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Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Savvy savers sashaying through September

999 replies

ememem84 · 04/09/2021 09:27

New thread. All welcome.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
15
Lovemaltesers · 22/09/2021 17:34

We have people testing positive on lateral flow, negative pcr but then positive lateral flow again after pcr. Not sure what to think…

Lots of flu/colds/headaches and apparently D&V outbreaks in places too!

MeadowHay · 22/09/2021 17:43

Today has been spendy: £10ish Asda on groceries, £15 hair cut and £18 threading, £95ish Waitrose online grocery shopping. Frugal win is that I had a £10 off voucher for Waitrose.

Not so frugal is that we will probs get a Chinese takeaway for tea but DH will pay for that Wink found one a few mins drive away that does a big veggie set meal for 2 for £15.95 which seems ace tbh. Less than £8 per person for two mains, two starters and two sides! Hopefully it is nice.

Oh Alfie hope you're ok, seems like you're really going through it atm Sad.

Wolf hope you're soon better lovely.

Alfie we are with Bulb too, I haven't been following the news about this stuff either. We have been with them around 3yrs since we moved here and we last did an energy comparison thing about two months ago and it still said their variable tariff was the cheapest one for us. I didn't know they were increasing their prices though!

I had a lot of problems with Virgin in 2020 whilst WFH but this year has been much much better and hardly an issue thankfully.

lifelongfrugaleer · 22/09/2021 18:29

Massive VM issues here too seems to be country wide
In one hand out the other today
£80 made selling bikes £75 spent fixing week old puppy chewed phone

lifelongfrugaleer · 22/09/2021 18:30

Off to London tomorrow too which is always £££ as can’t claim all expenses back

HumbugWhale · 22/09/2021 20:00

We have a cold. Dd2 had it last week, ds now has it. I keep feeling like I'm getting it then am ok again. Just did LFT for work which was negative luckily. Bet I do get the cold though!

Wolfcub · 22/09/2021 20:41

Life I'm also travelling tomorrow although to your hq city not London. My df is insisting on driving me to the station even though I've politely declined 100 times. My dm is insisting I wrap up warm even though it will be 20 degrees in said city. You'd think I'd never travelled before

Mrsmadevans · 22/09/2021 21:45

Oh God the passwords for MN have been just the worst Born 😌
AHH Wolf they are sweet, they love you ❤️

Mrsmadevans · 22/09/2021 21:51

*Love" what on earth is going on?
My Bf DH and son had nasty colds , headaches and temp they had negative lft though . Yet she is a Covid vaccination nurse and is convinced they have Covid . It's all bonkers!

Mrsmadevans · 22/09/2021 21:57

Humbug hope you are all well soon 💐
Life have a fab time in London 👏🤗
Balloons sound fantasticEm 🤗
NSD today yay!

HumbugWhale · 22/09/2021 22:08

@Wolfcub

Life I'm also travelling tomorrow although to your hq city not London. My df is insisting on driving me to the station even though I've politely declined 100 times. My dm is insisting I wrap up warm even though it will be 20 degrees in said city. You'd think I'd never travelled before
That's quite sweet of them!

Thanks mrs we are ok, dh feeling weird now. Not positive tests though. I think all the other viruses are just celebrating everyone mixing again, especially in schools!

Alfiemoon1 · 22/09/2021 22:16

I am still waiting for our results ds is absolutely fine but can’t go back to college or work until he gets a negative pcr so I am really frustrated now was really hoping to get the results today

Alfiemoon1 · 22/09/2021 22:38

Spends today £156 Ocado delivery stuff for a nice meal tomorrow as it’s our anniversary if we can’t go out as I am waiting on my pcr and a stock up shop for dd moving back to her university house soon hopefully on her own

Difficult situation as I have mentioned before she’s stressing about having no money we are paying the extra for her rent and will send her food money like we have the last few years. In previous years she has managed to save quite a bit working full time in the holidays but since meeting him and living with him she hasn’t and when playing house has taken out things like cat insurance and she has been supporting him i begrudge having to pay her extra to cover this and to fund him surely that isn’t part of funding your child through university. We also fund her car which most students don’t have the privilege of when they move away

northender · 23/09/2021 06:39

Struggling to keep up at the moment. Things here feel ridiculously busy, balancing work, study & home, but managing so far.
Have done lots of batch cooking this week so the freezer is well stocked.
Was with People's Energy so have now been taken over by British Gas, waiting to be able to switch but not holding out for much of a deal. Going to be needing the fleece blankets, oodies etc this winter!

