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.

Ds made a "potion" in the bathroom, as he has done many times before, but this time he swallowed some. Some of the components are classed as highly toxic. I'm a dick

I'm sure it could have happened to anyone's child, accidents happen. Children can be highly unpredictable!

What happened life? Hope mini life is ok.
Finally went to the national Space Centre today with DGD, took a picnic and lots of water so not to spendy.
Had to have two cups of tea ( really annoyed with myself as I have 3 perfectly good flasks I could have taken) oh well!
I got the idea from Cag about 6 months ago. Anyway it was brilliant. We spent 6 hours there and DGD loved it.
Spent £23.36 in total but that included getting the pics I had taken on my phone printed off at the supermarket so she could put them in the journal I get her to write. Bought a couple of books in the space shop.
Knackered now.

Collie, don't feel bad. £15 for a wet suit is a bargain.
Life , kids do these things. You can't watch them every minute. Hope he's ok. Mine once unscrewed something and swallowed the washer. It showed up clearly on the x ray.

I drank nail varnish remover when I was little

Thanks, we have been observed and sent home with what to look out for. Fabulous NHS staff. Dh got a Chinese for him and dd so more money.
Must put the space centre on our list, it would probably involve a sleep over do half term maybe

Life take it easy on yourself - these things do happen (mistaking meths for Ribena here).

I'm desperately trying to stick to my £60 food and entertainment budget for the week. Dh suggested a spontaneous, and lovely, trip to a local with a lovely beer garden for a drink in the sun. He bought one round from his money and I bought a second - £7.20. However I couldn't enjoy it completely as I was worrying about how the rest of my budget (now about a tenner) will last over the weekend. So silly and self-imposed as our early evening was lovely and one of those 'isn't life good ' moments and the budget is an experiment; extra money is there if needed, but still a reminder of why it's good to be frugal 90% of the time so treats can be enjoyed guilt free.

Don't blame yourself, Life. As someone else said, children are unpredictable and you can't always stop them. My DS had his worst fall when he was holding my hand. Hope you won't be there too long.

Just saw you've been sent home already. Yay!

I painted nail varnish on my eyes whilst my mother was mowing the lawn. I still remember the smell of the stuff a&e had to use to get it off / out.

I have pushed one dinner invite into September as we are already out twice this month. Dh wasn't impressed but I had to explain that fun money isn't endless. Something to look forward to though. And I'll budget for it

Glad ypu enjoyed the space center trying I have to admit to never taking the children ds1 isz almost 6 perhaps ii will take him next week especially as if you book online when you go you can upgrade to an annual pass free

Glad you're home now life take it easy x

The National Space Centre looks amazing!! I totally want to go.

Ursula We have spent the last few years living very frugally like that (although I have fallen slightly off the bandwagon lately but I'm getting back on!) It started off painfully hard and I resented it. However, as time went on I learnt to enjoy it and it's really changed my mentality. Stick with it! Don't give up. It CAN be done and it CAN be fun and don't be afraid to adjust your budget slightly. If it means you can sit back and relax then it's worth it.

The weirdest frugalleering failure happened to me in Costa today.

We nipped into the visit the ladies, and then went to buy a small pot of fruit salad as a sort of excuse for being in there iykwim. This is the conversation that ensued:

Shop assistant: "£3.50 then"

Me: "What!? For fruit salad? I'll just have a flapjack."

Shop assistant: "You can't change your mind now, it's in the blender."

Me (Seeing blender full of pulverised fruit):
"What have you done to my fruit salad!?

Shop assistant: "It's not a fruit salad it's a drink. Didn't you read it?"

Me: "I never read fruit salad before I buy it. I don't have to pay for it now do I? I don't want to pay for fruit salad that's been destroyed."

Shop assistant: "No, haven't you heard? Everything's free in here."

I bought a flapjack and left. The world is very strange.

Shop assistant sounds charming ipsos. Weird indeed

IPsos that is bizarre. Why would you buy fruit to have it blended like that?? I don't understand. I'd have just walked straight out I was so confused.

Ipsos that's really weird! he needs some customer service training! I bet if you complained about your experience on Twitter they'd refund you for the flapjack. Isn't a blended fruit salad called a smoothie? I am genuinely confused ha!

I'm glad it's not just me then. :-)

It was really quite funny tbh. I watched what they did with it and they poured it into a big plastic cup and put one of those dome tops on it. The fruit was blended with ice and water so it came out like a slush puppy in the end, but pink.

I did know that they made things like that but I thought that was only if I ordered that at the counter. I had no idea that I could take a fruit salad out of the fridge and end up with a pink slush puppy. :-)

Both the shop assistants only spoke a very tiny amount of English, which is why the conversation came out so weird. I think they were really lovely people but just as perplexed as I was. I didn't feel about to tell a 6' tall German 22 year old that we just wanted to visit the ladies. We all just stuck to a lot of embarassed smiling and that seemed to be okay.

Don't feel bad life. My DH drank Windolene when he was little! Glad little life is ok.

I drank paraffin as a kid life, while sitting next to my dad. That's the 1970's for you. And I electrocuted myself on a standard lamp. And I trod on a stemmed wine glass that they gave me pop in.

Ipsos Who on earth liquidises fruit salad?

£10 fuel.
£2 squash.

That sounds really odd ipsos yy to a blended fruit salad being a smoothie!

Have had a long day and pretty spendy really,

parking £4.
Hairdressers for dd and I £54 this is the first time in a loooooong time we have had a haircut though.
£4.50 lunch
£10 in Card WareHouse got 2 gifts and 2 cards.
£10 in The Works also on 2 gifts.

Think thats about it but thats enough! Have bought a few gifts for people I am seeing over the next few days when we are away for missed bdays and thank yous for putting us up.

Have packed but need to do a fair bit of tidying and sorting before we leave tomos lunchtime. Am looking forward to the trip not been on a road trip with dd for a while, we used to do little trips like this quite a lot.

Have got someone popping in to sort the cats so hoping they behave themselves

8 the new house is lovely thank you, its been a manic few months and there is so much still to do but I love the house dd seems settled as well. She is enjoying having a much bigger bedroom to play in and has been very industrious sorting out all her stuff.

About the Space Centre....I drove straight into the car park and paid my £3. We were early and it was almost empty. First mistake.
If you go park in the road next to it as this is clearly free, but I didn't notice.
As we went in they just gave me an annual ticket, I didn't have to ask. It is definitely worth it if you are close by. I am an hour and half away so may use it but don't know. It's worth booking online because you don't have to queue at the ticket counter.
There's a place inside to eat packed lunch and the food inside is expensive and quite limited.

Oh yay Trying thanks for reporting back on the space centre, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I'm planning a London day as DD has a new dinosaur obsession. Neighbour (dad who has his DCs on weekends) suggested a trip together as his DS is also dino-mad! So will be spendy as we'll go to the butterfly thing as well.

Tomorrow will be spendy too, a couple of my friends suggested a movies for juniors thing, not all that excited about the film (Robinson Crusoe) or lunch (McD) but the DCs all adore each other and we'll also head to the park and the library together.

Yikes Life that must've been horrible. Is he feeling ok?

Ipsos wow, a blended fruit salad. Who knew.

8 have you moved far?

Off to lidl this morning. Humph.

Collie Yes I suppose a blended fruit salad is a smoothie. :-) I've never been ambushed by a smoothie before. Live 'n' learn.

Fluffy I'm glad it not just us with the lively childhood experiences. I ate enough salt to kill a horse once when I was 3 years old. Ooops.