Austere April continues with the Friendly Frugaleers! Join us as we discuss our direct debits, prattle about penny pinching and possibly babble about Brexit...

[Cagliostro]

All welcome!

I’m only saying this to enable the malteaser lovers - malteaser buttons straight from the fridge are fabulous

foot if we haven’t watched it for a while I have rewatch a few episodes! So much happens!!

I’ve had such a spendy day today that I can’t even face listing it all here. I’ll go away and hang my head in shame instead 😞

Catching up again after a long absence, DS1 has been a poorly boy started this time last week with a temperature and vomiting, he's been off his food and has a sore ear. I've taken him to the GP as I thought it might be an ear infection, but apparently not, despite the fact that it's dribbling wax (yuk!). He's still not a happy little boy, very clingy, doesn't sleep well, doesn't eat well and is generally chronically tired but won't nap. I am just a zombie from lack of sleep!

em £50 double buggy from Facebook is a great frugal win. We bought a Bugaboo Donkey for the DTs, lovely buggy but didn't work with our lifestyle at all. Bought a cheapo City Jogger via Facebook and love it

I need to get back on track with my spending, had all good intentions but DS1 being ill has really sent me off the rails. Had a conversation with DP about needing to rein in our spending this year and put more money aside for his tax bill at the end of the year, he was in complete agreement. Now trying to find places to stay for when we visit my DPs next month - it's a long journey so we tend to stay overnight half way each way - will he stay in the (basic but cheap and cheerful) Travelodge? No, he wants to stay somewhere 'luxe'. Aaarrrggghhhh. And then he broke it to me that he's invited on a stag weekend in Spain next month, and the flights alone are £300; frugaleers, I could have cried

Wolf you temptress you.
Ah ruby that's a tough few weeks. Can't have Lux and a stag do I'm afraid.
Excellent work on the double the em.

Need to get bits and bobs in town today.

ruby agree withlife either lux hotel or stag do. I bet you he chooses stag. And anyway would the stag do really be staying in a lux hotel? And what’s wrong with travellodge? Basic yes. But what you need and comfortable.

I was impressed with my Facebook find. It’s a joovy caboose I think. I will have to spend £20 or so to get a car seat adapter but for £50 on the occasions we use it for both kids. Bargain.

I’d looked at the bugaboo donkey. And although it’s good at £1300 if we don’t use it much it’s an absolute waste.

We have a mamas and papa’s flip xt2 from ds. And I was going to get a buggy board with a seat. But can’t get them delivered here. So had to rethink. Cheap double buggy seemed like the best option.

Chucking with rain here this morning.

Ruby I agree with life and Em, stag do equals travellodge or premier inn, it’s very hard when you have a partner who won’t cooperate. I ended up taking control of a lot more of the finances (I already controlled all the household ones) when h got a ccj, even then things like house repairs etc and holidays didn’t happen because he couldn’t manage his own money. I hate to think what his Finances are like now! On the plus side mine are much better since he fked off

Cold and wet here too and very tired from yesterday’s work trip. Physio this morning and then out with colleagues for dinner tonight

Determined to be a better frugaleer today. Bringing in a packed lunch to work so that’ll save money. Have been invited to lunch tomorrow with family but don’t think I’ll go. Still shattered & a bit run down from the weekend, work Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday & taking DS to a class on Thursday morning. I’m just too tired. I usually say yes to everything for fear of missing out but I can’t keep running around.

Sitting next to someone on the train with the most delicious smelling coffee. I miss coffee ☕️ ....

Definitely agree- can’t have lux hotel AND a stag do abroad. Annoying when your DP says he’s on board but falls at the first hurdle which involves him making the sacrifice!

Just FYI @ememem84, I got my buggy board from Amazon, if you can get deliveries from them? I still needed a double buggy though, DS was too much of a flight risk to trust on a buggy board in town or on a busy road.

Your DH is being ridiculous @RubySlippers77; I love luxe but for a night on the road with two smallies, anything luxe is a complete waste of money, even if you have the money to spare. And £300 on flights alone is crazy money for a stag, and a month's notice!

Sorry @RubySlippers77, I probably sound a bit harsh there towards your DH.

thats I looked on amazon and none of the ones I wanted would deliver to the islands. Not cool. Option we do have is to order, send to my uncle in the U.K. and then ask mum and dad to bring it back in the car the next time they go over. Although mums not sure when that’ll be.

Sigh.

I bought lunch with me today. Wahooo. So £5 has gone into my savings.

Ruby we have the CityJogger double for DTs too! Love it - so easy to fold and store (just wish I could get it in through the front door 😂)

Spent £48 booking the next term of Forest School and have realised that children's club subs are another spend that catch me out all too easily. Will start looking ahead to due dates and putting money aside. Money that's about to become very sparse as we're looking at a £800+ car repair bill 😥. Car pot and emergency fund will be completely gone.

My little frugal plants from Thompson and Morgan have arrived

Ouch madden, hope the car is worth it!
NSD.
Good day at work today, really felt like I made a difference to an anxious parent, whose child started today, who has a number of medical issues.
Just had a lovely dinner, will do some housework in a bit.
Hope everyone has had a good day.

NSD today. Yay!
Makes up for yesterday. 65.43 at the vets.

Spoke to my payroll dept and queried how something was worked out. Glad i did. I feel better knowing what everything means.

Sorry to hear about your car Madden thats a bit of a stinger. Hope you get it back soon. Its a nightmare when cars break.

Ooof car bills.

£7.47 Holland and Barrett - false economic though. £1.58 veggie shop that is sadly closing, £3.65 boyes stores.

£20 dinner out with friends
£8 on thumb spica from Amazon because the nhs one I was given this morning is bloody uncomfortable

ruby definitely not luxury & stag do. It does annoy me, how stag & hen did are so expensive now, such an event in their own right.
Madden sorry about the car.
Still busy busy here. Work is hard but good at the moment.
I got the freezer audit done on Monday, hence my frugal veg curry for lunch today! I'm not sure how long it had been there but it was tasty. Dad cooked tea tonight, well he made the beef casserole. I ended up doing the veg as he seems to be having a flare up of his fatigue . Funny frugal story, D's had started to make a cheesecake. He decided cottage cheese must be the same as cream cheese and ended up with a lumpy unappetising mix. I put on my frugal hat, got the hand blender out, whizzed it, added a couple of eggs and turned it into a baked cheesecake! He has also made a toffee sauce to go with it & we are about to dig in so I'll report back.

NSD today! My first in May 🙈

Had a shitty day at work & colleague kindly bought me an orange Lindt chocolate bar - it was the best part of my day!

After Centreparcs & yesterday my finances are looking ridiculously tight this month. Not feeling very optimistic.

Very funny North sounds like something I’d do let us know what it’s like!

I still need to take a dress back to Matalan which is £20 towards my CC, I just can’t seem to find the time to get there. If there’s a break in the rain tomorrow perhaps I can make a dash there

Awesome frugaleer there North. Do report back

Mrsg I had an awful day at work too! Everything that could go wrong did. I even lost my house key 😭 could be anywhere have driven 40 miles and been in four different locations. Oh well at least it wasn't the car key!

£4.75 on coffee and cake. Needed it.

From the jaws of defeat.....
The cheesecake tastes good to me, but the DC aren't over impressed, still are it though!

Well done @northender, that looks lovely.

Yesterday was NSD.

Today's spends were from killing time while car was being serviced (DH's car so he paid for the service.):
£8 breakfast
£27 Primark on basics like socks and a lovely pair of shoes that look much more expensive than they were.