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.

Frugal night out - meal, 2 cocktails and cab home all for £20! Pleased with that, I'd budgeted £40!!

ipso no. On my wrist. I wanted the birds to go all the way up my arm. But. Had to think sensibly and am just getting three. The whole thing will probably be no bigger than a 50p. I'll be able to see it. But cover it if I need to with watch/bracelets. It'll be my left wrist. So not my meeting clients handshake hand.

I'm feeling excited. Not for one before but have wanted one for ages. I know what you mean about seeing people brimming with confidence. I hope I'm one of those

Hello all. I'm Catholic too. If you gave our children cash, it would go in their bank account. If you wanted my child to get to spend a gift, vouchers would be the way! DD1 was given some Claire's vouchers. Girls seem to love them.

Yesterday £125 for dancing fees. £10 on bits and pieces for lunches. 20p on sweets for DD2 while waiting for the others to finish dancing.

Today Was almost NSD, but got an email from Clarks to say 20% off full price styles. Ordered a pair of £32 ballet pumps to replace mine, less 20% off, and 5% cash back.

Tomorrow I have a personal shopper appointment at Debenhams to buy a dress for the wedding we are going to in Spain. Could be priced, but I have the money from chaperoning at the show.

wreck I havent read everyones replies yet but we bought a balm thing called HayMax which you put on the edge of the nostrils. It helps ds (not a cure but it does help). Also a battery operated prong thing from Lloyds chemist helps too but your ds might be too young. Its a miserable time. We feel so guilty filling him with a cocktail of drowsy and non drowsy tablets but he suffers even more if we don't.

Girlie the service will go on for a good hour to an hour and half. I'm wearing Wallis chino trousers in green. The tapered ankle ones and a Lacey chiffon or flowery top to my daughter's in June. Have you been to a baptism in a catholic church? Think around that level.
Em oooo I would love a tatt but I can't even pluck my eyebrows without crying. Sounds fab.
Result on the frugal night out.
LSD planned today, usual activities of skate park maybe swimming. There is a good festival in town this weekend so some artisan produce may accost me and my purse

Good for you girlie I'm the same with my dd.

Em sounds great show us once it's done.

Ohhelp I feel so sorry for him by the end of the day his eyes are red and puffy I've been putting Vaseline on his nostrils but I'm willing to try anything!

Food shopping today. Is lidl way cheaper than morrisons?

ynab 3 month free trial link

Thanks lila. How much is it a year, do you know?

I might need it. At the moment I have my notebook, the notebook of everything, bullet journal, it works.
But!
Soon we'll move out hopefully, and on our own, I'm going to need a bit of help detangling thr new expenses etc.

wrek, in true middle class spirit, the only available shops where I am are lidl and waitrose. I'd go for lidl, it is cheap :)

Free lego in the daily mail today and tomorrow I think. Will get DH to pick it up and squirrel them away for stocking fillers :)

Off to a free event this afternoon celebrating maths! How perfect is that :o might get some inspiration for my classes.

NSD yesterday. Have been trying to shop mostly in Aldi and only topping up in Asda (reduced section where possible) if I can't get anything in there. In Aldi, we always buy the large pack of drumsticks/thighs. You get 10 or 11 for about £2.99 so we split it in two, then cook in the oven with Cajun spices and have with chips and sweetcorn. Each meal is probably about £1 a head.

Have been pricing up holidays. Not sure how many people are coming though. Definitely me, DP and my son. His DD and DS are invited but if they come then definitely won't be abroad Firstly, we can't afford it and secondly I doubt their mum would allow it. Have been pricing up holidays in Staffordshire, including 2 days in Alton Towers. For four nights, even for four of us, (not sure if his DS is coming) we'd be looking at around £1200 when you take into consideration food and petrol.

Saving really hard for a house though. Have cut right down on treats. Dyed my own hair so I only have to have a dry cut today. This saves about £80.

Have had to refund someone for something I sold on eBay. Bah. They're saying it hasn't arrived. I have no proof of postage other than the receipt. £13 gone.

This is what I hate about eBay.

Oh how annoying Em :( we used to ebay a lot but I only buy on there now instead of sell as I've heard so many horror stories of dodgy buyers. :(

Em I am very impressed with your flight bargain.

Wed £1.76
Thurs £1
Fri NSD

Today £10 on boden top. They sent me a £10 voucher. Bastards.

