Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

@Gingerwarthog I’ll check them out. Thanks x

Afternoon!

So pleased the interview went well collie, fingers crossed! Hooray re the bill too.

Welcome ginger and nurse and HTruffle, I benefit from my brother's allotment greatly! And was going to suggest Vinted!

nurse, I don't have my hot water on much as water seems to stay hot for ages for within our system. Probably saves some energy. The water companies also offer free water saving packs, if that helps? Probably pennies saved, but all helps.

wolf, honestly, you haven't caught a break this week.

Big. - I'd say those figures look about right. Many earn less though...so sad.

Those Crocs 🤣🤣.

Weight, I genuinely haven't had a bad experience on the selling sites. But always try to buy 'new with tags'. Attached is a photo of some leather UGG boots I've just bought for 30. New in the box, with even all the cardboard etc still inside the boots, I needed winter boots desperately and now is probably the time to buy. I stick to quite decent brands though. I think being petite helps too, less of a market for my size, but still haven't looked back since I started shopping like this.

Yep - the Lidl offer is definitely less generous.

Spends
£6 TGTG Greggs bags x 2. DS is home all weekend and it's a strategic purchase to keep him out of the fridge, the Greggs ones are very generous.
£1.60 coffee for DH, can hardly deny him a fresh coffee at present.
£10 phone top up for DH.

@Nurse16
Sainsburys Tu
Most comfortable knickers in the world

Although I'm going to find it hard to keep up on my working days, how lovely to get home to lots of frugal updates to read! Just sitting down with a glass of vino (not bought, found in the back of a cupboard, managed another nsd!) off to catch up now 😊

Those boots are fab need

pjs and suck like primark are fine, not Ieggings though as too sheer,

I think it was need who posted a bargain pair of uggs that I have too? I think that pair got their moneys worth so a very frugal purchase at the time. So warm.

loving the frugal chit chat. I find it quite calming to read after a busy day, catching up with old (and new) friends

Back to washing up all the Tupperware and water bottles from packed lunches. Sometimes there’s tons of it! I haven’t missed it.

Spent £8 on 100 tea lights. I think my last pack of tea lights lasted 12 years.

I hope mrs and her mum are doing ok. Missing your updates

I was going to suggest primark too for clothes, especially if you are still settling between sizes. Or H&M, but I avoid the bare midriffs 😂 Sainsburys can be a good call too if you have one with a bigger clothing section.

Nothing with wrong with bare midriffs though, just you don’t want to see mine!

Me too @Timetoswitch 😊

@ThisisCollie2022 sounds like a whole lot of good karma is coming your way already 💫 !

Not sure what my frugal karma is right now... our (ancient) air-fryer just blew up 😳. It was one of the original te-fal ones with a paddle, given to me dusty and unloved from my mum's garage. Lots knows how old it was but with all the recent love of air-fryers I've been feeling pretty smug about it 😂. I've also been hankering after a new slow cooker (I got this one at uni so at least 20 years old) so now I have to work out if there's something that does all the things (and then put it on my Christmas list <sigh>)

I've had an e mail with a £5 voucher for Tu if I spend £25. Might be worth checking as I don't know if they've sent them to everyone. I don't really need anything other than some PJs so I might have a look at them.

Yaay! It's Friday. Hope all is good with everyone.

DD got her exam results this morning. She did really well - much better than expected. That said, the exam results were inflated this year in line with last year (last year's results were inflated to make allowances for the disruption caused by Covid. Then they had to inflate this year's results so that the current cohort wouldn't be at a disadvantage when competing with students from last year who had deferred their college place). Anyway, she's away for a few days with Ex so she's missing all the hype. Probably a good thing. She has to register for college on Monday morning so I'm taking a half-day to drive her over. There's a college bus but it only runs during term time, so it's not running just yet. I think she starts classes on the 18th.

I bought a lamp today for my hall. I've had my eye on it for a while but I wasn't prepared to pay full price so I waited until it was reduced in the sale. I had a lamp in the hall already but DD kept moving it into the sitting room 'cos she likes sitting in the armchair reading.

