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.

We've had a lovely day out with a picnic in the sun today. £6 on ice creams. Just defrosting spag bol for tea. Definitely need a cheap using things up week next week!

Hi all, have made it to the end of my working week thats me work free for just over 2 weeks!! So pleased.

I had a phone call from Connolls today to say that once I have signed everything and put the money over I can pick up the keys!! That might even be the end of this week - gahhhhhh!!!! Typical that we are off on holiday next Tuesday but looks like will be getting back from Menorca and then moving almost straight away

Have managed another NSD but dds football class will want £20 later and we are desperate for cat litter so may get some in Tescos.

Thanks folks

Quite right I need to make sure I don't burn out! I doubt I'll do most things on the list. I think when I get really overwhelmed I turn to ridiculously long lists itemising every single thing. Currently giving my printer set up a second attempt! [sigh] :o

EEEEEEEEEEK Girlie! How exciting! :o

And Lilac I do indeed use wishlists. I have several on my Amazon account, all different categories, it's ridiculous really :o

Girlie, that's amazing. Delighted for you!

Hurrah! Printer sorted without having to phone the helpline (I just reinstalled it from scratch) and am now enrolled with Instant Ink for £3.49 a month (100 pages, I reckon that'll be about right) :) well that's one thing I'd been procrastinating over... :)

A ha apivita.
Girlie that's so exciting.
Cag (((hugs))))

Cag what a strangely poetic time-hop! Your life sounds full of so many wonderful things now though so hopefully the next 5 years will be even better!

Girlie that is so freaking exciting!! You'll need another holiday after moving!!

No more spends today

Aw, thank you Ursula :)

And thank you for the hug babs :)

Right. Off to actually do stuff now! Honest...

£10 cashback on a hotel booking for ascot via booking.com.

Original hotel we were looking at (novotel) was £304 for the weekend. But price had gone up up up. Did another search and found a much nicer more boutiquey one for £284. Usually £500 for 2 nights!!!! Hotel bargain! Yay!

I'm dead chuffed about how much I've saved. It's crazy how much little things can add up. Cashback here and there, packed lunches for work (pretty sure I worked out that We'd save £1300 a year taking lunch every day) kicking my takeaway coffee habit £500....

Aw cag hope you're ok

girlie holidays! And house moves! Exciting!!!!

So excited for you girlie! Yay!!!

Thanks Fluffy and Cag. I will look at both the holiday inn and the premier inn but I do like the idea of a swimming pool,as DGD loves swimming.
I will,also look up a taste card and try and get one.
I am saving up to get some new windows for the house but I have just been told the circuit board in my boiler has gone and they are about £200!
Isn't it always two steps forwards and one step back. Still I suppose I am lucky as it could have been a new boiler.

I'm really pleased for you em. That kind of saving will see you right.

Girlie Oh my! Have you packed up?.

creme Click customer care, support ticket. Right down the page click submit support ticket.

NSD but only because I'll get everything free off checkoutsmart. Got 12 tins dog food for the dog rescue, sausages and jerky.

Jerky is vile, proof drunk people will eat anything.

Blimey Em £10000! That's amazing in such a short time. Well done you.
I've got tomatoes and cucumbers growing in my conservatory. They were little plants to start with but now the conservatory is a greenhouse with a table in it. I am so embarrassed. I hope no one comes to visit me.
iPod, when my DS was little he had a doll called Rachel which he loved and played with all the time. The younger one, the DD had no interest in dolls.
I agree with Cag. Let them play with whatever they want. There is no such thing as "boys" toys.

Hi Fluffy thanks for asking. She is a little better. Had a follow up MRI today, but we don't have the results left. I have asked a friend to have the girls after school tomorrow so I can visit mum. My sisters DSD is going tonight with her flat mate. Juggling visiting can be hard. My sister works odd shifts as a carer; I can't take the girls as they are too young for the hospital rules, and, as DH works evenings, it gets tricky.

Other sister won't Visit. She doesn't drive, and I agree after work a visit would be a nightmare, but she could have made an effort at the weekend.

