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

[Justanothermile]

New 'fred

Why did my Mexican flag emoji turn into an M and an X 🤔

I need to do the supermarket today too Wreck. I’ve got an ocado order ready to check out but o got annoyed with them the other day over a silly voucher issue and refused to press the pay button (cuts of own nose to spite face).

Just a reminder for those with an isa to top it up today if you can.

Early next week I will have been on my own for a year, looking at how my bank accounts are organised and what I’ve managed to set aside for annual expenses I’m really proud of what I’ve managed to do with my finances in this time even if other things haven’t gone so well. This thread has been great for ideas and keeping on track.

Cag I always send govt forms recorded. Working for the govt I know it’s very helpful to be able to prove your document arrived at a particular place at a particular time.

I am still here! Reading but no time to post this week... DM is ill so I’ve not got childcare and work is mad busy... I’ll be back later.

You still out there Lonely and JAM ?

kittens welcome. I second what wolf said, but if you can, for at least a month, keep a record of how much you spend & on what, before setting the budget. There might be some surprises.
em Mexico, how fantastic! I know how you feel, we're spending on a lot of big things for the house at the moment. We're trying to get everything finished this year except our bedroom which is going to have to wait. We've been in the house 15 years so it's taken a long time, but we are getting there. It's a 1930s semi & has needed re work doing than we realised.
unescorted we're hooked on all the parliament stuff at the moment. Fascinating & depressing at the same time.
Everyone seems so busy at the moment, I have to make an effort to post as time just flies by, but it keeps me focussed. I try to always keep up even if I don't post.
Had a really good, productive day yesterday. Cleaned the veg rack which I was thinking of replacing. It now looks like new! Took delivery of a new combined rubbish & recycling bin for the kitchen to replace the scruffy plastic ones we've had for 15 years. A bit extravagant but it looks great and makes much better use of space. What has it come to when I'm excited about a new bin?!
Made bolognese & soup. The bolognese has been put 1 portion in the freezer, 1 into a lasagne & one to a friend who is having chemo at the moment. Soup is for dh over the weekend & another tub for the friend.
Another frugal thing. We had a basic wooden slatted Argos shoe rack which was dumped in the garage. Dh has cut it down to fit by the back door to take garden shoes etc
Did a big meat shop yesterday £78 but it is enough for at least 20 meals for 4 so £1 a meal which I think is pretty good. Most is in the freezer.
Dd is back from Germany having had a fab time.
I'm just finishing packing & then away until Sunday. Have a lovely weekend everyone.

£96 Sainsbury’s including two sweatshirts for ds. I am now off on a marathon cooking mission to fill the freezer with dinners

I'm having a lovely childfree day off today. I've been for a run, I've done some self care (face mask, filed nails etc), I've done some kitchen reorganizing/decluttering and I've made some phone calls re work that needs doing in the house.
Spends today will be £15 birthday gift.

£352 to fix our shower pump. Ffs. Haemorrhaging money again.

Plumber came round and looked at pump. Needs to be repaired. Duh. He called me and gave two options. £282 to replace the pump and it gets a 2 year warranty or £352 to repair pump (replace if necessary) and service whole shower and whole thing gets a 2 year warranty.

Gone for the more spendy option because the control panel could cost £450 on its own to replace 😱 and we have no idea how old it is. Assuming 3 years but not sure.

Feeling a bit wild today. Left my hair down and it’s reverted to its natural wavy curly messy state in the rain. Haha. So glad no clients are in today. I look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge every which way.

Dinner out with dh tonight though. Just us. Dparents are babysitting. Wahoooo!!

Right that’s four dinners for two and one side made for the freezer. Should be at least one more dinner for two by the end of the day plus tea tonight. Not bad for about £10 worth of meat

Easter holidays time!! 🐣

£16.60 takeaway. Burned dinner!

Oh dear em but it sounds like the right decision. Hope you have a lot of fun on your date!

Sorry to hear you burned dinner Wolf - I hate it when that happens!

Trying to upload DH's pasta recipe for Curvy - it's not super healthy with all the olive oil, but not too bad - and oh so tasty (we're eating it as leftovers now!).

Knackered after a very long week. Will have to go to bed early tonight. However I must confess to lurking on the Brexit threads recently, like you north and Unescorted. The politicians and their motivations are all so confusing and frustrating.

I really hope you can read the recipe woo my first ever Mumsnet attachment otherwise I'll have to try again tomorrow.

£3.35 lunch at work, but I walked home with ds and brought my coffee flask at least.

P.S. It is quite a thick sauce, so can be used for homemade pizza topping as well.

Hi all, hope you are all ok.
Haven't been posting much because of being super busy at work. But last day of term today, 2 weeks off!

Thank you moi, will definitely be trying that.

LSD today, £2.48 on hummus and grapes.
Will be looking in the freezer and cupboards to see what we have and then do a proper list for tomorrow.
I'm so close to my overdraft limit and I still have 10 days till payday so will have to be super orginised. But I can bake lots of treats for the DCs

£55 Aldi
£15 Tesco
£5 car wash
£20 fuel

Meal plan:

Pizza (tonight)
Tacos
Hot dogs
Pasta bolognese
Bacon tomato spaghetti
Curried sweet potato soup
Chilli

How is it that I only get home at 8 on a Friday? I took my first call at 7 this morning just as I was getting to my desk. This has to change.

Moi it is bonkers. Even in the CS we have no idea which way it is going to go - and we make it out business not to be surprised. We are planning, planning and doing a bit more planning so hopefully we can mitigate as much as possible if there is a negative outcome. If it is a happy result - well we have learnt a lot about contingency planning.

