Summer savings support - be frugal

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Running out of space on the old thread so here’s the new one. Everyone welcome.

for background this is a slice to share your No spend days, your big spend days your savings your situation. We all help each other out with advice and tips etc. but it’s mostly for friendly accountability.

Oh no. That does not sound good. Ds is similar, you could fry and egg on his head and he's just thrown up

Yes, soaring temp but wrapped in a blanket saying he’s cold. No sick yet.
hope ds gets well soon

Morning.

Massive 'Boo' re COVID. It's really infectious this one, so be prepared for other family members to get it sadly. I was pretty much the only person who didn't get it at a recent family gathering.

Probably only parking today.

Done some online surveys for £2
Sold a top on Facebook for £17
So with my Sainsbury's voucher that's nearly £40 extra.

It's going to be scorcher, so take care folks.

Sorry for those suffering with covid. I am day 3 post positive test and feeling awful but have had symptoms much longer. So can’t work today, hoping to get some sleep

not a NSD today as had to pay our holiday balance (1120) but have in holiday account so put on card to get points but already paid for

but should be other than that

@gracedentssketty hoping you get better soon

I did a weeks food shop at the weekend .. £180 for 4 of us and that doesn't include any food for me as the food shop was already majorly over budget. That means this week I only have whatever food I can find in the cupboard. This will be cereal, eggs (omelette/scrambled) and a few frozen options. I am going to a friends house later in the week for dinner, so I will get a decent meal then. On the plus side I'm dieting/stopping binge eating so there are no snacks for me to scoff. This is going to be a hard week. I refuse to go the shop to buy any more food, the only exception being if the DC need bits. They shouldn't do.

Do you eat differently to the dc frog?

oh I’m fully prepared for the rest of us to get it. Dd has planned when she wants it . Last week of school so she is fine for holidays

@lifelongfrugaleer yes, the DC have their dinner separately as they eat gluten free nut free meal then me and DH eat separately too as he also has allergies. It's a nightmare !

Aw life your poor Ds bless him l so hope he is better very soon 💐

Frog that sounds awfully difficult to manage so well done to you keeping a handle on it, your shopping bill is non negotiable by the sound of it and a priority, l am sorry although as long as everyone is healthy and stays healthy that's the main thing l know 💐

Grace hope you are better very soon 💐
Mine where are you going on hols ? I have to live vicariously through others & dream 😊 . We can't go anywhere because of caring for my elderly parents but hope you have a wonderful time 😊

Wolf hope your poor Ds and your dog are soon much better you poor things 💐🤗
Been shopping already before it gets too hot 🔥
Aldi 66 for stocking up of toiletries and a few snacks . Their prices have increased but they are still cheaper than most imho 🤗
Have a lovely day everyone, take care 🤗

Oh that does sound tough to balance all those meals

@Thefroglover I'm generally cooking 2-3 meals a night too. It's exhausting. When I've put meal plans / meal ideas on here most of the time that's what the adults are having.

I generally do a meal for DH and I, plus one DC is mainly veggie, one DC has complex needs so a very limited diet so often it's just easier to make 3 seperate meals. Sometimes it can be variations on the main meal eg one night this week I'm planning a chicken curry. So DH and I will have that and rice and naan. But then I'll also do Quorn nuggets and chicken nuggets for the DC who won't eat that and they will have those with rice and naan if that makes sense.

Quite frankly it's exhausting and takes up so much headspace and our shopping bill is around £1000 a month but that includes milk.man and school meals etc and we are desperately trying to cut it down!

@lifelongfrugaleer and @Wolfcub hope your DC are better soon. There seems to be so many people with covid at the minute especially ones who've avoided it until now!

@Decafflatteplease I hear you on the food spending and meal making. We are exactly the same and quite frankly I am sick of spending so much money on food. We must cut it down, we have to. This week I will go without (not literally, but I will be scraping around for meals in the fridge/freezer/cupboard) while I cook and make food for everyone else who will all be well-fed. DH is not always on board with being as frugal or as careful with spending as I am and quite simply it's not fair. I am going without in every aspect (beauty products/food/going out). I've spoken to him, but he doesn't seem bothered that we NEED to save/be frugal.

