Frugaleers chatting and saving in the April sunshine.

[SunnyLikeThursday]

Welcome to the new thread. This is a support thread for chatting and discussion of family budgeting.

That's mad you don't have all those shops. I buy most of dds clothes second hand and new bits mostly from h&m. I bought dd2 a bin liner full of next stuff up to 18 months from a car boot when she was born for £5! Aldi clothes are online when they do the special buys if they deliver to you.

Washing machines mines a indesit washer dryer and we have insurance through domestic and general for £4.99 a month which covers everything. Has been fixed at least 5 times in the last 6 years! Need to call again as I've dropped and smashed the front of the powder drawer 😣

I did a second hand sale on Saturday... Was so quiet and hardly any people. But still made £60. Got tonnes of stuff still so need to list on gumtree and Facebook tonight.

I've moved my kitchen around which looks much better and more spacious. So I've also ordered a chest freezer, then I can do a large Iceland shop online once a month rather than lug it all on the bus every week which I struggle with. And I will have more space for leftovers and reduced food I see in co op but never have room for!

Also bought dd1 new school shoes rebook classics reduced to £24 as hers had holes in!

need to pay for swimming lessons £120 for both dds and go to Lidl (still not been!!) But written a meal plan to use up cupboard and freezer stuff so shouldn't be too bad.
Going to Portsmouth harbour and London Tuesday and Wednesday. Meeting a friend for dinner on Thursday and dds are having hair cuts on Friday. And messaged handy man about all the jobs I need doing. so a pretty spendy week ahead, have got money saved for it though.

£9 coffees and a sarnie for DD2, £1.20 take away snack for DD1 and £3 odd in Boots. DH paid for his own coffee due to a sarky comment last night

Went to the cinema last night so not the NSD I thought it would be after all. He paid for the tickets and drinks. I paid for snacks, £18. It was good to get out but if I’d more notice I have bought snacks to take with.

Have put more cleaning stuff through the WM to see if it helps, am trying not to think about how much water and electricity I'm using!!

Had a nice, quiet day. Spent £55 in Morrisons, had forgotten how much more expensive it is compared to aldi. That said I bought lots of their wonky veg stuff which is good value. Have bought lots of healthy stuff as well, dd isn't overly impressed by this health kick 😅

£0 hof as didn't really like anything, going to wait and see how the people in my new office dress. Most likely will require shoes, nude, grey and black for summer. Clarks for that.
£16 clothes dyes, £0 swimming voucher used, £0 opticians lens on order but I have dry eyes so contacts may be no good

Meal plan
Tues spaghetti bol (made a vat of bolegnaise this afternoon will freeze lots of portions)
Wed chicken, rice n veg
Thus jacket spuds, salad, cheese, tuna
Fri pizza and salad
Sat roast
Sunday pesto pasta and salad

Awful awful day, can’t get into it really so not sure why I’m even mentioning it but I can’t mention it in real life and am still in shock but major life changing event/revaluation and the likelihood seems to be that ds and I will be going it alone from now on. I need to keep posting here as I may have to run the household on one wage in future and I’m not sure how the hell I do that or whether I can even commit to my new job now but I’m not sure I’m going to be a happy joyful contributor.

Yikes! Wolf, that doesn't sound fun at all. Hang in there and keep posting.

Oh no wolf I hope you're ok. Feel free to pm if you want/need to vent

£25 ds swimming lessons.

I’m sorry Wolf, I hope you get to keep the new job, you worked hard enough to get it.

Jumping on the thread

Say as much as you can wolf. Pm if you want. Sounds horrific but make no decisions in shock. Whatever it is get through today and think tomorrow.

Wolf sorry to hear that things are not good in your relationship, hopefully you'll get to keep your job. I can attest to the great support from everyone here in private messages when I announced that I'm separating from my H. And it really helped me because not many know in RL yet

Sorry to hear that, Wolf. Get through the day 1 minute, 1 hour and 1 day at a time. That's all you can do.

Spends: £21 for 3 sessions of Pilates; £2 Co-op (salad and plums) and £4.10 on my bus fares back.

