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!

Oh thanks for the sky garden link. Will add Waterstones, picadilly onto the list. Sainsbury's/m&s is fine as fussy DC will always find something in there.

Got tower of London tickets, DC want the London eye so got Kellogg's vouchers, going to do hop on hop off bus. Might look at tfl rather than the tourist one though. Then do the main sights.
Natural history museum.
We arrive lunchtime Monday and go Friday afternoon so not masses of time.
Not sure about getting on the day show tickets.
Woulds love cursed child but know that's unlikely.

Sounds lovely em

Life have a look at Emirates airline cable car too

Have you been to Hatchards too life? www.hatchards.co.uk Beautiful bookshop!

This is a link about the TFL buses you can get, which you could use your Oyster card for: www.toptiplondon.com/sightseeing-tips/sightseeing-by-local-bus/

The river buses are lovely too, if you could fit one of those in! tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus

If you go near Covent Garden then look up the Milk Train ice cream place. It's amazing. I know they're a bit older but the carousel at southbank is the fastest one I've ever been on, so fun

Have done a click and collect today as haven't had time for Aldi and don't fancy going Sunday lunch time with the dc and dh we're being treated out to breakfast this morning which is nice.

Thanks for all the top tips. I've saved your posts.
Food shop today. Won't be big for this week but will start getting communion bits using my nectar points. I have about £70 worth

I was going to suggest natural history museum life I love it. I think you have to pay extra for the dinosaurs though. But absolutely worth it.

There’s the museum of zoology too (think that’s what it’s called) which essentially has loads of “stuff” preserved in jars. I haven’t been but know people who have. It’s oddly fascinating.

Dh and ds are downstairs. Ds is shouting “uh oh oh dear” very loudly. No idea why. Dh is telling him to ssshhhh. It’s my lie in day.

I moved into the spare room at 3. Dh brought ds into our room at 2 and catface was also there. Literally zero space for me to stretch out. So I’m in spare room. Starfished out in bed. So comfy!

Life im excited for you. Bet youll have a great time!
I want to go to london after reading all the different places and tips lol

I have a phone that musicmagpie will pay me 30 pound for but its selling for more on ebay. Ill try my luck on ebay first. Aiming to put quite a bit on ebay today.

My utility deal isnt due to finish until August. My cost to break contract is 85quid. Will wait until august lol

Another 6.75 payout from topcashback. Total this week 23.50ish

Have a great day everyone!

Anyone use virgin broadband? Any good?

Thanks Wheely. We do we are on the 100 Mbps. It's fine

Nice day here, weather has perked up and it's been lovely and sunny all day.

Ystd we had dinner in Morrisons £12 and got some groceries £20. Today we went to my brothers for lunch and spent the afternoon in the park, £5 on ice creams.

£6 bar at ds’S sports event and £2 food

Hi again!

I also have an appointment with a hair salon on the 23rd. I've had to wait 6 weeks as he's apparently the best in our area. But I'm expecting it to be pricey and thinking twice about it now though- but the last time my hair was cut by someone other than my mother when when I was around 7.

I did a £10 shop which I'm going to try to last the week on, I've already got a a few other things from before .

I cancelled my upcoming therapy session for this week, so that's £40 saved. I just want a break for now.

The biggest thing I'd recommend to anyone would be to set up small direct debits which go out monthly. I set one for £25 a month and have been paying into that for almost 10 years since I was 18. I would have spent that money otherwise. I've also started saving £2 a week into a second account which I'm not allowed to touch either.

The Welcome collection is pretty cool too !

£70 Aldi but included aisle of wonder stuff. £9 Iceland, £35 Sainsbury's.
Went to the tip. Going to load a car full of soil next time and either pay £5 to tip or drive to the next tip for free. I think pay as it all even out in the end. Saves on a skip.

Used up some wrinkle apples by stewing them. Got ahead for next weekend by making 2 corned beef pie and freezing them uncooked.
Ran out of time for cake and flap Jack.
£48 balance of child minder bill.

So many snack / drink / ice-cream stops this weekend - about £43 in total 😱 .