Work has been crazy busy for a long time but things seem to be settling down finally. This is the easiest week I've had since before Covid. Long may it continue!

I've arranged to meet my friend for lunch tomorrow. She's buying an apartment and has gone Sale Agreed. So we're having a cheap celebration 'cos I don't want to spend much and she'll need every cent for moving in. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes ok for her and there are no last minute hitches. I'm driving so I won't be drinking. Alcohol really pushes up the price of things like this. Lunch and a glass of water should be considerably cheaper than lunch and two or three glasses of wine.

Right, I'd better get something to eat and then I'll be back.

Tayto that's brilliant, well done to dd

Yes well done your DD tayto.
NSD today, needed because I reviewed all my various accounts and I’ve gone overdrawn by a hundred or so in about three places. Holiday, summer holiday, uniform expenses etc. hopefully will claw it back over next few months.
in exciting frugal news for our household DP has got some extra work which hopefully will bring in about £250 a month extra. That’ll enable us to manage our fuel bills and still have a bit to put aside for emergencies/treats.
sorry can’t remember who posted it up thread, but the research from Joseph rowntree was very interesting. I’ll look that up for my teaching!

Yay to Tayto's daughter. Martha that is good news.

I do find it hard to keep up with the thread and who is doing what but like someone else I've just enjoyed reading everyone's frugal efforts over a glass of vino. In fact it was an Aldi tin of Vino that I found when clearing our caravan. Surprisingly delicious.

NSD here today. Just work which is best not spoken about as we had new electricity prices through today that gave my dh an apoplectic fit!! Hence the vino.

We did start watching Marriage with Nicola walker in. Quite enjoying it so far.

Nice catching up on all the updates, keeps me motivated!
Spendy day but much accounted for.
£40 fuel (DH car) accounted for in weekly spends.
£16.67 Home Bargains in with weekly shopping budget.
£4.40 for chip shop chips to go with homemade lasagne.
£19.99 Amazon for 30 small glass jars. First of Christmas shopping to make jam. Last year I collected free jars but didn't had enough fruit in freezer to fill them all, as not a huge freezer. Job for Sep / Oct to make them up, I enjoy it. Covers token presents for several grown up nieces and nephews, scouts leaders, teachers, who ever.

Great news about your DD Tayto.

The casing on the plug on my slow cooker had cracked off and although it's working, think it needs replacing. My DM got me that from Asda around 11 years ago for £14.99. Most useful Christmas present ever!

So, I've caught up on the last few pages.

Alfie that's annoying that your son can't avail of the free travel to college.

martha your DD's girlfriend sounds like hard work. I steer well clear of drama lamas. Good news about DP getting the extra work - that will give you a bit of breathing space.

Laska have a fab. holiday. I'm sure you could have done without that last minute panic. Hope the holiday essentials turned up before you went.

Thinking of mrs and hope all is ok.

Collie I'm sorry to hear you have MS. Were you diagnosed recently? Disappointing that the medication has been doubled.

Gen have a lovely trip back home. Sorry to hear about MIL.

gran (feels rude calling you ancient) fingers crossed for the blood test results.

life bananas are, indeed, the work of the devil. The smell of them makes me nauseous. I give out to DD when she's eating bananas or leaves the banana skins lying around. She give out to me when I'm cooking or eating eggs.

Born enjoy your break with your D.M.

Unescorted sounds like the gym fee is worth it for you.

Collie I went for a management position when DD was a baby. Half-way through the interview, the interviewers asked me if I'd like a pause for a drink of water. When I lifted the glass of water up, my hand was shaking like a leaf (partly nerves, partly adrenaline). I was mortified! Nobody was more surprised than me when I got it. I'm still half-expecting to be found out and declared a fraud. If you do get the job, fake it 'til you make it. Best of luck! Oh and glad you sorted out your bill.

Weight hope everyone is on the mend soon.

