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Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Saving into summer!

990 replies

SnugglySnerd · 21/07/2017 08:25

New frugal thread.

OP posts:
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LonelyOversharer · 24/07/2017 22:26

It only took the girls 35 mins to start fighting Confused ds slept, so is wide awake now, ugh.

I always try to dish up yummy food (was made to eat liver and bacon as a child), but I do like my people to eat what I make! They can stop if they are truly full, but get no pudding or snacks later, as they were so full. Ds, of course eats almost nothing I cook, I live in hope! We made oat and sultana cookies today, but used m&m's instead of sultanas!

On a side note, has anybody else noticed that on all those "eat well for less" programmes they serve up the same portion for each person? Like one wrap for mum, dad, 8yo and 4yo. Is this for telly or normal? We eat off 3 different sized plates here, and your portion is set by your size, so dd1 gets maybe 1/4 more than dd3. Just been pondering this (after watching them on catch up)...

A full bin bag from 1/5 of the girls room. Much more to go. All toddler books ejected, my little ponies (trashed) in the bin, but the barbies and 'dead dolls' (monster high etc), are to be kept as they are "ironic" apparently. Yes, 11yo dd2 said that to me. Most are missing limbs.

FridgeCut · 24/07/2017 22:45

My two eat relatively the same amount, if I gave W more he wouldn't eat it anyway. They are almost 2 and 4. I then have a bit more and DH had more and seconds.

I did regret having a go at them slightly when I realised I had DS with me, but I just couldn't believe their disgusting behaviour. They'll think twice before they pull that crap again. Then DS and I trod in dog poo in a baby space. FFS

Coppersulphate · 24/07/2017 23:33

Place marking. Nearly caught up. Will catch up properly tomorrow. Bed now.

lifelongfrugaleer · 25/07/2017 06:18

My ds can eat more than an adult and he is like lythe.. I'm the one that eats less. Dd is soooo fussy though. Annoys the pants off me. Brought then up the same though. Go figure.

Nsd planned today. Long work day, hopefully no migraine today.

Well done on the clear out lonely. Ironic Grin

Wheelycote · 25/07/2017 06:42

Morning morning Smile

Got to go to work early so popping my head in the thread before I go.

Place in going today does nice soup and croutons. Will be buying Grin

Need to buy some paint and bits to paint later today. Hopefully I'll be outta work early because with starting early famous last words

Have a frugal good day everyone

WreckTangled · 25/07/2017 07:02

My dc are four and seven and have only just moved on from the plastic ikea plates. Ds insists on having the same plate as daddy Hmm but it's nowhere near as full! They never eat all their dinner anyway.

Today is dd's last day at pre school I'm so sad! Also my last day at work until September 🙌🏼

Will be a LSD I'm going to pop into the garage to buy some lunch as they do a really nice couscous

LonelyOversharer · 25/07/2017 07:27

Tax credits have gone down by £2 a month after the renewal. But they gave me a £24 lump sum (!) adjustment. At least I know we're not overclaiming, I always worry that we somehow are.

Have my root canal this morning, oh yippy skippy. From when my tooth went bad, its been as good as gold since, but the temporary packing he put in won't last forever. Back to my lovely, usual dentist though.

Have a great day wreck I think term time work really is the holy grail! I take it there's no childcare costs or retainers to pay over the holidays?

WreckTangled · 25/07/2017 07:45

Yuck to root canal. I didn't mind it as bad as I thought I would when I had one though. Just made my mouth ache! No childcare fees over the holidays! Will pay the last childminder bill today and that's it.

ememem84 · 25/07/2017 07:57

Back to work today 😩😭 and annoyingly I appear to have picked up a cold. Or at least feel like the start of one is coming.

Dh has made me a sandwich for lunch. He makes the best sandwiches. Except because we are trying plastic free July, and no waste/reuse stuff he has wrapped it up in the bread bag. Ffs. I'm going to look like the poor kid in school.

Saving into summer!
ememem84 · 25/07/2017 07:57

Disclaimer - sandwich will be mega tasty. Cheese, black pepper cream cheese instead of butter, salad. Mmm. But still - in the bread bag??!! Lol.

Fluffycloudland77 · 25/07/2017 08:09

Maybe they'll feel sorry for you & give you a raise.

Good luck lonely, at least the la will work today.

Off ill today, ive got dhs ventolin because my cold went on my chest overnight Hmm, oddly he's ok but I think he's too stressed to get ill right now.

ememem84 · 25/07/2017 09:53

Good idea fluffy I'll ask!!! Haha!!

I styled it out though. Someone noticed. And I just laughed it off. Said I was being all ironic cool hipster and shit. 😂 I am the least "ironic cool hipster" person ever

Taytocrisps · 25/07/2017 10:19

I had a busy weekend and enjoyed some gorgeous weather. On Saturday I took DD to the cinema to see 'Despicable Me 3'. Sunday we went to a big Air Show which was free Smile. It was grey and looked like misty rain when we set off but then the skies cleared and the sun came out and it turned into a fab day. As well as the air show, there was a funfair so we spent a bit on the rides. Yesterday was another gorgeous day. Cloudy today though.

Today will be spendy because I'm taking DD to get her hair cut - she only gets it done every six months or so. I also have to order all her crested uniform items in the uniform shop.

Cagliostro · 25/07/2017 10:47

My two definitely eat less than us, I have to remind DH sometimes as he is a feeder! But generally we use smaller plates and I try to remember the whole stomach = size of fist thing

ememem84 · 25/07/2017 12:46

£31 in joules on various bits for the boy cag there were tons of dinosaur things in the sale.

