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.

Ok natwest said I didn't have PPI with them so that's that. I'm not surprised as its not something I usually agree to.

:o That's a fab idea Collie - I think seeing an adult learn something new or working to improve a skill is really good for children as I think to them it can sometimes feel like adults are good at/know everything. IYSWIM. You can learn together! I'll never forget when I was struggling with a piano piece and I said "Aaargh this bit is so hard!" and DD piped up "That's ok mummy, it means you're challenging yourself!" :)

Seriously though I don't feel like a grown up at all! I turn 30 this year FFS :o

Sleepy and achy as hell today. Not going anywhere. Need to tidy up for pupil this evening, DH is taking the DCs to the adventure playground for a home ed meet so needs to take a lunch - I'd rather go myself I'm more sociable than he is but I need the rest TBH. DSD is coming round after college for help with coursework. Brownie subs need paying. Sigh.

In other news I've sort of lost some pupils as they are getting on well teaching themselves now I have started them off! :( Will hopefully have an occasional lesson though. Aaargh

Just catching up on my spends for the last few days:

Tuesday:
€2 at Toddler Group
€43 on groceries
€29.50 on Sky

Monday:
NSD

Sunday:
€38 on lunch in our local Italian, I treated DH as he was paying for everything like that while I was on unpaid maternity leave at the start of the year.

need I'll buy 2. one on each side of the creek! And a boat for transport!

wreck at least you know now

cag that's so cute! And exactly why I want to get one.

NSD today! I think. I have to do the weekly shop online later. I used to enjoy doing it and now I hate it!!

Things are going gradually better here. The frugaleering is definitely helping as many of the problems require money to be spent on them, so knowing what the budget is is a huge help.

Ds has been filthy tempered since he went back to school and has announced that he hates school. I remember I felt like that too, so maybe that's normal? I still feel bad for him though, and then worse when I've had to tell him off for being bad tempered. I wish their was an easier solution.

wreck I'm so interested to hear that you've had the "where babies come from" discussion. I have had that with ds but I also had to explain how babies get in there as small boys are very quickly faced with the question of "what is this for?" [meaning their genitalia]. He was quite matter of fact about it all, as if I'd told him that the dishwasher was on the blink until Thursday. I felt glad to have told him before he was old enough for it to matter at all.

Ah bless him Ipsos :( has he specified why he hates school?

8FencingWire we have two young children together, and I thought he was going for counselling himself & had hoped the situation would improve.

The counsellor is making me think though, what's in it for me - he's emotionally abusive, sometimes physically abusive, sleeps in a separate room, I do 90% of the parenting and decision making for the children. If he was married to his work, he'd be a great husband because that is his number 1 priority ahead of children, spouse, family & friends and health.

bees Yes there's been years of shouting and then storming off and sleeping in different room that night and then apologising the following evening and brushing it under the carpet and trying to talk anything through means a repeat of the same cycle. That story about your friend gives me hope. He 'according to him' happily co parented with his late wife when they separated. She's not around to ask but his dc do feel they had a better life as a result.

I've been trying to avoid them coming from a broken home but my sd says it's better to come from one than live in one

purple I've been surprised by how drained I feel since Monday after counselling. I suppose I'm dealing with my thoughts in my sleep as well

wreck I use the phone all day at work too, and anything outside of work I do by email or online. I just like to be able to assess the reply before I have to make a response or decision

I was toying with purchasing ynab subscription last week as my trial was up, well I didn't and went online today to do it as I know it was focusing me a lot more financially and I wouldn't have spent all my cash on drink last Sat night had I been using it, at least I think I wouldn't well when I went online today it just let me log in! I definitely haven't given my card details so I don't know why but I'm going to continue using it until the situation arises that I need to pay for it

ipsos that's brilliant about your ds, at least it's a non issue now going forward

If I told that to my ds he'd probably try stick it into his sister, he's only 2

Lilac I once had CBT for about 3-4 months which involved some counselling too, I found it exhausting. My house mate at the time used to cook me a treat tea ready for when I got back from the sessions. I miss her!
Have cocked up my dinner which was going to be a slow cooker concoction involving chick peas but I forgot to soak them yesterday. Hopefully I have a tin. Also walked all the way to the post office with my parcel (3 mile round trip) and they were closed for building work. Grrrr. At least it was a nice morning for a walk.

ds also loves babies, and there'll be no more in our house

purple that housemate sounds sweet, I hope ye are still friends. I got a takeaway afterwards this week and had a walk yesterday too to try balance out time with my thoughts and treating myself

grr regarding post office!

Good point ipsos dd only cares about what happens to girls at the moment.

£10.50 on ds haircut

£15 in the new m&s food hall that did include five birthday cards though.

I'm on hold to the bank's PPI line. Their hold music is shockingly bad :o

LOL! Lilac. That would be tricky. Yes I was glad to get that all out in the open. Best to know what's what, I think.

