Frugal Friends Fearlessly Facing February.

[needastrongoneagain]

Thought I'd start the new thread. Been ages since I started a thread!

All welcome here @MrsBargain!

Nice tat @ememem84

@Girliefriendlikespuppies agree, I want to tell folk to savour the primary years as they are wonderful, further challenges lie ahead!!

Extremely low spend weekend so far, perhaps a £15 spent maximum as I gave DS a tenner towards the curry last night. Nothing planned tomorrow.

Took DH to visit his DM today, who has recently been moved to a care home. Seeing the decline in her has made me quite tearful today, she didn't even know him. But knew me, how does that even work? Dementia is an awful thing.

Slow cooked beef today for tea, yorkshires and fresh veg. After the rugby. We really only eat meat when DH home.

Bbq pulled pork for dinner. DH cooked it on the bbq. Yum. Yum. Yum. Served with wraps and slaw and gin. Yum.

Thanks all for the tattoo love. I think I’m addicted! Still yearning for the flock of birds on my sleeve….

Girlie yes I remember when your DD was little too! Sounds like she had a lovely birthday, the pancake disaster is exactly the sort of thing that regularly happens in our kitchen (mostly DH's antics though...!). Haha.

Need So sorry to hear about your MIL. It must be so hard and sad for you and DH. You both do have so much going on right now too.

Spends today:
£1.30 bus fare to town - the driver only charged me for a child ticket which I didn't realise til I'd sat down!! Hilarious, I'm going grey and look like a typical sleep deprived mum in the face, but I dress 'young' so it must be that I guess.
£15.75 on lunch. It was yum, but me and friend had planned to go somewhere else a fair bit cheaper, but it was full.
£2 bus fare home.
All come out of my Xmas/birthday money anyway.

Oh need ❤️

Need that is very sad. Was DH upset by it? It must be so hard if he hasn’t seen his DM for a while and he can really see the difference.

Girlie I know you are right. Right now DD(5) thinks I’m wonderful, that I can make everything better, that she will always want to live at home… she’s in for a shock when she realises I’m fallible! Also, she has been diagnosed with ASD and already has some social difficulties and definite comprehension challenges, and is quite anxious, so I can only imagine her teens are going to be hard going, it’s hard enough being a teenager anyway. I’ll be back for some hand holding, I’ve no doubt!

Today I have mostly been in cafes! Met a friend while waiting for DD to have her ballet class, £3 coffee. Then took DD to the same cafe for her post-ballet pastry and drink, £10 for the two of us. (With friends but we buy our own rounds). Then later, back out to meet a friend who is heading off to Oz for a month, she bought my coffee. Friend 2 was pleased with her cook book birthday gift and gave me some flowers and naice hand cream.

I am glad today was good as yesterday turned out not to be a great birthday in the end. DS pretty much had a 6-hr meltdown after school. I rarely cry at our family situation, it is what it is, but occasionally it really gets to me and yesterday was one of those days. We were all completely drained.

i still need to buy a (milestone) Birthday present for my DM and am running out of time. Tonight I WILL be inspired, argh!

But first I need to make a lasagne for tomorrow as we’ve decided to take the Dc to an English heritage place and so need it ready to just shove in the oven when we get home. Also might make a quick tray bake /cookies if I can think something I have the ingredients for, but it might be a bit late for both.

going to watch Stacey Solomon declutter while I make my ragu 😉

Finished a jigsaw puzzle today and started a new one. Yay. I’m in bed now with catface for snuggles. DH is continuing the puzzle.

catface has started annoying the dc. Because she won’t sit with them. She needs to be touching me at all times when we’re in the house together. Much to the dcs annoyance. 😂

need I’m so sorry to hear about mil xx sending love xx

Cool tattoo @ememem84!

I'm actually finding the 'move to the other side of the world on your own' to be the most isolating part, but the COL isn't helping because I can't just throw money at the problem - go out for coffees, drinks etc. Well COL and being left without a penny/cent after my marriage break up....

Teenage boys with sporting commitments doesn't help either as I have limited time to catch up with other people. I've had a number of people say "just drop them off at cricket and pick them up after they have finished" but it means a lot to them to have me watch, especially DS1. I feel I'm setting the foundation for our relationship into their adulthood and it's important that they see that they and their hobbies matter to me. It is sad to see very few other parents go to watch though so clearly the 'drop and run' is popular.