The boy will be super well dressed in dinosaur onesies, shark tshirts pirate shirts and a raccoon too. #stylish

Now back indoors. Eating my sandwich. Which was amazing!!!! Yay!!

FridgeCut · 25/07/2017 12:54

Went to Zumbinis which is a lovely class G and I do while W is at preschool, but W came too as he is on holidays. It was hard work, but killed the morning and we have booked it for next week, £7.

I Need to post a parcel to AX PAris and up date YNAB, I have been avoiding updating it as I spent lots on clothes but have sent all of it back aside from a trouser suit and a dress so it doesn't look right.

SnugglySnerd · 25/07/2017 13:25

I am very tired and have a headache. DD has kept me busy all morning. I think she was on her 5th activity by 9am. The kitchen floor is covered in glitter as us DD. The living room floor is covered in megablocks and toy food. I am sitting on my bed as currently it is the only flat surface in the house not covered in something!

On the plus side we haven't spent any money yet.

OP posts:
Cagliostro · 25/07/2017 15:41

Hmmm need the collective strength of the frugaleers please! Tried a new family cafe with soft play today, supporting new venture etc. Paid for soft play £5 total, all fine they let them go in. But after half an hour they were told they had to stay out of the soft play while there were lots of little ones in there. We said ok at the time. It didn't get any quieter so they ended up sitting out for the remaining 90 mins of their time!

Nobody said anything about an age or height limit and it's not on their Facebook page either, but I googled just now and they do have a little website where it says under 5s during school hours and under 8s after school. So DD and her best friend (both 10) shouldn't have been allowed in at all... and they should've said that when we paid surely? Absolutely understand age limits but if we had known then we wouldn't have paid, and told them straight away, rather than change the rules partway through.

So I need to message them I think, don't want money back but they need to make that clearer I think. I feel all unsettled though as I hate any confrontation at all :( but I don't want to just leave it either.

WreckTangled · 25/07/2017 16:23

£408 to the childminder. Meh.

LonelyOversharer · 25/07/2017 16:25

Oh cag I hate things like that too. But yes, you need to message them. On the plus side, you never have to go there ever again, and not give them any more of your money. It's the summer holidays anyway ffs, and lots of people have dc with a range of ages. They should let people in on a first come basis, and if there's too many in, don't let any more in. Turfing the caglets out because they were busy is just NOT acceptable.

Can you use dh's email so you don't have to read the reply first?

Root canal was totally fine. All fixed, but may need a crown later. It's not even sore now. Apparently my teeth are tiny, 13mm from surface to root end, typical for an adult is 22mm. He thinks we'll have more trouble in the future, oh goody.

I went into Mountain Warehouse, and got the soft shell jacket I've been coveting for some time. A pair of shorts, and sandals and a back to school coat for ds. Age 5-6 ... where has my baby gone? £5 fruit from the market stall, and £17 in the coop on lunch bits.

I took my girls rollerblading, dd3 is a no-fear danger danger child, on new fast rollerblades she scared me a lot, but loved it. Dd2 is convinced hers are going to kill her any minute, slow exposure for her. And bloody dd1 uses my too narrow for my horrid hobbit feet super fast racing blades, and is bloody quick. I am getting rollerblades for my birthday! I'll be 41 in August. My old pair are 22 years old! £5 frozen drinks as a reward for trying hard.

I'm really enjoying having 'big' kids. I think I'm over broody, at last, phew!

CremeEggThief · 25/07/2017 16:47

Just message them on their Facebook and say they need to make the rules clearer, Cag. Point out that the kids were upset and made to feel as if they'd broken the rules, when they hadn't. Then don't give it any more head space. You can do this!

Spends: £2.80 Greggs, on a latte, a doughnut for DS and a delicious apple toffee cookie for me.

Cagliostro · 25/07/2017 16:54

Thank you both! I have got an idea of how to word it, and yes private message is better than public post I think. This is only their second week so probably teething problems etc. But now you've worded it like that lonely yes that's not on really is it? I honestly wouldn't have minded if they had said straight away, sorry they are too old.

I hope we can go back if there are times they can actually use it, they had said that they will be offering special needs and home ed sessions (was actually through an HE group that I heard about them so assumed they were geared for older kids) and we'd be very happy to go to those, but I'll be checking if they close it to the public for those sessions because otherwise it's clearly not going to work!

Cagliostro · 25/07/2017 17:00

And yes creme nail on head there with feeling like they'd broken rules, the staff were actually really nice about it when they just asked the kids to stay on the tablets instead (they have games) and of course the kids were happy to carrying on playing with the tablets for a bit but after a while they were sad they couldn't go back and DD especially has a typical autism sense of justice so she was most put out that the rules had been changed on her!

Gah! Sorry I will stop waffling now, I tend to overthink these things :o no idea where DD gets her issues from... Blush

ememem84 · 25/07/2017 18:33

£3.01 on weetos. Chocolate weetos. Dh and I worked out that catfaces new biscuits reminded us of something. And only yesterday realised that it was weetos. So a small he's had a shit day at work I stopped by the shop and we now have a massive box of them.

Cagliostro · 25/07/2017 19:00

Love Weetos! Had them regularly as a kid.

Hallelujah we have accidentally found a type of rice that BOTH Caglets will willingly eat! First time ever! Tesco microwave basmati. Slightly more expensive than the frozen stuff but if it gets eaten then totally worth it (and I can't deny it was much nicer, plus it won't take up room in our little freezer)