Frugal Friends Fearlessly Facing February.

[needastrongoneagain]

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

Happy Mothering Sunday all. My present to my own mother at her uninspired, a box of Thornton’s chocs and a card with bunnies on but she seemed pleased. She’s home now, but we go up North again on Saturday to go to church and see the minister so she will come back down with us for the Easter holidays.
Tayto, we used a spray we bought on Amazon called Pet Remedy. We found it quite good, you spray the cat’s rug with it and it helps to calm her down a bit.
she likes being at Mum’s house once here. Her neighbour saw her sitting in the bay window last time and has asked to com in and meet her!
im hoping this week will be low spending, We will need to do a small shop, I’ve sausages in for tomorrow but nothing for the other days: My partner has been to Tesco though and bought stuff for his packed lunches and milk which was helpful.

Happy mother day y’all.

I cooked for everyone. Curry night at our house. Made butter chicken. Also served chicken rice (aka rice cooked with chicken stock), onion bajhis, veggie samosas, pompadoms (as the dc call them) naans. Then Colin caterpillar for dessert. Hosted dparents and dsis. Sent dsis back with a ton of leftovers for her and Bil.

I am so full. And happy.

National lottery are doing some free heritage stuff, you need a lotto ticket to get in
www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/

this week to 26 mar

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day, the meal was nice although dd still finds eating out quite stressful 😕 she did okay though and the food was nice. My mum bought me a voucher for a massage which was kind of her and she insisted on paying for the meal 🥰

Dd got me a lovely card and some bits for the garden, it was so sunny Ystd so spent a happy couple of hours out there potting up plants and seeds. My living room now has loads of seed trays in it though 🙈 it is a frugal way to garden though and I'll be glad of it in a couple of months when I have beautiful flowers!

I also applied for my strike benefit from the rcn so hopefully that will be an extra £50.

I had a horrible thought about council tax, when dd turns 18 will I lose my single person discount? I'm assuming I will, does anyone know if that's the case and if her being in ft education makes a difference? I'm assuming the child benefit also stops when she's 18 ☹️☹️

That is going to potentially tip me over the edge financially speaking....

Great to read about everyone's Sunday plans - em, love the sound of your butter chicken and sides.
Dbrother hosted parents and in-laws yesterday, and we can't all fit into their house. So DH and I went to the cinema (Rye Lane - absolutely lovely, and a treat for us south-east Londoners especially) and then ate rotisserie chicken and sides in Peckham Levels/Market, home for pistachio ice-cream. I got a call from DS to wish me a nice day (and to ask for money to fix his bike, and give me a list of stuff to pack when I come to visit, so the full mother-son experience). Dozed on the sofa with Ddog in front of Attenborough. An excellent Sunday!

Frugality-wise, this month is shaping up not especially well and I'm going to have to dig into my 'travel' and 'gift' pots. To be fair, it is to pay for travel and gifts, but was hoping to hang onto those funds till later in the year. I will have another reckoning in April, after I've done my tax return, and hope to be able to clear at least one credit card balance.

Somewhere down the line, I seem to have become a person who thinks about money all the sodding time....

Girlie if DD is in full time education at age 18 and 19 then she is disregarded for council tax purposes. So your single person’s discount will apply for a bit longer:

www.gov.uk/council-tax/who-has-to-pay

North the Green Army is indeed doing well! DMum always keeps an eye on them (though she never paid any attention whatsoever when DDad was alive 😉😂)

Need I bet it’s a huge adjustment, very glad you both have the support of your great kids.

Lovely family lunch out in a restaurant yesterday, FIL’s treat. It’s always a little stressful eating out with DS as he’s not good with crowds, or noise, or waiting for food, but he just about managed to hold it together. I told him he was a superstar, he does like praise and was rightly pleased with himself. His recent favourite game is to ask me to
kiss his cheek, then wipe the kiss off, then laugh himself silly at my faux outrage. Neither of us is bored of this game yet 😍

The weekend went by so quickly! Not doing much this week other than work, possibly knitting at the pub tonight but I will only buy one drink. Until Friday when I visit God’s Own County Need 😉. DH is sick to death of my kitchen excitement and it hasn’t even nearly peaked yet, mwah ha ha

Ooh, are you also in Yorkshire this week Half? Whereabouts? I will report back on my Leeds adventure. (I must, however, make a claim for Devon's greater beauty, with its two moors, two coastlines, and magnificent rivers, hedgerows rather than drystone walls, and Britain's last remaining temperate rain forest...luckily, we live in a world where we can have both counties!)

Yep, making a day trip to the DIY kitchens showroom (they are supposed to be good
kitchens, sold direct from the manufacturer so a lot cheaper than buying via high street…. Here’s hoping they are actually good). Has anyone here used them, out of interest?

I love the variety of landscape in the UK. For practical reasons we’ve holidayed in the Uk a lot in recent years and, apart from the fact that there’s a big forrin world I’d ALSO like to see, I have never felt remotely disappointed by the Uk. South west, wales, Scotland, Yorkshire, Northumberland… we’ve done them all over recent years and loved them all. But my dad was from Devon and many a childhood holiday was spent down that way so it has a special place in my affections 🥰

Despite being a Yorkshire lass, I must admit Scotlands scenery has captured my heart and soul too. Agreed, we are so incredibly lucky to have what we do right here in the United Kingdom.