So far no spends today, we're currently snuggling up (melting) and having a look at her first book whilst listening to some nice music.

l actually went to the dentist today after 3 years! They wouldn't allow us to be seen unless we had a problem and no routine checkups , they have just gotten round to the backlog now .I didn't have to have anything done either which was a huge bonus , l have chipped two of my teeth but he wasn't worried about them and l didn't even know l had done it! YAY!
l am luckily an NHS patient and had 3 xrays and a checkup for £14.70

Blimey MrsEvans - where are you to get charged that? The NHS website says Band 1 care (check-up, including X-rays, diagnosis, advice) is £23.80. I am over due an appointment, and really should book the hygienist too, so been working out when and how I can fit it in.

Electricity bill for the last 30 days - £50. Gas, £20. Overpaying and chipping away at the debit balance while usage still relatively low. I use the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher too much, I know that, but even so I'm surprised at the electric bill. How does it compare with others?

That is good after 3 years of no dental care.
I need to submit a reading that
remonds me. No smart meter here. I use the tumble loads more now it’s indoors. Even in this weather 10 minutes to set the towels off as i hate crunchy towels

Morning,

How are the poorly DC? Can't believe how many folk I know that are positive at the minute.

All that food planning and cooking separate meals must be incredibly tricky and pretty tiring I'd imagine.

frog, that must be so hard if DH not fully on board re spending carefully.

MrsEvans, wish I were going somewhere, absolutely no plans here. DH in hospital long term, so that's really the only place I go apart from work.

Cooked one of the Gusto meals last night, they do need extra seasoning (in our view here!), but each kit does make loads!

I've gone through all my direct debits and small subscriptions on PayPal, to check I've not missed anything. Will do another survey today.

Skies - we pay £200 pcm on a fixed deal, our electricity use is way more than the gas but I've only just started monitoring in detail, probably like many others. We are £100 in credit, will get that built up in the coming months.

Hopefully spends will just be parking but also will need chicken feed this week.

Morning all! slightly stressed here and somehow found myself on the La Redoute website, buying bed linen in their sale. To be fair, we do need extra fitted sheets and a flat sheet, but I hadn't planned on spending £136 before 9am today! Still, they do a Pay in 3 interest free option, so I have spread the payments. And I can pick up on our local high street so saved delivery costs!

Watered the garden at 7.30, lovely to be out there. Will be hiding from the heat for the rest of the day.

I'm hoping for a very low spend week. Gave DC £5 for snacks for them and 3 friends yesterday, and made DC & friends dinner . Only 1 of them ate all of it. It was a right waste of money. It means I will have to replace the beef mince I used, I can buy more for £2.50. I'm going out fri night to see friends at their house. I already have a bottle of wine in the fridge to take. I refuse to crack that open before then as otherwise I will need to buy another bottle and I'm not doing that. Sat night I'm going to an event in London. Tickets brought months ago, I am driving (I refuse to pay for cabs these days) and can park for free. I wont be eating there or spending any money on drinks with maybe the exception of 1 soft drink. Hoping to keep the spend this week to £10 or under.

@minesalargered I refuse to pay for parking unless it cant be helped.

Going forward:
I wont be paying for any cabs or car parking if/where I can help it. If it means walking/parking further away, then so be it.
If I go out to eat for an occasion then I will be having the cheapest on the menu with no starter or desert. I'm trying to avoid eating out whenever I can but there will be occasions where this is not possible.
I've already reduced drinking at home to save on buying wine etc plus my waistline doesn't need it
I've already stopped snacking on the weekly DC snacks/treats. My waistline also doesn't need it and it usually means I need to buy more/top ups in the week
Stopped using the store card. I have a plan to pay that off
Get a second job (tricky as I am FT already, but I have spare time early mornings before work and in the eves e.g. cleaning)
I've stopped buying luxury bath products (I never used to buy that many but I still brought some every now and then). Instead, people can get me them for my bday/xmas etc as a treat. £1 bubble bath for me now.
Foraging at home for dinners for me. No fancy dinners, they are not needed. I can live off beans on toast, omelette, scrambled egg on toast, bag of salad and a chicken breast type of thing.

Anyone else got any other ideas I can add to the list ?

@minesalargered hope your DH is OK

I've also stopped all subscriptions/classes including the gym. Only 'luxury' is cable TV.