Advancing into April - Frugal Friends still being, er, Frugal.

[needastrongoneagain]

New thread.

All welcome.

Oh no north re your Ds!! Bloody teenagers!! I'm jealous of you see Bruce, I'd love to see him live.

I've finally finished painting the garden fence and am really pleased with how it's turned out. Had a fairly low spend few days, other than the car insurance 🙄 got that for £360 in the end which is over £100 less than my current insurance company quoted. I have a separate savings pot for car related costs so uses that to pay for it.

Can't remember if I posted my Lyme spends but it was £7 parking (for 4 hours 🙄) and £17 on a posh bottle of gin for my sil bday which is this week. Drinks around £8 for three of us.

I have £200 in the current account to last three weeks 😬 think it's likely I will have to dip into savings but hoping our pay deal bonus at the end of June will negate that.

Thanks for thoughts on the secondment, my other concern is whether it will leave room to wfh which is very useful to me especially in terms of managing the dog and not being out the house for hours. I will have a chat to my boss about it I think, definitely no chance my current job would become redundant as I hold a large caseload but I'm not sure what they'd do about covering me if I were to get it (no guarantee I would!)

Plan today is to have a look round a vintage/scrapyard place and take the dog on a nice walk, my mum has offered to cook dinner which is a bonus 😁

@Girliefriendlikespuppies Lyme Park is about 15 minutes from where I am. The parking charges are 😵l normally cycle there, but like all local attractions I rarely go.

Hi to the new people.... It is really friendly here & loads of good advice.

A levels here too... And uni finals. Do not have a 3 year gap between babies.... Just saying. I have left the 2 of them revising / finishing final show and portfolio work together via Facetime.

BBQ for tea tonight.... It would be rude not to. Spatchcocked Harissa chicken with honey glaze, couple of salads and homemade pita bread....
I have found a lovely alcohol free drink... Af white wine, soda water, plenty of ice. It is so refreshing and everyone assumes that you are drinking white wine spritz in an Australian style. No nosey questions or blow by blow accounts of sober Januaries. Also refreshing

Thanks for the welcomes everyone.
@BigSkies2022 yes on full pay for now thankfully. I was already working part time due to children, but yes I seem to be just getting through each week for the last six months at least, so I'm hoping some time off will allow me some headspace to think about budgeting, and figure out exactly what income we would have if I wasn't working (with reduced tax liability etc.)
Sounds like a stressful time @HalfWomanHalfChocolate. I know you need the essentials furniture wise, but we did an extension 2 years ago and once we had the basics done, I found I had zero interest in doing anything extra for the house for a good six months after the builders left, which did give the finances some time to recover.

Afternoon.

Welcome @blindedbythelamp. Similar here, in that we are fine (well, fortunate in truth) financially, but DH had a huge stroke last year, and so our money situation changed and has become less certain. I'm trying to stick to a budget which is well below our actual income, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but our money may have to last way longer than we planned, or indeed care costs need factoring in. We are all here for different reasons and all very friendly! I'm sorry to hear about your condition and I hope you are not in too much discomfort.

I'm so pleased to hear the service went well (if that's the right way of putting it) for your DF. And kudos to your DM for speaking.

Had to laugh a bit at your DS @northender. Mine (pretty much tee total in general) has done similar!

Sounds like lovely birthday presents @CurlsandCurves

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate that sounds so stressful. I'm glad you got a short break. Sounds like progress though re the conversion. I'm similar re stuff I really ought to sell.

Spending has been pretty good here. Nothing out of the ordinary or frivolous.

£103 dog food (two massive bags, two dogs, lasts two months but it's still increased TONS from last time). Budgeted monthly for.
£12 drinks at the cricket club yesterday.
£20 socks

Menu plan.

Black bean taco salad with grilled chicken
Kimchi fried rice
Courgette and cashew curry
Gnocchi and pesto
Pork and tofu meatballs, sautéed courgettes with chilli, soy roast potatoes
Cannellini beans in tomato sauce on sourdough.
Red pepper bisque.
Cape Malay chicken curry (again).

ememem Hope the party went well. It’s no party without a cheese plate.

Time Glad to hear the service was lovely.

North Thank you for mentioning The Boss. I lost last night to YouTube and Springsteen videos. I’ve seen him a few times live and he’s great. Hope your son is recovering.

Half Good to hear the building work is progressing but sorry it’s stressful.

Spending wise £2.50 on some Pringles yesterday. Was stood up by a friend (again) so was feeling annoyed. £29.50 today on a gym bag from Marks and Spencer. Thought I’d give it a go as a carry on bag for the plane at the weekend. Have decided I’ll give my discarded last bought bag a try for my work trip on Thursday.

