Savvy savers sashaying through September

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New thread. All welcome.

Mrs I love receiving actual cards, but so rarely send them. I realise that is so hypocritical of me.

Martha I so pleased to hear that you are in a good space.

This week has not been frugal - it was DH's birthday yesterday so much money spent on presents and nice food. We heard scratching in the house mid week - 5 x mouse traps which have been very successful & there have been a couple of trips to the next valley so they don't make their way back to our house. We picked up DD - she is the worst for enabling impulse spends.

The only vaguely frugal thing I have done is have a first try at making our own smoked salmon - it is currently curing in the fridge. Another 24 hours & I will have to fashion a cold smoker from a BBQ and a cardboard box. If it is successful we can then have smoked salmon each time Morrisons have it on special.

Not frugal here. Looks like a new extension roof is in the offing next year. Bah

Also need to go back to basics and start flexing my frugal arm more. I’ve become too complacent

Granny what are your settings for the steamed pudding? I haven't quite nailed this one in the instant pot

Life I also need to go back to basics, spending a day with very frugal relatives yesterday made me realise I'm splashing the cash too much

I’m also going back to spending basics. Need to rein it in.

Taking the kids to activity adventure park this morning (monthly membership) and need to do a food shop.

And the down stairs shower has stopped working and the loo is leaking
This house is becoming a money pit

@Wolfcub I use this recipe and adapt fillings etc www.everynookandcranny.net/instant-pot-steamed-syrup-sponge-pudding/

I used stewed apples and cinnamon as the base and followed the above recipe for the pudding - I also have a pudding basin with a clip on lid

It's great the first day but a bit stodgy the second day - plenty of custard required

Trying to get on top of housework here. We also seems to have a lot of random foods that need using up so trying to meal plan. Just making leek and potato soup with added broccoli to use it up and we're having a root veg casserole for dinner, will add a tin of chick peas and probably make dumplings. Have some left over curry that will do for lunch tomorrow and then we will have any leftover casserole for tea tomorrow with jacket potatoes.

I'm using up some bendy leeks and some cooked chicken from freezer to make chicken and leek oie tiday. My freezer is rammed so for the next month I'm determined to eat mostly from the freezer - with added fresh veg, The theory is that the savings made will pay for the Xmas extras

£92 coop. Although £20 of that was for a stick blender as ours gave up a few weeks ago. 😞

Also bought 10 heads of garlic. And roasted 6 for a soup. Tomato and roasted garlic. Yummmmm. It’s garlicky as hell. But do so good

£1 parking, £4 refund in wilko, bought a curtain rail and got it £5 cheaper from a miss price. £10 ds swimming.
Curtains up where needed now. Books mostly unpacked

Bloody hell Life that is a right kick in the guts sorry you have all this to see to
Soup sounds very yummy Em
Granny thank you for saying about the chicken from the freezer l nearly forgot to get some out for curry tomorrow
Unescorted l know l like them too l do send about 40 but my Mum sends about 120! your own smoked salmon sounds lovely
Wolf hope you enjoyed having the frugal rellies
Humbug sounds like you are being very organised well done!
NSD today yay! About time! ]grin]

On the train to the big smoke
Costa breakfast, pret lunch and M&S tea. Will claim some back

Spent ££ on food, nearly home on delayed train
Planning my Christmas shopping

Have been on the lookout for Christmas presents while shopping today. Picked up 2 fleece blankets for my BFF twin GC aged 3 ❤️
6 each very cute will see if l can paste them on now .
www.dunelm.com/product/tao-the-tiger-fleece-throw-1000190326?defaultSkuId=30734925
www.dunelm.com/product/koko-the-koala-printed-fleece-throw-1000190327
Hope everyone is ok , only not many of us been here today

Well done life
Forgot l spent 18 in M& S on some food ,
OOPS this was not any food this was M&S food

😂at mrs and the not just any food.
Soup and home cured salmon sound lovely. I used a recipe of yours very successfully tonight -em, breaded chicken from freezer with home made katsu sauce. Has carrots in it so counts as veg!
life ouch that sounds spendy especially the roof. We are about to spend £2550 on double glazing. On the one hand it's a depressing spend but I'm proud of myself for saving it up. Depletes the holiday savings but have discussed this with DP with a positive outcome. I feel guilty about never having taken the kids abroad because we were taken, and I travelled a lot (self funded) as a young woman. But actually a week abroad for 5 of us gets really pricey as DC are nearly all adult prices. And DP and I really aren't bothered about going abroad esp with Covid etc. So we've decided to save up some 'treat money' and let the kids decide what to do with it eg weekend in London or possibly abroad, or some other sort of splurge that they think is exciting.
On the frugal front I've done very well keeping food on budget the last two weeks - online Tesco shops. So just have to stop myself falling into a supermarket on fri when I get paid and buying everything on the shelves!

