August Always Adds Pocket Pressure, Frugal Friends Thrive Thriftily

[Wolfcub]

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Been looking at bank accounts this morning.

Aiming to have £12k saved for downstairs renovations by this time next year. Doable I think.

Morning all. 12k is a good aim Em. I'm aiming to save toward a new kitchen and a porch. Some of the money will come from the extension of the mortgage to buy ex out but I want to keep that to a minimum so saving is king

I think it’s achievable wolf I also need to have some saved for my pension payment but that is easy enough to scrape together.

We’re going for a whole ground floor Renovation in 2022 I think. So will need to have the money behind us to set the wheels in motion. I think later this year early next we’re going to block up French windows at the front of the house and out in a normal window. So we can flip the layout round.

It’s going to involve things in storage again.

Morning all, so Ystd turned out to be very spendy as I somehow spent £70 in The Range 😱 I did get a lot for that including lots of bulbs, gardening stuff that needed replacing, back to school stationary, craft bits for dd etc but even so!!

Then we had to take the dog to the vets again as he had terrible sickness (didn't have a great start to the day Ystd clearing up dog vomit in various places.) That also came to £70 although they did give me some NHS discount so was £66 in the end. I'm sure vet prices have gone up?!

Typically the dog seemed completely fine 5 mins before we saw the vet so I think in future I need to let it run its course a bit longer!

Also spent another £15 in pets at home on dog and hamster food.

Plan for today is to take the dog for a walk and dd wants to go the local fair tonight. I'll give her some money for that probably £20.

We're very short staffed atm so I'm working tomorrow to catch up. I feel like I've been deprived of my weekend . Trying to fit a lot in today.

I've to take DD to the school uniform shop shortly to see if we can get her uniform trousers taken in. I may have left it slightly late but DD was away for a few days with my sister, so I couldn't bring her to the shop for measurements. She has two pairs though so even if I can get one pair done at a time.

I need to order some new bras for DD. I called into M&S but they'd only one bra in her size - that's in the flagship store in Dublin! They've loads online. I don't know if footfall is low in the shops so they're keeping stock volumes low on purpose? I'm not a big fan of online shopping and I like browsing around shops (well, in normal times - not so much at the moment with the requirement to wear masks and follow arrows etc.) but increasingly I'm finding that I've no option but to order online because I can't find what I want in the stores.

I also want to get some paint testers for the sitting room. Hoping to start painting it soon. I'm saving hard for a new suite of furniture. After the sitting room, my next goal is a wooden floor for the hall the cats have wrecked my hall carpet and new tiles for the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen and dining room are open plan. The house still looks and feels like 'our' house and I want to change things and put my stamp on it. I spend most of my time in the sitting room so it makes sense to start with that room.

I've booked a Tesco delivery slot for Monday. I just thew in a couple of bottles of wine to secure the slot. I need to go back and add some normal groceries to complete the order - time to think about school lunch stuff again.

I've a guy coming on Monday to do a service on my power shower so I want to clean my bedroom and en-suite. Been a while since I've had a man in my bedroom .

Hope all is good with everyone and Back to School goes ok. I'll be back over the next few days to see what you're up to.

Hi all!
I fell off the thread, my life has been a bit like a soap opera lately!
Do you all remember me telling you that my uncle who had cancer? Well he had a heart attack the other week and it was touch and go for a bit, there was talk of switching off the machine.
His son had to give him CPR before the ambulance arrived and because my uncle was out for a while they think some brain damage is possible.
But then my uncle woke up asked for his wife and seems to be doing ok, but will still have to wait and see if there is any lasting damage. And not being able to go and see him is hard. None of us really like his wife, she is very stubborn and trying to get information out of her is difficult, but my mum, her sisters and my other uncles have come to a compromise with her, fingers crossed the communication continues.

Also found out that my ex is seeing my cousin, I'm so fucking angry about it!
He seems to think it isn't a big deal.
I just want to punch them both very hard.
I mean it's a bit weird right?

I haven't really caught up on the thread, but hope that you are all ok. Also hope that all the dcs that needed better grades have got them?

I have spent some money on a new sofa bed, so that my daughter can have the bedroom to herself and I will sleep in the living room, have got some new bits of furniture too, never really had anything new apart from beds, so it feels nice and I got to make all the decisions about it.
Have got my eye on a few other things, but will need to save a little first.
Then will decorate the whole house, it hasn't been touched in years, so lots to do, but my eldest son will help.

All of the ex's shit has gone now, so was able to give everything else a really good sort out and have decluttered loads of stuff. Having more space makes me happy!
Still a way to go, but I now have all paperwork in one filing cabinet, sorted into piles of shedding and keeping.

Will try to sort out more stuff today, my children have too much stuff!

Sorry this was so long!

Ex and cousin is weird curvy , but for context how close are you to your cousin? I last saw my cousin six years ago, so would be a lesser weird!

love it's my mums sisters daughter, so my first cousin. I don't see her a lot. When we were younger we were always round each others houses and had slept overs.

*sleepovers.

I'm just angry about it.

Oh god I have so much to catch up on. Sorry for being AWOL but I’ve just been enjoying the holiday. We’ve come back to the caravan and are having a nap before going out tonight for our last night here :(. In some boring news We have decided to move DS3 into the box room when we get home instead of all 3 sharing as he keeps his brothers up and it wont be good for DS1 when he needs to start school. We have a yearish before DS4 will need to have his own room, so will have to rethink the bedroom set up then. The labels have been delivered so will be labeling all the school clothes when I get home and then buying shoes!.

I’m sorry about DD girlie it must be so stressful. It’s good to hear she ate most of that pie! It sounds lovely.

mrs I’ll give DH credit for the beans! I’ve never thought about cooking them like that before!. You’re a brilliant daughter to your DM, I hope she’s okay after her fall

Thank you snuggly the weathers been okay but the nights can be very stormy!

