Summer savings support - be frugal

[ememem84]

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.

Not a problem my lovelies if it can help. Always worth an ask. What’s the worst that can happen, they say no. Shy bairns get nowt

ouch sounds nasty wolf.

don’t mind how you post mrs

welcome back fear. Sorry pt didn’t work for now

always new people welcome

Wolf - that is fantastic news. Debt cleared, not black eye! Well done.

June has ended in a better place financially than I expected. Combination of cheque from insurance company, expenses claim finally made and paid, and a change of heart from DS' landlord, enabling me to pay rent monthly over the summer, rather than the whole quarter, means we're up on where I thought we would be. So I've been able to squirrel a bit away, overpay on the energy bill, treat DS to a rail ticket and a few quid spends for his weekend AND have £30 of my own for the weekend. There will be plenty of calls on spare money in the next few months, but I"m so grateful for the unexpected breather.

DS being away means we can also save a bit on the grocery bill this weekend!

£40 back in as returned some tops.

£70 paid off credit card.

ds went to school induction today. And loved it.

Rubbish day today:

£33.50 in IKEA although £15 was on freezer boxes for batch cooking so I can write that one off.
£70 for 2/3 of a tank of fuel!!! We thought we’d better fill up seeing as the prices are going up daily.
£17 in Wetherspoons on lunch
£3.45 in Sainsbury’s.

Must try better tomorrow 😢

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome back.pay day!
Paid credit card off 667- managed to get a bit of overtime, but bare bones of wages now.
11 pound in charity shop for 11 nice items of clothing
£1 for a dog bone.
Just applies for a new full-time job in the same sector, fingers crossed. We had a campervan for 5 years, it was fun but it's expensive. The engine went and it was time to let go. Hoping for lsd days now. Love Reading everyone's journey. It really helps me not spend. 😃

My bank q count will be the same as yours time once the bills have gone🙄

Mines- the puppy is fab but hardworking
MrsEvans-big hugs
Wolf- hope you are ok

Life- thanks, it was a stepping stone just needed to change sector really. Think I am caught up now, great to see all the old names and new people.

Afternoons.

It is lovely to see so many new people and returners.

Wolf well done on the debt. Ouch for the eye.

In an ideal world I would remember who's DD got the first in archeology.... But I am rubbish with names. Well done.

Fuel.😮

Hope all the poorly babies are on the mend.

Joins the uni open day gang..... Ds is on the treadmill. First one is next week. He wants company so I am driving him down and we will stop in a travel lodge. Does anyone have a good way to find cheap parking .... He can go to the London ones and US ones on his tod because they are way out if budget for an accompanied visit.

No discretionary spends here today :-) yay.

Feeling better after three antibiotics doses. Had nails and toenails and bikini wax done for honeymoon. Eyebrows, upper lip and chin didn’t happen as my lady was closed for a family wedding 😨 hope she’s open tomorrow or I’m going to have to search for someone else. Very expensive day!

Evening.

Feels a bit odd welcoming new folk when I'm new myself, but welcome!

Got two dogs myself fear, I don't fancy the puppy phase again any time soon!

Balloons - totally hear you on the cost of fuel. Living like a hermit at present to reduce that expense. Probably better re the environment. DS has a small car that I'm using too as it's so economical compared to my relatively more expensive Mini!

Glad to hear the extra financial situation balloons, always a bonus to feel there's extra money.

Hope you're okay wolf

Today I spent more than I planned, but only because had half an hour spare before going to the hospital so did my Lidl weekly shop! I'm very practiced at throwing all I need I to a trolley. £68, which included wine, but I'm not going out this weekend. Not bad for 3 adults. I need apples, as they had run out of the ones on offer and we eat a lot of apples but that's it.

£2.90 parking.

£20 on an Facebook group for some Hush clothing, my favourite brand and I'd usually buy new. I'm very tiny and petite, so stuff in my size rarely comes up.

Earnings - 50p from surveys, and £25 for doing the ONS covid survey, been doing that for over a year now and it's a great way to earn very easily but each household is randomly selected. Doing the blood test bit of a pain but interesting to see what level of antibodies you have re covid.

My general meal plan based on what I've bought in Lidl.

Veggie sausage, mash, gravy, veggies.
Veggie curry,
Sweet potato and black bean chilli.
Roast vegetable pasta with pesto.
Wraps.
Squash dhal.
Mushroom stroganoff.
Stir fry with roast pak choi

mine that all sounds very stressful, sending you best wishes
wolf amazing on clearing the debts, well done! Hope your injuries are ok
fear I was gutted to go to FT from PT but it does have advantages (in addition to the extra money)
unescorted we are off to Manchester this sat, I have double checked the day 😂
em glad DS had a good day at school
sorry I can’t keep up with everyone’s news but hope everyone’s having a good evening!

I’ve found it useful to add up all my ‘social’ spends in a separate category and realise how much goes on that. Things like your teacher presents decaff - they aren’t necessary (and im lucky to be able to afford them) but they oil the social wheels or are things you want to do for people. I think if I want to carry on with that sort of stuff I’m going to recognise I need to pinch money from one of my other pots

Evening all.

Good frugaleering here today I did a small top up shop In m and s as usual but only spent £15 (usually around £40-50) as I've been shopping in Lidl so much so we didn't need very much. Very impressed with myself 😁

Our current energy rate ends at midnight tonight then we go into another fixed rate but it's basically double the amount for electrical and triple for gas, or the other way around I'm not sure. Uurgh. We've just taken meter readings and submit them.

Really tired tonight so when children asleep I'm getting a long bath before the price goes up and a gin and my kindle. Can highly recommend lidls rhubarb and ginger gin cans if anyone likes gin think they are £1.39 I have them with loads of ice to make it seem bigger 😂

I remember youGen, congrats your up coming wedding
Martha- yep, I hear ya. My twins are at college now time to crack on!

Are you comfy naming the uni you are visiting? Some of us might be in the know? Otherwise I google cheap parking in ….

i went into Lidl for a change and £51 later, bloody middle of Lidl

Not me Decaff 😊

Life it is Cambridge.

Ah can’t help you. I’m too far north

Morning.

Hope everyone is okay.

Todays spends will we hair cut (local hairdresser and very cheap). Hospital parking and that's it.

I also signed up for Gusto last night after reading a thread on here last night and getting a referral code. 4 meals for £17 arriving next Friday. I'll then cancel. Apparently you get loads so hoping to stretch that to cover lunches as well. We've got plenty of food to last until then.

I've struggled to get some lines in Aldi, and have to do 2 supermarket shops to find all I need
Have noted that Sainsburys do a lot of price matching Aldi, and it's good quality so if you're careful not to be swayed by expensive stuff, worth bearing in mind.

Mrsevans - it's my lad that has a summer job in construction, so thank you for the tip re. Lidl workshorts. Will check it out, brilliant!

Doh, thank you Decaff!

Your welcome, the leaflets are online. Think the work stuff was sun 10 July so not quite yet.

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month! Quite literally feeling the pinch here, energy tarrif switched overnight. Trying to get my head round it all, might start a separate thread. Gone from £125 to £299. Electric has doubled in price, gas has tripled. So this month coming if we use exactly the same amount of electric and gas as last month it will cost £72 for electric up from £37. And gas will be £105 up from £32. Those are terrifying figures. We pay more on direct debit to build up a credit to cover winter. We could switch to paying as we use it but that means winter bills we be super high and we fine it easier to pay the same each month. Flipping heck though this is alot!