Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

Had to duck out of the interview, it was awful!

I have another interview in September for a 20 hour week role. It's so well paid so I'll focus on that one instead!!

Oh my gosh it's September NEXT WEEK!!!

So my next interview is next week 🤣 where does the time go??

LSD. Spent 20p waiting in Spar until DH picked me up from todays interview and I didn't want to be accused of stealing anything so I bought a chew bar for DS.

(It happened to me once in Sainsburys so I'm hyper aware now. 😅)

Also submitted my weekly gas meter reading. Spent £3 this week on gas (doing dishes and daily showers x 3!) Not bad

Nevermind Collie, onwards and upwards. Good luck with your upcoming interview. I had a few a few months ago, they are nerve-wracking. Hope you get something suitable for yourself. I am starting a new job soon, and they only just e-mailed me a formal offer letter even though I resigned from my old job awhile ago, have a start date etc - and the pay on the offer letter is not what I was expecting. So lesson learned there. It's a sort-of NHS job though so I've emailed them back basically telling them my expectations and I'm hoping they will meet them. So this could be a frugal win or a frugal fail depending on their response...

NSD here again today. Also a frugal win for dinner tonight, as my DM gave me a few posh meat free kievs for our tea for tonight, yum.

£23.80 dentist for DD1. Temporary filling for now, she’s booked in for root canal and crown in October. First time she’s had an appointment since March 2020🤦‍♀️

£13 ish in coffee shop afterwards.

Ended up spending £56 on blazer, tie and PE top for DS2. Budgeted £50 so ok. Also £25 in Tesco for teacher chocs and other bits - £5 or so off due to Clubcard offers. Now home to make a trifle and Mac cheese (lots of milk to use up). I’m back to work 40 aug, enjoying pootling around pleasing myself and doing errands with the kids.
Meant to say re Costco - I’ve pondered whether it’s worth it and have just rejoined for another year. It’s probably best if you’re close by - I’m 45 mins drive away though can often combine it with other trips. The petrol is much cheaper but you have to be prepared to queue at the one I go to (Manchester). I bought a lot there when I first joined but have now worked out only a few items are really worth it for us - loo roll, washing powder, cat and dog food mainly. Cafe is cheap and cheerful as mrs says, I use it like a cheap version of McDonald’s for the teens! Sometimes has bargain home stuff/ clothes eg jack wills hoody. If you could afford to stock up and buy in bulk over a few months it would probably start to pay for itself, but I’ve never quite had the funds to front that.

@ThisisCollie2022 sorry the interview didn’t go great but sure the next one will be better

@CurlsandCurves sorry to hear about your tenant, hope you get things sorted

not a frugal fail as such but unexpected tax bills for DH and I amounting to 1854 plus had to pay holiday balance for our October holiday - ouch

my parents are here for a few days so footing the bill for food/drink which adds to the expense obvs!

I really was hoping to be more frugal this month but I already feel like we’ve failed so am a bit “fuck it” if you know what I mean!!

also thinking of joining a gym as I disgust myself currently

My DH loves Costco and has membership (NHS), but I don't really 'get' it personally! I feel like I remember it being cheaper long ago, but it's not nowadays. The few times I've been with him, not much worked out cheaper than our supermarket shopping to be honest. I seem to remember breakfast cereal was, so we bought loads of huge boxes of that haha. We do like the cafe, it's good value really, especially the ice cream sundaes (which DD also really enjoys!). However really we are trying to cut out a lot of those little spends unfortunately, so I can't imagine we will be going there anytime soon really.

Frugal win - the new employer agreed to increase my pay in the new job (slightly, but still). However seems to have made an error in the document they sent me, so I guess I really need to call them tomorrow to clarify to save more back-and-forth emails. But anyway, proof that if you don't ask, you don't get.

@ThisisCollie2022 - look on it as a warm-up interview. I have done some shockers in my time, but usually ended up in the right job once I'd got myself warmed up. DH is very successful in his field, but for years struggled with interviews until he finally got some coaching.

The decluttering continues here: have just logged all my tins of paint and what-not, and waiting for a date for hazardous waste collection. Filled another garden waste bin - enjoying the late-summer light in the garden.

Not especially frugal (in that the food will vanish quite quickly, being salmon, fruit and veg) £23 in Sainsburys. But the last two nights have been dig around the fridge sorts of meals, so it balances out. Forgot eggs and coffee so will be back there tomorrow. £50 for an extra month's supply of contact lenses in the opticians. DS' rent paid, utilities due on 1 September.

I shall be digging into reserves to pay the remaining bills due this month. I have, however, bookmarked an evening class that interests me. £213 (which I don't really have) but very tempted.

Fish finger tacos and wraps. Great ideas.

Great frugal win Weightoftheworld
Collie sorry the interview didn't work out, good luck for the next one

Shopping delivery today £86. Veg box due at
Weekend

Sorry the interview didn’t work out for you @ThisisCollie2022 . But hopefully the experience will stand you in good stead for the next one.

Batch cooked a chilli for the freezer before work. Had to stay at work an extra hour as we were so busy, every little helps between now and payday.

£2.55 on chicken breasts as I forgot to get some out of the freezer.

Thanks everyone! The job spec that was advertised was miles different than what they actually wanted so I asked to leave early. Also the salary was reduced from the job advert too.

Such an odd experience!

I'm feeling quite low in myself today, I think it's partly the weather as its so dark and gloomy. I get low in Autumn and Winter and I think it may be particularly bad this year.

