Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

The energy stuff is so worrying Gen,
hope you have a good time with the fam

That's brilliant, not just the £100 but the ongoing saving. Our water in the South West isn't cheap is it. I was shocked when we moved here.

@northender I'm so sorry to hear your diagnosis. I hope you can rest a little aswell.

I'm also waiting for an appointment, have been referred for urgent gynaecological appt as I've got a large ovarian cyst.

Low spend day today library this morning so free then back to school haircuts £20

Spendy but fun day tomorrow. Treating my teens to bowling and a pizza and a look round the shops. Bit of a break for them from younger DC!

Thanks for the list collie i will enjoy those activities with my toddler. Really feel like autumn is on the way now. Love the back to school routine, I've got a lovely new diary (I always work on academic years) and a lovely new pen. Simple pleasures 🙂

north I'm so sorry to hear your news. Sending you hugs and from this side of the Irish sea. I'm sure that you (and your family) are in deep shock. Frugality can take a back seat for a week or two. I'm keeping everything crossed that the results bring good news - well, less bad news at any rate. I hope you can get free counselling through the NHS or through a UK cancer charity. If you want someone to chat to, or a virtual hand hold, I'm only a PM away.

Not much news with me. I've had a quiet week. Did my shopping this morning in Tesco. There was an accident outside my estate this morning so the main road was closed. I had to take a diversion and drive along some unfamiliar back roads before I eventually found my way onto the main road further along. The road is still closed. Someone said they're waiting for forensics to come out and examine the scene.

The cost of living crisis is in the headlines here too. My energy company has announced a price increase from the 1st October. Electricity bills will rise by over 35% and gas bills will increase by 39%. I'd switch supplier except the other companies are expected to announce increases shortly. So I'm probably better off waiting for their announcements and then see who works out cheapest.

Anyway, spends today

Tesco €126.62
Card shop €7.48
Fishmonger €16.50

Got cards for my two nieces. One turned 21 and the other bought a new house with her partner.

DD got a job which is taking the pressure off a little. She can pay for her own clothes and nights out and I've also told her that she needs to save towards her college expenses. She might be able to work part-time when she starts college but we'll have to wait and see what her timetable looks like. It would be great if she could keep the job going because she could do some extra shifts during the mid-term break and Christmas holidays etc. But I don't want her college work to suffer. I'm guessing she'll start college at the end of October so she has another month of work.

I made a seafood curry for dinner and I've leftovers for tomorrow. It was expensive (salmon, prawns, cream, ground almonds etc.) but I really fancied something different. It was really good and it's nice knowing I don't have to cook tomorrow. And it's quite healthy apart from the cream.

Having a quick cuppa before I take in my clothes and blitz the fridge.

That meal is expensive tayto but you got 2 meals from it so not as much, good news on dd getting a job

hope you are not waiting too long decaf

I’m enjoying reading all your updates. Thanks for sharing, everyone - I’m struggling to keep track of and tag usernames so I will just reply to random things and hope people will know which bits are for them!

i think it was @ThisisCollie2022 who shared the list of activities, thank you this is fab! Some great ideas.

regarding the monthly shop… it’s my first month trying but I’m hoping this will enable me to just think properly about the shopping once a month and do all the planning and then just do a small-ish weekly top up. However I’m aiming to do this online to save time and hopefully money (to avoid temptation in the shop and only search for items we actually need!) so I’m keeping my £5 monthly Asda delivery pass and will need to meet the £40 minimum spend each time. However I’m pretty sure I’ll manage this as we spend around £7 a week on nappies alone!

thanks for the apple ideas… I have done crumble and cake but might try flapjack. I’ve never had much luck with them before (although never tried apple flapjack) they either don’t stick together properly or are so hard you could break your teeth on them!

NSD today and have managed to resist the 20% off H&M code I’ve been sent so far! However DH is going out tonight so I’m sure he will make up for that 🙄

@northender sorry to hear about your news. That must be very tough.