Spends today £4.95 at Slimming World

todays spends £31 on parking tickets for the next week.

Tomorrow will be Spendy. I have to go and apologise for speeding about a month ago. And pay a fine. It's such an outdated system. I go to town hall. I stand in front of the council. They tell me off. They fine me. Up to £10 for every mile over the speed limit. So I'm looking at £90. 😭

No points on licence though. We don't do that here. We're all about the humiliation. Work know about it - because I told them not to be suprised to see my name on the court list (it's classed as "court").

That's fantastically traditional Em. I hope it's not too ghastly. I suppose it must feel very odd for a trained lawyer to be on the wrong side like that. Do you feel that you might calm down your driving now as a result?

I got confused about the speed limit last year and got caught on a speed camera. I had to go on a speed awareness course and it was fantastically useful. At age 17 I was taught that I had to go as close to the speed limit as possible "to keep the traffic moving". However, on this course I attended they said that that was bilge, and that it was fine to go at 25mph in a 30mph if that is the actual safe speed for the road. They showed us all the statistics on what happens if you hit a child at 25mph versus 32 mph, and it was really quite astonishing. I now always go much more slowly and it just makes life so much less stressful. Good luck with your visit. I hope it's okay.

Oh god em I would cry!

When ds was a baby he used to twiddle his hair and have a bald spot so I bought him a dolly with loads of hair. He's 3.5 now and 'baby' is half bald, with dreads, a bit stained and ds' best friend. She's been everywhere with us and today almost got left in Pizza Hut

Tomorrow we're going to blackgang chine I already have the tickets. MASSIVE surprise for dd will be us 'bumping into' her best friend (formerly I suppose) who moved over here at Christmas. We've told dd she won't be able to see her as she'll be at school can't wait to see her face!

Oh that's brilliant, Wreck. She'll probably treasure that memory forever.

Thanks for the info, Fluffy. It won't let me submit a ticket yet though, as apparently you need to give them another 4 weeks after the cashback should have been payable.

ipsos yes!! Although the road I was caught on varies in speed between 30 and 40mph. I happened to be in the 30 bit. Doing 39.

It is awkward. Especially as my name was in the paper earlier this year for exam qualifications....
wreck I'm planning on crying! Hoping that they reduce my fine!! will also go down the short skirt low cut top route

Oh gawd Em that's what happened to me. It's awful isn't it? The road I was on started as a 30mph limit residential road, and then widened out into a dual carriageway bridge with four lanes and a wide pavement thing in the middle. I always used to carefully go past the speed camera at 30mph and then speed up to 40mph on the dual carriageway bit. But it turns out that the dual carriageway bit was actually a 30mph limit because the bridge went over a built up area. WTF!

Sorry to hear you've got caught out in such a bizarre way. The experience really does help to instill paranoia about speed limits I've found, which is probably good.

The police officer was nice about it (well as nice as he could be I suppose). He made me read the speed gum thing into his body camera. Then told me off. Then told me what would happen. Then told me I had 2 choices. Either go to the thing apologise and pay my fine. Or I could appeal it. But he had me on camera. So it's obviously me.

Option one is the quickest. And while more painful purse wise. More sensible. There might be an archaic local law i could use to get out of it but I haven't got time or the energy to waste looking it up. I know I'm in the wrong and will have to pay the price. Whatever it is.

You're right though it has made me pay more attention to speed limits. The road near where we live is a 20. Then drops to a 15. It's bloody difficult to keep to 15mph!! Even if the max I can drive is 40mph.

No motorways here!!! Always frightens me a bit driving in the U.K.

It is difficult driving slowly but 15 is very slow. Good luck em today, hope the judge us kind to you.
NSD yesterday and same planned today.

Good luck today em
All our town zones are at lowest 30mph so I can imagine 15 must be infuriating.

I knew a girl once who had learned to drive on the outer Hebrides & then inherited her nans car while living in Edinburgh it was an exhilarating experience to travel in the car with her! It must be terrifying to drive at high speed.

I'm in awe at your savings in such a short period of time & repaying cc debt also