Join Money-saving May with the fantastic Frugaleers.

[northender]

Lots of support and advice here for frugaleers old and new.

Hello! I’ve been reading through these threads - can I join? I’m going through a divorce and have now only one income coming in, I don’t have any kids but I’m definitely finding it an adjustment. I had a huge bill last month that means I only have about £800 to get me to payday and I’ll need to pay direct debits etc out of that. Hoping the car doesn’t break down and the cat doesn’t eat something stupid meaning a trip to the vets!

Welcome placinda

Welcome Plancina.

Well that's half term done and we have spent barely any money. We've been to one place that we had to pay to get into and bought snacks and drinks there and we got ice creams in the park once. Other than that we've taken picnics everywhere plus a big flask of coffee for the grown ups and we've done parks/free local activities/National Trust of which we are members. I reckon total half term spends comes to about £50.
Time to start thinking about frugal summer holidays!

Morning all. Marking my place will try to catch up with what you’ve been doing later

I am going through the cupboards looking for meal ideas with minimal extra spend needed. Have come up with these, items i would need to buy are in brackets. Last night I made sweet potato fries and served them with some veggie burgers and veggie sausage rolls from freezer.

Salmon and cream cheese pasta with (broccoli)
Margarita pizza with added ham on top plus grated raw beetroot and carrot slaw
Veggie burgers with homemade sweet potato fries (salad)
Risotto with peas and (chicken?)

I have a bag of granola and porridge oats which will cover breakfast and I’m going to make a yoghurt cake today to use up some yoghurt from the fridge that is within date but has been open for ages.

Hi placinda

Don’t put chicken in the risotto. Just peas. Pea risotto is a fave here. If you mash up some peas and leave some whole it goes an ace green colour.

We’ve just got back from the beach. Ds was full of energy so we needed to run him. He splashed in the sea and chased some dogs (not our dogs but very super friendly. They chased him too).

Dh wanted to stop for coffee (and actually if I’m honest so did it as one of the cafes there does amazing coffee and cake...) but he didn’t have any money on him. I had my bank card but didn’t let him know that. So we came home. Ds is napping. We’ve had a coffee and I’m about to start on some chores.

Ah thanks, em that’s a great tip! I’ve actially had risotto like that before but forgotten all about it! I’m trying to be more vegetarian anyway so will omit chicken.
I also have some stuff to sell but will need to wait until next week as I’ve a busy week at work and a job interview on Thursday for a new post, eeek! Making piles of stuff to sell and donate (have binge watched Marie Kondo and am definitely on board with the sparks joy thing!)
My ex-h is coming over tomorrow to take more of his stuff, which will be tough but also hopefully a step forward.

Dh has taken the dc without me to the beach with his family. I told him when they first suggested it that I wasn't going if they go to that particular beach because it's horrible. They've gone to that beach and dh has called me selfish and a snob. Whatever. I would go to any beach but that one. Plus it's windy, cloudy and going to rain later so if I had it my way I would have taken the dc to the cinema. Bit pissed off as it's the only day of the week we actually get to all spend together.

Hi, can I creep back in?

Not been around for months, but really need to rein in my spending, it’s ridiculous. The amount I must spend in top up shops, getting ‘bits’ I don’t really need...

Anyway I’m going to do an inventory of the freezer and work around that to meal plan for the week.

Cagliostro if you like dance based workouts, look for ‘dance fitness with Jessica’ on YouTube. My dance fit teacher uses a lot of her routines. My favourites of hers are Jason Derulo ‘tiptoe’, BTM ‘mic drop’ and one called ‘pineapple’ can’t remember who it’s by.

Welcome newbies and returnees 😃

Ystd was a lovely day, spent the afternoon at mums in her garden catching up, had dinner there and got back quite late.

Spent £23 in aldi Ystd on fresh bits.

Today not planning on leaving the house need to catch up on housework before being back to work tomorrow. Might make a cake later...

Happier I am not green fingered but I’ve really found puttering Round the garden therapeutic this last year. My bargain Thompson and Morgan plants are doing well I reckon 70% still alive and have grown quite a lot in the last week. My ground flowering clematis that I bought the other week is looking lovely.

May was ridiculously spendy with two short breaks and a silly trip to the garden centre so need to rein it in in June but have a couple of big birthday days out which will be costly.

Had a takeaway last night but I have knocked it off my food budget for the month.