Hey all, thoroughly enjoyed my bank holiday weekend. Bf was out of isolation on Saturday so he joined us then.

I will check my banking app tomorrow to see what spends were but it wasn't too spendy I think.

Half - it sounds like the build is progressing very well. Eyes on the prize, and enjoy the interlude at the flat. A friend of mine said he felt at his happiest while he was in a tiny studio cooking on a single ring, or something like it, while his house was gutted and renovated. Something about the monastic withdrawal from most of. his possessions!

We have been spendy - lovely Korean BBQ at Kimchi (about £140, gulp), Hockney exhibition was fabulous, saturated colour, like being at the dawn of creation. Paid balance on the September trip to France today, (£1980, but £300 of that is a damages deposit which we will, hopefully, get back) now have to chip away at it again. Paid off a bit more of the energy debit balance, slowly coming down.

DS cutting this trip short to go to a summer job interview. I have been giving him lessons in frugality, or at least in budgeting. Have suggested he halve his weekly budget, move it to his Monzo card and leave his wages in his main account. If he runs out on the Monzo card, top up via extra Deliveroo work. If he gets this job, he won't have much time to spend, so that will help!

Hi everyone,

Loving the fab weather here. It's like being at the Med.

I've been busy in the garden. Bought some containers for my new plants and got them all planted. One of them is drooping a bit and bears no resemblance to the lovely lupin I bought at the garden festival (lesson learnt - stick with buying plants from garden centres where the quality is guaranteed). I'm hoping a bit of tlc will revive it.

Spent a bit extra on groceries this weekend because we had a community picnic on Sunday (part of a local festival) and it was a pot luck event. Everyone had to bring different dishes.

I'm on holidays for a week and my Dad is staying with me. Unfortunately, my lovely uncle (Dad's brother) passed away last week so we'll have to go to the removal and funeral. Which is going to take up the best part of two days. But at least Dad has company this week and isn't on his own.

One side of the curtain pole in my sitting room has come away from the wall but Dad has offered to fix it for me (I'm hopeless at DIY). So we'll pick up a bracket tomorrow. I might pick up some paint and a roller for painting my garden wall also.

DD has a sinus infection so we had to go to an out of hours doctor and pick up a prescription for her. She paid for it all herself though. I'm sure I've said it already but her job is saving me a small fortune.

Dad and I visited a garden this afternoon (€7 entry for me) and we all went out for dinner this evening (€30 each). I think I bought some ice creams also.

Must pay my waste charges bill tomorrow.

Welcome blinded

em lovely news about your sister's engagement. The wagon makes sense when you live so near to the beach.

Time glad your Dad's service went well

north Edinburgh and The Boss sounds like a winning combination. Sorry to hear about DS's visit to A&E but good to know he has friends who will go the extra mile. Every cloud and all that...... Hope you (and your aunt) enjoyed her special birthday lunch.

Half that was a very well deserved break. Hope your son is coping ok with all the changes.

Girlie it's a big decision to make (secondment). When I have a big decision to make, I make a list of the pros and cons and then go with the option that offers the most pros. But I hate the agonizing. Once the decision is made (for better or worse) I can relax.

Unescorted offering a hand hold for exam DC. I found one DC sitting exams stressful, let alone two.

Thanks @needastrongoneagain. That sounds very tough for your DH, and for you too. How is he doing now?
I want to economise but I'm also conscious that DH works very hard, and is quite successful, and it's only fair that he gets to enjoy the benefits of that too.
I have some pain, but spend more time feeling like I have a hangover from pain and meds.
I'm feeling well today, and I am spending a small fortune online at IKEA. That's not the most frugal maybe, but it's things that we have been planning to buy for at least six months, or longer, and I just haven't been in the space to do it till now.

Good afternoon everyone 😊
I am in a jumper and trousers because it is a freezing here!
No sun all day 🙄
I did manage to dry a load of washing on the line and there's another one on now because l changed the beds , if it rains I'm leaving it out to be darked on so there take that Duvet covers! 😊
Been to visit Mum with darling daughter 1, took Mum and a friend of hers for a coffee and Welsh cake in the little bistro by the care home cost 16 pounds for the four of us which wasn't too bad I thought.
Popped into TK maxx and bought some excellent bargains for £30 in total spent seven pounds in Marks on Chicken.
Hope everyone that were poorly are feeling much better 😊💐
Welcome to our new members just join in and enjoy yourselves it's a lovely group 💐😊
*EM" congratulations to your sister and her beloved, lovely news❤️❤️❤️
Oop the sun has just come out 😊
Yay!

My TKMax bargains 👏👏👏
Ultimate Spa brush/body set £9
Woods of Windsor powder puff for £4
Olivia Blake perfume 100mls £6
Nymphaea perfume 100mls £4
Susanne Kaufman mask discovery set £7
Am very pleased with them all . Mostly for my Mum 😊👏

Need I always love reading your meal plans, absolutely lush!!

