Money Saving Marches on....frugal living, friendly chat, no judgment

[ememem84]

Hello. Took the liberty of starting a new thread...

Audit I cross posted with you last night and didn’t realise till this morning. So sorry about your mum. I know you are close, this must be an awful time for you . Really hope she pulls through, sending hugs

Snowing here and it’s settling. Not too thick yet though.

In other news, DD slept through from 7pm to 7am without waking once. First time ever and amaaaaaazing.

Snowing here too Christmas. It wasn’t supposed to start until tomorrow.

None here yet. I'll wait for cag to get some then assume it's on the way!

He’s a beaut.

There’s a bengal who lives near the stables. For the last 4 weeks he’s stood in front of my car as I’ve driven down the road then fallen over. When you get out to move him on he’s all playful.

Lovely pictures everyone 😍

Audit thinking of you and your mum

Well done to DD seacow so glad you had a better night. Cagletini isn’t obliging but that’s just because of the ends of the virus I think. I’m going to try her in those green dungarees you sent with horses on. Too cute! 😍💐

Ugh I really need to start taking care of myself. Why is it so easy in pregnancy ie looking after a tiny person, but not just for myself 🤔 I am going to get my bloods done tomorrow finally, as well as getting Cagletini and myself weighed (dreading the latter). Then I’ll pick up some spatone and recommence taking my vitamin D (just the OTC ones, I’ll wait for the blood results to find out if I need the prescription dose, actually what I have left is possibly out of date now anyway). And. Cut down fizzy drinks and chocolate which I am craving all the time. Vicious cycle. Ugh.

Spends will be DS haircut today, possibly small top up in Coop.

I really hope we don’t get snow, sports club is supposed to start tomorrow! Not that I’d mind if DH is around more, but the money is good and I’d have to refund people. I have nearly £700 in my PayPal 😱 but that’s mostly trampolining money so need to keep it there for when the teacher and leisure centre invoice me.

Just a couple of flurries so far. Now the sun is out.
Got soup in one SC, Bolognese in the other. Will meal plan and bake this afternoon.

cag sympathies here. I’m findig it difficult at present to sort myself out. Having to force it. But I know it’s doing me good.

My trick is to make sure I wear a lovely outfit and make up. Feel more like me that way. Even if we’re just hanging at home. I’m trying to drink more water too. And remember vitamins. I was told by my gp to take vitamins before bed. That way they are absorbed more effectively while your body is resting.

It is so so cold today. But sunny. Beautiful. Ds and I left early for my dr appointment thinking there’s be a ton of traffic but there wasn’t so we took a drive round the coast. Tide is high waves are crashing. It is a beautiful beautiful day. And appparently its going to be a fab day for a surf (according to the lifeguard on the radio!!!)

Ds is in his pram playing with his spiral pram snake thing, giggling and also flirting with all the old ladies at the drs. He’s such a tart! Haha!

Oh I love a tarty baby em! My dd2 was sooo beautiful (she had long brown hair as a baby, needed clips in at 3m, literally like a dolly), but could turn old ladies to stone with one very pointed look!

audit I'm thinking of you and your mum stay strong.

I've rather stupidly just realised why I'm so skint. In an effort to pay down my credit cards, I'm actually paying off a lot more than I can afford. So, now my shopping is under control, I can budget it for next month, so I pay off enough to I break even for the month. Doh.

I did spend £18 in sainsburys, £11 of that was 8 cute dishes, reduced to £1.60 and £1. They'll fit a small pudding or olives in, and can replace the last few ikea plastic ones. I sense an end of an era, not really needing the plastic bowls and plates anymore.

For March I am going to draw out cash, £400 for the month. This is the food/supermarket budget. For Feb I have done 2x£170 shops. So this might be enough as I try to top up less. I'm going to take my credit cards out of my purse. To aid willpower. This sounds a lot, but there are 6 people, 2 dogs, a spoilt cat, 4 ferrets and 15 chickens included in this budget.

Brr might need to get my big coat back out. A cardigan isn't cutting it.

Lonely I spend about that each month, if not more and there are only 2+2 here.

Frugal lunch. Left over ham and egg whites.
Hovered the car ready for trade in prices.
Hoovered the house. Need a new Hoover.

life this is a gradual tightening of the ship. Before this thread, I spent 3x this much each month, and until really recently twice this. Not included is any fuel, or any spends on the dc, clothes, shoes etc. I honestly don't think I can go much lower than this, without going hungry, which isn't going to happen.

I cannot find the charging lead for my gtech. I think it's gone to look for my glasses. Will look into a new one. I only ever had it plugged in at the top of the stsirs, so where the hell has the charger gone? Clutter working against me again.

Back from dr. And the shop. And the post office.