Lovely anecdote re your DS @HalfWomanHalfChocolate. ❤️

£40 at Aldi. How the hell it cost that much I don't know. Still, there's £30 left in the food budget now until Friday and we won't need anything until then.

£23 window cleaner, which I forgot to budget for, but have stolen from the food budget.

Already made a turkey broth for tea from sad veg, lentils, turkey from last night etc, plus miso and white wine and the gravy from yesterday too. May make Yorkshire puds.

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate i feel your excitement about your kitchen visit. I bought a new kitchen last week in IKEA. It's not being fitted until July but I'm already planning where everything should be. Just have to live with the hideous building work that's ongoing

I haven’t used them half but will e when we need a new kitchen

£18 on 2 ties yesterday of which £6 was postage, robbed

Pay day! Yay!

bonus paid in too. So that’s gone straight against my credit card. Have to wait around today for someone to tell me what my new pay is going to be (this takes effect 1 April)

Hope you get what you want em

I did not get what I want. Not even close. I’ve said that I’m disappointed and that from what I have researched if I accept what they’ve given me I’m still working at a discount.

I’ve told them that if I was to go out to the market (which I don’t want to do) I’d be looking at a role a whole level up. And also I’d be looking for at least a 25% increase. (Judging on what other firms are offering for my level currently). Even if I was to go for a job at same level I’d be looking at between 15-20% increase.

That’s shit em

Must apologise been mia due to the awful shoulder arm injury which is so much better ! Thank God
Have missed you all
Spends today 33 Morrisons bought a few groceries and treated myself to a blue linen overshirt which l know l will get a lot of use out of when we eventually get a Spring
Em that is so disappointing for you l am so sorry , can you try to not be hasty just sit with your feelings for a while till you decide what to do

mrs that’s what I’m doing. I’m playing the long game. I’ve asked them to reconsider. And will hopefully have an answer soon. I’m not the only one who’s disappointed it seems.

Sorry to hear that @ememem84. What were their business reasons for not agreeing to the rise? As an employer, I'd always consider reasonable requests, consider appropriately, and have valid business reasons whether I am willing to agree or not agree. And often an alternative suggestion.

Well done Em 😊👏
It's so easy to react with a knee jerk reaction , wishing you the very best 💐😊

were going through an integration so it’s difficult to do blah blah.

im really upset. Disapppintes. Cross. Etc. I’m pushing back on the offer. And essentially asking for more.

Oh @ememem84 sorry to hear that. But you handled it amazingly and you’re absolutely doing the right thing. You know your worth and so do they. You’ve got the upper hand here.

Spa day was lurvely! So relaxing. I did look at maybe having a massage on top of the facial that came with the package I booked. But so expensive! I’ve got a goal of having x in my bank by payday (next week) and that would have blown it. So I restrained myself. The facial came with a lovely scalp, neck and shoulder massage anyway so I’m glad I didn’t give in.

Back to reality with the food shop his afternoon!

Sorry about your raise (or lack of it) Em
Glad spa day was good curls
Dh & DD are off with the green army again tonight half, an away match but only 30 mins drive from us. Can't wait to hear about the long awaited kitchen.
Mrs hope your shoulder mends quickly
We need to get cracking in the garden girlie. I remember pics of your lovely garden
March is going pretty well here. Should have money spare at the end. Had a lovely weekend away which cost very little. I'm back on my step challenge, still with crutches at the moment but hoping to be able to manage without soon.
Just compared Nov to now with the same period in 21/22 & we've used 25% less gas & electricity despite the much colder winter this time. Feel very happy with that

Fallen off the thread, sorry. I have been reading from time to time.

Sorry to hear about the payrise em that sucks. Hold out and hope you get more soon!

mrs pleased your shoulder is much better.

March has been crazy, ever since my car failed its MOT at a really busy time at work that requires travelling. The joy of buses in a semi rural village! Got a new car now, just trying to sell the old one

Spent today looking after DM which was not expected either.

Keeping the spending down (apart from on cars 😊)

£30.98 Lidl. Really struggling to stay in the food budget. That's our main impact of COL. I'm doing everything I've done for years to keep the food bill down and yet we run out well before the four week cycle is up. I need to audit my spending.

Thanks all. The ball is very firmly in their court. I need to work out my next steps and go from there. I’ve woken up less cross about it. Still disappointed but less cross.

I’ve emailed a recruitment agency (the same one we use at work) and asked them re salary levels. I’ve also emailed an ex colleagues husband - he has been in the industry for a while and offered to help with recruitment etc if needed. So I’ve asked to meet him for coffee and a chat. Not with a view of leaving. But with a view of is this right and how can I better my position. His wife retired from our place last year so he knows the business.

all that being said I’ve told my boss I have an appointment at 11 today. He has asked twice what it’s for and I’ve just told him it’s private. (It’s new nails day…) and I’m going to get a bit more dressed up. If he thinks I’m interviewing already then 🤷🏻‍♀️

But I’m going to go into the office today and just act as though nothing happened. And be my best self. crack on with things.