February Frugaleers United in Saving Money, Swapping Recipes & Supporting each other in finance, friendship & family life : )

[mammymammyIRL]

And so we continue ....

Stress is such a bugger. Just be gentle on yourself em, a few treats are in order.

Well, I haven't been to the supermarket at least, but have spent a shit load of money. I lost my glasses about two weeks ago, they are in the house somewhere double ffs. So as I was in town (£1 parking) picking up dd1's shoes from clarks, I popped into vision express. New glasses £138. Trying totally different frames. These ones will sit on the top of my head, so hopefully not get as lost. Ffs.

And £6 on two costa coffees paid cash, dp gave me £10 yesterday.

And then b&q. New led bulbs for the living room (2 blown), 3 packets of seeds (like I needed these), and an outside light for round the back, reduced to £8. It's like muddy death path alley at night until I fix the path.

The big car has had to go to the garage. A combination of five warning lights now on (yes, we generally ignore them), and an expired mot. Just trying to coerce dd1 into getting the bus home. She is unkeen.

Ah em is it knuckle/joint pain? I’m finding that painful at night/first thing, struggling to do things like pick baby up or pull up the duvet I need to get my bloods done (I’ve delayed them as it included my blood sugar test but it’s not supposed to be done until at least 12 weeks after birth... although she’s now 15 weeks and the form is still sitting in my house 🙄😳) I think they are looking at vitamin deficiencies as stuff like vitamin D can also cause similar symptoms. I am terrible for remembering to take supplements.

Bit spendy today, mindless purchases in cafe (really didn’t need it and actually their hot chocolate isn’t that nice) got a few baby things in Boots, including a cute pram toy dangly thing pleased with that as I’ve been wanting to get one for a while but couldn’t find anything nice, then this lovely one was reduced to £2.50 :o DH went to Sainsbury’s as I needed drinks for tonight (takeaway curry and cards against humanity with home ed mums :o) and he scanned in the nectar coupon so I’m up to nearly £9. And we picked up our bus pass holders. Living the high life here 😂

Yay for baby kicks meadow 💕

Oh Em you poor thing, I agree with Wreck you should treat yourself to something relaxing like a massage .

Cag Go and book your bloods!!

Are you supposed to eat something 'with' a casserole or just eat it alone? I don't think I've ever cooked one before and found a recipe on the Quorn website for an easy one with Quorn sausages that I am planning to do tonight. Although with Linda McCartney sausages as that's what we have in right now. Trying to use up some of the colossal amount of stuff DH has accumulated in the freezer whilst I've been ill and he's been doing the food shopping.

Spent £59 on shoes. DH spent £50 on sunglasses but they are going back.

I've been good and been noting down my spends in my little book. Spent a lot on drugs and stuff as I have 2 poorly teens, with flu like symptoms. And I've hurt my knee so bought Voltarol for that.

Got £10 out for the bus today as i couldn't walk that far, and spent £3.25 in the cafe.

Earned £2 doing a survey in town, sniffing laundry detergent. It was a quick one, I've done longer ones and earned £5. Not bad for 15 minutes work! I'll put it in my money tin which I'll be opening soon as it has the old tenners in it.

Today was a real test on my budget! City centre for signing of the mortgage on the farm and I got a PARKING TICKET!!

£4.65 Starbucks
£6.00 Parking
£20.00 Haircut
£25.00 Parkinh fine

The thing is I haven’t made an allowance for any of this stuff in my budget plus I need to take my dog to the vets.

I’m guessing I should add in an amount each month to build up for hair, vets, dentist etc

I’ll need to recognise my overall month budget now but it’s good this stuff I happening so I’m learning to cover all bases!

Feels very untidy all my envelopes are mixed up now ahhhh!!

This is not an easy undertaking!

Cag we usually have crusty bread with butter with casseroles if they have potato in and if no potato I’ll stick chips in or do mash!!

I had Vit D deficiency and low iron after my DD and taking the tablets changed my energy SO much!! It honestly took me 12 months to feel normal again though. I can imagine at 15 weeks you still feel totally wiped out!! Can imagine the cuteness though - this little noises they make for milk - the memories!!

Found a house which ticked all of dh’s boxes.

He hated it.

I’m booking appointments for next weds. Dh has a day off. So am going to enjoy nails waxing shopping etc.

It sounds like you need to chuck some "wild card" houses in em a la escspe to the country.

What a faff getting the kids home from school was! Dd1 did not get the bus, my parents were out, so she sat in their summer house while I did the 18 mile round trip. And I have to bloody well go back out to take dd3 to her disco later. Dd1 couldn't go to her bff house, as apparently her dad doesn't like dd1 I'm a bit pissed off about that. I mean they can think what they like about her, but to tell their daughter? By the way, my dd1 is a sweetheart.

Dp made the tea at least. Chicken tomato stew. We had ours with rice meadow, soaks up the juicy gravy stuff. I think casserole needs a stodgy carb, but that might just be the mood I'm in atm.

Will need fuel and yet more milk when I go out later. To top off a spendy day. The 8 pints of milk dp bought yesterday will not last until tomorrow.

Sigh Em

Well looks like I am going to have to resign if i want to leave work.... Obvs good news for all my co-workers as here doesn't seem to be signs of major staff cutbacks mentioned in the budget( although the devil will be in the detail..)..

I am going to have to bite the (scary) bullet!

May have to. It’s annoying as on dh’s wish list are: eat in kitchen. Wood floors. Real fire/wood burner. Washing machine/dryer out of kitchen. Dishwasher. South facing garden. Bus route. Parking. Light and airy. Three bedrooms. Bathroom with shower.