Unescorted · 23/09/2021 07:00

alfie you are living one of my nightmares. It must be so difficult for you and your dh to cope with. I hope my dd doesn't go down that path.

Humbug I have visions of them all out with party poppers and prosecco. Like the most OTT hen party crossed with freshers & Club Med.

DD keeps designing me tattoos that she knows I will never get done. They are so beautiful - really delicate line and dot work. Every now and then I am tempted, but then remember I will feint.

Not having a car is super frugal except when you have to be somewhere.... I have spent a fortune on buses and Ubers as DD needed to get a brace fitted before going back to uni.

Wolfcub · 23/09/2021 07:08

Unescorted if she's good at tattoo design I may commission her. I'm very very tempted. I was going to do it at 40 but life got in the way

HumbugWhale · 23/09/2021 07:11

And doing the conga Unescorted Grin

Alfiemoon1 · 23/09/2021 08:29

Got ds negative results about midnight last night so it’s back to college today and got my negative results this morning I work from home anyway but at least I don’t have to self isolate and we can still have our new bathroom installed on Monday as planned

ememem84 · 23/09/2021 08:40

alfie that’s such a tough situation to be in. I think all you can do is to keep on just being there ready to catch her when it all implodes (sounds awful but it will…it always does…)

Have to pick up the balloons today. And do two trips home. One with the kids and DH. Then one with the balloons 😂😂

OP posts:
Alfiemoon1 · 23/09/2021 09:39

Good luck with the balloons em

Lovemaltesers · 23/09/2021 12:17

Flowers alfie so awful.

If I remember rightly, your DD has been funding him, so I would not be providing her additional funds to indirectly finance him. Have you contacted any charities for advice on how you should deal with this? It must be so hard to sit back and watch this.

Alfiemoon1 · 23/09/2021 12:44

I presume she is funding him as she’s been living with him I know they bought 2 cats and she pays the insurance. I presume she buys food for them both and as he doesn’t drive she drives him around and because he lives further away from her university when she has had to pick stuff up it’s cost her more in petrol. She worked more hours but never seems to have any money i know she gave him £200 of her savings so he could buy his family Christmas presents.

Really hope she moves to her university accommodation on her own so she can have some time away from him and meet other people who will hopefully make her see it’s not a healthy relationship

She thinks it’s just one more year of struggling financially then she can get a proper job in reality it’s not likely to be a high paying one straight out of university and if she stays with him she will always be skint as he doesn’t work well he did briefly for a few weeks work in a petrol station but doesn’t seem to be now despite being 25 ish

Mrsmadevans · 23/09/2021 13:40

Afternoon everyone 😊
God Alfie such a difficult position for you l am sorry lovely 💐
North l managed to switch to BG on Tuesday night but even that deal was 47 more a month. However it was based on last years readings and if l remember rightly it was cold right up to May and beyond so we had the heating on more . It sucks but thankfully you will be taken on by BG who are a big company and l can't see you having any trouble fingers crossed 💐
Em great work over the balloons l am sure your DC will love them 😀
I am off to the theatre this evening. Priscilla Queen of the desert 🤩 l love it ❤️
Have a lovely day everyone 😊

MeadowHay · 23/09/2021 14:18

Oh Alfie Flowers it must be so hard for you. I dunno what the right answer is regarding finances tbh I mean you don't want to fund that tosser but then you don't want your DD to cut you off or for her to go without either. Tough one Sad

DM treated me and DD to lunch out which was nice. We've not done anything out with her for quite awhile because she had a skin cancer op awhile ago and is still recovering. DD has seen a lot less of her as a consequence and has been missing her, she was upset when we had to leave.

Should be an NSD for me today.

ememem84 · 23/09/2021 14:37

Ahem

Also in other enabling news. Lucy locket has a fiver Friday sale on. Starting now.

Savvy savers sashaying through September
OP posts:
Alfiemoon1 · 23/09/2021 14:55

We are going to pay while she is still at university as don’t want her to mess up her final year then if she chooses to move back in with him they can pay their own bills including her car insurance mobile etc they are adults

Fab balloon em

Nsd here despite it being our anniversary as dh working tonight I still don’t feel 100% so we will go out to celebrate next week when we are both off

Have a good day everyone