Rum Oh, that's rubbish about being stood up by your friend, for the second time? What is going on there do you think?

Tayto The community picnic sounds lovely! So sorry for the loss of your uncle. DH and I also do the pros and cons lists for big decisions, but I'm not sure if they help in all honesty, because not all pros and cons are equally weighted, so it's difficult to account for that in lists I find.

MrsEvans I love TK Maxx, but hardly go anymore cos we never really go shopping in town anymore tbh with the kids, it is a hassle, and I find the shop not very child-friendly either. Deffo you can get some great bargains there though! Think the last time I went was about a year ago, I got my trainers from there, Levi's, were pretty cheap.

Only caught up this page so apologies for missing stuff.

Spends today just £2 bus fare to work and £2 bus fare home, so an LSD. Although am awaiting DH with the return of our Chinese takeaway...but he's paying for that !

I just got €50 off a lawnmower in Lidl using the app, I don't know if it's frugal or impulse spending! But this is our third summer here & the grass is up past my knees

Net cost €149.99

Pay day, hurrah! Have transferred money to cash savings, long term investments, paid down credit card balances, worked out remaining budget for month. I might combust from frugal sanctimony! I fished out Jason Butler's top tips for financial savvy to show DS, and my own efforts have been reinvigorated in the process.

DS got the summer job he interviewed for - induction on Friday, then he's back down for the weekend for his birthday before a start date some time next week. So, family dinner with grandparents, plus cake on Friday evening, then he will likely disappear with his mates into a big sweaty crowd at a free local event for the rest of the weekend.

Dinner tonight: aubergine parmigiana, just need to buy mozzarella. Will probably stretch tomorrow as well, with the addition of some sausages.

@WeightoftheWorld . I do love cooking. It's a bit of therapy for me, as well as running (my main release). I made kimchi fried rice last night, absolutely lovely! Never done Korean before!

Good news re your DS @BigSkies2022! And great budgeting too. Love aubergine parmigiana.

Bargains there @TheNewlmprovedMrsMadEvans. I rarely go to TXMax, I probably should! It's not warm here either.

Thanks @blindedbythelamp. It's a slow process, but he's making some progress. Adjusting and accepting a different future to that which you might imagine is also a process too. Sorry you feel 'groggy'.

I'm so sorry about your uncle @Taytocrisps. The garden planting sounds lovely.

Spends

£90 Ocado

Being pretty low spend this last week.

Big Where in France are you off to? I love going to France. I’ve managed to squeeze in Chamonix next week. Congrats to your son.

Tayto Sorry about your uncle. I hope spending time with your father helps.

New Susanne Kaufmann in TKMaxx. What a wonderful find.

Weight Thinking about it it’s the third time. In a row. All were her suggestion. Not sure what is going on but I’ll give it some space and see what happens.

Spending yesterday was £4.97 on cottage cheese in Lidl. Today was £1.44 in the supermarket.

I saw a lovely T-shirt today then looked at the price and put it back. Am learning the ways of frugal.

Off up north for work tomorrow. Hope it will be low spend. Am looking forward to a long hot shower where I don’t have to pay for the water.

My smart meter was installed today. The house used 1 unit while I was at work

Rum - thanks, DS is pleased. The job is very close to his house, next to his gym, the people seem very nice, he says. We're going to the Dordogne for two weeks. And then in October, we're going again, this time near Fontainebleau. I insisted on the second trip, rather than have DPILs stay with us - I mean, we are hosting them in France, where we can all be on holiday and have fun together, rather than me being chief cook and victualler in the same old, same old, with DH slithering off to the office 2 days after his parents arrive.

£82 on travel insurance today- annual policy, includes all electronic gadgets, which we always travel with. Didn't shop around, tsk, tsk, just went with the one that was recommended by The Man in Seat 61.

£29 on Nars tinted moisturiser, £36 on assorted toiletries for me and DS from Amazon, £10 in Sainsbury's.

DS wants a set cheesecake for his birthday cake, so I'm going to do Nigella's white chocolate one.

Went to Pilates last night. Came home and found this on the bathroom floor.

dd (age 3) has helpfully given herself a mullet. Ffs.

Yikes em

Oops

Well, she's very fashion forward, em.

Good to hear your DH is making some progress @needastrongoneagain. Hope you are carving out some space for looking after you too.
Long weekend here so playdates have been organised, rather than more spendy activities.

Em Oh no but I am laughing, she will match my DD who genuinely does have a mullet, but not of her own doing (growing out what was once super short pixie cut type thing).

Well, DS has just woke up crying so that's me gone already...