Fantastic Frugaleers Continuing Austere April!

[Cagliostro]

Hello! :)

blue, I've been a bit boring and chosen almond cream. I dithered over silver medallion for a while, but I was a bit worried that I'd find it quite dark. And hopefully it will last forever, so I thought I should choose a neutral colour. They're all lovely though!

Ooo space reviews too please
£90 at vets, £130 food shopping and if that doesn't last at least a week I'm going on strike.

Our water direct debit has been put up by £11 a month to almost £40 from what I can see we've only used £10 more than what we've paid over six months. I'm going to complain I think.

I've been trying my new headmistress's plan of meditation and have managed to fit in 12 hours sleep in the last 24. Yay!

I've hardly spent any money in ages as I haven't left the house and am just spending all my spare time writing a grant proposal. Surprisingly, coming up with a detailed plan for spending someone else's money is great way to save one's own.

I've been a bit awol.

NSD today.

Went for a meal last night, unexpected but for 5 of us including drinks was £35. I used a 20% voucher I found.

Wreck I looked at paying our water DD & they wanted £38 a month. We only spend £15 a month so we both out £7.50 a month into a saving account and pay the bill six monthly instead.

£14 on my sisters birthday present
£3.30 post office
£30 fuel
£74 something food shopping
£51 tickets for Blackhang chine for when we go to the IOW in a few weeks
£39 water bill that was the balance and they reduced the direct debit to £32 which was the actual cost for the last six months.

Very spendy day but only the water wasn't budgeted for.

Meal plan:

S: Chilli nachos
S: Roast chicken et al
M: Quesadillas with left over chicken and sweet potato wedges and salad
T: Pizza and salad
W: Pasta and sauce
T: Micro meals as dd has swimming
F: Carbonara

Dh has mowed the lawn and done all the weeding it's a nice day here has been a few spots of rain. We were 11 tiles short for our kitchen when we did it ages ago and we've finally found the matching ones so hopefully he can finish that this weekend.

Thursday spends.. 4.10 in Costa. I treated myself as had been at consultant and he's told me he's going to need to do another operation. Bad times. I'm not impressed as will not recieve sick pay as leaving job. Will make sure I do lots of extra bank work until before my op. No pain no gain and all that.

Oh no don't that's rubbish. What's the eligibility for SSP?
£5 skatepark,/£4on metro, £29 in bhs went in for shoes but this branch doesn't stock wedding stuff. was not going to join the traffic queue to the next nearest shopping centre so online it is.

£12.80 bus fares.
£11.80 Costa lunch.
£3.50 on 2 ice cream cones.
£1.50 on M&S sweets.
£12.99 on espadrilles from New Look.
£5 gas card.
Total: £47.59 (?)

Ipsos, new head sounds great.

That sounds rubbish Dont. I'd have stopped off at costa too.

£40, paid half towards an electric scraper. The builders have glued our entire kitchen floor down so it has to be painstakingly heated and scraped before we can tile.

Fun.

Spendy day today: £26.50 for haircut, £18 on plants for the garden and we're getting a take away tonight as a combined "bank holiday weekend plus we've both been paid" treat!

Spendy day, went on a rekkie for stuff for the new house. Might have frittered £50 or so.

Hi all been a lovely sunny day here, we popped into a May day school fair this afternoon spent £10 I think on rides, drinks and ice creams.

Needed to pick up more insulin for cat and as that is via Pets at Home picked up more cat food as it was more than half price, £13.

Got my morrisons delivery coming tonight that was £41 I think.

Nice day here. Went into town after lunch to the proper craft shop (we have an out of town hobbycraft now, but prefer the real craft shop) for 3 fat quarters to line my knitted bag (finally done), got a zip as well £7ish.

Also Debenhams...ooops spent £65 on three bits of mantaray, jersey skirt, dress and tshirt. I love the stuff as it's colourful and so comfy. 25% off. I actually did a little dance in the changing rooms as I could see that I was much thinner than last time (swimming cossie episode, so upsetting), have lost 16lb now.

Also tescos was £38 but got a pack of pjs for dd2 an ds as well as prawns for tea and usual bits.

fluffy that is a truly horrible job. I had to take up the workshop lino floor before we moved shops (was having every penny of the deposit back), I wasted a week of my life doing it.

We've only got 10sqm to do My backs killing me because we had to move a ton of floor tiles into the lounge.

It's soul death isn't it?

Knitting I discovered mantaray last year and love it too just beware size up on cardigans as they shrink in wash, I temnd to buy at 50% off and had the odd 70% off bargain but sz12 is pretty popular. Fat face is another recent find.

I like manta ray but debenhams is too far away. I like fat face too but I find clothes really don't fit me well atm.

Right I have a few more spends £25 fuel, £32 bhs on line. I've decided to chance an on line order as it was getting far too stressful.

Goodluck with the floor fluffy

Really need to stop spending now...

I lied about being ok with the flight. I've just had a cry. I'm all packed and ready to go.

Today I had my riding lesson. And then went for a pedicure. So £65 spent today.

Oh em ((hugs))

Well done Fluffy.

We had a nice day with ds as he opened his birthday presents. Slightly marred by getting a letter in the middle of the unwrapping from ds's school, saying I have to be seen by the welfare officer, and threatening me with a prison sentence if his attendance doesn't improve. So cheesed off that this country is so short of money that it can't afford to have NHS fix ds, can't afford to let school educate ds at a reasonable pace, and makes up for it by sending me nasty letters. Ds came down with a bad cold this morning and I'm now wondering if he'll be back well enough to go to school on Tuesday. I wonder if it would be nicer if we lived in Canada? I hear Canada is nice.

I did the usual tesco shop online today but I worked out my average grocery expenditure of the month and it was bang on our normal so that is good.

Good luck Em.

When is the flight Em? Hope you are ok.
We just watched the Lego movie - brilliant!

Bloody hell ipsos, what a comedown! I would be furious too. I hope your Ds had a lovely birthday regardless.

em It will be fine. You'll be back home in no time.

Thanks guys! Two flights tomorrow eek one at 9 to gatwick. The other to tel Aviv at 12. Eeek.

I'm ok. Just about. I think this time it's because Dh isn't coming with me. So I'm a bit more nervous than usual. a lot more nervous it'll be fine. I'm excited too which is good.

Had a gel pedicure today. More hard wearing than usual polish apparently. So we'll see. My toes are a super sparkly glossy navy blue right now. And fingers are pale pale pink.

Have a super glam plane outfit sorted for tomorrow. Giant sunnies included in case I cry and smudge and boss laughed when I said I was packing spare clothes in my hand luggage. I've been caught out before when BA list my luggage in Rome. So now always take spares. And toiletries.

Thanks Fluffy. I was calmness personified though. I read the letter, put it away, and then carried on building a lego fire station as if nothing had happened, so ds's birthday would not be spoiled. You would have been proud of me. I figure that if I can run a household budget competently, I can also take a nasty letter on the chin without flinching. On nicer topics though, are you having a big tiling extravaganza then? I'm very curious to hear more about that. It sounds wonderful.