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

[Cagliostro]

Hello all :)

This is weird:

I can't get more than 2% interest on savings in a bank or building society, but if I put cash money into the Tesco in the form of Tesco vouchers then they will give me 6% interest. The caveat is that I can only spend the money in Tesco.

Maximum sensible sum to save is £200, which gets £12 of interest, with the whole shebang paid out at Christmas.

Hurts my mind.

secure.tesco.com/clubcard/christmas-savers/

Right have had a quick look at the account to work out how much we will have to live on in October, am looking at about £460 for the month to cover food, petrol and everything else - eek! Its going to be a tight month and for the first time in a long time will have to do the whole of Christmas on my November wages

Plan to save money is to not go into town unless I need something specific and then go with a list and stick to it! To only do 'top up' shops and do one biggish shop at Lidls. I also need to ring EE as am sure when we moved they said my DD would go down and have just noticed its the same

Also going to try and keep the heating off and am going to get even stricter with water!!

Frugal mode activated. I'd never heard of operation zigzag. So have looked at the library. And have reserved it.

Also - update - I had a letter from the hospital. (Which I've sat and looked at for Half an hour before finally opening). Everything was normal ish at my colposcopy thing. I have to go back in a year for another one but nothing to worry about! Phew!

My lovely grandma has sent me £10 for my birthday. She is so lovely. I'm bad as I opened the card already

Walked home and there were chickens at the housing estate I walk through. They probably shouldnt be there.

And for those of you saying jersey is on your list come over. Scenery is lovely we have great restaurants loads of history.

flights here are expensive and the ferrys a bugger as it rarely goes but it's great

Further digging through the Tesco clubcard website, and it turns out that they have permanent doubling of clubcard vouchers if used to buy stuff from Evans Cycles.

So that's effectively the same as the old clubcard boost, but all the time, and only for bike stuff. Ds is nowhere near growing out of his bike, but good to know for the future.

secure.tesco.com/clubcard/boost/evans-cycles/UK-004166.prd

Girlie ours is a similar monthly amount until January. It'll be tough. We can DO this! It's scary though. Can you withdraw some (say £50?) And put it in a jar and do the same next month? I would withdraw cash but we would probably lose it in the move.

Great news on colposcopy em
Just a note I was in your situation & when pregnant with ds was due to have next colposcopy they did a smear instead & did colposcopy when I felt up to it after ds was born.

I am so relieved. I knew that there was nothing wrong. But you know when you have "the fear"...

Dh is making chicken curry should have asked him to pick up one of the loose ones haha! and has brought wine. I'm feeling exhausted so dinner quick play with catface and in bed by 9. Can realistically sleep until 11 if I do wish tomorrow. won't. It it's great to know I could

Sorry I missed your post from this morning sandgrown. whenever I do a shop I always Google "Sainsbury's voucher codes". I think they are updated every few weeks. I've saved myself loads by claiming the free items over the last few months! I hope they don't stop doing it anytime soon

Yes Collie I might do that, was thinking oh well there shouldn't be any big spends in October and then remembered half term

I am off for most of half term but have a trip to London planned to see the Picasso exhibition (I blame Cag for this!) However the tickets for the exhibition are paid for and the travel there so should only be food to pay for and will obv take a pack lunch. The rest of half term will be spent doing cheap/free things!!

That's good news, Boobs.
DD is in bed, kitchen and living room are tidied and I'm wondering what to do with my evening with no DH. At the moment I'm trapped under a cat so I might just watch tv and try to stay awake past 8.30!

Sounds like nice evenings planned by all. I've just dropped dd to ladybirds & must collect again at 8. Going for spray tan at 9 I'm bruised as hell from adventure race on Sunday so trying to cover up for a wedding tomorrow evening, must shower first & then shower it off in morning plus I'd a shower this morning too
Hairdressers 9.30am make up at 3, spendy day again tomo.

