May the frugaleering be with you - frugal chat and support for frugalers old and new.

[babsmam]

I took the liberty as we were nearly at the end of the last one.

lila it's not so much the day to day expenditures that are the issue it's the "oh sod it" times - like being frugal in the run up to Christmas and then spoiling the good work buying something too expensive or going mad on food or random decs we dont need. Or similarly, just before a holiday - plan everything military style in terms of spending money, finding the best deal,getting topcashback etc but then going last minute to get things the dcs "might need" (they never do). I suppose it is questionable self control. I am careful and plan well 95% of the time but that rogue 5% gets me in to trouble!!!!
I am of the "I will have it now, regardless" generation. I am trying to be more like my grandma's generation where I can make do, repurpose, wait until I can afford it etc. Sometimes I just throw caution to the wind.... How about others? Is is day to day overspending or silly blow outs?

£4.45 in the bakers
£1.25 on a coffee
79p bar of chocolate

Shopping coming tommorow morning then electrician in the afternoon to check wiring. Two of our ceiling lights don't switch off fully when turned off

ohhelp I definitely have idiosyncratic spending too. I spend a ton of money on very plain food so that all of the family can eat separate food due to food intolerances. Also in the past I thought that we had to buy whole bags of carrots and whole bags of apples and things like that. Now I realise that it's perfectly possible to buy one carrot a week, and that that is totally fine. It just had never occurred to me before.

Conversely, I used to spend nothing at all on my appearance and house so that I ended up looking and feeling really uncared for. I think I actually was scrooge. However, I now realise that the house can be fixed, I just have to pay to have it done. Having nicer clothes and a cleaner newer looking house has really cheered me up. I had no idea before that my own sense of self was so completely and utterly dependent on the state of our hall carpet.

Oddly, joining the frugaleers has resulted almost every month in my spending more money, but it's definitely been worth it. It turns out that budgeting really works both ways.

oooh thank you very much Em :) :)

I've given up on catching up on the previous thread! My head's a mess TBH.

I'm sure I saw somebody else talk about foreign coins but blowed if I can remember who! I'm not ignoring you, I just have a crap memory and hid the thread when I decided to start afresh with this one

Totally off the frugal wagon. In good news though, looks like I have another potential pupil - the older sister of an existing pupil, she had another teacher but they aren't that impressed and so they reckon she'd get along better with me :) :) needed that ego boost. :)

Ohhelp welcome back! I have name changed but have been here ages. We have the same thing with 'oh sod it times' almost Christmas? Let's go out to eat. The sun is shining? Let's go out to eat. Etc etc.

Today was going to be a nsd but I need tampons and jelly babies I've had 18 hypos in the last week and I can't get seen until August. Guess I'm in it alone.

Hello ohhelp! Lovely to see you. That's an amazing tcb amount to make (something I still haven't tried). Yes to the rogue 5%!!

Weirdly spendy yesterday. Around £8 on flowers/cake/gift for a friend and new baby. £3 on lunch for me and dh took a £20 from my purse for lunch which will never be seen again! Slightly annoying as I'd prepared his packed lunch on Sunday and he ate it as soon as looked at it!

Had a lush frugal dinner - ham, eggs and proper home-made chips! Haven't made chips by deep frying before - yum!! (Whoever said unthread that frugaling and dieting aren't compatible you were so right!) ham was one of those packs of offcuts from Aldi - some huge whole slices, really good value.

Hi ohhelp.
Wreck that's not good to be that unstable. Maybe you need to push for an emergency app?
You ok cag. Is it the job thing or something else in your head? Take time to process it if it's work.
NSD planned today.

Cag I think it was me that mentioned foreign coins (Norwegian) but don't worry because I haven't looked for them yet! Will try today and let you know.
I'm another one who just says "oh sod it" sometimes and buys something expensive but being frugal the rest if the time means I can usually afford it.
Supermarket today and DD needs some lighter pjs now the weather's warmed up, hers are a bit too cosy! Pouring with rain here today.

Girlie, yes twelve visits! It was pretty insane yesterday. Some were quick visits/returns. Some were pretty heavy.

It makes me laugh as I'm on a 9-3 today so only two hours less and I have five visits, albeit some full notes to complete.

I love it though and find it challenging. I like to set myself a time to do it all in and organise first thing which visits I can do together based on the areas and try to beat it. I do give myself plenty of time but I love it. It was so warm yesterday though and I felt minging yesterday. I nipped home once to strip off as I couldn't cope and needed to cool down lol.

Yesterday was a NSD. I'm hoping today is the same apart from usual expense of DS activities.

