Frugaleers saving and chatting through April

[SunnyLikeThursday]

Newbies welcome to join us for a bit of chat about budgeting, saving, paying off debt, and everything else that comes along.

Not quite an NSD, as I spent £7.50 on my card for new school trousers for DS from Asda. I did it through Topcashback and earned myself 17p. Every little helps, right?

Wreck, if you read this before you go, have a brilliant time in New Zealand.

I've suddenly realised why the budgets in YNAB are a good idea, after blowing £500 on private medical stuff this month. Maybe I should start thinking about budgets like that too.

I've got all my spending for a year written down and all my bills. I still struggle to know how to set up separate budgets for things though, or where to cut back. That's much trickier, when I'm already really a bit of a scrooge.

Hello, can I join you? I used to read this thread a while back and got some useful tips. I'm now in the process of buying/selling houses and need to stop frittering given the scary amount I'll be spending on stamp duty and moving costs, plus ongoing higher mortgage and bills. So thought I would join in to make me more accountable 😊

I'd like to save money on stuff that doesn't really have much value to me (like buying lunch at work) so that i can afford to do/buy things that improve my quality of life. I'm awful for wasting money because I'm too busy (I have a very full on job) and would like to stop that!

This weekend has been ok spending wise. About £20 yesterday on food shopping and nothing so far today.

sunny well done on the photography skills and card making.
need well done too. Now have a relaxing bath.

For the first time in 20 years I painted, it was nice and relaxing.

We went out for lunch today as a family, so £40. But was a lovely day. And once a month is ok, I think.
Off to Science museum tomorrow, I hope it wont be busy, I have tickets, and will park at the O2, and have DH oyster card, made a pack lunch, so hoping it wont be expensive.

Ooh, All, I love the Science Museum. Not as much as the Natural History Museum but I still like it.
Need, that was an amazing achievement. I love the look of your leg ....all dirty with beautifully polished nails😀
Cag, good on DH. Wonderful run. I used to run a lot so I appreciate how much effort that takes. Congratulate him from me please.
Meadow...looking back I read that you were trying to entertain 32 refugee kids of different ages most of whom had little English. And you feel bad about it! What! You are a bloody star to even think about it. So please start appreciating your amazing self. There, that's you told.
NSD. Been in garden all day faffing about. I am a champion faffer. I can do it very actively all day. Put some plants in my friend gave me.
Enjoy NZ Wreck.

wreck fingers crossed for a super easy flight. Guess you're en route now.

em your uterus is pushing up rapidly filling the space big dinners go to hide. The only way is out, clothes with waist buttons will start to get stupidly uncomfy after big meals. Enjoy!

Need wow, well done, thats a lot of climbing, do sit down for a bit!

cag your poor dh, thats bad luck, how far did he manage (he does know running for 24hrs straight is crackers, doesn't he?!) ?

Had a lovely family day, all eats went down well. Had lots of fun. Just £3.50 on some cooked chicken for pizza topping, my own fault for not defrosting any yesterday.

all beautiful painting. You should do more. Dd1 paints, I'm like a toddler with drawing, but can make anything in 3d. So I count painting as a super skill.

Don't you think fairy liquid should make upside down squirty bottles? Life would be easier 😊

Oh my goodness Need bet that mud was satisfying to wash off!!

Cag your dh sounds so awesome and super fit to boot, all of you with lovely husbands where did you meet them??

Lovely pic All

Em have you tried on any maternity jeans yet? Soooo comfy!!!

We have had a quiet afternoon, watching telly mostly. Did however sign up to Air BnB and am looking at various places we could go in August, there are some really nice looking rooms so quite exciting!

lonely I wore a stretchy skirt today...!! Had crab on toast, fish pie, chocolate parfait and mint ice cream. Mmm. And a small glass of prosecco.

Have come home and don't want to eat again. So full.

need well done!!!! That's insane!!! Bet the mud was fun!

wreck safe trip. Enjoy NZ xx

girlie not yet worn maternity jeans. Tried them on and agree - sooooo comfy. My jeans are still a good fit well probably not after today and I'm spending the next few weeks at work wearing my tighter fitting clothes.

Just been reading back through thread to see what's what.