£103 in Aldi which was more than I thought I’d spent 😳 so I’ve taken myself in hand and made a meal plan for the rest of the month. Worked out I’ve got all the main ingredients, I’ll just. We’d top up fresh stuff. Thanks for the tips on monthly shop unescorted and nice to see you back.

Also, I think someone else mentioned upthread that Tesco are pulling their offer to triple Clubcard vouchers and use them for delivery saver passes. I saw on Martin Lewis that this is happening around nov time and that up until then you can buy a 12 month anytime pass for £27 worth of vouchers (normally £83). I have about that in vouchers so may get one. Just thought I’d mention in case it’s useful to anyone else. Online/ scan and shop keeps me on the straight and narrow as I enjoy a browse round the supermarket a bit too much! I’m thinking a monthly shop might cure me of my ‘fling it all in the trolley’ tendencies

What a fabulous list collie, thank you so much, I love it.

decaff - fingers crossed the cyst is 'just' that, a cyst, and that you don't have to wait too long for your appointment.

I love the idea of a monthly shop, I certainly menu plan so it's doable. I like to do what unescorted does, and have say a core variety of things in, that will cover whatever I then choose to eat, for a bit of flexibility. A packet of wraps might be used for a Mexican dish, but if not, will be eaten for lunches etc.

Your worries sound entirely appropriate and credible gran, the energy costs are frightening. We have a business too to consider, with no help at all forthcoming it seems,

I've spent the afternoon making all sorts of soups and dips etc with my veggie haul from Dsil's allotment. She's asked if I want more, which I'll take as it all freezes.

We've decided we will wait until DS's birthday to go to a fancy pub for a meal out, it's mid September but will be something to look forward to and our one meal out in forever! My friend took me a few weeks ago and it was awesome!

NSD today but tomorrow we need - cheap gin so I can use the last of the Sloes up and cover gifts for Christmas, oat milk, a toothbrush for DH, loo roll, more chickpeas - we use so many!!

Right, off to menu plan, I'll post this in a bit.

Menu plan

Various soups and dips for lunches (allotment food!)

Squash and black bean chilli.
Veggie sausage, mash and gravy, veg
Veggie shepherds pie, veg (will do a couple of nights)
Veggie Thai curry.
Mushroom bourguignon
Courgette and feta fritters.

Various items like beetroot burgers in the freezer if required too.

Boom!

Oooh tasty meal plan there need!

I keep looking at our budget over and over again and there's literally no room to save anywhere. Ugh so depressing!

I've reduced the weekly shop to £59. It started off at £74 so am pleased with that result. Collection tomorrow.

It was NSD today. same again tomorrow hopefully.

I need to buy a new saucepan as our handle fell off :/ but it can wait until payday. If anyone knows of any cheap saucepans please let me know :)

That’s a fab meal plan need

I did a large batch of bolognaise this afternoon, used carrots to bulk it out as usual but I forgot to get mushrooms. Found some mushroom stock cubes so I used on to help improve the the flavour, worked a treat 😁

Fingers crossed for you Decaf

DH spent £60 in Wicks, railway sleepers for the garden. We have a bank, actually a bund with steep banks either side. He’s putting in steps to make access to the veg patches easier, the builder left us some paving slabs so that’s a frugal win.

So sorry to hear your news @northender , really hope it is all out and your situation improves. Thinking of you too @Decafflatteplease...

Lsd £2.00 baby wipes and profiteroles, freezer dive tea for hubby & I while teenagers are out partying for exam results! Congrats to all the frugaleer teenagers and good luck to whatever you are going on to do next.
I worked out my take home wage now overtime has finished, I will literally break even... with all the meal planning, being careful with usage and downsizing supermarkets. It wouldn't take much to tip the scales, I literally will have 4 pounds a month left. I'm grateful though, I have been in much worse positions, sadly. Hope everyone else is going to be okay.