All my direct debits and standing orders have gone out so I can see what money I have available till the end of the month. I feel a lot better like this.

ohhelp that's totally like me too that rogue 5%
I paid down debt all last year and then went on a day trip shopping for christmas and spent €400 just like that the first week of November, which brought my card balance back up to what it had been in February. This year however I'm doing the Christmas club at work €15 weekly which means I'll have €700 saved for the same shopping trip this year!

While looking back on my spreadsheets from last year I noticed my interest rate is 0.4% less on one card maybe I should pay down the dearer one faster, it's the one with the higher balance too.

don't I get paid weekly and have all my standing orders come out together that day so that I can see what's left to work with

cag I think girlies dd was interested in coins too

Yesterday I spent €5 took dc to local community games ds got a medal for taking part in tiny tots race and they both got a pack of crisps. We all benefited from an hour in the fresh air too

I started my new job and life is officially chaotic until I get used to it. The job isn't quite what they promised / advertised I don't think I'm the right person for it now. But I'll see how it goes for a few weeks. Disappointed!

They've wasted my time, their time and their money by changing the job spec because if I leave they'll have to readvertise. And my salary doesn't reflect the job anymore as it's a step up & more technical.

girlie sounds exactly like my house buying experience. Keep on keeping on! And drink lots of wine

(Although I think you are like me and don't drink wine. I survived by eating loads of cake instead)

Yep Lilac :) GirlieDD is into coins too, I did say a couple of threads back that I don't want to hog them all and that she might like some too! I hope I haven't been rude/selfish as I really don't mean to :(

Yes Babs it's the work stuff. I dunno. I just feel the depression sneaking in really and I guess that's why. I feel totally flat and unmotivated. I know I'll be ok in the end, but it's still hard to accept even though I've had a long time to get used to the idea, and I know it's for the best. But still, I would like to just stay in bed for a really long time and do nothing!

And thank you Purple :) x

Aww Cag I don't think you could be rude or selfish if you tried!! If anyone has any coins they want to send to the West Country though my dd would be thrilled, no worries if not though!! I think it will take a bit of time to accept not going back to work, be kind to yourself.

Collie yes its driving me nuts not having a moving date!! Feel like a nag keeping on at the solicitor but will email again today, had hoped to of moved before our holiday at the end of May but not looking likely now Are you enjoying the new job? How is ds getting on a nursery?

Dont community is so busy, the amount of people with complex health problems being managed at home has just gone up and up and the numbers of nurses down and down. I still love it though, although its my day off today and i keep remembering things I have forgotten to do ystd Its quite nice having a student with me, she was a help doing the bilateral legs ystd

Wreck that is not good have you still got the pump? Can your Gp hurry up your appointment?

I have had a productive morning all ready, washing machine is on, hoovered and tidied and bleached the loo just sat down to catch up on here and have a plan is to go into town in a min, i am in charge of choosing a leaving gift for a colleague, also need to get some holiday bits - will try and reign it in though. Oh and the flipping landline phone is broken so need to investigate a new one....

Aargh! Had an appointment this morning which meant I was out of the house from about 9.05am to 10.55am (so just short of 2 hours). Got back and the cleaner, who we pay for 2 hours, has been and gone . I don't mind 10mins here and there but unless she arrived the minute I left and left seconds before I arrived home then she's done less than 2 hours. I haven't been 100% impressed recently either. I've txt her saying 'was there a problem today? Not sure if you were here for two hours?'. Makes my argument to dh about not having a cleaner at all more valid!!

Bank account is not looking pretty and two weeks till pay day. Dh is very worried about the financial situation but I've explained to him that there have been lots of big expenses and that's why. We've just paid house insurance for the year and lots of other things. I've got one big expense to go and then I think we are ok till Christmas. I'm considering signing up for YNAB but it means getting my laptop out and working out where on earth to start. I've got two weeks more of tesco £8 off a £40 shop to use and then I'm switching to aldi to try and spend as close to £35 a week as possible till the end of the month.

ursula maybe a different cleaner? Had she the work done?

girlie your talk of bleaching the loo reminded me, I used ipsogenix tip of using johnsons baby shampoo to shine the sinks after spraying with white vinegar spray and I'm very impressed. And I have 3 bottles of the stuff so they won't go to waste now.

Also spent time kneeling over the porcelain throne on Sunday morning. The one in our ensuite was completely covered in lime discoloured with iron in the water I think. I emptied out the water and put down heavy duty limescale remover, nothing happened. Then I got a knife and flakes just came away and I removed every piece of it this way. I've since put blue blocks in all toilets. Do they prevent limescale? My mother had donated loads of packets as for some reason she can't use them in her toilets anymore, she did tell me why but I don't recall

what if you are going to try out ynab there's a three month free trial going at the moment I'll hunt out the link for you.

soap all yearly bills in one month yikes

Woohoo. PPI result: £337! :)

Brilliant cag!