Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

Found some bath towels at Dunelm for £4 in the clearance and a squeegeeeeeeee. Obviously cannot spell that haha! So that was £10 for everything. Oopsie.

We have a weekend spending allowance and this week we came under £1 for everything as we made £5 on FB Marketplace.

Now we need a No Spend Week.... 3,2,1 go!! <hides debit card>

I'm with you@ThisisCollie2022
That quilt is great@ life well done!
@Taytocrisps I made the same decision 2 weeks ago and cut back news, scrolling on phone qnd watching TV. I too went to the library, I agree half filled bubble bath and a good book is where it's at.

I’m doing that too collie apart from vets with catface which was planned in a couple of weeks ago.

I think you are doing well, the kids need the college stuff so what can you do. I'm an epic fail, last month it was £350 for new varifocals and sunglasses, yesterday it was £330 for car repair, today £88 for petrol and as I was at Sainsburys and totally wound up about GS I went into the shop and spent £18 on absolutely nothing I needed, although it could be argued I needed the medicinal mince pies. Go me living the frugal life.

The shops are already selling mince pies?! 😱

DH spent £75 in Tesco and bought petrol.

I had to pay £70 for guides- deposit for trip and subs.

I think I’m going to crack open the Toblerone later- it was free with our leftover holiday credit we may have picked up four of them. Yum!

Got into a nasty little habit at work of buying lunch at the Coop every day - salads mostly which I could make at home.
So this week's resolution is to make lunch at home the night before and take into work.
Might stop me from snacking in rubbish too. Fingers crossed.

Where are all these places that have only just started charging for air? As long as I have driven it has been a thing here... & I can drive a 7.5t double rear axle on my normal licence.

They are beautiful quilts.

Gran - grim as it is it will probably put him off drinking for a while. Think of it a frugal win for him.

DS is back to school this week - he has cleared out all the fluff & dust from under the sofa and uncovered enough pens to get him through to Christmas .... longer if his timetable means his classes are after lower 6th ones with all their newly bought ones. 😉

I have been making risotto fairly regularly for 25 years and I may just have made the best risotto of my life. Roast mushroom and kale with air fried crispy kale on top. Le yum!

Hi all,

Been ill all weekend, I had so much planned but have had to just do the bare minimum. I blame all those kids coming in for school shoes bringing their germs with them! Just a cold cough type thing but my sleep has been horrendous, I’m shattered.

And now I want a mince pie! 🥧

yum Wolf, I love crispy kale. I have just made salted caramel ganache and it was really lovely - so much smoother in texture than buttercream. Bit trickier though - caramel makes me a bit nervous as it’s so easy to burn… but I didn’t this time, phew. Had it as the frosting on a chocolate cake after Sunday dinner together (I always try to make a bit of an effort on a Sunday). The children were very happy!

I’ve just paid for school meals to half term, £70 (DD still gets free lunches, Y1). Not too bad, though I don’t know how much DS actually eats. He’s stopped eating chips now, of any variety 🙄

@Wolfcub do share the recipe!

Been reading all your updates, sorry I'm rubbish at replying to individuals but please know I am reading and enjoying!

This thread has really made me realise how few and far between our nsds are. Must work on that especially with our new £400/month energy fix.

Spent the afternoon at SIL's, DS loves it there because she has a huge playroom full of toys from when her kids were little and her 10 and 12 year old dcs play with him nonstop. All the in laws there so other littles him to play with too, he's been non stop all afternoon and was in bed asleep by 6.30. Sunday win! Now catching up on mumsnet in the bath ahhhhh.

Also frugal win, BIL bought us all a McDonald's dinner... a random choice for a family meal as usually go for a Chinese, fish and chips, Turkish etc when we're all together but I'm not complaining I love a Maccy's!

Here's to a frugal week, I'm on a training course at my employer's HQ and my task for the week is to avoid buying a daily breakfast roll, they are so cheap and delicious and the training room is right next to the canteen! Wish me luck!

Socanthe maybe allow yourself one on the last day to get you through the week.

Hmm recipe, it was a bit of a made up thing so let's see:

Chestnut mushrooms in about 3 or 4 slices each roasted (in the airfryer) for 15 mins with two fat garlic cloves, the end of a pale red chilli, thyme and fennel seeds in a decent fluffy of olive oil. Seasoned after they finished cooking so the salt didn't draw the water out of the mushrooms

Diced red onion softened in butter and olive oil, carnoroli rice. Then cooked in a gradually added chicken stock with a good glug of mushroom ketchup and a splash of soy. There was a bay leaf and a Parmesan rind in with the rice from the start and seasoned with salt and pepper. Juice of half a lemon added halfway through cooking. When done but before mounting with butter add sliced curly kale, the mushrooms and other half lemon juice. Then turn off heat and Mount with butter and Parmesan. Top with air fried crispy kale bits dredged in salt

Thanks @ancientgran for the solidarity :) like you say, what else is to be done. I sorry you have had such a spendy time. Hope you get to calm it down soon. 🤗

@ancientgran my eldest did very similar a few weeks ago, he’s 17. He was with his dad fortunately. DH told him to take it steady (work event with a free bar). But he wouldn’t listen. So DH decided to let him learn his lesson. It definitely worked. Especially being shown the video of him staggering, barely able to walk the following morning.