Thanks fluffy I was too!!! We do have a very tight turnaround on the return flight. Lands at gatwick at 1645 and we have to be on the plane home from gatwick at 1815. So will need to run to get through security etc. But should be fine. We've done it before. And if my luggage gets held up meh. I'm on my way home. (Unlike BA who lost my luggage with a similar tight turnaround on the way to holiday once....!) we have almost 3 hours between flights on the way out. So plenty of time.

cag I sell a lot on eBay and reckon I've had things go missing maybe 8 times. It's frustrating here as they brought in a law that anything which is a commercial sale, ie eBay, must have vat paid on it. And any gifts over £30 must have vat paid. I paid the vat. The parcel had a sticker on it to say is paid it. It should have got there quickly.

The buyer is annoyed understandably but agrees there's nothing I can do. I should have sent it recorded delivery. But the costs for that are ridiculous.

i suspect the buyer will get a card or something to say that they have to collect from their local hmrc customs depot and pay a release fee. Hence why I've refunded.

Scrambled ages with spinach for breakfast. Yum.

£60 lidl
£29 sainsburys but that included a new top for me socks for dd and a sheet for ds' bed.

Have found local honey from down the road £4.85 a jar!! Have asked them to put it by as its their last jar and I don't have any cash on me.

£7 coaching and £28 on a hoodie and t shirt.
I'm going to commit murder if the bloke sat next to me doesn't stop snorting. At least prison will stop me spending money

creme sorry to hear about ds' teacher, what a shock.
need Our weather yeasterday was strange too, gloriously sunny but with a cool breeze but then at about 6.30 the temperature seemed to drop by about 5 degrees. Everyone was sitting outside at the cricket club & then suddenly they all headed in and put extra layers on.
wreck well done on finding the local honey, we get local too at £5 a jar, then dh never remembers to have it.
Good idea with the Lego Cag I've managed to buy a few birthday presents ahead this year but never manage to be as organised as I'd like to be.
Dd is cricket scoring today, ds is playing in a school's football cup final. It's being played at our local League ground which is the club I've supported all my life so I'm looking forward to seeing him play there. £2 admission. Dh is going to Devon for a couple of days for his team's play off semi final tomorrow. All budgeted and paid for. I do hope they win but then we'll have to pay for him and ds to go to Wembley for the final. Still, watching and playing sport is probably our main spend after the essentials and there are worse things to do.
Have a lovely frugal day everyone

Oh yes crème sorry to hear about the teacher.
Thanks for the Lego tip.

Fluffy I got boden voucher too so got ds1 a top that was 12.95 n I paid 2.95

Meal plan:

S: burgers with sweet potato wedges
S: tandoori chicken with salad and?
M: chilli and rice
T: lasagne with left over mince
W: chicken tikka
T: fish fingers/chicken goujons and chips
F: pasta and sauce

Lunches will be soup and pitta with humous etc

Feeling so good today!! Super confident! No idea why.

Riding lesson was brill. Jumps were higher than usual. I only checked after I'd cleared them. Still not super high. Maybe only 60cms. But. Higher. Achievement!!!

One of the other girls videoed it for me. Super proud of myself!

Tattoo is booked in for Monday. Inkday!

Well done Em you are so brave! I am such a wimp around horses, no idea where dd gets her love of them from

It feels like i've had a spendy day, went into town to find dd some nice sandals - we must have tried on about 50 pairs and none any good. She is just starting to outgrow the kids ones but the adult ones are not really the right style or price for a 10yo. Eventually found some in Asda which were not what i was looking for but will do £16.

My mum kindly paid for her riding lesson.

Spent £12 in Claires accessories on tat little key rings, dd owes me some money back for them and a charm bracelet for her friend whose communion it is tomorrow.

Also spent a further £14 in Asda on a gift, card and swimming costume for dd.

Am getting a bit scared to look at my account!

£13 in bandm. Spent the afternoon pottering and doing first wash of walls for decoration. Kids are banned from screens this afternoon and are playing beautifully

Gah. Sorting office shuts at 2 on Saturdays so couldn't pick up my parcel. But still had a nice afternoon at a free science festival thing. Picked up some ideas for my maths class :o

Took the guillotine back to Wilkos as it wouldn't cut properly, wasn't sure whether to try a replacement or not but there weren't any left so that made the decision for me!

Knackered now though, the heat does not agree with fibromyalgia that's for sure

Also I'm sharing this in a safe space. Bumped into a colleague who while we were catching up told me that another colleague got a big promotion that wouldn't normally be given to someone at our level (as he's studying for the qualification rather than already having it IYSWIM). It just made me a bit sad which I know is silly, and maybe it's better that I'm not even there anymore because TBH he was very ambitious and I found out (by accident) that he even got reprimanded for taking tasks off others etc... this was the guy I mentioned last year who contributed virtually nothing to an event and yet was given equal credit to me (I did 95% of it). Oh I don't know. It's ridiculous to think about it. I just hate that everyone is moving on without me I guess. :(