Frugaleers Still Saving into September

[Laska5772]

New Thread!!

italian hiiiii!!!! Beautiful dds!! Xxx

Posted parcel back this morning. Hoorah. Remembered.

Email from my pensions people acknowledging reciept of my payment and confirming they've added this to the pension fund for me. Hoorah. So that's done.

Have also had a chat with our accountant/payroll person here at work about splitting my pay while I'm on leave over the 7 months. So that's going to be looked at. She's also going to work out what that means for me tax and social insurance wise. So will come up with options.

Then I need to speak to dh about which is better for us.

Hello Italian Lovely to see you, I remember the 2 small children stage, it's so relentless and hard sometimes as they both need you at the same time!

Quick post, Vet has been out and done the last X-ray for Dpony. He's sound! Stick him in a field for 2/4 weeks then polish the saddle of and get him ridden.

DD is crying her eyes out with relief.

I'm probably going to be crying at the bill

I'm sporadically jumping in again and again Italian - babies just seem to eat up time don't they?!! Your dds are beautiful btw 😊

We've gone a little over budget this month but we've been away quite a bit and I'm feeling pretty chuffed it's not by more. I told you recently that we were spending lots on eating out, well we've just been away for 5 nights and apart from coffee on one day and a couple of drinks on another we had all other meals and drinks either in or picnic.

I'm getting much more of a grip on where/when our money gets frittered. I'd really like to cut down september's food bill as we're still spending around £100pw (baby and household stuff included) and it could be lower. I'm aiming for a month of soups, pasta and omelettes!

Can't believe it's 2:30 already! I've done two loads of washing including our bedding and have put away all the dry stuff (have had to refold lots of it has dh folded it) have tidied and hoovered all of upstairs and made soup for lunch. Need to sort wet washing and tidy downstairs. Dh was rained off but rather than helping me has sat with the dc watching a film...keeps them quiet I suppose.

Welcome back italian

We went to go ape this morning too cag and DD, DP and I all did the junior one. Not sure who was more scared- me or DD. I was very restrained and just quietly whimpered when the child behind me bounced up and down Happy birthday cag DS 🎉

Spends:
£42 go ape but DP had £30 gift voucher I bought for Christmas
£9 sainsburys
£33 lunch

Very cold and chilly here today. About to go in the shower to try and warm back up.

In good frugal news I managed to qualify for an online focus group later this week. £55 for one hour of contributing. Will save the vouchers towards Christmas

That's good going re the focus group Love, decent rate of pay for an hour!

I'd tried to see the positve Wrecked, enjoy the peace and quiet!

Brill progress there Waitress.

I've made flapjack and blondies, done a spag bol for later, stripped our bed, vacuumed, had a run, seen the vet, chatted to the electrician who is here doing work and walked the dogs. I woke up at 5am and just couldn't sleep. I'll be tired later but just thought I'd get up and get one with it rather than tossing and turning. Usually sleep really well, ho hum.

Fab news about DPony need phew!

Welcome back Italian gorgeous photos 😍

Love well done on go ape! I can't remember whereabouts you live, I don't think you're near enough for it to be the same one (park beginning with T). At least I know DS couldn't have been the one bouncing as he was quite restrained despite his excitement! And was behind a dad for most of it. The Caglets loved it anyway. First time they've tried it.

I was really impressed actually - one of the guests panicked last minute and they actually refunded his place. We had all thought that once you paid it was tough luck so really pleased with that.

Lovely to see you Italian. Lovely DD'S. Can't believe it's been 10 months already since DD1 arrived!

Great news on the pony Need

Happy birthday Cag DS

Welcome back Italian. Outdoor nursery sounds great (and very Scandinavian!). How do you feel about going back to work?

Lonely thanks for the tip re sketches. Good to know they size as clarks as we've recently managed to have DS's feet measured there (highly traumatic all round!)
I also quite fancy applying for Bake Off (although I would probably crash and burn on bread Week) - shall I see you there?!

Met a friend for the day today at a big mall, as it is too wet to go with our original outdoor plans. I've bought DD two pairs of dungarees but returned some shorts for DS so net impact about £20. And £10 for lunch, have yet to face horrific parking charges though as I am still here feeding DD.

I'm going straight from here to pick DS up from his very last ever day at nursery. He's been there over 4 years so it's the end of an era

I applied for bake off once. Then panicked in case I was chosen. I realised that after all my cockiness to fill in the application I didn't know enough about baking to actually do it. Haha!

We went to the nursery at lunchtime. It was their lunchtime too (today's lunch fish fingers, peas mash and a salad followed by jelly and ice cream) we had to take our shoes off to go in which is fair enough although I stepped on a rogue fish finger. Eugh.

Dh was impressed though. Have done the maths and it'll cost us £1070 approx a month for 4 days a week while the boy is in the baby room with cost going down a bit once he hits the toddle room and down again for the pre school room. I've been looking into things and we'd also get 20 free hours a week once he's pre school age unless our government bring in a wages cap on this

For what we'd get from it, it's good value for money. I had a call from another one today who is emailed at the beginning of the month and they set everything out for me. Cheaper at £700 a month but only term time. So not at all helpful as dh and I don't get enough annual leave to cover school holidays. In theory if we called in favours from family we could do it but we'd have no time as a family ourselves. So that ones a no go.

Nice to hear everyone's had good days

need great news from pony. 🐴🐎

My dh is job hunting after the start-up company he works for got wound up at the beginning of the week. We have been suit shopping and he is going to a lot of lunches with a lot of people. Different summer holiday from the one we were expecting.

Oh dear sunny hope he gets something quickly, sounds like he will.

