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.

Good luck, Em.

Brilliant, Meadow

Spends: £4.80 extra bus fare and £1.80 mocha from Greggs.

Rest up Need and get yourself better for Sunday.

Thats fab news Cag fingers crossed something appropriate comes up soon
Exciting news Em, it's great to have those family connections to sort the roof.
Meadow thats amazing on the exam, really well done!
I'm not too sure how the interview went, came out a bit deflated and feeling that I didn't cover everything in the questions so that along with my 8 weeks notice period makes me think it's unlikely but they'll let me know by the end of the week so you never know!
Could do with a stiff drink now but need to head out for work, it'll have to wait till after

Dh got a quote for the roof (not from fil as he's still on holidays but from a competitor). Roofer he spoke to had done one in the estate summer last year. Original roof (1960's build) as is this one. £20k. 😱 But you need a roof. hopefully fil can sort for half that. (Obviously we'd pay for materials scaffold etc)

We need to seriously talk numbers. So will do so over dinner.

Spaghetti and homemade tomato and veg sauce mmmm

Then I have to do a food shop.

Oh and meadow that result is amazing!!! Well done!!!

Congrats all round today.
To Cag on house news. YAY Cag, well deserved ( have you sorted cc?
To Em on leg tan....well on house obvs
To meadow on 83% unheard of.. and with you additional needs it's super brilliant
Sunny, hope it goes well with DS and dentist.
Snuggly hope you get more sleep.
I am in Durham. Beautiful city

Oh you're only about 6 miles away from me, Copper! I could have met you for a coffeeafter work, when I was in Durham. Enjoy our lovely little city.

Thanks everyone, I am made up.

Creme and Copper my mam is from the north east and most of my extended family on her side are up there. Durham is pretty. I've never been to Newcastle though, keep thinking DH and I should go for a weekend city break there sometime as I bet there's lots to see and obv have heard the night life is fab.

I am looking at clothes in House of Fraser sale. I always feel like I have enough clothes but I don't often go places I want to dress a bit nicer for (I dress super casual really apart from sorta smart-casual for work) so I don't like to hoard nice clothes in my wardrobe that barely get used, but then on the other hand we went the theatre yesterday and I wanted to get a bit dressed up and realised I had like nothing to wear . Also I find I have a few nice tops, and a few nice skirts/shorts, but I never seem to have anything that goes together! I think it's because I tend to pick patterned and bright/interesting things but then I can't put them together. So I might treat myself to one or two things that are really heavily discounted but I will get DH's advice later as I can't decide on which ones I like most!

Well done meadow! What an achievement

Hurrah frugaleers.

£35 Morrison's today

Durham is stunning, hoping DS will want to at least visit when deciding on Uni's.

Thanks Creme. It's odd being in on a Wednesday evening but I have made the right call for sure.

Anyway, I have used the time to list 2 pairs of boots on FB that are new but I never returned (bad need). Also to clean out the chickens.

Said chickens are contributing to our frugal life style as their egg production is picking up now the light is better. I'll be able to squeeze a weekly meal, plus breakfasts out now.

Would you all maybe cross your fingers for ds and dh and me tomorrow? It's train and tooth-fixing o'clock. Ds and I would both rather be almost anywhere else, but it has to be done and we are strapping on our best and most courageous boots.

Good luck for tomorrow, Sunny. I'm sure it will go well for you both.

Need, let me know if you come to Durham on a uni-scouting trip.

The frugaleers appear to have been overachievers today

Oh dear em on the legs. But sounding good on the house. Our current house had a dodgy roof. The previous owners ended up having it fixed and re-built as otherwise we couldn't get a mortgage on it. We then had to get a structural engineer to sign it off. You could see if the sellers will do that (then you don't have to live through the building work) although sounds like you might be better knocking 20k off and getting fil to do the work at cost

Great result meadow

Good news cag

Well done everyone else too! Can't remember all the other achievements

Minibacon got a good report at parents evening tonight. I think her teacher found a nice way to tell me she never stop talking though

I got a couple of nice feedbacks from people at work today so feeling very good about myself. It is nice when people say nice things!