Help me with top tips please!!

I know what I should be doing (I think!), and it's not like I don't take any drinks or emergency snacks for the kids, it's more that we end up staying out longer than planned, or someone suggests an ice-cream on the beach and somehow the packet of rice cakes in the change bag doesn't cut it any more.

My plan is to buy a load of juice cartons, crisps, fruit yo-yos and anything else that may be low-perishable and able to be kept in the car for trips out but feel a bit more of a treat than day to day snacks. Ideas welcome!

Has anyone got any beeswax wraps they can recommend?

I think Unescorted was making her own Wreck

I'm too lazy for that

I do - make them. They are super simple. I can send you across some wax if you want. I use paraffin wax because I have vegan friends who come for tea.

To make them - cut a square of fabric of an appropriate size. lay out on silicon baking paper on the ironing boar. Sprinkle over the wax beads, cover with another sheet of silicone paper and iron until the wax is well distributed into the fabric. The first ones I did without hemming or a fastener. They are really good for covering food in bowls, and can be used for sandwich wrapping but you have to be good at origami to get the seal. I have moved onto ones that are hemmed and have a large button attached with a string tie in the corner for food on the move. The next incarnation is going to be bags with a Velcro strip - but I suspect they will be difficult to clean. The squares I just run under a cold tap.

Sorry I’m so far behind...

Girlie I love the idea of borrowing a dog for a walk to “test it out”. We have 2 beloved cats though so I don’t think DH will ever let us get a dog 😢

My hair costs about that too em but since I get balayage I can also get away with just twice a year.

Picked up DS from SIL this morning then went to DH’s God-children’s joint birthday party. DS loved it (they have so many toys) but he has a bit of a cold so wasn’t himself. Seemed a tiny bit better tonight so I’m praying Calpol does it’s trick in the night. NSD day - wahoo my second in May must try harder

I bought the Lakeland ones wreck. But am yet to try them £16 for 3 sizes. Never thought of making my own. Where do you get the wax from and is it just a normal cotton you use. Pure or poly cotton?

There is no real secret just over pack snacks. We have don't that are only for days out and pack ups stashed in a separate cupboard. We still get I've cream but it helps with the stack attacks.

Nsd today. My car is finally being collected after the stone incident

Thanks. I can't see or anything so really wouldn't make them even if they are simple, I'm just not the crafty sort of person.

We also have days when we spend lots on snacks etc. I have no answer because you can compare an ice cream with a granola bar 🤷🏽‍♀️

😂 exactly!

Or chips v mini cheddars!!

Lots of travel happening this month and next here...I had forgotten how much that adds up! Some will be reimbursed for work-related stuff, but not everything. May have to pause the down payment savings this/next month and then boost it when the refunds come through. Ah well. If I can at least leave what is already saved as-is, that would be great. Should be NSD today (if so, it'll be the 4th this month, hurrah, almost halfway to my target).

Low spend day on Saturday (thanks to DH paying the £80 groceries bill!) and yesterday £10.75 cafe plus £10 ish train tickets to Southport (we took our bikes and it was a lot of fun).

em Somehow I missed the fall - I hope your ds is all right! When ds was almost 18 months he fell 4 steps down his granny's stairs; I was coming down and told him to stay where he was, but he wanted to try and go down, too (which he wasn't fully capable of yet!). Scared me shitless, but thankfully (apart from a shock), he was fine. Perhaps toddlers need a few bumps in order to risk-assess more accurately in future!?

Glad you're getting your car back life.

Madden maybe if you preemptively try and feed people using the snacks, then they won't feel peckish when they see the ice-creams? But as Curvy and jam and others may agree, as vegans it tends to be a bit easier to avoid buying certain types of junk food when 'out and about'.

Meal plan for this week:
Refried beans and veg/salad with tortillas
Aubergine 'melts' with rice (probably baked beans for ds!)
Thai massaman curry and rice
DH's choice - possibly veg chilli
Aubergine pesto with butter beans and pasta
Chinese stirfry with tofu and rice
Leftovers or takeaway