Join Money-saving May with the fantastic Frugaleers.

[northender]

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

Yay baby g.

£195 insurer excess. Beautifully valleted car though.
£31 Aldi for me, £3.50 beavers, £13.43 scouts both of which I will get back

Finished GoT. Bit meh tbh

I’m with you there Life

Me too. It wasn’t as “bloodthirsty” as the others. And it wasn’t the ending I was expecting. A bit too “happily ever after” for my liking.

Dentist this morning. Should get the next 6 weeks of aligners for my teeth. I’m on set 34 of 43 at present. So close!!!

Should be nsd. Will make a sandwich to take with me to work.

So have transferred £5 to savings.

£25 is finally coming back to me from gym shark. I bought dsis some gym kit for her birthday but the gym pants I bought her weren’t right so I asked for a refund and sent them back and ordered her something else.

If anyone is looking for a “gym clothing treat” I super rate this stuff. A colleague wears it and recommended to me for dsis. The quality is great and it looks super cute. I’m treating myself post baby.

Also apparently sweaty Betty and lulu lemon are amazing but a pair of lulu lemon leggings is around £90.... so maybe not in my range. If I was a die hard gym every day person maybe. But I’m not. Gymshark leggings were around £25-40 depending on style etc. So pricey but not ridiculous. --although I still super rate M&S gym stuff great quality, nice patterns and colours and good value

Today I need to pull my intray apart and have a look to see what’s lurking in there. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen the bottom of it. Must make a start on getting things done and must start my maternity handover list.

Hello,
Am I too late to join? I know that May is already over. I struggle a lot to manage my money and I shouldn't really. Yesterday was the start of a new budget month.

I was bored. I nearly Turned it off and did something else. Stuck with it though as, well you have to.

Might have a look at those leggings. I don't mind paying as I wear them loads and for ages.

Never too late dark. We are here every month.
Do you want to chat anything through about your situation?
A lot of us use ynab the app or keep a spending diary at first to see where every thing goes.
Check all of your out goings, be ruthless. Do you need them? Are they on the best value rate?

I know what you mean Life, I’d got up to go to bed about ten mins before the end as I was sure it was over

Welcome Dark I advocate the pay yourself first method. Happy to explain if you’re interested. We are all in different financial positions and facing different challenges but we are a friendly and non-judgement bunch

Morning all! I've just about mustered energy to come and place-Mark here this morning. We're a house full of illness right now, limping on til half term at the end of the week. I'm still managing to get to work but have resorted to shop bought lunch and coffee to survive! I did just receive a £40 refund from EDF though so I'm taking that as the universe telling me it's ok!

Gws madden

Thank you everyone. I am currently out of work due to significant mental health problems so I am on UC and PIP. I struggle with impulsivity and many other symptoms but, I see a therapist once a week which I pay for out of my PIP. (I found the NHS couldn't offer the support I needed sadly) I hoping to do something in computers when I am well enough to return to work.

I struggle to make money last because of the impulsivity. Its been bothering me for a while but, the final straw was when I lost the therapy money last week and I wasn't in a position to replace it. So I am intending on changing my ways.

I use a spending tracker and also downloaded an app called goodbudget where I can set a budget for each category and can aim for that amount each month. I have looked at comparison websites and due to being on prepayment meters I wouldn't really save that much. I still have 9 months left on my broadband.

Food is a tricky area and something I want to keep an eye on. I have started making meal plans and sticking to it. I do budget £40 a week but, that includes washing powder, cat food and litter tray.

Sounds like you have a good plan in place @darkriver, welcome to the thread, and hopefully it will help you stick to your plan.

Yesterday was NSD.

Hello all, dipping my toe in again. Need to get myself back on track.

Currently on holiday, just DH, kids at home with my sister. Staying in Spain and any spends come out of DH’s Spanish bank account.

Arrived Monday, day on the beach yesterday (expensive boozy lunch with new friends). Going to beach today, then out for lunch at a favourite restaurant. They do a cheap lunch menu, so we’ll go for lunch rather than dinner. Going to pop to mini market for bread/water/ham for tea later.

FYI strawberries are cheaper in Sainsbury's than Aldi. Oddly.

Hi guys just popping in. Been a proper shit week/month. Meh. Not been frugal and need to seriously rein it in now.

Got the Early Help team visiting in the next few weeks, it was originally for DS to get his CAMHS referral accepted but they are also going to help in other ways hopefully. Not sure they have a magic wand though.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, we just received DS’ DLA rejection.

DH is on the phone still (time to talk triage app) so I’m hiding from the kids crying in the bathroom.

Sorry to come back to the thread in such a needy manner.

Fuck

Welcome Darkriver.

Nice to see you again Audit

Cag.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that @cag. Is there a way to appeal?

Oh ffs cag that’s rubbish. Absolutely understand the hiding and crying. Take care of you please lovely xxxx

Dentist this morning was good. He’s given me the last 14 weeks of aligners (he was going to give me the next 8 weeks only but given that next apt date would fall smack on my due date he decided the next 14 would be more sensible). So 14 weeks. And I’m done. Wahoooooo.

Ah cag that's utter shite. Course you can come back needy or not

Cag that’s absolutely shit. If there is an appeal process I would use it but appreciate it’s emotionally draining. Are there any charities who can give advice on the appeal process?

On a positive frugal note the orthodontist hasn’t charged to fix ds’S brace so yay.

Thank you lovely peoples. Yep, got to phone tomorrow and start the mandatory reconsideration process, also have a local advisor to email. A lot of people get turned down at first instance in the hope they don’t bother to appeal, is what I’ve heard :( so we just have to power through. I really don’t have the energy for this. We are already fighting to get him seen by CAMHS.

It’s not even the money. I mean, we need it - DH having to stop work means we are no longer managing financially and that’s what gave us the push to finally apply for it - but it’s not that. It’s the fact we spent hours writing down all the struggles he has, all the things he can’t do like most kids and needs so much help with and maybe always will, all the crying over that stupid form just for them to read it and say it doesn’t matter.

That's because he is your bit and you live the bones of him and care. The form is a process which can become dehumanised. Not saying the people who read them don't care but there is a process to follow.
It's shit, cry tonight and self pity. Then tomorrow play the game again.

We are all here rooting for you. X

Fucks sake, phone correcting me wrongly.

He is your boy and you love the bones of him

Twat phone

3.50 ice creams to get change for parking and ds’s activity tomorrow