Sunny I totally agree with being frugal in some areas so you can spend money where it makes a difference. Healthcare sounds like an excellent use of your resources.

Looks like there are some runners and cyclists around too. I do both, although mainly running.

Em hope your house selling/buying goes ok. I found it almost more stressful at the stage you are at than now when everything is with solicitors and surveyors etc.

holly I agree this is the stressful bit. The waiting. I'm very impatient.

I've emailed agents to line up 3 viewings next week.

The solicitor and surveyor stage I'm ok with. I trained as and used to work as a lawyer. Albeit not a conveyancer. But dealing with them is easy enough for me. Plus I have lined up one who is for want of a better term "shit hot" so once we get to that stage I'll be happier.

One of tomorrow's jobs for me is speaking to said lawyer to find out whether we should have got building consent 4 years ago. To take an internal wall down. Dh thinks maybe we should have.

Well done need. Love it when fitness is fun.
Hope dh is feeling ok now cag.

A tenner up on today as sold some books to my friend. They were going to buy them on line for £12 but DD never read then do they are still packaged.

Lovely painting all
Welcome holly

Welcome Holly

£14 up today as eBay items sold. Yay!

Have been drinking lots of cucumber water today.

Outfit chosen for tomorrow. Everything (bar lunch) is ready. I think I'm going to have to buy a sandwich tomorrow as we are very low on lunch items. I'll have a rethink in the morning.

Saying that I've got one pitta left some tuna some cucumber (providing I don't throw it all in water) and some sweetcorn. Tuna mayo salad pitta maybe.

Yes Em the waiting is annoying, and all the viewings and phone calls and getting the house ready for sale takes so much time! Fingers crossed the building consent thing turns out ok.

I ruined my NSD by spending £86 on running club membership renewal and a race entry. Both planned so not a problem really. On the frugal side, I've made sandwiches for lunch tomorrow so shouldn't need to spend on lunch.

Thanks for the welcomes 🙂

Hi and welcome Holly.

Thanks everyone for your kind words (although I read some yesterday and then this page today so think I missed a bit in between but my eyes are too tired to read all the way back). I have had a bit of a mental health dip since yesterday afternoon, had a bad evening cos of a row with DH and then cried myself to sleep on the sofa. We made up this morning and have been fairly productive as we've been doing some decluttering/tidying/spring cleaning but still feeling quite low and fragile. We got a free bookshelf a few weeks ago that someone advertised in a local FB group, DH put it together about a week about but it was a lot bigger than we expected so it was just awkwardly in our living room in front of the window until today when we moved a load of stuff about to make room for it in the little hall between the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The flat is looking quite a bit more organised now which is nice and it was nice to do something together even if it was just decluttering. Tbh I quite like organising and tidying things cos of having Asperger's .

NSD today. One of the dresses I ordered from House of Fraser is too big though so will need to return that sometime which will mean £15 refund.

Sunny the rabbit Easter cards sound amazing!

meadow

Insomnia seems to be getting at me at the moment. DP is snoring

NSD (yesterday)

All That painting is beautiful.

We're away from the internet for two days now. Good luck in the meantime. Back tomorrow!

Morning all! Just checking in, will catch up properly later.

Morning. Quick post before work.

Holly Welcome. A fellow runner is always a positive I like the name.

Meadow

All I love the painting. The colours are superb. You are very talented.

Creme I forgot to say, thanks for replying about the Turkish food, sounded totally delicious and right up my street.

Thanks guys. I'm fine today. Quads are tight but that's all. Surprising, as a road marathon would have trashed me for weeks.

I kept moving yesterday as it's better to keep moving to be honest, you seize/stiffen up less is the muscles are still moving gently.

I've made £50 in sales over the weekend, which will be posted today.

Meadow hope today is a better day for you.

Am going to make the hamster a vet appointment in a mo, the lump looks worse and has got bigger, think the poor thing will be PTS. She is fairly elderly in hamster terms but dd is going to be upset.

Need to fit in a Lidls shop at some point.

Hello from Bangkok! Making use of the free wifi... Flight was really good as were the dc. Had some growing pain action from poor ds. Don't know what to do about that... Got a couple of hours to kill in the airport now and there isn't really anything about.