Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

Ps - loving ancientgrans incredible posts, and taking inspiration!

Ps Skies, was it you or the dog that was fed up after the groomers, I did smile reading your post!

Hi all :)

Have been AWOL due to covid AND tonsillitis last week. Am feeling a bit better now, did manage to struggle into the office for work today although realised I'd made a mistake and came home a bit early. Think will WFH tomorrow and Weds until I feel a bit better still.

Despite being ill we've not been overly frugal, DH was on annual leave whilst I was in bed and has had DS for a few days running (he'd usually be at nursery) so a few trips out such as swimming, soft play. Nothing too spendy I guess.

One up side is I was so ill I didn't do the usual food shop and instead we've managed nearly a whole extra week without a weekly shop... it was actually quite easy and I'm thinking now of having a week a month where we just use what we have in the cupboard/freezer and pop to the shop just for the odd fresh stuff I.e. milk. Does anyone else do that?

Anyway I'm back (ish) and hoping to have a relatively frugal rest of the month ahead of our holiday in September.

Hi everyone! Not been on here in yonks. New username, but I imagine the old timers will be able to clock who I am pretty easily! Hope everyone is well. Getting proper anxiety about the cost of living crisis, even though we are very fortunate and should be ok other than really having to cut our leisure spending right down. The biggest expenses for us are going to be food, gas & electric, and nursery fees.

Socathe I don't have a specific week of 'no shopping' or whatever, but we tend to infrequently do very big shops either online or in-store to stock up on tins, frozen, packets etc to bulk buy things that are really cheap/on offer etc and then the other smaller shops are mainly fresh things to make meals with. And if we run low on things (often - as we are disorganised), I frequently make random meals just based off whatever we happen to have in. I make curries, pasta dishes, pasta salads, cousous salads etc using whatever random veg we have in really.

Need to catch up on thread, will read in q minute, 75p on bourbon biscuits, 4.20 on coffees but my work colleague was celebrating her birthday, so one off. Back to work so busy busy busy, less chance to spend. Thank goodness. The lidl swap for vouchers is working, I am starting to notice more money left in my bank yay! I have usually run out by now. It's only 20 quid, but it'd not on the credit card at least!

@minesalargered I remember you as needastrongone! I wonder if we got pissed off at the same poster 🤔 probably!!

Definitely good to be back xx

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate I remember all of those posters too!

Who was it who always had lovely nails? 🤣 Still get nail envy all these years later!

So my frugal hair dying journey ended up being £20. The first one went on and came out PINK. However it now looks chocolate brown after the 2nd one. It's taking time to get used to not being blonde anymore and I keep scaring myself in the mirror.

@minesalargered i think we all got rather peed off at that poster. Nice to have you back!

i haven’t changed username because honestly I’d forget what the old one was! Haha.

frugal win today. Two of my eBay items have bids and I sold the radiator on fb for £150 woooo!

have finally got the dc to sleep. They just don’t want to sleep!!! And it’s all I want to do!!
and am now snuggled up in bed with catface for company. She’s had enough of being outside. She was tarting about on the wall

collie xx

I remember all of those names too! I'm sure I remember Pointless had twins not long after I had my twins - now almost 6!

I've got my Tesco shop in at the minimum £40 and spent £35 in vouchers so a good saving. I know I could save them for reward partners but I always end up spending more eg going out for a meal and spending ££ on extra drinks 😂. So better in my pocket at this point.

Newbie here. Long time since I used forums, 2005 on Handbag TTC forum. But not hugely prolific, was mainly in TTC. Since then had two DC now 16 and 11. Very rare posts on MN. Sacked off Facebook recently and not many to chat to re cost of living IRL. It's weird like noone else is bothered 🤔

Anyway just thought I may follow along and make the odd post.

It's my 50th year and last year when things seemed rosey I booked two holidays. Just back from the first UK break and headed abroad for first time in four years at half term. I've done the whole lot for £450 pp (that's an overnight ferry, 7 nights in two cities, train ride between the two and flights home) but I can shake this feeling of doom and guilt which is a shame as its my birthday treat.

My autumn goals are to have a good holiday, a well planned cheap Christmas and four urgent repairs, living within our means 😬 nothing marred by projecting the stress onto DC.

Will read and comment from time to time if that's okay. Payday in three days and the budget resets then!

@minesalargered . Jam?

Tomorrow is a high-spend day as I am going to get my wisdom teeth roots removed, they are impacted. I need to bring someone with me in case they can use sedation but no friends are confident driving to the place. It's about 60 miles away in a city. So we are parking in the nearest city and going on the bus, bus to dental surgery, taxi back to the bus station and bus back to the nearest city so expecting to spend about £60 on travel tomorrow. Not looking forward to it but I've waited ages for this appointment to come thru.

