The Friendly Frugaleers, figuring out our finances with furry feline photos!

[Cagliostro]

Hello all :)

Fluffy I think your experience as a podiatrist will put you way ahead. Good luck there.

I see what you mean about going outside the comfort zone need. A friend had just been given a transfusion of 5 pints of blood so I rounded up four friends and we went and gave 5 back to help her, somehow. It gave me a real buzz.

The football was fantastic fun. I played in a men's 5-a-side team and in a men's Sunday league team for several years. I had tried a women's team but they were very violent, and I was the only heterosexual member. I fitted much better in the men's team.

Good for you, Collie. You have nothing to lose by applying.

Fluffy, you'll be fabulous on that course. Go get 'em! That's brilliant on the Valued Opinions. I did it for most of last year, but only managed 2 £10 John Lewis vouchers for my time, as I kept getting screened out. It's one of the reasons I gave up on surveys, but it's good to know some people gain from doing them.

need I have just had a sneak look at hush. Looks awesome. Thanks for ruining my credit card bill....

They used to give half pints of Guinness to blood donors in Ireland.

Ha Genie, that's fantastic! I LOVE the idea of you playing footie in a men's side! I can so imagine you studying and being intellectual, but roughing it with a load of blokes on a footie pitch has made me laugh out loud. Good for you. Bloody show em! Ha re the women's team too.

Your Hush clothes are to be considered a capsule wardrobe, investment pieces. Quality, Em. Quality. The ruched skirt has to be bought. I promise this much.

Yes to rouched skirt. Want.

I have a couple of stretch skirts like that. But that looks like it's on another level.

Maybe on Monday.....

I've not given blood either. Always wanted to, needles etc don't phase me, but even before my babies I was too anemic, and again can't now due to stupid crappy health. Ironic as actually my iron levels are good now!

So I ordered my nectar card now what are the best ways to earn points?

Also what was the name of the pedometer app where you earn money for steps? I'll download it assuming it doesn't require constant internet (I don't have 3G enabled, just wifi at home).

I'm glad you like that need. It was bloody excellent fun I must admit. I should just have stayed at that institute. It was fantastic. I captained a mixed team in the Institute league every summer and we took the wooden spoon every time. We were ace. One year a blokes team beat us 13/nil in a 15 minute game. I scored one of the goals myself. Rock On. etc. Should never have left that place.

I have both colours...... and one bought in the summer sale, blue and black striped. Vair versatile... with or without black opaques....

But this is a frugal thread so I will stop this right now.

I've just been looking at the "Labels" catalogue that Next send out. It's the one with all the posh clothes in it. I was every so slightly tempted to buy some so I can impress the posh Mums at the school gate. It would be a slippery slope though.

There's nothing like team sport is there Genie? For the camaraderie and team spirit and bloody good laugh! Bloody good for you!

Yes it was great. I loved it.

Thanks again for the thoughts re: savings. I think my worry is that even if we put more money into the overdraft etc we will just end up back where we were again, if that makes sense. I feel like if we had enough to fully get out of both without draining the savings completely then it'd be ok. But that's irrational because of course we are losing money to interest and stuff.

I also need to consider using some of the money to buy bus passes again - travel is costing a lot. And the discount card scheme I use to get cheaper fares for DD is ending in Dec. But then it seems so temporary to use savings for a bus pass that only lasts a few months.

I may have found the skirt on eBay...£7 is well spent right...

Also need striped skirt will look ace with black tights and cute tan ankle boots/chunky tan biker boots. Or cowboy boots...:

Em How do you store all your clothes? Does it take a lot of space? I know an Italian man who had a walk-in shoe cupboard with floor to ceiling shelves, which always astonishes me.

Thank you everyone.

Creme I think some survey sites are a better fit for you than others, on Ipsos I'm only up to about £5 in a month. I find them boring to do though.

Cag, how much interest do they charge you on the overdraft? What you could do is transfer the overdraft balance on a 0% credit card. Set up a standing order the same day, to pay it off over the term of the 0%. And call the bank and half your overdraft. When you paid that CC off, stop the overdraft altogether. Less tempting.

NSD today.

genie not really. We have a fitted wardrobe in our bedroom. Floor to ceiling triple door. One door is just shelves and I throw no neat folding my jeans jumpers riding gear scarfs hats gloves etc on their respective shelves. The other two are hangover space double rails. Dh has half the top one and I have the rest. Shoes on wardrobe floor.

Then I have a 2 big drawers in the dresser and one small one.

All our "posh" stuff (dresses suits jackets) are in the wardrobe in the spare room.

I'd go through phases of eBay and declutter. Because I've bought a new dress I'll probably retire a couple. Same with the trousers.

I have a vacuum bag of some things which were my mums from before she married dad (pre '76). There are some beautiful things there which may just need altering. They're under the spare bed.

I'd love a walk in wardrobe/dressing room. That's the dream!!

I'm due another eBay run soon. Will probably take a couple of days in a few weeks and declutter the wardrobe again.

I've been doing really well. Pointed out to dh that I've halved what I had at the beginning of the year. We can see this by the empty hangers....

£45 on diesel again, but I do travel a lot and can claim mileage.
Collie, go for the job, you'll do very well and will regret it if you don't.
Cag, the idea of half of you £70 per month saving on going on debt sounds good. And buying the travel pass is not a waste of savings. Is it not one of the things that will make it cheaper in the long run.
Get well soon Em and Agenie. Love the footy stories Agenie.
Welcome newbies. There is a lot of good advice on here. It has helped me a lot.
Going to post frugal October goals and shame myself into changing my
bloody bank to first direct

Genie that made me laugh about the womens' football team, I had a friend tell me something similar this week about them being very aggressive!!

Dd loves football, I have to say that watching her play in a mixed team tonight there is really no difference between the sexes. Its fab exercise as well.

Your clothes always sound so nice and stylish Em

Right am off to bed, work tomorrow - boo!

£39.41 in Lidl and £10.94 in Aldi for a few things Lidl didn't have. I'm pleased with that as it should last a couple of weeks along with what I have in the freezer. Right, time for bed! All my list making is very tiring.

I'll discuss the options with DH, thanks all. He's not back from work yet.

Tomorrow should be good, assuming all my pupils show! DH ran his first teen class today as well, small but went well so yay :)

Oh and I forgot to mention another little frugal win. I have only have a couple of fizzy drinks in the last ten days or so. I'd gotten really bad for ordering them with the shopping AND getting lots when out and about. So trying to change that now for the sake of the cost as well as the calories. I just had a can on Thursday and REALLY enjoyed it rather than getting through bottles of the stuff.

That's great, Cag. Apart from a very occasional lemonade (say if I'm in the pub in the daytime, a handful of times a year), I have one Fanta Lemon or 7 up a day on holidays abroad.