NS day yesterday - didn't end up going to the butcher, helped with cakes for DNephew's engagement party.

I need milk today

em I love your tattoo!! I have 4 and am planning my next one.
Busy day today with lots of prep for the week. DH is doing a roast chicken later.

meal plan:
roast chicken with roast veggies and potatoes
chilli wraps and salad (freezer stash!)
orzo tomatoes and feta bake (freezer again)
lentil and spinach Dal with cauli rice and rotis
beef bourguignon with potatoes and greens

I should like to join in again if I may.
i have need of frugality as I’m to be married in September.

Loving the tattoo @ememem84 ! I’ve got my third removal session this week, so I know where you’re coming from re the itching, it drives me crazy!

Lazy day here, just doing a few bits round the house, have prepped a roast for later. Made a shopping list for this week. Need to finalise this when DS1 finally surfaces as I think he may be working away till Wednesday but I’m not sure if that’s definite.

Everyone at work is binge watching Happy Valley so I will probably get a couple more episodes done this afternoon.

Dinner out last night with my primary school friends celebrating mine & one of their 40th birthdays, we've been celebrating 40ths for almost a year now.
€35 on dinner & €28 on a round of drinks, I drank soda water & lime for the night as I need to buy an outfit today and dinner was at home 130 miles away, I overnighted at my parents.
€2 toll
€50.70 returning duvet set that was faulty
€28 new duvet set & 2 lightbulbs
€28 Lidl
€21.60 McDonald's
€45 Tesco some of this will be reimbursed by work

Normally spending at McDonald's is uncategorised expense and then I've to rejig the budget but this month I've allocated €100 to treats category for dc & plan on this going forward

Need that sounds tough for you, sending hugs.
Kookaburra I'm a cricket mum & spent a lot of ds' teens watching him play. He's 21 and I still like watching him now. Dd came to rugby at 15ish so I've had to get to grips with that, but love watching her play now too (slightly more brutal than cricket though!)
Getting on really well with the declutter. Am expecting dh & dd back from Devon at 9ish, so should have it finished by then. It feels so much better already and I am champing at the bit to get my sewing machine out and restart my 2 unfinished quilt projects.
The label printer arrived yesterday & is a game changer. Everything is going to be labelled!!
£40 grocery shop, £10 on food & a drink with friends last night & that's it for spending. Had a friend round for breakfast this morning & we went out for a walk with her dog. Was lovely & no spends.
Have been watching some Frugal Queen videos & although I don't always agree with her, she generally talks sense & is good if you need a reminder of why to be frugal.

Spendy in the end today.

£64 deposit on a holiday for July, only 4 nights in Devon but it looks lovely, small hillside cabin, very picturesque. Will use savings and have until June to pay the outstanding balance £260.

£13 Wilkos on bits and pieces.
£27 Boots on face wash, there's one particular one I like and it was on 3 for 2 so got 3. That should last over a year.

£15 x 2 dog tags, the dog has two collars with no tags on so it needed doing.

£6 Greggs on lunch for dd and I.

Need to work out budget for rest of month as at this rate will need a non spend week or more 🙈

Been to an English heritage place and spent nowt, just petrol. Took a picnic and ate it in the mizzle 😂

I think I ask this every year 🙈 is it feb and March that are council tax free months if you pay over 10 months?

girlie yes that’s right I’m looking forward to mine! Glad your DD has a good birthday and is up for being sociable, that must be nice to see after she’s had a hard time.
need that is hard with the dementia, there is a lot of emotional challenge for you just now
em lovely tattoo
half that also sounds tough with your DS especially when you have a lot on anyway. I’m glad you had a better day today.
welcome to the new people and duchess congrats on having a wedding to plan for.

