Frugaleers chatting and saving into August...

[ipsogenix]

Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

Useful links copied from last year:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2209167-Slow-Cookers-are-shit

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2224969-saving-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2258202-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-6-start-the-new-year-with-a-clear-purpose-and-keep-moving-forwards-even-by-tiny-steps?

orchard.tesco.com/ Sign up to this.

www.topcashback.co.uk/home And this.

www.quidco.com/home/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ditto.

www.checkoutsmart.com/ Plus this.

www.hotukdeals.com/all/deals/new?page=3 Check this daily.

£10 cashbook on £10 spend at George at Asda/tommee tippee (so effectively free) if anyone on topcashback.

Wedding anniversary today! In true frugal style, no presents bought (flowers from garden from.DH). Off out later to open air music concert we booked months ago...which will be interesting as weatger is pants here.

So far today: £60- leisure centre booked for DS1 birthday in November. £6 birthday card and top up groceries.

Only been strict with budget for 2 and a but weeks and already a noticeable difference. Far less transactions when checking online banking and have £££ at end of month to coverify DS1 party booking and upcoming car tax renewal. Really excited to see what Sept spending looks like and if we can stick to target.

Em That's very weird. I'm sorry to hear that you have all that strange stuff going on in your school system. It makes me glad to have grown up in a larger place without those prejudices.

Thanks so much to everybody for their different perspectives on schools. It's very interesting to realise how much school choice influences people sense of identity. I hadn't really thought about that. I'll add that into my planning thoughts.

My dilemma really is that dh and I are from Ireland and Scotland and it's very odd to see ds becoming more and more English, and then to see his friends being sent to schools that will give them that slaightly posh English polish, that I really would rather he didn't have. Secretly I would really like him to grow up sounding like Sean Connery but that's hard to pull of in East Anglia. I don't know where we fit into all the local culture, and wonder whether we really fit here at all. It's a tricky one, definitely.

Girlie that's amazingly daft about that banding in your school. That's where the conservative government are trying to take us now, by reintroducing grammar schools. Another thing that is giving me a lot of pause for thought.

NSD. It's rainy up here as well, so I've been doing more deep cleaning jobs and going through my paperwork. I think I've finally done all my spring cleaning jobs.

Sorry AGenie posted and dashed off. It really depends on the school and the kid. It worked well for me, because I love learning new things & do what is now called meta learning (at the time it was a nifty set of tricks to quickly cram crap into my head). It came into its own when I got to university - I was able to spend less time learning than my peers. For other kids it was not so successful as they needed a really structured learning environment. Both my brothers struggled with it.

Girlie I think there may be some really dogmatic Steiner schools that focus on the white aryian / superiority crap - mine didn't do that part of it at all, infact tolerance & understanding of other people / cultures was encouraged. I have seen some of the things on here ( it tends to be only 2-3 posters and I think 2 of them are the same person) and don't recognise the things they are saying. I gave up trying to defend my school against the things they were saying because I was always shouted down with "well you would say that because you have been brainwashed by the cult of Steiner" line of argument. It is difficult to argue that is not the case as they only come back with "oh yes you are - you have proven it by sticking up to the cult". A very circular argument but hey ho.

Thanks Unescorted. Good to know.

girlie that's exactly what happened in my secondary school too. I've done pretty well considering. It makes me so angry.

We're hoping for a No Spend Weekend. Apart from a tin of custard.

AGenie we're all proud Celts down 'ere

Collie Do you have that for being in Cornwall? I understand that it has a separate identity to the rest of the UK, like Scotland does. I'm sorry to hear about your school. I'm taking careful notes here of things to avoid for ds and that kind of schooling is now high on the list.

I just realised that we're running up against the end of this thread. I made a new one again. I hope that's okay to do it two times running. This sunny weather must be going to my head.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/2711906-Frugaleers-chatting-and-saving-even-further-into-August?watched=1

I think aa long as your child is happy at school then the rest will fall into place.
So from my new budget, I spent £13 from my day out budget (which leaves me £7 for the week, but will do picnics next week).
And £9 on a prescription from my 'general' budget (which leaves me £11, but don't think I need anything else, perhaps another prescription).
Then £20 on food and DH's wine, will do proper food shopping on Sunday.
Am pleased with having a clear goal with the budget.

Yes we can get daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual passes :) it does still save money, but for example without the discount card, a quarterly is £78 instead of £39! So it really adds up.

I'm sad, one of my maths families isn't carrying on after summer :( it's too much of a stretch for them. Am gutted actually. But it seems the mum is too as they did enjoy it. This kind of thing is going to happen though.

DH might take the Caglets to Ikea next week - it's actually pretty easy by train and tram. He'll get one of those bed tunnel/tent thingies, and a clip lamp so she can read in it. Hoping to also get a gym crash mat (it folds up).

Any knowledge of when summer sports stuff in supermarkets/Wilkos etc might go cheap? DH was thinking of getting some rounders bats for his sports class.

We're at a festival. It's wet and shit and I'm pissed that I wasted £300 on it.

Wreck, we've got a new thread. Sorry you haven't had a good day.

I thought you were going to say pregnant then wreck poor you though.