Spending sparingly in early Spring - frugal friendly folk gather round.

[Justanothermile]

New 'fred

Just catching up on everyone's news whilst the DC are at preschool for the last time before the Easter hols

Spends so far in April:
1st - NSD!!
2nd - £24.13 Asda (including a magazine for DTS1 as he was so good at his hearing test appointment - otherwise would have been cheaper!)
3rd - £5.15 ebay (new trousers), £2.35 shop (treats for DTs whilst on dog walk)
I need to get petrol very soon, light is on, but I've managed on £25 worth for the last month which is great.

Seacow ouch to your poor DP's kidney stones!! Is he on the mend now? No, my DP does bugger all for birthdays/ Christmas/ Mother's Day etc. He did get me a bunch of flowers for Mother's Day but that was only because we happened to walk past the market and the DTs saw them! I will say that he can be very generous and just says "Oh get yourself something" - but occasionally he's then moaned that I did buy it - so generally I just don't bother, I'd rather not have the 'thing' than listen to him moan afterwards.

em we are trying to do lots of gardening here too! Poundland all the way for us though, we go through a lot of plants between small enthusiastic DC and a chewy dog!!

Wreck what a lovely menu from your thoughtful DD

Sneaky I had no idea Argos did shoes! I'm guessing they are the Tu ones? I bought some lovely sequin pumps via Asda online, but they now seem to be gone, and that was only last week! There's a lot on their website though and reasonable prices, depending on what you're looking for.

Moi that is amazing about BF - I didn't do it at all, despite having the best intentions - had a horrendous and very traumatic birth and ended up having two lots of emergency surgery after the original planned c section. Poor little DTS1 didn't even get any colostrum you should be really proud of yourself.

Cag I hope you get everything sorted out at the hospital. So frustrating!! The dentist left me a message yesterday telling me not to forget my appointment on Monday. I don't have an appointment on Monday

Girlie I have a friend who's walked the Camino trail and had a fab time, he's planning to go back, hopefully your DM will be the same! And your poor DD; I wasn't one of the 'in crowd' at school but luckily did make some great friends by the time I left. I am deeply grateful though that we didn't have social media in my day (makes me sound about 100, but I'm not!) as at least once I was home that was that. Kids can be very cruel

Still trying to keep spending to a minimum here but it won't be easy with the Easter hols looming. The DTs were so awful yesterday that they had me in tears by the end of the day - they fight like cat and dog and it's impossible for me to go to a lot of places that my friends take their DC to. And with DP being an arse 90% of the time too I feel very lonely. Just to add insult to injury, everyone from my old work is off on the annual company jolly very important conference in the sun with free booze. Being a SAHM has never been less appealing!!

Just spent 1.5h on the phone, frugally it wasn’t my bill 😂 it was the phone interview for the people who will be assessing the Caglets later this year. They do all the parent questionnaire bit in advance so they can plan the actual assessment according to the answers. Now we just wait for an appointment.

I’m mentally drained (they were lovely though) and still have more DLA to do!

I think I may have a takeaway when the others are out this evening! :o

I'm back from looking at some flooring places, also feeling a bit drained! Even the cheaper place is still more than I originally thought, can't believe how expensive flooring is and I'm not going for anything fancy! Anyway it needs doing so have got a chap coming out Monday to measure properly and give me a definite quote. Unfortunately the original £400 quote I got isn't looking crazy expensive now.

Got my train tickets to London today for the Chelsea flower show - can't wait! £63.

It's freezing 🥶 honestly looked like it might snow earlier!

Where's all our regulars gone?? Jam, meadow, snuggly, seacow, fluffy..... the thread is weirdly quiet atm 😕

AND THE DLA FORM IS DONE!!! Fiiiiiinally

The deadline is the 8th, not sure if I should risk the freepost 2nd class envelope provided tonight (last collection 7.30) or get a new envelope and send first class tomorrow from the post office 🤔

Well done Cag.

Need to get myself to a SuperValu & buy these instead of party bags for DD's birthday party

Thread is definitely quieter I'm guilty of not posting too often myself

Girlie what kind of flooring are you thinking off?

I'd auctioneer around today & plan to put house on the market for May 1st

Well done cag

Well done cag

DP just bought 6 cream cakes reduced in M&S for 36p. The DC have already gone to bed. I feel a bit sick after eating two.

And my jeans wouldn't do up this morning

Agree the thread is very quiet.

Spendtacular day today. Paid the deposit for Mexico. £750. Yikes!

Balance to pay by January 2020. £4000 for 2 adults. An over 2 and a 9 month old for a week at a 5* all inclusive. This includes flights. Not my choice of holiday or hotel. But it’ll be a lovely time.

Also £250 to register to submit my assignment. Committed to it now. Just have to write the bloody thing.

Left work at 430. We think there was a cyber attack on our servers. So it was a case of shut down pcs and go home. No biggie.

Fingers crossed it’s all sorted for tomorrow because it’s end of tax year and I’ve Got shit to do!!

Well done cag xx

I keep getting waylaid by BBC Parliament and Duo Lingo.

Kitten my top frugal tip is to not buy things unless you cannot live without them. So bills, rent, food and transport to and from work all essential. Find the cheapest way to do all of those and as you are eating your own made porridge feel smug that yours cost 3p and the person who bought it from Pret paid £3.

wolf there is a bug going around ours that has a balance problem associated with it. People keep falling over r running into pillars - very weird.

girlie they can be sooooo cruel at that age. everyone is so worried about themselves they will do anything to not be bottom of the social pecking order. Even if it means being nasty to others. There doesn't appear to be any safe spaces for kids anymore, which must be awful. At least when I was the one being picked on I could leave it all at the school gate. Now it is in your pocket.

happier you and your kids will get through this - I love that they don't let their dad off the hook.

