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.

I'm off to lunch with friends in a bit, but I'm eating first and only having a drink (to save money and I don't like the food at the place).

Woo got back some overpaid tax which has gone straight into the wedding savings fund and bumped it up a bit, so cheery seeing that number actually rising!

Poor hamster girlie

Well, today has been spendy. £11 first thing on sponsorship for DDs reading challenge which I completely forgot about. Normally get grandparents to do sponsorship but as this was so last minute I couldn't.

Then £33 in Asda on food
£45 in Next on two pairs of trousers. But had gift vouchers from Christmas
£8 in M&s after returning a top but replacing it with socks, tights and a belt
£55 in H&M, returned a top but bought two jackets and a skirt (one jacket will be returned after I decide which one I will wear to my job interview)

The work clothes were needed as most of my current clothes were bought prior to maternity leave. My trousers were bobbly and look a bit like PJs after numerous washings.

DP is meant to be doing the ironing this week as I'm interview preparing. The basket is still looking full

It's payday! And got the money they didn't pay me last month

Spendy day...

£69 childcare for March
£45 for a horse related day dd is doing over Easter
£26 at the Garden centre, am gearing up for sorting out my garden over the Easter hols.
£20 Sainbos on Easter eggs, tea and cat food!

So £160 quite easily gone there then You know its bad when the month is already looking dire and its not even started yet

My mum has offered to go halves on the border so thats back on the cards again!

I haven't posted on these threads in a long long time but i need to get my self in gear to get some of these debts cleared. I've also booked a holiday that I need to save for- I know, I shouldn't really be doing that when we are in debt but the timings are the best they'll probably ever be and it's really the holiday of dh's dreams and the kids will get so much out of it.

So sensible head is on now.

Just had a big box delivered from approved foods- mainly drinks and crisps etc. Think I got a right bargain, looks like loads of stuff where it's all individually in the box so should do us a while!

I'm not buying any more make up, toiletries etc until everything else is used- I stocked up on suncream for summer while M&S had an offer so we should be good for a while.

I find these threads so supportive so hope to join in, but sometimes I feel a bit guilty if I miss people when responding so apologies in advance if I do that!

Hi hairspray don't worry if you miss anyone!

That's it I'm officially unemployed (for three weeks!). Have £80 ticket master gift card, £15 m&s and £10 next, a box of chocolates, flowers and a cute set of four little bowls. Plus loads of people have signed my card

Aww that's lovely Wrecked. Enjoy the space for 3 weeks.

Hi Hairspray, don't worry about keeping up, the thread moves fast.

Good news about the border Girlie, your mum is lovely.

Great news about the rebate Strawberry.

Have a lovely time All, sensible idea to eat first if you don't like the food, why waste the money.

Extra pay Bacon, brill!

I'll post a picture from my phone of the chickens Rosie, they have settled in great and my existing ladies are being pretty good actually.

Spends.
£20 M&S (I might have indulged the DC is Star Wars Easter eggs). Bought DM some daffs, it's National Kindness Day after all.
£23 Lidl.
£20 Feed shop.
£25 cleaner.

Will withdraw some cash for the week too.

Had a lovely afternoon dog walk with my 2 friends and their dogs, it's sunny and warm here. Lovely to catch up with good friends, which we do every couple of weeks, then all as couples once every 2/3 months.

Aw Wreck, you are obviously well thought of there.

Welcome back Hairspray.

Spends: £10.95 on an amazing Turkish mezze for lunch with a friend and £5 on a large latte and a very decadent creme egg chocolate brownie afterwards. Le tres yum! Oh and £9.50 in Next- £8 slippers and £1.50 on a wedding card. Total: £25.50.

For Rosie

Aw yay more chooks 😍
Well done wreck and now holiday time!

I've finally heard from the PIP people and they've given me an appt at less than 2 weeks notice. Really far away/awkward train route and travelling peak time. I do get travel reimbursed but I might have to ask to rearrange - it is too late for DH to swap shifts and my parents aren't free either.

And welcome back hairspray! Agree don't worry if you can't keep up with everything, it's hard to as we are such a fast moving thread! Just jump in 💐

You can tell how well liked/ thought of you are by the size of the leaving collection wreck

While I was out shopping earlier, the lady at the checkout mentioned to the shop assistant that she had three children. The shop assistant then asked her if she'd had the third child because she hadn't had boy/ girl or did she actually want the child. I was like

Welcome back hairspray

Ps. Quick one, where's mammy? Xx

Didn't mammy name change, Need?