Em def not worth going for the term time only one it's a nightmare.

Need so pleased about dpony!

Italian I'm still in shock that you have two can remember when you first came onto the thread pregnant with dd1

Seacow I'm still sad ds won't go back to pre school as they're so lovely. Luckily reception is not next door and they share a garden so he can still see his old teachers.

Em term time would be a nightmare - even if you had enough leave between you you'd have to take it separately, which is no fun. You'll have all those issues when baby eventually starts school, its good to make the most if the round-the-year childcare while you can! price sounds similar to here, seems to be the going rate if they are offering long days for workers.

Sunny I am sorry to hear that, did you see it coming? I have the impression your DH is quite tecchy so hopefully his skills will be in demand, especially where you guys are based.

Oh, and nursery leaving was quite sad. I don't think DS understands that he's not going back . But lots of people came to say goodbye to him, including the manager and some staff from previous rooms. And they had gifts for him - a lovely train set and some sensory toys. When he started there he was just like any other child, we have been through so much over that time as it became clear he was different, and then with his diagnosis. I must admit I did well up a bit

Tbanks em. When are you due? Glad nursery looking went fine. We have a completely different system here but the prices seem eye dropping high for me. We pay for 2 kids 320£ per month and July is non payment month and I find that expensive.
Christmas: I'm a bit bleurgh about going back. We have saved 12 weeks that we can use up to dd2 s 6th birthday so on one side I'd love to stay home till December but having the weeks saved is also nice. And dd2 is ready for interaction with other kids and outdoor day care is brill. They are 4 kids with the same lady on her farm so around animals and besides lunches they are outside playing and napping
Wreck: I know. Time flies so so very fast.

seacow aw poor you! Ds will be fine though xx

sunny shame about dhs job. Hopefully something better comes along.

Im with you re term time care. Not worth is for the moment.

Chipotle chicken fajitas with red cabbage and cucumber slaw for dinner. Mmm.

italian due 28 sept. So soooooon.

We went to the one on the Dorset/Hampshire border cag . So glad your DS had a great time!

We did full year care when DD1 was little em and it was much simpler. Now we've adjusted to a combination of term time only and full year to make childcare more affordable.

I tried on a dress from boden. It was white and blue striped. The best way of describing how I looked was it looked like someone had wrapped toilet paper around me numerous times. Odd. Will be returning it.

Fingers crossed for DH sunny and he finds something soon

Christmas yes there are oodles of start-ups here and only some sell, and the rest eventually fold. It's been a lovely job and the fact that it's time now to get the next one is just part of the natural way of it I think. Much lunching though.

That a big thing your ds moving on from nursery. You must have close friends amongst the staff too, having gone through all that with them.

Christmas I don't know what your ds is like with clothes but my friend has started slyly dressing her ds in his uniform without calling it that obviously. So today he wore the polo shirt with shorts and the other day he wore his new school shoes. He has seemed ok with it because there's no mention of school. He has to get a bus 15 miles away to his school, she's dreading it as he will possibly scream the whole way.

Spendy day. Tooth fixed for now, free on nhs.

£41 fat face, pressies for sisters birthday.
£45 marksies, trousers and socks, and sweets. Lots of.
£58 in the big Tesco, on what? Bits and bobs. Lunch bag for ds and three packs of pants amongst other things.

The casino offers hate me just now. So must give up on them. The urge to keep going for a big win is strong, but then you're just properly gambling.

No work tonight, so I'm going to knit, watch the vuelta and catch up on Masterchef Australia.

Ahhhh I'm all cold and sneezy and gotten a sore throat. Idk if it's a cold coming or allergies. I don't know where the blankets are either as we've still not fully unpacked everything yet.

Today was my first 'proper' day at work because it was the first day where I actually worked on cases all day from start to finish. I made a cock-up at one point but realised soon after and fixed it . I feel annoying for my supervisor and my colleague that sits by me as I'm constantly asking them how to do things . It's just taking me a while to get used to the computer software that we use, I'm not very good with tech.

Spend was £2.20 on wraps for lunch from local supermarket. Will start taking my own lunch but probably not until after we get back from our holiday as doubt we will do a big food shop before then given we are going away so soon.

Seacow Fingers crossed your DS will enjoy his school!

Need So glad DPony is better now .

Sunny Sorry to hear about DH's job situation but if he works in tech I bet he will get another job quickly as there's a skill shortage in tech professions right?

Go Ape is a high ropes type thing right? DH wants to go but I'm terrified of heights so he will have to go with someone else!

Not good Wreck - he has completely refused to wear it to preschool. Like your friend I never mentioned uniform, just tried to get him to wear the jumper (fairly plain) with his usual tracky bottoms. He not only refused but he removed it from the room entirely . He's never actually been fussy about clothes before - the only exception being any kind of dressing up. So I think that's the problem - he sees uniform as Fancy dress. We've made a game where we have laminated bodies and cut-out clothes and he has to choose what to wear for certain situations (home, beach, bed, school). My mum has also knitted a uniform jumper for his comfort toy. It's going to be tricky, there's no doubt about it. I have enough trouble getting him to stop wearing a coat outdoors when summer arrives (and then start again in autumn).

Hope your friend's planning pays off! I'm going to get him in the new shoes next week anyway.

Ah meadow I'm sure it's not annoying! Far better to ask than to assume you know it all or to pretend! And yep Go Ape is high ropes in harnesses, wobbly wooden bridges and such.

Oh no sunny how annoying. You seem to be taking it all in your stride though and I bet something will come up soon!

Aw seacow I think anyone would cry with that much history existing there! End of an era as they say. New adventures now though.