Im not too bad spending-wise as I have all my bills on a list and just check each thing off as it is paid. Im also big on sorting things for future me, so I have about £200 each for Tesco and Asda in vouchers to hit my account in November and Amazon vouchers from doing surveys,

I spent a lot last week on Wednesday and Thursday so much to the point that my bank blocked my card while I was in my 3rd shop of the day as it was showing "unusual activity" but I had hospital appointments in the earlier part of the days and so went to the local shopping centres afterwards and got a lot of bits and pieces that have been on my list for ages and is more expensive to get online. I live in a tiny rural village and I don't leave the house on a regular basis so 99% of my shopping is online and all of a sudden my card was in full use 40 miles away. so spent about £600 in all,

Poundland - 15
Lidl NI - 9
Shoe zone - 39
Cash withdrawal - 40
Argos - 89
Poundstretcher - 51
Poundstretcher - 17
Dunnes stores - 46
Home bargains - 42
B+M - 51
One 4 all card - 32
Electric top up - 15
Yours clothing - 51
New look - 23
Lunch - 10
Home bargains - 22
Costa - 4
Poundland - 3
Dunnes stores - 15
Savers - 30

To be completely fair, the last time I had a spending day like that was before Christmas last year.

Oh it's so super to be back, with all the folk posting - new and old. So great!

I did a 'pay it back' idea with our old dining furniture. We had a lovely, good quality, dining set that we needed to let go of (it's 25 years old, and served us well). It's gone on a local Facebook group to a couple in our village, and they will 'pay back' their dining set to the next person. Free: And so on. Our old dining table owes us nothing, I'm grateful it went to someone that will keep it the same time!

Waves vigorously at em!!

Collie I remember and look forward to your lists

@ememem84 .Thank goodness it's only monday. Think I've got that right

theskyouside - yep x

Hi kessie

Woohoo minesalargar I've missed you around the place

€1.60 on bread soda, had brown bread all ready to go earlier when I discovered ds had used the last of my bread soda on another of his experiments 🧪^^

Yo happier, and freaking glad you are! Love this place. How the old and new are so welcoming and kind. Hope you're okay.

Smart reader says we used £3.50 electricity today which is alarming.

It's usually about £1.90ish.

Smart meter**

Expensive day tomorrow as I think I need urgent dental treatment from grinding my teeth with stress. I think I accidentally cracked a tooth!

Oh Need! It’s you! I think a lot of posters left as a result of that poster, I was very sad it came to that but it was quite vexing. I remembered you as Jam but knew that wasn’t your last name… really lovely to have you back, but sorry to hear that you are going through such tricky times. Wishing your DH better asap. How are the DC, have they flown the nest yet? I seem to recall you often had lovely nails as well as a lovely kitchen, if only to cover the horse muck 😉

it was indeed Pointless who had twins. I am not sure when she disappeared as I took a thread break for a bit. I am now trying to remember who else had twins, perimenopausal brain fog is not helping me with this task, I’m afraid 🙄😂

was an NSD in the end as my mum bought my drink. Good knit chat too, it did me good.

I have no office clothes ironed and now cba. In winter I forget that ironing even exists so in summer all that linen and cotton is a bit of a bugger.

I am on all the frugal threads....love saving money...did a food shop today as friend coming over from spain to stay and she loves things like chips, eggs, beans etc so it was cheap and only got items on the list...no impulse buys....sold a ring on ebay unwanted gift and got 150 quid....also listed the chanel sunglasses....another gift never worn and they are at 75 quid so far so its going well....also buying up bits for my garden makeover in november.....now all the garden stuff is heavily reduced so snapping up bargains....compost....stones...sltates...pots etc as will use them all...!

're the above, I know that doesn't sound very frugal but that's my main shopping session of the year done. Got stocked up on -

shoestring camisole tops which I can wear under things to help keep the heat in at £1.80 each
2 pairs of boots to use as slippers @ 9.99 each

2 Pairs of trainers - used 10% code
5 hoodies X £4 each
3 tops - all in the sale
Dressing gown - got 10% off
Dress for wedding next July - half price £20
Long length hot water bottle with cover
Hot water bottle 2 litre with cover

All4One card - was €35 for nephew

• Thermal blackout curtains - for bedroom
• Ronseal for painting the fence
• Large rug to cover living room floor
• Storage boxes for sorting stuff on top of the wardrobes properly to stop cats knocking it off.
• Stuff for the garden for next year - 79p each
• Bath seat - for friend who has trouble getting in and out, £3.25 down from £35 - damaged box
• 2 king-size duvets
• 1 KS duvet cover
• 1 fitted sheet with matching pillowcase

Topped up my cupboards to get me through to spring time:

** cleaning cupboard
** Cat treats supply
** Chocolate / chewy sweets supply
** Folders for sorting paperwork
** Toiletries basket
** Medical basket

So actually frugal in a way as don't need to buy any of these for about 8 months and several are to help keep the heat in ahead of a bad winter.