorry you're finding this all so stressful. It's not easy, this parenting lark, is it :( your DS always sounds so awesome though. I can't remember if I ever recommended this book - The Highly Sensitive Child - I know it sounds a bit woo but I really loved it. It has really helped me help my DCs (especially DD who is an anxious little soul and takes the weight of the world on her shoulders). It's not about there being a problem that needs fixing, it's about the fact that some children (and adults) are just a bit more sensitive, and feel things more, and as the world is pretty much geared towards 'hardier' people it can be tricky sometimes. I think what others have been saying about your DS needing more time to 'just be' is probably spot on. :)

In other much more trivial news, I am amazed that I just won an ebay auction for a bargainous set of Muzzy DVDs. YAY! I love Muzzy, I grew up watching it, and DD especially is really interested in learning languages (this set is French, I got the Spanish set on VHS yesterday - sadly they don't do a Japanese or Latin one :o). It's a new ebayer but I don't feel too worried about that, they have lots of photos of the item and clear description etc so a case should be fairly cut and dry if it does turn out to be dodgy.

I've found the last couple of weeks quite stressful. DH is doing well at his new job and I don't think the shift patterns (it's variable) will be too much of a problem in the long run, but we are definitely learning the hard way that we seriously need to step up the household organisation! Especially as I am getting more pupils too. Had to tell DH off today for completely neglecting to check our other commitments before arranging something dingbat.

Frugal fail - €2.40 library fine. I can phone up to renew the books so I've no excuse

Thanks for that Cag. Interestingly the Senco recommended the same book. I'm such a sensitive child myself that I felt stressed just reading it and didn't get very far. I think you're right about ds. I wish we were not in the centre of a city, and such an academic one at that. If he could get out in the street to ride his bike, and go to a school where some of the parents didn't have PhDs I think he'd be in a better situation.

Cag one of my friends lives in easy reach of a Hotel Chocolat Factory shop. She says it's a real nightmare. :-)

They have a factory shop? [considers moving] :o

IKWYM about it being stressful reading actually. I came to it first after reading her original book, the highly sensitive person (it was recommended by another member of my illness support group). I suppose really that prepared me for the child version - it can be harder reading about difficulties faced by our children than ourselves, I find. It's so hard seeing our little ones struggle! But the book definitely helped, as even though we are both sensitive/anxious etc, there were some aspects of helping DD that I had never even considered.

We are having a hideously lazy day today. CBA to do a damn thing! Even though there's looooads I should be doing.

I had the most enormous pub lunch with my friend, so completely stuffed now. I'll probably move the omelette to another evening and just have cereal or toast instead tonight! Anyway, spends: lunch with a coffee afterwards for me and dessert for DS (I may have 'helped' him with it) came to £17.10, gas card £10 and electricity, £8. Total: £35.10.

Where is the Hotel Chocolat factory shop? I want to go!!!
Your pasta bake sounds lovely creme any chance you could post the recipe please?

£30 in boots. I went in for a digital thermometer. And came out with exhinacea, emergen-c's (better than berocca as they don't turn your wee as neon...!) John frieda brilliant brunette shampoo (the one that makes your hair glossy more depth of colour and swooshy (or so the advert says...) and a bag of skittles. Making mental note not to shop when I'm feeling awful.

Then walked home. Almost gave up half way felt so tired. Am now on bed with thermometer in mouth. Have been boiling all day. Turns out temperature is normal. Well it's 35. So a bit below normal. 😭

Met old boss for lunch and we had a sunshine walk along the beach.

Dh is off to the shop tonight armed with a list. I have house admin stuff to do.

NSD.

Get well soon Em. You don't sound too good. There's been so much illness since the start of the year.

NSD! Yay!

And received a £10 gift card for moaning at Dunelm about something really happy as wasn't expecting them to give a toss about my feedback

Get well soon Em!

£30 petrol.

Em I always thought you were blonde.

I'm at my sisters in Kent got here about 4 having started work at 6:45. Dad out of hospital.

Glad to hear it, Wreck.

Em, get better soon.

Pointless, it's kind of a mske-it-up-as-you-go-along. I fried frozen Med veg (aubergine, courgette, different coloured peppers, all in chunks)in a pan for 8-10 minutes and boiled wholemeal fusilli and leftover broccoli in another pan, adding the broccoli for the last 3 minutes. Then I mixed the pasta, Med veg, 2 cartons of chopped tomatoes, and a tin of borlotti beans (any tinned pulses work well), and seasoned with dried basil, oregano and lots of black pepper, grated some Double Gloucester (Cheddar or Red Leicester also work well)over it, before baking in a roaster for 25-30 minutes. The beauty of it is how versatile it is, as you can use pretty much any pasta, Cheddar type cheese, pulses and assorted veg. Sometimes I add green pesto to it too, but I didn't have any last night. About 300 grams of wholemeal fusilli gives us enough for 5 portions, but obviously that's adaptable too. A slice of garlic bread goes well with it, or some simple green veg or salad, but it's filling enough for us on its own.

Yeah hotel WiFi. Relatively low spend day (for legoland). £25 on food, £4 hook a duck, £7 toy, and £35 on disgusting dinner. Think we might get qbots tomorrow as it was chocca but will see as it's forecast rain so hopefully will be a bit quieter.
Will catch up with everyone properly at the weekend

Oh no sorry the dinner was rubbish babs - worth complaining perhaps? That's a lot of money for crap food :(

Pleased to see that Amazon have brought back their one-day locker delivery for £1.99. They stopped doing it for a while. I normally get everything on super saver, but it's good for the odd thing we need quickly.

Em hope you feel better soon, doesn't seem that long since you last got all coldy? [lemsip]

I've had like the least productive day ever. I am so... Meh. PMS fully set in but AF not actually arrived yet, it's late

Not sure cag, normally I would at the time but didn't as the staff were rushed off their feet. I will fire of an email when I get back. The burger was greasy and neither DS or I are ours. Salad was lovely though