Friendly Frugaleers Ambling into Autumn, watching our wallets and the weather!

[Cagliostro]

Hello! All welcome as we continue trying to use our money wisely!

Hi Mischief. I split up with my husband nearly a year ago, and had to go on benefits. I'm a carer for my disabled son so can't work, so have had to budget carefully. Sometimes not very well!

So I had £10 to last me till Tuesday when tax credits and Carers allowance goes in (CA used to go in on Monday, not sure why they changed it?) but my ex did actually turn up today to see the kids and gave me £150.

Just got back from Morrisons - spent £78 on the weekly shop.

Spends yesterday:

£6 taxi home (DH paid for night out besides that)

I hate that feeling when you realise that there is far too much time before payday and not enough in the cupboard. Weirdly I go into baking mode... I guess so the kids have some treats.

People on here are awesome on making meals from nothing and finding savings on essential expenditure.

Welcome mischiefmanager I'm in the very slow process of separating from my husband. This is a very supportive corner of mumsnet.

I fell off ynab the week prior to my holidays so approx 6 weeks ago and haven't got back on it as I had hoped to catch up on my transactions. This hasn't happened so with the start of September being a new school year and both dc now in school I've decided to do a fresh start. I keep two budgets one for joint bills and one for personal, I'm unsure whether this amalgamate or not when we're eventually a two household family.

My personal account has gone to pot since anyhow, it used to have a little cushion of money.

Today I've been to Dunnes with dd €85 spent think €25 on groceries and €60 on clothes for dd. She has had a couple of growth spurts this summer

Been back to town, spends;
£4 drinks bottle for dd
£3.30 superdrug
£5 card factory
£15 the works, this included 20 bday cards which are on offer 20 cards for £1!! Ideal for kids bdays. Also stationery for dd to go back to school with and two gifts.
£9 primark on a gift, socks and tights.
£10 wilkos a few bits and a load of bulbs for the garden.
£5 greggs late lunch!

Quite pleased with all that.

Back and arms aching a bit from carying it all though 😕

Hello Mischief you are very welcome here. This is a nice gentle corner of MN where you will get lots of advice and support.

Girlie are you back at work next week?

Welcome Mischief I unexpectedly separated not quite five months ago, also with added complications. There are a few of us here as you can see from all the posts above who are navigating through some difficult times and trying to manage the financial side too. You will find this a really supportive corner, I’m not sure how I would have managed without the folks on this thread

Seems I’m in the right place. I didn’t expect so many people in the same/similar positions!

girlie I got that card offer too! It was too good to resist so I ended up with 40. DD will never be short of cards for friends birthdays again

Hi mischief welcome and sorry you’re going through such a tough time. This is a very supportive corner of the internet’s. I like to think of it as frugal blanket/bra. Something to keep us supported and warm!

X

mischief I arrived here because I was largely housebound with post-natal exhaustion/health problems. That was four years ago and I am much much better now, but being on the frugaleers has really helped. I was spending too much on ds and far too little on myself, and getting the balance right sorted a lot out.

This week, after being really too thin for years, I am now officially a tiny bit chubby and back to eating just normal amounts of food, to stay the right weight, so that's nice.

take that is great news. I need to lose a bit but I am not a fan of dieting (giving up crisps doesn't count) because they appear to cause all sorts of upset - mental and metabolic. I just need to do more exercise and swap beer for white wine 😵

Thanks unescorted I just need to stop eating 10 packets of crisps a day on top of my regular meals. Shouldn't be too hard. LOL!

Hey mischief that's a huge change, be kind to yourself.
Ok have you gone through your direct debits, cancelled what you don't need, what you do are your on the best deal. What debt do you have, are your on the best deal, doing the standing order trick with credit cards.
Have you separated your finances from h?
Do you meal plan/ audit food already in?
Always look for a voucher/deal.
Have a full year budget - see money saving expert (mse)
Do you use all loyalty schemes where you shop, cash back sites for internet?

Went to Beamish today £12 ish on treats to supplement the pic nic. It was home guard/ dig for Britain weekend so lots of frugal living going on.

Welcome mischief

I've been in a horrible mood all day it's because I'm tired. Anyway I built the DC's chest of drawers (malm) by myself in 90 mins and then we went to lunch with pil and bil.

Have to sell our lovely solid oak coffee table as it's just too big.

Also booked a villa for next etc so £293 deposit for that.

Still waiting for our overdraft to disappear, funny how when you want to increase it it's there almost immediately but when you want to close it it takes forever.

We've had our last Sunday before schoooool goes back (yay! We are so ready to go back to school). Two car-ed it - this is magic, we have debated having 2 tiny cars before, to a local Tarn (you'll probably know the one life !), to walk round. Took the dogs. My little spaniel hates the car, so vomited twice, poor puppy. But they loved the walk and the smells. I used 6, yes 6 poo bags.

Dd1 and I brought the dogs home, then met the others at the garden center. Roughly £16 on drinks and ice creams, £25 on more feesh. Picked up my M&S order, and £30 on a sit in Maccyd's for tea. Oh yes £20 on fuel too.

Watching the grand prix now while I list stuff on ebay. Made £66 on stuff ending today. I have a max £1 final selling fee until tuesday, so better get the expensive stuff listed.

My youngest child is 6. I am now, just this year having time to myself. Popping out somewhere without huge childcare juggling. I think having babies does mean "me time" takes a back seat. We have tiny dependant people who need and rely on us, so thats what has to be the priority in my book. For me thats the trade off. It is bloody lovely to nip out without them though! But my dp is utterly chilled, and has never moaned that I'm leaving him holding the baby, as it were.

It is so liberating when they can look after themselves. I can now have whole days where I can do exactly what I want. Although it is usually a kazillion loads of washing and evicting spiders. I need new hobbies.