Yay about the stair gates sea I can’t wait until ours are gone!

curvy I’m glad your uncle seems to be okay, that must have been so worrying. Ex and cousin is really weird! I have cousins I see once in a blue moon but I’d still feel pretty weird about it.

I just realised I haven’t been posting about how much we’ve spent. We put back £300 spending money, including meals and stuff. We’ve spent £230, which I’m pretty happy with as we had to get new wetsuits, body boards, buckets and spades etc. We’ve had tea out every night and breakfast and lunch out some days. It’ll set us back a bit so we’ll have to scrimp and save for birthdays but it’s been nice to enjoy ourselves and not have a care in the world.

Right we are off out! We’re going on a walk and have made a scavenger hunt so the DC don’t get bored! Enjoy your day everyone

Tayto I totally get the wanting to decorate to make it yours. I think it's really important mentally. I did the living room the first year as I'd taken all the family photos off the wall but it's taken me until now to be able to afford to do anything else

Emulsioning this morning. One more coat on two short walls to do and emulsioning is done

3.5 hours of sitting over ds to get one drawer and a third of a wardrobe cleared out. I need Valium! And gin! Three carriers taken to two different charity shops (because max two accepted per shop) and one huge black bag full in the bin. Recycling bin also full and a bag for exes of things of his that ds has pilfered!

Curvy sorry to hear about your uncle, that must have been quite frightening for his son. Your ex is a twat, yes that is very weird. I'd be so mad at cousin

Unescorted enjoy your week off it's very well deserved

dh will kill me £3.75 on a tinsel ceiling garland for Christmas. The house will look like a 70s disco

Bought my first Christmas present today :o DH mentioned a film he liked and I found the DVD cheap. He’s bought one gift as he used some reward points to pay for most of a go karting thing for DSS/GF. I am determined to stick to a written budget this year!

I need to get buying sing, I have the list but need to start ticking it off. Will get DS1’s birthday out of the way and then start. I’ve stuck to a budget on presents but I know I’ll go overboard on decs. I’m currently looking at the John Lewis stuff and really need to teach myself to say no!

£35 riding. £1.40 M&S on some mints to make change for riding.

Been for a walk with dd this afternoon and managed to collect a protein shaker full of blackberries to add to my stash in the freezer. When I have enough I’ll make jam.

Also tidied up some toys and helped dh in the garden.

NSD

Useful things done today:

Taped down both the rugs we have. Have had the tape since we moved in. Almost 2 years ago.

Have also taught Dd to laugh when she (or anyone else) farts.

One bag for chazzer. Five for attic of which more will become chazzer when I gave time. 3 walls washed in dd room. Some blues and stick on stars to remove and it's done.

Looked at house today that is perfect but needs everything doing. £££££ but we are not sure about a big tree that shades it.
Second house is no. Third is Thurs and another to arrange

My DD thinks farts are hilarious Em. And burps. She announces each one retrospectively and then falls about laughing. I should probably stop that before she shows me up at school

I love a 70s decoration howl. Sounds as though you’ve got loads for the money you’ve spent on hols, well worth it for the memories and time together.

Today I did some mask sewing, and DH and I tackled the ridiculous clutter in the study. It’s the size of a small bedroom (downstairs though) and you literally couldn’t see the floor. It’s a lot better now but I do have some homeless stuff, especially kitchen stuff that doesn’t fit in the kitchen. I’m boxing up my excess now and storing it in the garage until the new kitchen is done.

I wonder if anyone can advise on tablets for kids? We’ve decided to get DS a tablet for his 8th birthday. It’s a big leap as he’s not really has much access to screens up till now and he probably won’t play on a tablet in a typical way so we’re a bit in the dark trying to anticipate what will
Work best! I’ve heard good things about the kids kindle and they seem very good value, especially with the warranty. BUT! (and this is a big drawback for me) there’s just way too much content, with all the amazon unlimited stuff. I think Ds will flick around and not properly play /watch anything and be completely overwhelmed. Also I gather some apps aren’t available on the amazon store, so he might not be able to have an app he’s used at school, say (he has access to an iPad at school sometimes). If not a kindle I think an iPad would be easiest for me as I haven’t really used an android tablet and we already have some paid apps on the Apple store. But it seems a bit OTT for a kid too .

DH thinks we should get an iPad as Ds doesn’t ever want anything expensive and won’t ever care about Nike trainers etc so we never really spend a lot on him. And he thinks I will get sweary over an android device . And we could only put a few apps on at a time to keep it uncluttered. But then he might break it. Argh!

Need to decide this weekend so I can order it and have time to fiddle with the set up in the evenings. Thoughts welcome!

1.50 on new stitch ripper from amazon but that’s it for today. DH bought a newspaper and some bagels. I might order some sewing thread too as I have a very limited options currently and have just finished my useful blue one.

I’ve started Christmas shopping. But DH and in-laws - argh! So difficult to think of anything!

I can understand your anger Curvy it's like she's betrayed you 💐

Sea I rate the kindle because you can limit what's on the kids account so only particular apps, books, vids etc (that's a kids account on an adult kindle, you can partition it off). I think they are a lot of good quality tech for the money. I wouldn't, for example, but a Samsung tablet as I don't think they are very good value.

I'm also an Apple lover but for me it's about cost. Screens get smashed. Things break or get lost. At less than £100 a kindle is easy to replace

Well done Howl on the spends . Excellent work , bless you for being so kind re My Mum 🤗

Forgot to say great news re your Unc Curvy" everything crossed for his full recovery 🤗

Life I’ve just emailed you the pattern x

NSD for me today again YES!
Am really tired tonight so off to bed early , have a good night sleep everyone 😀