North I want to post all the time on the Brexit threads, but can't - we have been told under no circumstances are we to engage on SM about policy if we are not supportive.

Cag I have found it has gone from yeah I can keep up to Oh My! level. But I am still enjoying it. It is fab considering it cost nothing. When I am not using data I watch a couple of ads so they get some revenue.

Wolf hope the takeaway

I was cut off in my prime …

wolf hope the takeaway was good!

I forgot again what language you are doing unescorted! I have done so much duo today I fried my brain a bit. With Japanese I mean. I am also doing French just to refresh myself while DD learns it.

Date night was fab. And free!!! We had vouchers to be used so no spends. Dinner bill was £75 drinks at place before £19. Wahoooo!
Pre dinner drinks photos:
Seedlip and tonic (me)
Guinness (dh)

And a chocolate sundae (me) for dessert.

Le. Yum.

I can't comment on the Brexit threads either but I wish I could some times. Exactly what unescorted said.

Looks fab em. Ooof your have had a few bills there em.

Star event last night at a local planetarium and observatory. £18 but paid for ages ago.
School holidays here. Will need school shoes for DS. And shorts.

Aldi today, footy and pony club

Ds needs shorts and polo shirts and dd needs polos and trousers plus summer dresses 🙄 Sainsbury's 25% off is starting on the 16th.

Today dd and I are getting our hair cut for the first time in over TWO YEARS! I can't wait mine will be £32 and I'm treating dd to her first proper wet cut and blow dry. I don't think they'll charge full adult price but not sure. Will wait and see.

I’m actually finding the brexit stuff interesting. I mean I agree the indecisiveness of it all is abhorrently frustrating. But it’s interesting. Probably biggest political shift in our lifetime. Maybe.

As I’ve said before I find it frustrating as I want allowed a vote. I hold a british passport. But we’re a crown dependency not an overseas territory so no votes for us. Some people could but there were strict criteria.

It’s causing disruption here because we’re being told to get visas to go to France (how?!) and to get all these additional things for travel (green cards for card international driving licences etc) people are renewing passports super early. We’re told that once brexit happens we’ll be cut off for a bit re food and post deliveries. So to stock up now.

Share prices are all over the place which doesn’t help me with work and my clients. Fx rates are bouncing about.

Its almost as though you can now see the games the politicians are playing. I feel sorry for Theresa May. As far as I understand it she didn’t vote for brexit. Didn’t want to leave. But is just trying to get the job done.

Meter readings submitted, I think this is month 2 with bulb. I’m hoping once the readings are processed that I will be able to drop the direct debit a bit, at least for the summer months.

Lawn mowed and I’ve a load of bedding to hang out in a few minutes. Yesterday it wS so windy that a full load of clothes dried in a few hours so frugal win there.

Hoping it’ll be a no, or low, spend day

Hi everyone, long time no catch up!

Mad week with work and I lost a working day because DM was ill (dh also had to take a day of unpaid leave so we are 2 days’ pay down between us ). Couldn’t be helped. Dh really doesn’t have a single day of spare leave.

In other news I am now a school governor. Looking forward to it, I love knowing how things work behind the scenes!

I’ve not been spending much other than on food but that is getting out of hand a bit. Partly because the kids eat a lot of expensive fruit (must reduce that!) and partly because I am spending more as I am dieting so am buying healthy treat food like smoked salmon to motivate myself (must reduce that too!). This week’s shop has been very expensive because PILs are coming for lunch tomorrow and I have bought halibut and fresh white crab meat and asparagus. I haven’t cooked for them for a really long time though so we’re pushing the boat out. Next week needs to be frugal. I really have no idea how people feed a family of 4 for £50-60 a week, we are lucky to be able to spend more but need to rein it in as the savings have taken a massive hit over the last 3 years.

Not exactly on that note (!) i have just spent £14 on some peppa pig character biscuit cutters (eek!) for DD’s 2nd birthday in June. She loves Peppa so Peppa themed it shall be. We’re going to have a little party at home for her and a few of her friends. I have just had a lovely hour on Pinterest pinning party food ideas!

I also bought a knitting pattern yesterday for a knitted dinosaur toy, £4. The yarn will cost about £2 so that’s not bad. I’m making it for DD’s birthday. It’s 2 months away, I should manage it!

Once Brexit happens I’m hoping for a cheaper few weeks as we run our large food stocks down (whether out of necessity or not!) . I am also finding Brexit fascinating but depressing. Whenever I am tempted to feel sorry for Treesa May I remember that, although she was dealt a shit hand, she has also played it spectacularly badly. Uncompromising, arrogant, uncollegiate, and has shown terrible judgement and lack of leadership. (And she was not a nice Home Secretary either).

Anyway. Well done on the DLA Cag, horrible job, that. Enjoy your haircut Wreck, after so long that will feel amazing!

It’s been very quiet on here. I miss Lonely and Jam and Quite and lots of other regulars. Sneaky has gone quiet too, hope he’s okay. It’s not been the same lately.

That sundae looks delish @ememem84. I was really longing for a proper sundae when pregnant with DD and nowhere near me did them. A new place has opened though and has them on the menu so I'm looking forward to trying it .

Yesterday's spends:
£7 supermarket incl. hair slides for DD, the search continues for slides that will stay in her hair.

New thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/3552358-Austere-April-continues-with-the-Friendly-Frugaleers-Join-us-as-we-discuss-our-direct-debits-prattle-about-penny-pinching-and-possibly-babble-about-Brexit?watched=1