Oh no wolf :( so sorry

And welcome wheely! :)

Agree wolf please don’t think about being joyful etc for us, just be you, we all get support from this thread when we need it (I’ve said before, I really don’t know where I’d be without you guys being here over the last few years). Whether lurking, posting, venting, PMing, we are all here for you xx

I remember you Wheely.

There was someone making wine at home before Xmas, don’t suppose your still lurking?.

I’d be interested to know how it went.

wolf vent away

seacow is the new dior in yet?

In sorting out the house news, DP has thrown away a pair of shorts of his that I detest, and he only wears on holiday. At least 25 years old. I promised he could have a new pair if he misses them. We have also taken apart the big wardrobe, part to go to the tip, the other wood to be used for shelves sit in the garage

£3.50 on milk and odd bits

*door not dior

Money in bank: -£146.05 + £56 waiting to clear = -£-90.05
Money in food/petrol account: £120.63
Money in purse: £0.32
Money elsewhere: £42 – DS1 still owes me

Actual money available: £72.90

Spends since last post
1.50 – 3 litre pepsi max
0.69 – 1st class stamp (sweet Jesus surely it’d cost less for me to walk to Birmingham to post it myself..okay maybe not)
20.00 – petrol for husband’s car
20.57 – grocery shopping on Saturday
10.00 – SW food diary from ebay (which are better than the ones they provide and has 6 months of food diaries)
14.48 – from our Wetherspoons meal out on Friday
1..38 – overdraft interest

Got an e-mail offering overtime for this week only. Normally I would only do it at the weekend but I don’t know how long it will last so I forced myself to do an extra 1.75 hours at time and a half. I would have to do 35 hours of overtime to be able to pay off the whole overdraft and I don’t think it’ll be around for that long. I’m going to try and do 6 hours this week and then 8 hours at the weekend although the money wont get paid until May’s wage.

Also, my car insurance is up for renewal on 25th April and my payments come out on 1st of the month – the payment that should have gone out on 1st April hasn’t been taken yet so I’m hoping I get a free month. I’ll keep it in there until the end of the month though and if it doesn’t get taken, that’ll go towards reducing the overdraft and it’s around £51

Days left to payday: 4 (including today)

wolf as everyone else has said keep posting. Even in the shit moments one this lot says something to make you smile.
Life glad you are getting your sticky throat checked.
Sea I have a mental image of you puckering up to your house.

Still no sign of need. I had hoped post Manchester marathon and year end she would have been back.

Nothing of note has happened here...

Good to see you back Wheely

Wolf keep posting. We're all here for you. Tell as much or as little as you want. It might be easier than talking in real life. Hope you are OK tonight

NSD. Unless you count online weekly shop but that won't be paid for today! It was a good one anyway - sub £50.

Hope Need is ok.

Jumping back in to place mark.. been a fairly spendy few days .. but got a great ebay bargain Originally £175 Ash silver star trainers for £60! BNIB from ebay seller ..plus I might have bough something else from Hush.

Was looking all good today ( and it was the first day of the Grand Holiday Diet.. ) . until i met DS after work and we went for a curry ! . of course Mum paid

Start diet again tomorrow. huh?

Love I am a bit embarrassed to post a link to the motorhome we have been looking at on a Frugal thread.. But its a Knaus SunTI .. and V.V ££££££.. but it is my retirement fund which I have saved-up for the last 14 years

Dsis has sent some pics of her cruise. Don’t go to the Caribbean y’all. It looks awful. White sandy beaches, crystal clear blue water, palm trees, coconuts, sunshine, cocktails. Bleurgh. Yuk.

I solo patented all day. Dh was at work then out to see friends which we’d bothforgotten about. But hey ho.

I ate a whole pizza and had a Diet Coke. Mmm.

Ds has his food. Then we had a bath in the big bath. More bath = more splashing = wet Mummy.

Bottle then bed. While I was bottling ds (that sounds horrific...) catface jumped in the bath. It still had bathwater in it. So have had to catch her. Then dry her. Ffs. She let me towel her off and smells all lavendery now though.

wolf . So sorry to hear that , you just vent away! This is a safe , supportive and friendly space .

hello again Wheely ! Good to see you back..

Yes, still no Need.. fingers crossed all is ok with her and she is just super-busy..

Sounds utterly Foul Em ill make a note to avoid that area on our great retirement trip.. you cant get a van over there anyway