Had a Spendy Summer? Join the Friendly Frugaleers as we Segue Smoothly into a Sensible September

[LivingInLaputa]

All welcome. Couldn’t see another thread!

Garage visit free. Car needs v expensive electrical work but it isn’t essential as it supports a nice to have system rather than a must have. The other problem has been temporarily fixed but will need new glow plugs between now and next service. So grateful to garage for being all round good and generous blokes

Spendy afternoon in the end,
£30 petrol
£24 pets at home (bulk bought puppy food and treats)
£98 in Aldi 😱 approx £27 was on non food stuff including some Christmas gifts. The food will last the rest of the month and I've got a few Brexit bits as well.

Puppy class tonight, our boy was star pupil 🐶 🌟 one of the instructors said dd should join the junior kennel club so will look into that.

Dd also mentioned a ski trip at school 🙄 I said I need to see how much before saying yay or nay!

£80 today on a wedding anniversary present for dh! I hope he likes it!

Lazy day today. I start a new job on Monday so determined to make the most out of the next few days.

Girlie - just be aware that it's not just the cost of the trip, ds2 went and we had to fully kit him out and he absolutely had to have lessons before he went, they were £30 each lesson and I'd definitely recommend having them as it meant he really got to enjoy the trip rather than spending the whole time learning the very basic stuff.

Must have cost an extra £200 in equipment and ski wear if not more.

He really enjoyed it but the cost was enormous and dds won't be doing it.

Great news wolf

Made yummy banana bread with five bananas I froze for this purpose many moons ago

Spends yesterday diesel €55
€1 dd tin whistle class at school

wolf it's good to have a garage you can trust, makes such a difference.
I'm so impressed with everyone's Christmas organisation, think I need to start thinking about presents. I am cracking on with making patchworky things with my Christmas fabrics. I've used part of a sheet bought for £2 at a charity shop to back the Christmas tree "skirt" I started last year, and wadding left over from other projects. Trying not to buy anything extra, I should have plenty for some cushion covers too.
I've made 3 jars of damson jam & stewed some plums.
Having a very inactive week as I woke up yesterday with a painful back. Am hoping it will settle as quickly as it started.
I've spent money on cook books for friends' children who are off to university this week

I'm not as organised as I want to be but I don't seem to have any head space or when I do I just play mindless computer games

Urgh trains again today. My back is in spasm after Tuesday’s trip so this is no fun. Hopefully a lsd though as lunch is provided and no station parking to pay for
Ds needs £3 for his activity today
Yesterday was a nsd thanks to garage-man

girlie ski trip sounds fun. But ageee find out cost first.

Where is it? I did one at school in Austria. I desperately wanted to go on the one to Canada but dparents wouldn’t let me. 14 year old me was devastated.

If Dd hasn’t skied before I’d suggest maybe seeing if you can borrow ski gear. The only thing I’d consider buying would be a decent coat. That could then double as her winter coat.

I have given in to the cold/thing that’s doing the rounds. I feel awful.

Dd has sicked up half her last two bottles. So need to keep an eye on her today.

I’ve asked Dm to come round. Even for an hour or two to help me with her so I can rest.

Talking of school trip costs, DS2 has PGL weekend next year. A weekend. One kid. 2 days. £300!!! So many of the parents are absolutely up in arms about it and apparently only about 50% of the year are going at the moment. When DS1 went it was nowhere near that price and all but a handful of kids went on it.

DH saved us a load of money this weekend. The discs and pads in the car needed replacing so he did it himself. Worked out he saved us about £600 after parts if we’d taken it to a garage.

@ememem84 hope you get a bit of rest today. Nothing worse than being ill with small children to care for too.

Curls that's crazy. Our PGL (which is in the Isle of Wight) is £150ish for four days and three nights. They go next year too dd will still be 9! They go again the next year too (5&6)

em I've also caved to the same but I think mine's stress related. Delighted I'm finished work at 3pm today, home do homework in a hurry, then go view a house, get my roots done and do something with dc afterwards to mark my evening for us.

Delighted you've asked your dm to help and are not running yourself ragged or being a martyr.

These school trips costs are scary!