This place had all of the above. But it’s not (according to dh) in Good location (it’s literally a 10 minute walk from our place now).

Will just let him get on with searching himself.

Show us Em?the power of the Frugalleers can come up with something to persuade him..

Nofilter ouch. Is it a council one or a private firm?.

NSD & I won £1.20 on some free slots.

Halifax are offering £125 to switch again, they pay out fast too.

Hi all, thanks for the get well soon messages for dd, she is much better today and all being well will be back at school tomos. sunny I haven't been calm, I've been an anxious wreck this week!! Stress levels are slowly coming down, am sipping calamine tea 😊

I've got a speeding ticket 😭 was doing 35 in an 30 mph zone on the way to work. Gutted, have requested to do the training day rather than get the points but it will still cost £100. Have been trying to work out if I could use some of my car savings to pay for it?!

Today spends were £3 at the post office.

www.wilsons.je/property-for-sale-victoria-village-trinity-pi-WILS1706.htm

here you go laksa

the issue we have, is that dh wants a house like fill's or my parents. but not their houses. mum and dad have a 4 double bedroom, south facing garden, parking for 4, large living room dining room sun room/playroom and eat in kitchen. their place was valued recently at £795k. we have not got that sort of money to spend. i know this. he knows this.

what he doesn't see is that the houses we are looking at, the ones like this, at the top of our budget, are it. this is the best we can afford. he also doesn't seem to see that these houses are going quickly. sellers are (like we did when we sold our apartment) dictating the price. ours went for over asking. everyone will only take asking price. and sadly if we want a house we have to go in with asking as a minimum at present. this is no different to when we tried to buy last year.

the good thing about having a sale date on ours though is that i am getting much more attention now from the estate agents. they are sending me within budget houses every day. but either only one of us loves them/realises the potential or we both hate them. so far no compromise house.

im not willing to compromise on dh's favourite (next to a school and a supermarket - literally garden backs on to delivery route to store and school playing field), and he's not willing to compromise on anything i like. i fear we may have to take up my riding instructors offer of moving into her spare stable. (great things happened to those living in stables in the past though right....that jesus bloke did ok...maybe ds could be like him. hes not the messiah he's just a very naughty boy

I'm counting today as a nsd. i paid for the dr's but i have submitted my invoice and will have that back in my account by the end of the week.

tomorrow will be spendy. £3500 to the dentist for my invisalign. eeep.

to answer your earlier question cag yes its knuckle and joint pain. and is much worse first thing. it eases off by lunchtime. and comes back around now. i'm going to follow gp's advice and eat better (except for bacon mac n cheese for dinner, with a rocket salad), drink more water, less booze, less caffeine more outdoors, more exercise. and see what happens there.

i mentioned about the pregnancy hormones causing it, she dismissed it and said that id hurt everywhere, if this was the case, not just my hands.

My spends today are about £30 at Boohoo, I got myself a mat dress, mat PJs, and a tie for DH as a little Valentines' day present which was in the sale, and there was an offer on for free next day delivery. Not bad.

DH has got an interview for a uni course. I can't say much more as it would be super outing. But it's a very prestigious, competitive course that he's wanted to do since he was a boy. He applied to other unis this cycle too, and was rejected pre-interview for all of them, primarily because the other unis took a different entrance exam which he did very poorly on, but he did well on the other type of entrance exam which this uni look at. I am pleased for him and despite it being so competitive I am fairly confident he will get a place, luck being on his side. However this would mean us relocating with a 2-3 month baby, for the 4 years of his degree, to a smaller city a few hours away where we know nobody. So mixed feelings really...interview is not until April either which is an agonisingly long way away.

Oh heck Em if he doesn't like that.. I can totally see your point.. Is it because its on an estate? (but the last one was also wasnt it?) .No chance of him reconsidering the cottage-y one?

Em you need Kirsty and Phil asap or barring that some independent advice to help dh really understand the money will only go so far and he has to compromise somewhere. Anywhere could have wood floors and a log burner in time.

Also he seems to be looking for a forever home?.It's a big leap from 2 bed to that though. also things change dont they? When we moved here 12 years ago (after several moves ) I thought this might be 'it'.. Detached edge of village, huge, huge garden , three beds , sep dining room and lounge. sun-room, utility ..loads of room to extend.

Now we are thinking we may downsize sooner rather than later .!

Forever home is what we’re after laksa. He likes the Estate thing. Fils house (where he grew up) is an Estate house. Like the one we looked at today.

I’m prepared to increase budget to find the house which we could do although dreams of retiring at 50 and having a good chunk invested would be just that. if we keep budget low we can achieve the investment portion as well.

I’m open to cosmetic work on a house. Painting floors etc. All good. Am realistic enough to expect if we’re in a house for the next 25-30 years it’d probably need a new kitchen or bathroom. But not immediately.

I may tweet kirstie. They’ve been here before - years ago. I’m sure they’d like to return.....they could stay here. We have room...oh wait..,,,,,,

wolf irony is that of the two of us I’m the less money savvy one. (Although dh is an accountant and i work in private trust so deal with buying property and investments for clients daily)

He knows what he wants and believes it’s out there. Which it may be. it better hurry up

This is nice and on an estate..................

If he got a speed boat to commute this ticks the boxes and is what you could get on our island..

and you could get a horse or two..

I fail to see what's not to like about that house. No wonder you are frustrated. Em

Good luck meadow dh. I bet there is a frugaleer in or near the new town...?? Good luck to dh.

£8 Morrison's today on meds. £3.80 fitness.