Meal out with some mums I’ve got to know through football, which was really nice. £31 on meal and a round of drinks.
bizarrely though my card got stopped by the bank - because i’d used it a few times in a row at the garage when I was hoovering the car. Apparently having loads of £1 transactions looked suspicious!

@ThisisCollie2022 I’m going for these next, I invested in the baking tray after a recommendation and they are great
I have the frying pan and chappatti / pancake pan
a few stores do them and they are on offer ofter
direct.asda.com/george/home/pots-pans/scoville-neverstick-3-piece-saucepan-set/050159733,default,pd.html?utm_campaign=pla:Home-All_Ranges_BAU-_Smart_Shopping&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&ds_rl=1238816&gbraid=0AAAAADwhMoA0DmjWwRrZGZv91jmMo7S0N&gbraid=0AAAAADwhMoA0DmjWwRrZGZv91jmMo7S0N&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsr606e7o-QIVD-3tCh1VlwCAEAQYASABEgID8vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Should say I have the frying and pancakes pan spread and they are great

It does Martha it looks like people are testing the card before going off to use it more

nice meal plan. I will eat more veggie.

I ended up calling the bank once because there was a number of transactions over the course of a week for 50p or £1 on our card, which looked suspicious. Turns out it was DH, who had a slow puncture filling his tyre with air before he finally took it onto the garage! 🤣.

Cheers - lucky to have loads of allotment veg heading our way to keep costs down.

Like that flatbread pan and desperate for a new wok (ours is 23 years old and was a wedding gift.

Tip trios today. Rock and roll.

Oh

£27 paying the gardener. That's 1.5 hours work. Having a gardener sounds insane but it's only since DH has gotten ill, it's temporary until winter and our garden is huge, I just don't have the capacity to deal with it at present. I've cut out gym and other media subscriptions to cover. He only comes every 2/3 weeks and tidies up really, we do the rest.

I miss allotments glut days, when we get our garden sorted im growing some veg, have a few herbs atm

i think given your circumstances a gardener is a good investment

Morning all.

listened to an interesting podcast about phone addiction yesterday. 4 hours a day adds up to 60 days a year!!!! Am going to try and limit myself to 30 mins a day.

Late night with too much Prosecco last night and garden and house are a tip. Plan to tidy and then if I can face it head to the local adventure park with kids and the puppy. Will park in a free car park and walk along as that's the best part of £5 now. Ice creams will be from freezer at home.

flowerycurtain oh my gosh, that's a stat which has completely floored me!

need gardener sounds great. We have a huge garden too and sometimes I get panicky and overwhelmed by it. I think we'd all do the same in your circumstances x

life thank you, those look great!! We have one of those baking trays and it's amazing.

Meal out last night with people from the group I was with yesterday, £20 lovely and I was stuffed. Also £5 on dog biscuits
Evri delivered my veg box to someone else's house which is going to make meals through to Wednesday a bit difficult as I was relying on it (and it's two weeks worth). I have complained to the veg box company and asked for a refund.
Very tired and very sore after yesterday and am limping around like a crone. Going to hang the washing out then make boiled eggs and toast and then get my shit together to do some jobs.

I suggested ex kept ds for a few more days as I am utterly jiggered, work has been shit lately and ds has been difficult again lately. No dice and lots of complaints about how expensive it is to keep ds. No recognition at all that I pay for absolutely everything for ds except for food the 60 days or so when he's at his dads and that I get no help or contribution to anything. I just about kept my temper.

The big migration is on we've had two beautiful skeins of Canada geese go over the house so far this morning

@ThisisCollie2022 it completely floored me too! Think of what we can do in 60 while extra days! I don't think I can get rid of my phone completely as I love taking pics of the kids and I often use a spare 5 mins to do a Tesco shop in the car for example. Bit I can stop the two hours in the bath on instagram 😬 might even help the electric bill!

It’s not like you ask for much from him wolf
hope you feel better when you get moving,

i spend way too much time on my phone

going to a harvest market today, I won’t buy anything as will be too busy going “how much” or “I could make that myself” but it’sa look out before dealing with outlaws