£61 at dr - X-rays show a slight possibility of psoriatic arthropathy. Which is strange apparently as I don’t have psoriasis. Dr has referred me to a consultant for further X-rays and possibly an mri. Hopefully I should get the appointment for next week. Hooray for medical insurance!

£40 Waitrose. People were going crazy and stocking up. Apparently we’re due blizzards this week. I call bullshit. But I may be wrong.

So it’s maybe not that then. At least your not ignoring the symptoms & the gp acted swiftly.

Cag Those fizzy drinks strip calcium out of you, its the phosphoric acid. The body has to counter it with calcium. So I read. It could be a rumour spread by Robinson’s squash

42p pitta breads
£3 cashback in from topcashback Easter egg offer. I paid in nectar points so sort of free. So far dhs Easter stash is a huge fuck off cadburys Easter egg & two bags of mini eggs.

There’s free cake mix on some CheckoutSmart accounts. Neither of mine have it.

I hope it doesn’t snow. Only 4WD cars make it out of our road when it snows. I’m on a hill 😭, that leads onto another hill, that leads onto another hill. Fab.

Lonely, I meant that as a compliment to you and that I spend far too much. Just in case it came across the wrong way.

Everything stops here when/if it snows. Literally everything. We are not prepared for snow. According to our parish Facebook page if it snows overnight they’ll grit/salt the roads tomorrow. People are asking why not grit the roads now.....just incase.

House is tidy for colleagues visit.

Dr also took a look at my throat. Which is very red raw and my glands are up. She thinks virus and has given me a ridiculously yuk mouthwash which should help. It should also help my mouth sores from the Invisalign. So win win.

I read that as being due blue lizards.

:o at squash rumours

Hairdresser friend couldn’t make it so saved the money but I will need to trim DS’ hair before trampolining on Thursday.

Need to order Tesco. Also need a nap.

Glad they are investigating the pain properly Em

Few little flurries here but nothing more. Bitterly cold though, will wrap up for taekwondo later. Need to pick up DD’s tablets and will see if they have spatone - I have got iron tablets but would prefer something gentler. Thanks for advice about taking them at night, I hadn’t heard that.

Bacon and veg egg fried rice for lunch which was yum, used up the sad looking mange tout among other things. Would have been more eggy but one rolled off the counter 😳

Ooh I have the cake mix offer after all. Well that’s dhs birthday cake sorted then.

Afternoon.

Seacow - I have been known to park A Very Long Way from the entrance to supermarkets, particularly when I first started using a larger, more family size car. I'm better now. Not letting the nerves win is key. Hard but key. Well done to your clever DD, sleeping through.

I don't know that that medical term means Em?

I'm trying to get my shopping bill down. Not for any particular reason other than I spend a lot on food. Made good strides forward - no M&S twice weekly trips, no waste, very few takeouts, we don't spend on any coffees or fast food at all. I'm hoping to reduce by £30 this month. Getting small chunks off. I'm only minimally drinking now until my marathon too, so that will save loads.

We are due a whole lot of snow tomorrow, being in Yorkshire.

Audit I am thinking of you and your DM, take care.

Cag Definitely try to take care of yourself, this is easier said than done with 3 DC, but maybe try to eat well if nothing else. The carbonated drinks thing at the very least strips your teeth of their enamel, diet or not, there was a massive talk about it on radio 5 last week,

£23 Aldi - frugal fail was buying almonds after searching my cupboards for ages yesterday (for a salad) and then assuming DD had eaten them. They miraculously were exactly where I left them today

Ps the almonds were for a big salad I was making for lunches for the week. Cashews were used instead.

Oh life I didn't take your post the wrong way! More of a "I can't believe I used to spend over a grand a month in the supermarket!"

£9.80 postage. Transferred £120 from paypal, £20 for postage, £100 to cc.

Yes they are awful things really. I was doing so well and cutting back just over a year ago is what kick started losing weight. So I know I can do it, and I’m definitely still having less than I was before that, but I am craving caffeine so much ATM (and don’t drink tea or coffee). Just because of being tired with the baby. But I am starting to notice that I feel really awful after too much of it. I lose all self control with food when I’m tired and stressed 😩 I need to woman up and deal with it again.

Need the weather app for my bit of Yorkshire has just changed from snow tomorrow and Wednesday to snow from tomorrow morning right through until next Monday evening. I am not impressed, I’m supposed to be working in London tomorrow and Wednesday and Ocado are supposed to be coming Wednesday morning. We are hilly and out street is shady and doesn’t get gritted. Any hint of snow and there’s no getting in or out for us.

I'm a bit further north in the next county. Starts with a D. Mines the same wolf from 6 am tomorrow right through to sleet next Tuesday. Great! The whole town grinds to a halt and a 15 min commute takes hours