Welcome back Hairspray.

Lovely gifts, Need, they will miss you.

Just done online shopping order. Feel like we're spending loads. At least £20 extra each week on formula plus I think we're buying a few more convenience bits and treats than normal. Need to get back on track or I'll end up back at work before I want to be!

Girlie I hope the hamster is ok, but I wouldn't jump straight to cancer, but there can be all sorts of other lumps and bumps that are not dangerous. One of our guinea pigs has a lump that he has had for about 2 years now, it got checked when we first noticed it around that time and it was just a keratin cyst so harmless and it wasn't bothering him so we left it. It still doesn't appear to be bothering him but it has got a lot bigger so we are going to get see the vet about it sometime soon just to see whether they'd recommend getting it taken off now or not. He's getting older now too so it might be better to get it taken off soon rather than waiting til he's old and it getting even bigger and the procedure would be a lot more risky then, idk.

NSD today, just been at work doing really boring work but getting paid so -shrug-. My colleague who I've been working under the last few days bought me an ice cream on our way home from work as a thank you for my hard work . So that was nice. And it is lovely weather and a squirrel came right up close to me today but wouldn't eat from my hand but it was the closest I've ever been to one so I was happy .

Also a girl I vaguely know through a volunteer project at uni told me she'd bought some stuff for me to take to the refugee kids I volunteer with like resources for me to use with them off my wish list, and I went to work to find a HUGE bag of stuff . I'm going to get them to make a thank you card for her tomorrow I think and all sign it as it was so generous of her especially I'm assuming as a student she probably doesn't have tons of money.

Oh I get it now! Fast, me

Awwww your chooks are gorgeous need!! I love the beautiful speckled girlie in the front of the first pic
The cup of coffee turned into lunch out as friend and I were both starving so £13.30 for lunch but we discovered a cute little Italian place in town that did awesome pasta so I feel like it's a win.
I've spent the rest of the afternoon stuck on the sofa under DS but as it's now the weekend I'm catching up with crappy telly before DH gets home. And thoroughly enjoying it.

love the hens, Need. I bet you get lots of eggs. Eventually when my house and garden are sorted I will get chickens.
Wreck, they must think the world of you? When do you go to NZ?
I don't think Mammy has name changed. She did so last year.
Meadow that was so kind of your friend, and like you say, students don't usually have much spare cash.
Need...what do you get? Am I being particularly slow.
NSD....been faffing about in the garden. I am really good at faffing.
Strawberry, well done on the savings and the swim. I used to swim a lot for triathlons but have got very busy( lazy). Must get swimming again.

I've lost mammy too. So many people name changed that I'm just getting to know everyone from scratch again.

On the plus side, when I search for "sunny" to find where I last posted, I get to see all the people who are having nice sunny weather too, which is quite jolly.

It's the Easter holiday now and also the end of the month so I'm a bit excited about doing my numbers for the end of the month.

Dh is dispatched to aldi.
£2.70 on a sandwich. £15 cleaner.

No food inspiration. I have loads of food books but no idea what to cook. I get disheartened at the ugh to anything new.

Ds has a tummy bug so shaping up to be a cheap weekend.

We go Sunday evening. Have had a really busy day so sorry not to respond but I have been reading

Nsd.

Spent a further £2.30 on sweets and a paper.

Just had a delicious dinner, chopped up a chicken breast and cooked in olive oil, soy sauce, a stock cube and honey, mixed with noodles and served with broccoli - OMG was amazing!! Fairly fugal, reckon would have cost £2 ish per serving.

Wreck thats a lovely leaving gift.

Am at your chooks Need fresh eggs are so good.

Cag thats annoynig re the appointment, I swear they do stuff like than on purpose to put people off going!! My step mum is disabled and had a similarly random and difficult place to go to for her assessment

Is Mammy now Lonely? i am so bad with name changers

Thanks Meadow I think being in my line of work (nurse) i always think the worst!! She doesn't seem too bad in herself, still active, eating etc

Welcome back Hairspray

Dd had her clarinet lesson tonight and got her first sticker for progress she is picking it up really well. Cag do you play the clarinet? Do you know anything about cleaning them?

Hi I'm still here, I'm not lonely I had a busy week is all

I'm lonely! Will change back to knitting soon!

Hope you're ok mammy