Eat well for less has been good for the last two episodes, Priya’s freezer meals with lots of veggies have looked good

North so sorry to hear about your sil, that’s just really awful

Ds is clearing out some stuff from his room. Can’t decide whether to sell or take to charity

FFS. Neighbours 3 doors down have what appears to be a troupe of majorettes/cheerleaders in their garden. They’re practising for something. Routine is to a god awful home made remix of:

• the elephant march from the jungle book
• we will rock you
• Rock dj
• bang bang (Jessie j Ariana grande and Nicki minaj)

Over. And over. And over. And over. And over. And over.

I’m all for a clever remix. But this does not work.

Em I just watched that YouTube workout you linked. 😂😂 totally going to try it out! I reckon dd would like doing it with me too.

£15 local annual historical event. £3 pork Apple and cider pie and a pulled pork pie £5 two massive brownies (mine was peanut butter) and a bottle of beer for df who is going to strim the garden for me as I don’t have a strimmer. Rest of money on fat balls for the birds and sawdust for dhamster who appears to be refusing to die despite the fact that he looks like he’s at deaths door

wreck some of his other ones are hilarious. I’ve done a couple previously they are actually a great workout. 😂

So. Our neighbour dropped off all the paperwork for the planning applications for the property behind ours. I’ve read through and have drafted a letter of objection. Have also sent a freedom of info request to our parish hall (like a county council I suppose) for information re the path that runs between our house and the behind property. Apparently they have access rights.

We’ve also noted that pictures have been taken where they’ve trespassed on our land. So have questioned that in my draft.

So far nsd.

Ds has just woken up from his nap (2.5 hours - so yesterday’s escapades have obviously absolutely tired him out).

Dh is taking ds to see Fil later. He went out with him last night and apparently Fil mentioned they were getting two dogs. We knew about one. But apparently the other is for us. We don’t want a dog. And especially not a Jack Russell (I cant stand them. Was bitten by one when I was a kid. Nasty vicious things). Other dogs fine. But we haven’t got the time for one now so no point. Dh is going to reiterate this to them. We can’t afford one. We don’t want one. We have no time for one. And we’re not having one. He’s said to me that if they insist we’re just going to tell them we’ll rehome it straight away. Knowing them as well they won’t take it to training or anything. So it’ll be something else we’ll have to watch ds around..... ffs.

Pea risotto is a big favourite here also! Even better is pea and Philadelphia risotto!

FML lost a long post so welcome newbies, thank you curls I’ll have a look, and wreck I’m totally intrigued as to what beach you are referring to :o

Argh this is the worst part of the month for me. After being so good I start looking at stuff online & I’m desperate to binge on pretty things like hair clips & headbands which will make me really happy (I’m into hair accessories atm considering I just look fat in clothes) but I know I shouldn’t buy because I could put that money towards topping up my maternity pay 😡 what do I do??

Distract yourself mrsg! Or find one you really love and promise it to yourself at the end of the month.

Cag it begins with B.B. good for fossils. Not the one with the theme park

Welcome to placina 👋* *
I'm also trying to meal plan from what we've got in. The plan so far is:
S/M: chicken and sausage tray bake roast.
T: fish, chips, mushy peas
W: JPs with whatever is around in the fridge and cupboards (cheese and peanuts is a winning combination!)
T: pea risotto 😂 (thanks for that one em and snuggly)
F: carrot and kidney bean burgers (Jack Munro recipe)
S: lentil dahl with curried eggs

Why does it always rain when you are a) just about to hang sheets out and b) have just watered your pots?

Em I’d be furious both at the trespassing and someone else making a decision about a family pet for me. Your solicitor should have picked up the right of way issue when you bought the house. Technically our street has a right of way through our garden if the back path or field are blocked. I think there is an insurance policy against this somewhere. They’d have a hell of a job climbing over the wall though!

Garden mowed, strummed and watered. These are some of my latest pots. Lots of bee friendly plants.

Three loads of washing done and I think ds is ready to go back to school in the morning although he’s studiously not cleaning his school shoes. I’ve listed three mint condition toys/games for him on facebay

Wreck I had 4 things in my basket (2 headbands & 2 packs of hair clips) & removed half of them. It’s free delivery to store & I can return while I’m there if necessary. I hope the Frugaleers won’t be too disappointed in me! Will be collecting on Tuesday on my way to work. Ridiculously excited 😆

Oh your pots look beautiful Wolf

Beautiful Wolf! My washing has been out since 8am. It has been rained on about 5 times. Every time it's stopped raining I've stupidly thought it's brightening up and left it only for it to rain again just as it's starting to look a bit dry. I'm leaving it out all night, it'll dry tomorrow!

I tried meal planning last week foot & it was a disaster