I'm not doing Christmas shopping at the moment because I'll be moving house before it and I don't need extra stuff to move. I bought lego and some wooden toys so far & I'm going to drop them off at my parents this weekend so they're out of sight.

I probably spent more on school trips over the last five years than I have on family holidays! Ds ski trip was to somewhere near Boston - New England I think!

I just got a huge bargain in Lidl, picked up a £1.50 fruit &veg box,

4 large onions
4 enormous baking spuds
3 flat peaches
A bunch of bananas
6 apples
A mango
A punnet of grapes

Only problem is it's very heavy and I will be carrying it home on The tube, I'll try and eat some fruit today, we can't leave food on our desks because of RATS🐀 😬 last week I accidentally left a pack of Wotsits in my drawer and the next day there was a perfectly round hole in the bag and the reminders were scattered all around the bottom of the drawer- it seems they only like the cheesy outer bit!

Wow that's a serious amount of fruit and veg for €1.50
RATS

happier I’d say mines possibly stress related too.

Dd is asleep. Hoorah. She’s had a difficult night. She’s all snotty and has sicked up a few times. So keeping her upright as much as poss.

My cot raisers arrived yesterday. Wahooooo

Just ordered 2x echo dot from Amazon for £35 each down from £50, they will be Christmas gifts for ds2 and dd2! Happy to have made a start, I've made a list and they were on it so that's a win!

Happier - I work in London so there's rats everywhere, but I live in the countryside right next to a river/stream and we've had rats in our loft!!! It was awful because they move around at night under the lagging and I was terrified I'd find one in my bed!

camden that's a great bargain - dd wants google one & ds wants Alexa but I think one would be sufficient for us!! Maybe I should give in? Smyths catalogue is being fought over nightly now
Once ever we had a rat in the house, and exh tried to convince me I'd seen a big mouse, until it bit through a pressurised water pipe in bathroom ceiling and plumber showed him the teeth marks, he was trying to blame plumber after leak exploded!

Ugh! Rats! I once disturbed mice nesting in the photocopier at work!

Alexa does my head in! I seem to constantly have to remind the DC to speak to her politely as they keep being demanding! But everyone else in the house loves Alexa apart from me

I meant to do a weekly food shop in Tesco today but only spent £27 so guess I will be going back at the weekend.

Take care em. We’ve had the cough here all week. Urrgh.

I’m feeling distinctly meh today. First day off by myself since before the summer holidays. Feel quite down by all the messages from my mum about my dad.

Smyths toy catalogue arrived yesterday. We have to ration it and hide it on top of the fridge when it’s time to put it away. Last year I had to get a 2nd copy to stop all the squabbling over it

Rats

I think DDs two night trip to a pgl place is £140. These trips all add up

If I had got to the post first love they wouldn't even have the smyths catalogue now I'll definitely be picking up an extra copy.

Hard to blame you love it's a difficult time

Cot raisers on Moses basket. Dd is asleep. No more sickies. Hoorah.

I’ve had a shower. And am dressed. Dm has (in the two hours she’s been here):

• ironed everything
• hoovered bedrooms
• washed up
• cleaned bathroom
• snuggled Dd to sleep.

She’s pootled off to the shop to get naice ham for lunch.

I’ve done some more laundry. Moisturised the hell out of myself. Drunk a lot of water and herbal tea. Have opened all the windows downstairs. Lit a nice candle. And watched an episode of bake off.

After lunch Dm is sending me off for a sleep.

(I feel a bit like I’m being both bullied and looked after)

I should add that I didn’t ask her to do any of the things she’s done. She’s just taken it upon herself to help.

Bill arrived from plumber visit earlier in the month. £124 for two visits. I don’t think visit one was an hour and a half like they’ve said. But am not querying it. They came up same day (for a non emergency and came here within an hour of me calling them), the guy took his shoes off (I never ask), he was pleasant and gave us some advice Re our water cylinder replacement (which doesn’t need replacing for a few years he said - other plumbies might have just replaced the lot then and there...).

Also, rats?! Yeuck!!!

O think it's the Smyth's big weekend sale thing grin tomorrow

Apologies for my typing I'm walking home as I write