One toucan box arrived other hasn't so can't open them.
Got refund from my car insurance €38.52
House insurance quote came too so that's task for next week
Oh & find my drivers license or replace it's due for renewal in March & will be a card version instead of paper one. Want to wait until March though

Half term already?? Arghh! I had no idea they'll start to effect us in 2017 at preschool.

boobs that's really good news!

I've been sent £20 off a delivery pass at Sainsbury's. Brilliant!!

Had a quick bonding sesh with catface. By bonding I mean that I poured a small bowl of cat milk and sat quietly and she came out of hiding and lapped it up. We then sat and looked at each other for 10 minutes.

She is getting so brave.

Half term here is the last week in October. My birthday week :-)
Half / full term holidays are very 6 or 7 weeks usually. This half term is flying!

Thanks all and yes mummy will go to due date now which is what I wished.

Did grocery today, 70£ but included goodies to celebrate the good news.. Dd has a play date tomorrow with my friends dd, so we can catch on stuff and they can play and on Sunday we are going to see mumin and getting a Tripp trap that I found second hand for 20£. Need to be a very strick month due to the exstra cost of dhs chiropractor, 2* weekly at 30£ can be felt. Luckily the majority get reimbursed but first next quarter. We will be receiving child credit the 20th, will save 1/3 for dd( do that every time) and the rest 2/3 goes on stuff we normally need for her or saved for activity with her.

Great news Italian and em.

£47 in Morrison's on party food. £2 beavers.
Stressful work day. It's payday!!! Unfortunately mine is wrong again. Nothing insurmountable but a pain

Awww she's very cute, Boobs!

Great news on colposcopy em
Just a note I was in your situation & when pregnant with ds was due to have next colposcopy they did a smear instead & did colposcopy when I felt up to it after ds was born.

All holiers used up here. 1 to take ds to his annual check up in Nov & 1 for dds Christmas play, 2 left for Christmas. Half term will just be bank holiday for me.

21 pages already

Spent £30 in Boots, got the Smashbox make-up set on offer to put by for Christmas. Also £6.51 in Holland and Barratt on chocolate covered raisins spices.

AF is doing her worst, had a banging headache all day.

V cute puddy tat

So tired today after returning to uni, my lectures started yesterday and I already have a load of homework to do this weekend!!
Today DH spent £15 on a kettle that he ordered online (we've been using my parents' old one since we moved here about a month ago but the filter's broken on it). Then we spent like £11ish on lunch at my campus, bought some lovely brownies from a local bakery business that was there, BEST BROWNIES EVER. No regrets lol.

Lady from a dog rescue came this evening to do a homecheck and ask us questions! She was lovely and it went well. I don't think they have any suitable dogs for us at the moment anyway as we have specific requirements so nothing coming our way imminently or anything.

The children downstairs seem to spend so much of their time screaming! Do all little children scream loads? Rather have noisy kids as neighbours than noisy students/people playing loud music all night though.

Hope the flu goes soon AGenie, Em and Collie.
Brilliant news Em and Italian. We'll soon have frugal babies as well as cats.
NSD.
I am thinking about my October frugal goals am ashamed to say that I have still to change bank...still intending to but haven't been home for long enough.
When are you moving Collie, if you don't mind my asking? Sorry if you don't want to say.

Up late here watching the golf.
Great news em and italian
Half term here is mostly the first week of November, quite a bit later than usual.
Today has been busy. I got carpet samples this morning for ds' room and the loft room & stairs. Worked a late shift today (12-8) & came home to my Friday night pizza (Aldi 4 cheese plus a few extra toppings).
Dh has been out with friends tonight & isn't back yet so it has been me & the dc. Dd & I are going swimming in the morning and are going to try making some breakfast/cereal bars for after the swim.

Not too spendy today. Mum let me borrow her old Oyster (she hasn't a freedom pass now instead) so travel to the home ed trip was free. Couple of bits of food/gift shop.

Mum gave me a cheque for my birthday (in december!) not sure what to do with it TBH, she said I should get a new sofa with it.

Food shopping today. Going to try to keep in cheap. Need petrol too.