The Friendly Frugaleers- Autumn is on its way !

[QuiteCleanBanditlovesdresses]

Hi Frugaleers
Sorry lame thread title

Good luck at the bank today em I know your mortgage is all approved, but it's still bloody nerve wracking!

Got all the work I needed to done last night. I know I'm pushing my envelope doing as much as I did at home before, plus full time hours, but right now, it's an every penny thing. I'll tail off as we slow up towards christmas, and concentrate on knitting nativity stuff instead.

I'm a disastrous baker - it always ends up taking 3 times as long and costing a fortune! I'd like to investigate GF baking a bit more though if anyone can help?

A much cheaper day yesterday. Picnics and picky teas means that the budget is looking better for today.

Having a daily budget is working so well I'm thinking of carrying it over into 'normal' life when we're back from holidays. Did anyone read a thread recently about having £1000 pm for everything? I thought at the time it didn't sound like much but having just gone through all of last months dds I've worked out that we have around the same for food, petrol, holidays, gifts, entertainment, haircuts, clothes, dentist, school trips etc etc etc etc

...and all annualised bills (of which we have quite a few) car ins, house ins, wood, chimney sweep, boiler service, car tax, MOT/service and any repairs. No wonder I have no money saved by summer

Shooting for nsd today.

I do at some point need to buy a new concertina file for my paperwork. As mine ripped in the move.

It's really hard isn't it, budgeting for all annual expenses. There's always bloody something I find.

Myself and DD are vegan curvy, or 'veggan', as we eat eggs from my own chickens alone.

Will be a NSD, taken Mil to hospital this morning. I've been given a ton of home grown tomatoes and beans for my trouble!

Otherwise it's domestic chores and listing more equine stuff.

Today is THE BIG CLEAN. I only have approx £8 in my bank account until tomorrow so I literally can't spend any money.

I've found an old textbook worth £30 too so that will go on ebay.

Lots of frugal cooking today. Made carrot, ginger and lentil soup for lunch (which the dts loved) and DD just helped me to make a crumble with blackberries we picked ourselves.
Looking at about £60 for a new tyre. Is there any real benefits to buying the posh sort does anyone know?

Wreck, we all had dentist today too. My DD2 had to have a small filling and I felt so bad for her, she got quite upset .
Jam, I like that, "veggan". My eldest is vegan too and has been for a number of years. My youngest two are slowly going vegetarian.
I went vegan because I found that meat and dairy were making me ill. I feel much better now.
It also kick started a ' get fit and healthy before 40' and I did the C25K and have lost about 5.5 kg since May, so that is a bonus.
But, I had to stop running as I got really bad shin splints and on the advice of my Dr to stop for a bit, but still doing light exercise at home. Really looking forward to start running again, well jogging soon.

Laska's still here! Jam ! you dont get rid of her that easily

I've spent a lot of the weekend sorting out stuff to go to charity shop. I have really got fed up of the amount of 'stuff' in my house and now I'm not working f/t I realise that a lot of my work stuff I simply dont need anymore .Am 3 big bags down so far and more to come ! I've just sat down for a break!

I also made fig jam over the weekend as we have tons on our tree this year (its a shame I am doing low carb , but It will get hoovered up by Dh and the rest of the family ). I am also going to pickle about half of our home grown garlic as we have a lot of that also .

Its been a really expensive month here , what with vets fees and car insurance.. My food budget is shot already .

Luckily though we have stuff in and all the while I'm on a Meera Sodha curry thing ,(mainly veggie) We can still eat well. I love both of her books so much .. . I was thinking of making Paneer from her recipe today actually .

I had a warm vegan salad for lunch today which I've nicknamed fridge dive. Ingredients were warm new potatos, butter beans, tomatoes, olives, parsley, chilli flakes and red onion all coated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was really yum and probably contained 3 of my 5-a-day.

Disclaimer: I am neither vegan or vegetarian.

Meeting at the bank went well. £430 k over 30 years. Fixed for 5 at 1.94% (damm you rates hike!)

We need to get a surveyor. But will sort that out. But bank think we’ll get approval fairly quickly. Payments will be around the £1500 pcm Mark. Doable.

Flappy, that sound delish!
My lunch was some hm spring rolls and salad, it was yummy.

Great news Em How soon do you exchange contracts or do you know its definitely yours already? (probably a different system in CI I imagine)

sea go on the this is Durham website you can get discount vouchers for places. Also raring to go.

Scandi she is a whackadoodle indeed.

Baking kit cag you can go on forever and spend a fortune. I use my basis hand mixer far more than my stand mixer. Borrow one first to try it out. Light weight plastic bowl, digital scales, silicone spatula, cooling wrack.

Decide what your want to make and build up a bit at a time from there.
Basis sponge = baking spread, SR four, eggs, caster sugar, baking powder.
Get cake cases for your muffin pan and make cupcakes.
Peg the top of your bags and keep flour in the freezer.

Snuggly there is little benefit in posh tyre. Go for a decent mid range and new rather than preworn of you can afford it.

£10 petrol.

I'm doing pitta dough in the breadmaker so hopefully dh will collect the wilko order with my new baking sheet.

I haven't got a grater so I def need a zester, I use the processer to grate stuff. I had a zester too from Bombay sapphire gin and I threw it away.

laksa anticipated court date is 5 October.

It’s dependant on the survey being satisfactory. But shouldn’t be an issue.

Great news Em. I can’t remember who is looking for tyres but look at the efficiency ratings for those in your price bracket and noise ratings if noise in the car bothers you (I’m very sound sensitive)

Thanks for tyre advice. A mid-range one was still £100 so I'm afraid I went budget. We just can't afford it. I hope it's not a case of buy cheap buy twice.

Sometimes there's no choice in that sort of thing though snuggly just have to go with it.

Feel a bit blah today (pmt I think) but we got some more unpacking and organizing done yay! We have been here a month tomorrow.

Cag I saw the game you bought on bgg about a week ago and quite fancied it myself. Let me know how it plays once you’ve had the great unboxing. On way home after a long work day. Spends £10 parking and £6 Waitrose on fruit and a drink which I can reclaim and £6 in the work canteen on curry and a cuppa which I can’t

Which game there has been more than one!

Not spent anything yet today (theres still time).

Realised that the surevyor will have to look at the house to value it. Eeek. We are literally the hoarder next door. I feel a frantic declutter/pack stuff away/hide it all in the loft coming on.

They won't care lonely, they are looking at bricks and mortar only don't forget.

Went wild and spent £4 on three bags of sawdust from the feed shop. That's a top tip - feed shops are often loads cheaper than pet shops for bedding.

Hope you're okay cag

Tyres are stupid expensive aren't they snuggly, ours are those run flat ones too.

Cag the chemistry one I think is a present for ds?