We also spend a lot of time watching sport (football) - well I do as I am the driver, which is a bit ironic as DP is the only one that likes football! I’ve still not learned the rules really in all the time I’ve been watching but I do think the DC appreciate the time spent especially in their teens.
Been shuffling money round between pots to account for food overspend this month. I think I need to increase my food/petrol spend with rising prices and rising appetites. Realistically I need to budget £700 for food for 5 of us and £200 for petrol. We could do the food cheaper but it’s what we spend.
otherwise £67 yesterday on Tesco delivery and £9 today on post match Maccy’s - used points from their app to save money. Also £8 charity shop on two books and someone’s unwanted Xmas lynx body spray!
I’m off now for half term though I’ll need to do a bit on my PhD to catch up. It’s full on busy from when I go back next week so need a bit of a lazy time. Have about £50 for anything the teens want to do so can’t do anything too expensive. I’ve been doing well with running, three good runs last week so need to keep up to that. Going to slob and read a book now. Hawaiian chicken in the slow cooker which was courtesy of this thread!

Duchess Welcome and congratulations! Very exciting!

Curls I love Happy Valley but not watched this new series yet at all!

Spendy day for us as a family today but as usual DH paid for it all except I had to spend £2 on grippy socks for DD at an activity centre (basically a big fancy soft play). I was a bit annoyed because I took her socks that are almost identical but a different colour from another similar place but staff pulled me up on it and insisted I buy 'their' socks. Stupid money making gimmick but there you have it. Even DD agreed it was daft 😅

DS meant to be at the hospital tomorrow for at least half a day for a food challenge (allergy appt). However DH, who was meant to be taking him, now has a tummy bug FFS. All whilst DS is still being treated for suspected impetigo (although no longer infectious). Honestly. It's so rare that everyone in our household is healthy! Anyway thrown a spanner in the works financially too as I am going to have to take DS to the appt now, which means I am missing work. We could be there for the whole day depending on how it goes so might lose an entire day's wages, on only the second week since DH stopped dropped his hours to stop working on Mondays. That's working out well so far...! 😫Tomorrow should be an NSD though as I'm taking packed lunch for us both and I'm assuming DH will be at least well enough to drive us and pick us up.

Ooh, I've just remembered I have another spend from today too actually which is my £2 bus fare to get me and DD home after said activity. As DH went home earlier with DS due to aforementioned tummy bug and DS then had a nap at home so he couldn't come back to collect us. Still, an LSD for me.

Evening all hope you are all well been trying to catch up with the thread as been so busy sorting dm insurance claim and house. New kitchen has been ordered hopefully fitted in 10 weeks and she has moved back home this weekend but we are taking it in turns to have her round for tea each night as she has no oven just a kettle and microwave. She wanted to go home but her health and mobility is poor and she refuses carers a cleaner or to use her stick or zimmer in the house she’s own worst enemy trying to be independent but refusing any help pfft

last month was my car mot service and brakes this month is dh so hoping it won’t cost a fortune as I feel like there has been something extra every month for so long what with special birthdays last year then Christmas then ds 18th in January

I renewed the house insurance last night 251 v 375 and now have meerkat movies so dc can use that at half term etc

nsd planned today, bake sale tomorrow so couple of £ for chazza. That should be it. Dh gets his third last wage this week. 💩

Morning all,

Im tired this morning. DH had to leave for work at 2.30, DS1 was picked up for work at 5, so I’ve had a bit of a disturbed nights sleep. Don’t remember DH leaving but I think I heard his alarm so it must have woken me briefly. Coffee is needed.

Dd up puking during the night, she's almost 13 so no extra childcare needed.

Spends yesterday
€10 centra
€10.45 on roosters peri peri got sweet potato fries as a side, I didn't need them

€12.50 back from work today

Gws happier dd

@WeightoftheWorld nursery fees will be my dilemma next year, as we have baby on the way. I already checked fees in our city and it's crazy, I will barely make any profit given that I will go back to work part time and assuming that our child will be healthy all the time, so I won't miss any days off work, which I know is not going to happen. My husband is trying to convince me that going back after a year isn't best idea and he'd rather take a responsibility of making money so I can stay home bit longer. We shall see, it's hard to say now how I will feel staying home full time. I know though my husband has much bigger earning potential than me and if he won't have to take days off for sick child etc. it would help him enormously in his work too.

@BigSkies2022 I feel for you, we need new sofa too 🤐I already checked it's 800 quid in Ikea to replace our current one, but ours isn't fit for purpose anymore.

Recent spendings:
£100 my hairdresser- balayage+cut (paid with hairdresser savings pot)
£205 husband's new glasses (paid with health savings pot)
£4 sainsbury's bit of food top up before tomorrow's grocery shopping