Is anyone else finding the clock change really difficult - I am struggling and I am not sure why.

Cag good effort. Those forms are designed to sap the will out of people.

em please post so we can all live vicariously.

I'm not posting as much tbh. Run off my feet.

Mexico will hopefully be good when you get there though em.

Ah happier, bless the DC. They shouldn't worry about money it's true. It's tough of they do. Good luck with the house sale

I'm tired this week. More than normal.

Exciting @ememem84. I have Mexico in mind for a 40th birthday family holiday (several years away but I like to plan ahead ).

Spends today:
£5 lunch, was out of the office all day today and options were limited.
£7 supermarket. I don't think we need a full shop this week so will do a few small shops instead.

I've been knackered all week as has dd.

Well done cag

I think getting your own house will be a good clean start for you and your children happier
I want a durable laminate oak effect floor for my hallway. Will see what price these chaps come up with on Monday but it looks like it will end up costing me around £400.

Em Mexico will be amazing!

We went out for a farewell dinner with my mum, it was really nice but I don't think it's sunk in that she's going tbh. Mum paid and gave me some money to cover 'any emergencies' bless her 💖

We had the dentist earlier, I need a filling 😥 and dd is to be referred to have her teeth out under sedation. Dentist cost £22.

Girlie have you considered a textured wood effect vinyl. I’ve had this in my kitchen for 11 years and it’s really hard wearing and a lot less cost than laminate

Girlie 🤗for you both
Kitten nice to meet you

Yesterday
Car had service and mot £320
Bought plimsoles for me old ones were ten years old and canvas had rotted last year but kept wearing them, this year I had to bin them £10

Today
Petrol £22

I’m excited re Mexico. It’s for our lovely friends wedding. And considering the hotel it’s a super price. I know it’s £4K but...that’s it. 5* all inclusive. Mummy’s going to get draaaaank by the pool!!! or more likely run around after two and a half year old ds and be totally knackered after the holiday and need another one

Electrician round this evening too. To quote to put our rads on the correct tariff. He was super good. He’s going to quote for the following:

• heated towel rail in bathroom (the easy bit);
• switching the two downstairs rads over as living room one is too small and hallway too big (easy);
• rewiring downstairs ones;
• new upstairs rads and rewiring to put on correct tariff

Apparently the rewiring to go on correct tariff isn’t as easy as first thought. Old owners disconnected the sockets for the old heaters downstairs and blocked them up. So he’d have to channel into the wall run wires about etc etc. Messy and ££

It’s a tough one. We’ll look at the quote when it arrives but we’re inclined to leave as is for now - we won’t use the rads in the summer anyway so will save £ then. Dh is thinking that in 5 years time we’ll extend out the ground floor and do “work” so May as well leave it and at that point do it. Or put underfloor heating in.

We’ll see what the quote says. In any event we’re going for the towel rail and switching the rads over. Not so spendy in comparison.

I should add for new posters - I’m not usually this spendy. And am going to try and get the £250 back on expenses as it’s a work assignment. If they say no then I’ll be 😪 but they are letting me drop my hours when I come back after mat leave. So if I have to suck it up and pay £250 for each assignment that’s a cost I can bear.

Hey kitten. Nice to meet you.
Keeping a spending diary can be very enlightening at first.

Welcome Kitten, my top tip is to work out a realistic budget including all of those things you only pay for once a year like Christmas/insurance/school uniform/holidays. Then work out monthly costs each month and when you are paid put away 1/12th of those annual costs.

Allow a budget for fun each month even if it’s very small. Any money leftover after budgeting could go to savings, building an emergency fund or debt repayment. I found this one really hard as, until a year ago, I’d never thought to put away money for annual costs but doing it has made a big difference to how in control I feel of my money and also not having months where I’m trying to fund a big bill out of the food budget.

Kitten: meal plan and check you're on the cheapest tarrif did everything. Switch bank accounts for free money and always check TopCashback before you buy anything online especially insurances etc.

Food shopping today.

Hi kitten :)

You ok life? Work stuff? 💐

Wreck I so agree about the fun budget however small, feeling completely unable/“not allowed” to do ANYTHING is just recipe for resentment and thus falling off the wagon. For a long time DH and I have had a “pocket money” type system for little fun purchases which works well.

Must post the DLA today, a friend reliably informs me that she’s sent recorded delivery forms to them so will do that. Totally worth it if it guarantees it getting there in time for them to backdate it. Also DH is going to Santander, he got a letter to his exW’s house about an old bank account that will be dormant, make a withdrawal or something to prevent it... looks legit but seems like it could a bit phishy to me potentially, he did have an account with them once though so worth double checking in person (definitely not ringing the number on the letter).

I am so so happy that the form is done! And we have booked the Caglets’ private assessments for August 😱 totally adminned my ass off yesterday. Woo.

Yipppeeeeee for Mexico 🇲🇽 em! Radiator rejigging sounds great too.

Mum stayed last night and passed on some Easter money from my grandma 😍 and also said she didn’t want to be paid back for the gym money at all 😱❤️ totally amazing. She just wants me to use it (carefully as flare up from overdoing it is a very real risk) to gradually get fitter and happier too ❤️💐

Unescorted just for you... :o

www.theverge.com/2018/12/13/18137843/duolingo-owl-redesign-language-learning-app

Oh man the next stage of Japanese is SO HARD 😭 why they decide to suddenly throw in katakana AND kanji at the same time as starting sentences too I don’t know, I hoped they would do it slowly like the hiragana. We will need to do more alongside it than we have been.