Wolf I'm sorry your DS is so uncooperative. I'd love to give him a good shake and tell him how lucky he is having such an amazing Mum and how he should show more appreciation. If he refuses to join you over the weekend, just plan something nice for yourself. But I'm sure you were hoping to spend a bit of quality time together. Big, big hugs.

Ginger that's a really big saving on the stewed apple and rhubarb. All the veg. too.

must sorry to hear about your air fryer.

Well done tayto dd

So my massive cc bill for the drains and new oven has gone out, reset weekend before birthday spends kick in beginning oct.

I shall be having a non frugal morning buying sweet treats and spicy treats at the farmers market.

Frugal day planned chez Warty.
Run outdoors and time on the allotment. Walk with DD and DH.
Veggie chilli for dinner with allotment courgettes, runner beans, sweetcorn and kale. Planning on stewing down some more apples.
Expenses may be croissants from local bakery for us all and a Saturday chunky newspaper but that's it.

Enjoy the treats wolf

Morning everyone.

Yesterday was all set to be a nsd but then I ordered a Papa Johns pizza as couldn't be bothered cooking. £35 and that is supposed to be half price. Anyway it was delicious and it fed five of us and there's enough left for lunch today so probably worth it. Don't think I need anything today so will try not to spend anything.

I am joining the need an air fryer brigade. DH has been hankering after one for ages and so far I've resisted mainly because I've no idea what one to get. We are four adults so do we need a massive one? It will need to sit out on my worktop as I have no where to store it.

Tayto well done to your dd. It's such a relief when they do well. My ds2 had his Higher exams this year and we had to wait on the post for his results. Opening the envelope was excruciating he had no idea how he'd done so it was a lovely surprise that he'd passed them all and did well. Enjoy your lunch with your friend.

Unescorted well done on getting healthy. Sounds like the gym membership is totally worth it.

Martha that's great that your DH has extra work that'll give you some peace of mind with the price hikes.

Laska enjoy your holiday. I hope you get some nice weather.

Welcome Nurse and Ginger

Morning all, happy weekend. I've not been on for a few days as dm has been over, I've just been catching up on the thread!

Dm came for the night Thursday and we went out to the cinema and dinner. £8 for the cinema, £6 for dinner which was just for two cokes as we had Tesco vouchers! A very frugal evening out I'd say, I paid for cinema and dm for dinner. It was lovely, haven't spent quality time just the two of us since before ds was born really what with covid and us moving away. Friday she walked with ds and I to preschool for his first day, he was so excited to be starting 'big boy' school. He will carry on at nursery until he starts properly at school next September but I'm hoping preschool will help him make some friends who will then be at school. It is an extra expense but worth it I think for that and for me to have a couple of hours to myself a week.

Dh has ds one day in the week next week as I'm on a full time training course, he announced this morning he wants to take him to CBeebies land. Which is great except, that's probably a £50 day out by the time he's bought tickets, petrol (about an hour from us), ice creams etc. We're going on holiday the week after! Here I am trying to do frugal activities with ds like blackberry picking so that we can have spending money on holiday. DH says all the right things about being on board with being frugal and saving money but when I explained (nicely) all of these things and about holiday and saving money for it, and the fact we agreed to have a frugal few weeks beforehand, he acts like a petulant child being told off and says well I'm taking him anyway! Our finances are all shared apart from a small amount of pocket money we each get a month so it impacts other finances. Anyway we came to a compromise, he can buy the £25 parent and toddler ticket from our joint money but take a packed lunch, and if he wants ice creams, anything from the gift shop etc he'll have to get it from his own pocket money. Still a bit miffed though, AIBU? I'm already taking overtime pay for next week instead of TOIL to help pay for Christmas.

Also, decided to fix my energy bill with the fix we were offered by British Gas! The MSE calculator said it was strongly worth considering. Barring the govt stepping in and freezing the price cap I think I've made the right choice, surely that won't happen? I hope it does though.

I have 14 days to change my mind so if the new PM makes an immediate announcement about the energy crisis when they come in I can still cancel.

I don’t think yabu so.