No mince pies but I’ve found a just out of date Toblerone.

loads of good tips in that one recipe Wolf, thank you. Will be putting bay leaves and Parmesan rinds in my rice henceforth.

Air fryer is looking like an increasingly attractive idea, but will need to reorganise and declutter kitchen cupboards to create space first. Maybe by November, I will get around to it!

£96 toppings up school meal accounts

£2.90 coffee shop. I was in early and am on my second coffee. DH got the first one before he went to work.

I now start at 930. The kids are with dparents today for their “last” Monday.

I worked out that from now on I have an hour to myself on a Wednesday morning before work. DH Will do school drop offs so I’ll get the bus in. That’s my coffee time. And a book! I’m so excited. Might finally finish some books!!!

my plan is to go to coffee shop near to the office which also has a bookelshf (it’s a charity one) so when I’m done with a book I can leave it there.

school starts tomorrow. Eeeek. Where’s my baby gone?! 😭😩

For those looking for decently made casual/everyday clothing, I do recommend the Lands End Outlet - they have a store and are online too. Took my DS (24) yesterday in a last ditch attempt to find some clothes that suit his 6ft 6" muscly frame and he came away with 2 x pairs smart trousers, 2 x pairs casual trousers, rugby top, 2 x long sleeved tops and a chunky cardigan for the princely sum of £110! And they all fit - the tops don't look like his bum has argued with his shoulders, and the trousers are long enough. As it's American sizing, the 'tall' clothes were actually too long for him.

My own victory was not buying yet another pair of their jeans (which I love) for £15 just because they were £15! Or another casual top just because it was £10! I don't need either.

Nothing exciting to report here. Just a NSD. I might get a head start on next weeks shop (I usually do them on a Wednesday and it arrives / we collect on a Sunday!)

But my budget is so low that it takes time and effort to think ahead. The mental load...

It's taking me some time to get used to a half full fridge. BUT we do have very full cupboards and freezer. And our cookie / cake and crisps cupboard is FULL.
Usually it isn't like that, but I've been stocking up.

I don't know about you all, but being frugal and financially limited is sometimes softened by simple pleasures like a cuppa tea and a piece of cake.

Crikey what an awful morning. Plusnet are the worst company I've ever dealt with in terms of customer service. They stressed me out so much my heart is pounding with confusion and worry.
If anyone is thinking about switching - don't go to Plusnet.

Dropped DD to college for registration day. It was just for an hour - she got her photo taken for her student ID card and they had a talk from one of the lecturers. She didn't get her timetable yet but was told she'll be in college three days a week - or possibly three and a half days a week. She also has to arrange work experience one day a week. She was all excited when I collected her and was chatting away nineteen to the dozen. We had a quick walk around the town to get our bearings and spot the pizzerias. Then when we got home, she announced that she was heading to bed for a nap after her early start. Don't you just love teenagers ? Actually, I'm a bit tired myself but I've to log in at 2 for work so no point in hitting my bed. I should probably stick on some laundry instead. Frugal fail - I took a wrong turn on the way there and ended up on the motorway and had to pay €1.50 at the toll before taking the next exit off the motorway . Didn't make that mistake coming back!

Thanks for the good wishes, unfortunately I don't think it has taught GS anything, he thinks it is funny. My late exDH was an alcoholic and it killed him (broke up our marriage) my father was the same and he died when I was a child. I have a terrible fear that he has a double genetic dose of being susceptible to the demon drink. I know I also have the fear because of the past so I might be catastrophising. Not much I can do other than refusing to give him any money, once he's back at sixth form and if he gets a job he won't have so much time on his hands.

I've decided to restart the month, my frugal month got off to such a bad start that I think I just have to draw a line under it and start it again.

@Taytocrisps your DD sounds great, I hope she enjoys her nap. It is lovely to see them all enthused about starting a new chapter. Has she any idea what she wants to do for her work experience?

gran I'm sorry to hear about your ExDH and also your Dad. I can understand your concerns and I think there can be a genetic component where alcoholism is concerned. But hopefully in your GS's case, it's just a teenager experimenting with alcohol and learning what his limit is (or isn't).

DD's work experience involves working with children. So I guess that means a school or creche setting.

Sending hugs gran, can't be easy!

Well liz truss was announced PM and we had an almighty clap of thunder and lightning. Scared the shite out of me and then our power and broadband went down.... all feels world endy and dramatic here!

I'm binge eating Tony's chocolate. £2.50 reduced from £3.50 in Sainsburys at the moment. Sorry not sorry.

I’m snacking on wierd snacks from Thailand. Like banana brandy snap things. Colleague brought them back. Can’t decide if I like them