Evening all not been very frugal at all this weekend me and dh went for a Nando’s Saturday night while ds was working then popped into the pub he works at for a drink when picking him up. Ds had a driving lesson on Sunday got stuck in traffic on the way home and he was working that afternoon so picked up a subway on the way home and I forgot about my diced lamb at the back of the fridge for a casserole and it went out of date so had to be binned was quite expensive as well.

The car saga is continuing due to dd previous behaviour when she had an accident and her general attitude to us dh had mentioned she takes over and pays her own insurance she seemed ok with this then stopped replying to him so I messaged her after she had stopped having a paddy I was taking the car off her not paying her rent ruining her life I thought we were ok my offer was I would increase my contribution to her rent send her online shops but no longer be named on her insurance policy due to her previous behaviour. Thought things were calm ish. Until this morning I get a vile message from the boyfriend on dd phone to just collect the car he hopes dd never speaks to me again for doing this to her I am just a bitter twisted person because my mum and dad didn’t want me. I am adopted was at 6 weeks old have always known have had a lovely life but due to my age and my dad dying when I was 18 months old my dm had to fight to keep me as it was the era single people couldn’t adopt I usually ignore his extremely personal messages but I regretfully responded this time with no idea why he is trying to hurt me with things that happened 44 years ago well before he was even born and this behaviour doesn’t hurt me it just proves my point what a narcissist personality he has. Unbeknown to me the bloody car has died again this morning dd thinks it’s the same issue as a few weeks ago this is the second time d nephew a mechanic has fixed a car for it to break again with the same issue and dh had offered to take her to the university house but told her it may not be worth fixing anymore.

@marthasmum

😂at mrs and the not just any food. Soup and home cured salmon sound lovely. I used a recipe of yours very successfully tonight -em, breaded chicken from freezer with home made katsu sauce. Has carrots in it so counts as veg! life ouch that sounds spendy especially the roof. We are about to spend £2550 on double glazing. On the one hand it's a depressing spend but I'm proud of myself for saving it up. Depletes the holiday savings but have discussed this with DP with a positive outcome. I feel guilty about never having taken the kids abroad because we were taken, and I travelled a lot (self funded) as a young woman. But actually a week abroad for 5 of us gets really pricey as DC are nearly all adult prices. And DP and I really aren't bothered about going abroad esp with Covid etc. So we've decided to save up some 'treat money' and let the kids decide what to do with it eg weekend in London or possibly abroad, or some other sort of splurge that they think is exciting. On the frugal front I've done very well keeping food on budget the last two weeks - online Tesco shops. So just have to stop myself falling into a supermarket on fri when I get paid and buying everything on the shelves!

Love a katsu! Who cares if it’s not home breaded!

Nsd yesterday.

Blooming heck what a nasty boy.
Sound like the car isn’t worth fixing again if it’s going to keep breaking. How does that leave dd? I assume getting public transportation.
I think your offer of transport to and from her official accommodation is resonable

alfie I'm glad it didn't have the reaction he hoped and you weren't upset. But he meant to hurt and that is really nasty.
Could you just let the car go and that is one less thing to argue over?? Not sure if you own it or she does, or if it's feasible financially to do that.

Nsd spent the day ringing plumber tomfx the bathroom
Would a shower tripping electric be a spark or plumbing job. Kinda think spark

He is a nasty piece Alfie . Hopefully he will get "all woe is me" to your DD and she will realise that he has crossed a line. Hang in there lovely.

Granny sorry I forgot to say thanks for the pudding recipe. It is a good one.

Does anyone know of any good punk/ ranty feminist designers.... I feel a Christmas project coming on.

Spark.