Cag I think he just finds that home is gentle and kind and safe and easy, and by comparison there is a lot of argy bargy and work and social nuance at school. It's the same thing we all experience but it's just coming home to roost for him.

I'm still keeping up my spreadsheets and everything and it's such a weight off the mind to know where the money is going and feel in control of it all. I'm rubbish at cutting back expenditure, but at least I feel as thought I don't have my head in the sand about it any more.

cag good luck PPI wise! I once got caught out singing loudly and badly along to music whilst on hold. the operator couldn't stop laughing at me!

wreck mmmm m&s food hall.

purple that's so annoying about the post office :( I used to make my ex housemate pancakes after tricky hospital appointments. I miss her!

lilac your DD sounds lovely and your little DS sounds super cheeky. Love it!

need and Ursula I cannot wait for Summer either. Beach's, bbqs and boats!

I'm a bit worried about worrying too much about money to enjoy a few things coming up. DH is on a stag do this weekend, then we are off to Scotland for the weekend and then we are off to the West Country. This month has been massively expensive and in my head as we are so short I'd just rather not go. The accommodation is paid for for both and for both weekends we are just catering one meal each in the evenings and taking our own stuff for breakfasts and lunches. We are aiming to take food for the journeys as that's a huge expense. I'm just worried I will be too stressed about costs to enjoy it.

Well I did indeed have PPI :) which I pretty much knew TBH, as I remembered seeing it on the bills, but still had that paranoid feeling I was wrong until the dreadful music stopped she came back and said I did!

It all seemed a little too easy - I hope I answered the questions properly. She asked about how I was sold it etc and I just had to say I couldn't remember much as all I remember was being told that I needed it! It was weird being asked about whether DH and I had been ill at the time (we weren't) and if I'd had sick pay etc. And they took my answers down word for word, it felt like being on the witness stand or something... what if I didn't say the right thing?! Anxiety has been pretty high the last week few days so I'm all jittery about it.

Anyway, claim is done now. DH reckons he didn't have PPI but I'm sure he took his CC out just after mine so I've told him he's phoning up today anyway. :o

Next stop would be the packaged bank accounts I suppose - NatWest again, any tips please?

What, if your accommodation and some meals are already paid for, you will LOSE money by NOT going. Hold on to that thought and enjoy yourself while you're away.

95p on a 1st class stamp. I have applied to register with 2 new supply agencies, so meeting with them next week. Just updating my cv this afternoon, but I'm after the phone calls and my first reasonable night's sleep in a while (DS has a horrendous cough and last night was the first night for aaages he wasn't coughing too much).

cag - "all I remember was being told that I needed it" They missold it. That sentance is all the proof they need! They will have to refund it :) they have to ask loads of questions because some people knew what it was, claimed on it and still requested a refund. But even if the bank says no. You can take it up with the ombudsman and they'll probably just refund it anyway - as they clearly missold it to you and they try really hard not to get the ombudsman involved.

I was told that if a claim is small (less than a few thousand ££) the bank will just process it anyway.

Don't worry!

what Set yourself a daily limit of spends and enjoy yourself. This happened to me a few years ago. I put some spends on the credit card and spent the next 4 months paying it off. Not a frugal move BUT I enjoyed myself and it was worth it! Exciting eventful months don't come around that often.

Serves tea and cake

Oops! I just fell asleep under the cat whilst reading on my kindle. Woke up with a very stiff neck to find my kindle propped up on a sleeping cat and the lining of the kindle case covered in fur. Cat doesn't seem to have noticed and is still asleep on my lap!
Have just realised I'll have to pay to park at the other post office, that's so annoying!

what bet you've nothing on again for ages, enjoy the break. Is it because this is the first month you're trying to manage on one wage that you're feeling under pressure?

frugal win yesterday got a wedding invite but we're away with my parents at a music festival so can't attend. Am disappointed as I like the couple but happy that I don't have the expense of the wedding.

Wahey, thank you for clarifying that Collie!

I love this friendly corner of Mumsnet. Just read another thread and it was scary!! shudder

No worries Cag

Collie, I often feel like that. Everyone on our thread shows care and consideration when they post.

Lilac we've had a series of big bills, bt line rental for a year, car insurance, preschool, DH credit card, we bought passes for the zoo and asked for contributions for ds1's birthday but everyone bought him gifts instead etc etc.

I've just got the kids first passports back and Gabriel's is wrong. The date of birth is wrong by a year. The guy at the passport office says it's a drop down box and it may have moved as I filled it in. How I didn't notice when I filled it in online I don't know. He tells me as its my mistake I will probably have to pay the fee again. I'm gutted. How they didn't notice it didn't match his birth certificate I don't know.

What that's ridiculous! I cannot believe they made such a mistake it's their job to check it.

I saw this photo and though of Cag I'd say I'm at a seven most the time.