Is there a deralict house and a tea shop lonely? If it's that one yes I've been a couple of times.

Quite I lol’d at your description of my ‘sister’ at your horsey event. She would have been the precise opposite of that. Possibly the only one, by the sounds of it, so you'd know if you’d seen her

PILs have been today. They took us out for lunch - very kind - but FIL was pretty grumpy all day because they’ve just had a holiday cancelled and they ‘can’t’ book another in the sameish slot because they’ve been pretty much everywhere in the world they want to go! (And they really have been almost everywhere ). The ultimate first world problem. I did a sympathetic head tilt. He was also grumpy because MIL offered to take us out for lunch but there were no fewer than 3 sporting fixtures which were essential telly viewing. And no telly in the Turkish restaurant . DH had to do score updates periodically from his ‘clever phone’.

The downstairs of my house looks amazingly tidy right now. Upstairs... 😱😱😱. I have to go and do something about that as I literally can’t see my bedroom floor or the spare bed and the cleaner is coming tomorrow. And my sister is meant to be sleeping in the bed.

£12 top up on fruit, smoked salmon and Weetabix.

Busy day -just catching up !
The slow cooker books are by Judith Findlayson,not cheap but worth every penny.
She is very precise about timings and fluid and I think thats where slow cooking goes wrong -overcooked and too watery.
I make some lovely stuff from both books but the tuna pasta bake is my favorite .
Had a huge garden clear up today and after the summer drought all the dead bits are gone and it looks lovely and tidy.
DH went a bit mad with the chain saw
Will spend the evening considering bulb colours.
Apple and blackberry crumble made-last lot of blackberries I reckon.
Meals planned for the week.
Tonight-Ikea Dinner ,meatballs,mash and peas with Ikea gravy
Mon Aldi fish burger SPF and salad.
Tues Mediterranean Pork steaks and rice
Weds Salmon Rice and stirfry
Thurs Freezer dive
Friday Farmshop beef stirfry .

Oh dear em DH sounds very unhappy at work .He doesnt cope with upheaval very well despite you doing all the work
Can you get him to the GP ?

Lonely Even though I EBF all 3 I absolutely had to have time for myself and I firmly believe bothparents are equally responsible and time alone is essential for MH reasons.
Although terribly messy now much better DH always responded well to me/your time and we negotiated this and did lie ins as well
I was always firm about bed times also as DC about all evening would drive me batshit !
I really think my DC have benefitted from having DH very much involved .
NSD today and should be a frugalish week as we have all meals and lunch stuff .
Happy back to school !

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Busy fortnight or so. And I've a meeting in work on Tuesday afternoon (I don't usually work Tuesdays) so I've to cook two dinners tomorrow.

I lost track of spending over the past two weeks but I am keeping an eye on my bank balance and I'm doing ok. Last week was spendy but I expected that because DD was back to school and there's always last minute bits I have to pick up, no matter how organized I think I am. Also it was the first week of pay day and that's when I stock up on everything.

Celebrating (with a glass of wine) because my county Dublin won the All Ireland Football Final for the fourth year in a row. Up the Dubs! The wine was free because DH got a present of three bottles of wine. And my Dad treated me to lunch out yesterday. When I went to pay, Dad told me he'd already paid.

Anyone watching Vikings? I'm watching the first series with DH. I'm not sure what to make of it yet. It's quite violent but I guess that goes with the territory. Gabriel Byrne isn't a very convincing viking.

Is it still very hot in the UK? It's been very grey and cloudy here for the past month or so. Last week it was quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, so I rooted out my winter clothes. But Mother Nature did an about turn and it was very hot and sunny yesterday. I was melting in my skinny jeans and long sleeved top. It's lashing rain atm. But I'm sure my washing will dry at some point next April.

Laska and em what do you make of the autumn fashions? I had a look around the shops yesterday (didn't buy anything ) and found myself drawn towards several mustard items of clothing. But I remember when mustard was last popular (sometime in the 80s) and let's face it, it will probably go out of fashion on the 1st of February. So not a good investment. I'm probably safer sticking with berry colours.

Welcome Mischief. This is a very friendly and supportive corner of MN.

Sorry I'm posting without reading but I hope to catch up next weekend.

Thanks so much life.

Gone through direct debits and changed a few for cheaper deals.

Luckily no debt and I do have a small amount of savings which I am trying not to touch and keep for emergencies. Some has already been allocated to cover nursery fees I can’t otherwise afford.

Finances all separated. Luckily we rent so didn’t have house sad to mess about with. We will be moving to a cheaper place imminently. I’m selling everything I can before we move. Also looking at selling car and buying cheaper.

I am beginning to meal plan and use things up. This is where I can probably save most. This week has been my most successful yet and I even have meals in the freezer now for busy days. I work long hours and it’s too easy to buy a McDonald’s for me and the littlest after a long day.

I’ve done a full year budget and budgeted for annual costs split over the months.

Don’t use any cash back sites yet so that’s probably the next thing to look at but I have signed up to points cards for places I use regularly as DH took the cards for some.

I’ve been off over the six week hols so a lot of this has been sorted then. Sticking to it when I’m back at work and not dipping into the savings is going to be harder I think.

Lonely, are you going to the tour de England next week? Might come over for the time trial day of I can get off work

I'm back to work tomos born 😞 hopefully will be okay....

Interesting re the chat on 'me time' being on my own meant i never had me time, it got a bit easier once dd started school but my needs/identity etc has def taken the back seat. I sort of agree with lonely babies are not babies for long. That said my mental health has def suffered as a result of years of coming second! The first class I've signed up to since having dd was the pilates class I started last term!!

I think I probably need to start putting some effort into finding a nice partner, would certainly make my life a lot easier 😁