I'm going to spend tonight thinking of ways to male sure I'm feeling good and budget for it

Woah now slow down on all the sociable posting so I can keep up 🤣.

Joking, just had a busy two days. Well, I say busy, I met a friend for a run yesterday and today, and I've been showered and in pyjamas by 7pm, but that's as exciting as it gets for me these days. Good for pocket and mental/physical health too!

life we had loan ponies, or old ponies, or (when DD got to a certain level) crazy dickhead ponies that no one else could handle! All done DIY and kept at a local farm for a pittance in livery costs. It's bloody hard work isn't it?

Ah pants re the job collie. Stuff happens for a reason, and I like the idea of a warm up interview, they take practice do interviews. It'll be the right time and right job soon, promise.

I'm another that will line dry but finish off in the tumble dryer for ten minutes or so.

I've never 'got' Costco either Weight, with you there!

Sorry about the tenant curls and associated logistics.

Another convert to Lidl coffee.I can't justify £7 for other coffees with 3 of us in the house drinking coffee. Just can't. The Lidl brand is absolutely fine.

gen, another old timer, good to be back.

flowery sorry but you eating the cake amused me 🤣🤣

Only gotten through half the posts, I'll be back!!

Ps - we are veggie apart from very occasionally a tin of tuna, will post kid friendly easy recipes at the weekend.

Spends £3 on chocolate yoghurts for DH.

@ThisisCollie2022 sorry it didn’t go as planned but as others say, it’s just a warm up!

also loving the late summer early evening light. If DD2 would just bloody go to bed (teething!) I could enjoy a nice potter round my garden! Back from visiting MILs so need to collect all the apples that have come off the tree and sort the good from the bad.

any ideas for apple recipes?! Crumble and cake have been done to death already and I’ve stocked the freezer with both.

also interested to hear if anyone has started shopping monthly rather than weekly. I have set a budget of £400 a month for all household groceries, toiletries and cleaning products, including nappies and wipes for 2 DDs (toilet training the eldest is very slow going thanks to her sensory issues). I think that’s fairly realistic for four of us given what I’m including and the fact I am GF due to the coeliac. Also both DDs have to take a packed lunch to the childminders each day so that includes stuff for those as well. However on a weekly shop I’m struggling and keep over spending on top ups. I’m considering doing one big shop a month at Aldi for most store cupboard stuff, plus nappies and wipes, budget of maybe £150. Then another pretty big shop at Asda to include all my gluten free stuff and the odd brand I can’t get at Aldi. Maybe £100 limit. Then add to that two fresh top up shops of £40 each would bring me in under budget.

Cross post @minesalargered looking forward to your recipes, thanks!

That's sad @ curls
Thanks for the coffee Tip, will try @ blobby
Good luck with next job interview @ collie
Lsd just 2.00 in pound shop on munchies for a team conference at liberty stadium with work. Shopping at lidl is working for me. That and being a lot stricter with the fam over buying rubbish and making sure food isn't wasted. If it goes to plan this will be the first month in years I have money until payday. Maybe only 10 pounds spare but still! And I will qualify for my 10 pound voucher from lidl. Yay! Frugal win! Payday is 31st Aug, will let you all know!

DD did a pasta dish tonight. It was a very easy sauce. Tin of tomatoes, lots of onion, garlic, seasoning and chilli (easily omitted, we love spice), all veg that needed using plus a tin of sweetcorn. I reckon stirring some cream cheese through that sauce and lots of grated cheese might work for small folk, less veg if required. Or adding chopped up veggie sausage? Richmond are brilliant veggie sausages.

I'll have a really good think re kid friendly veggie stuff and post more.

Ps - we do use 'expensive' things like halloumi or feta once or twice a week but even then, a packet of Lidl halloumi is much cheaper than meat. Tomorrow is (less child friendly) Chana Gobi curry (cauli and chickpea) but cheap.

Dons thinking cap for kids!

Pps- the smaller the pasta, the quicker to cook. Less energy. X

i like eating veggie meals and have even converted beef farming "it not a meal without meat, mash mountain and veg" dh to a few veggie meals. But I do struggle to get the kids to eat them.

One winner is the BBC good food aubergine chilli recipe. I tell them it's chocolate chilli and they love it. I make mahoosive batches when aubergines are on offer.

I've just done my weekly online shop for next week. It came to £74 and we budget £75 but I did buy 4 x golden syrup cakes 🤣 as they're on offer in Sainsburys for 75p each. And they go nicely with custard in the autumn.

And I also purchased 2 Christmas food items as I start adding foodie treats to the weekly shop in September!

Laskas fish finger wraps are on the menu for next week!

Help @minesalargered do you have two profiles now , and are also @needastrongoneagain ? Confused...

😂. Think it's if I post from the iPad or phone. I'll try to use my phone but sort out this side 😂😂

Thought easier to be need again.

We are veggie too, but cooking good meals has really been a struggle since we had DS. And DD is a rubbish eater unfortunately which can be stressful. End up eating quite a lot of frozen-throw-it-in-the-oven stuff admittedly. Today we just had M&S No Chicken Kyievs that my DM bought us, with rice and lentils, and greek-style yoghurt. Yesterday we just had scrambled eggs with fried tomatoes and fried spinach. We eat a lot of eggs tbh, but DS has a (mild) suspected egg allergy which is less than ideal.

Tbh collie it sounds like you dodged a bullet, the right job is out there keep the faith.

We are not fully diy with pony so the riding school sort him when we aren’t there. He’s semi retired now too,

Sorry about your tenant curls.

I want to eat more veggie but sadly D D’s fussy and needs lots of iron