Proper NSD. Not even commuting costs as worked under my duvet today.

Meant to say I expect you did better than you think strawberry. Fingers crossed

Good luck tomorrow sunny

V quick check-in...

Great news Cag, what might it mean in terms of waiting time, do you know?

Exciting about the house Em

Well done Meadow that's a great mark.

need a hot whiskey and lemon is in order I reckon! An EHCP is an Education and Heath Care Plan, the new version of a statement of special needs. Much 'harder' to get than the old statement i.e. The bar of need is higher. DS definitely has that level of need though and I had confirmation today that the LA has agreed they will fund a plan for him. Phew. Once the content is agreed it is legally binding, which is reassuring. Now we just need to agree exactly what they will fund, what school will do, what outcomes we are aiming for etc. However, the Paperwork only came through today at 12.30pm for the meeting at 9.30am tomorrow and it is a massively important one-off meeting with the borough, nursery, school, his ed psych, SLT and others all convened, along with us parents... I am livid they could not get their act together and give us a reasonable amount of time to review the paperwork. I have been chasing them for days. Late night for me!

Petrol £52 as tank fairly empty, and £4.50 for strawberries. Oh, and £200 on a bouncy castle for the garden - it's one we came across at a friend's party and I assumed she had hired it. When she said it was from Tesco I was as it was compact but really very good. Inflates and deflates in minutes and was £50 off at the mo so I pounced. Not frugal but we are not going on holiday at all this year so that will keep DS occupied in the garden when we are stuck at home lots over the summer with a newborn, and will hopefully wear him out. I am excited! it will literally take up half our garden though

Best get on - making chicken and black bean soup for dinner and then PAPERWORK!

Oh and good luck for tomorrow Sunny. Gotta be done, pesky teeth

Good luck, Sunny!

Cheers again everyone, popping in quickly as battery dying!
Seacow not sure exactly I remember someone saying "you do know it'll still be around six months" when we first enquired about the medical assessment. But then DH also reckons someone else said at least a year. Either way it's a whole lot better than where we were. I think we will have a better idea by next Thursday, when bidding closes on our first bid cycle at this band - lately we'd been around 50th on every house. So it'll be less than that, but I have no idea by how much, technically it could be 49 if we were the top of band b (after banding it goes by 'priority date' which is the date you first entered that band, so band b date was in 2012 when we first applied, this new date is early march) but hoping it'll be a little less than that :)

Well Cag a year sounds a long time but it will go very quickly (especially with a baby!) so that probably wouldn't be so bad. I guess it depends on the higher category and how flexible you guys are re. location and whatever. Sooo worth it though to have housing security as well as space.

Yes totally! It was mainly the waiting to see their verdict, rather than waiting for the actual housing, that was so stressful. Now I know they've listened I can relax a bit and just focus on getting stuff ready for when we end up moving. The Caglets managed to declutter a bit today in preparation 😂 A few clothes and some broken Transformers, but it's a start 😀

Hello all, late sign in here as stupid busy day, was so crazy I actually had to come home and lie down in a dark room for an hour

Not caught up with thread yet but will read back through...

Sent cheques off for dds school lunches £31.20 and £20 for dds drama group. No other spends I think.

And I think we will be at an advantage because we are not tied down like others might be - no school to worry about. So it may be that others reject somewhere that's in the wrong part of town for them, and if we are next on the list... you never know :)

Cag awesome news, so pleased for you! Whats the 3rd amazing thing going to be??

Em pleased you like the house, it does sound lovely. Fab that you have someone who can do the roof as well.

Meadow well done you clever clogs thats a brilliant result.

Seacow glad the settling in sessions are going o.kay, frustrating that getting your son the help he needs is such a battle

Good luck Sunny you will be fine I am sure though and I expect your ds will enjoy a little trip away (apart from the dentist bit!!)

I am glad DH is off for a week as of 10pm. However we don't get the whole week together, because he's a complete nutter and is spending 2 of those days doing a 24 hour running event. Yup, he's running round a track as much as he can in 24 hours. Your next challenge, Need? :o