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

[needastrongoneagain]

New thread.

All welcome.

Sticky hot day today. Went to the rental house with DH to do a bit of painting. Well, he did that. I got the job of clearing out the bins, as it seems she has quite understandably had a good old clear out before moving and both bins are full, no separating between regular and recycling. At least it was pretty much all bagged up but I can’t have the new guy moving in with full bins so off I went to the tip.

I’ll be going back later this week to give the place a clean. It doesn’t need much work at all thankfully.

And I went for it and ordered my AirPods!

@kessiebird I like Primark T-Shirts. I bought a few last year and they hold their shape and texture/feel when compared with more expensive brands. I bought a few more this year.

@BigSkies2022 glad you’re enjoying your ballet.

Unmet sibling wise I’m leaning towards letting that one lie. My mental box is rather bursting at the seams.

Spending wise Saturday was a no spend day. Sunday was £2.80 on some grapes. Today I spent £18ish on some cheese and crackers for my group meeting this evening. We’re having a bring and share meal. I will also take £5 to buy some jam and chutney.

Paid £150 in council tax. I’m still waiting to hear from them re how much I’m meant to be paying. Admin wise I changed some Francs back to sterling and the lady in the bank filed the dispute on my credit card for me.

Had a video call with a friend from work and took the opportunity while we were catching up to log on to the courts and tribunals website to see if there was any update but nothing.

That sounds like a productive time on a hot day curls bins and tip trip 👍 Our tip pile at the bottom of the garden gets bigger!

Hope you enjoy your shared meal rum

Over the weekend:
£13.99 two t shirts for DD to replace a couple I managed to ruin in the wash 😬
£90 between Aldi, Lidl and Coop
£5.10 National Trust drink and cake.

DHs car is a write off after a minor crash, second time this year (mine could not get through its MOT). We are waiting to hear what they offer. Its a headlight and bumper repair but parts from supplier are v expensive.

I had a holistic massage today using a birthday voucher. Was lovely although my energy was out of balance and she rebalanced me. She said all my energy was on my left side. Who knows I don't really have capacity to think most days, I just make a plan and a list 😂 I would go back though, when I can treat myself as such a lovely location close to home.

Pay day tomorrow, can see it pending!!

With my nhs bonus I'm about £1200 up compared to a normal month, I've done so playing with numbers and can put a grand straight into savings.

That will still leave me with (hopefully) enough for getting my hair done and some spending money for Devon next week.

Dd has a job interview on Thursday so need to pick her up some clothes as she's not really got anything suitable.

Morning.

Hooray for payday and extra cash @Girliefriendlikespuppies!

Fingers crossed for a good outcome on the car value @kessiebird. We had a van write off at work and were stunned by the value, second hand car market is very strong at present, might work in your favour. Massage sounds interesting!

With you on the mental box being full @RumBananaSundae

Too hot for that kind of work @CurlsandCurves! Glad you ordered the AirPods.

Your grocery haul sounds good @BigSkies2022. B-road beans are a faff aren't they, but lovely.

Sorry you're feeling the sister stress @Taytocrisps, not fair to put emotional pressure on you,

Spends
£42 fuel (budgeted)
£57 takeout curry for DD's birthday treat
£15 on first aid type items from Boots
£9 private prescription for an abscess that DH has.

Food should be pretty reasonable this week, although we've friends over at the weekend. Some leftover turkey from the freezer is going to last us two meals at least, didn't think there was much in the tub!

Had a lot of family strife these last few days, which sent me into a bit of a black hole mentally, but I'm coming round again now.

I've just ordered a dominoes for dinner 🙈 cba to cook and have just done a load of washing up as dd and her boyfriend cooked pancakes for lunch 🙄

First take away we've had in months though.

Need ❤

Has been a hectic time so haven't posted in a while.
Was recalled after my first routine mammogram & had to have more mammograms, an ultrasound scan & then several biopsies. It was all a bit stressful as it came before the end of A levels but I'm all clear to huge relief all round & I think they were being super cautious after last year's cancer.
A levels are done & seem to have gone okay so hopefully DD will feel better now that stress has gone. We've been in Devon since Friday. In a rented house so we can see family on our terms in between doing normal holiday stuff. DS joined us for a couple of days which was lovely. It's been spendy but as expected and we've had some great times with friends & family who we don't see too often. On Friday we get the overnight ferry to France & will drop DD off at the station to go on her interrail travels for a couple of weeks. DH & I will have a quiet, cheap week in Brittany.
DH is getting an application prepped for a job which would be the same grade but different dept & so more money, ultimately helping his pension planning and the increase would cover much of dd's rent if she goes to uni in September. I'm sipping wine & "supervising".

Need sorry to hear you've had more family stress
Girlie I had the "bonus" & back pay too, a very welcome boost.

Mum is checking on the garden while we're away. It was hard leaving it as it felt like things were really making progress. DH completed the greenhouse before we left which is very exciting but probably more for next year. We've had a bumper crop of strawberries this year, more than ever before & brought 2 one litre ice cream tubs with us. Mum called today and picked loads which she's going to freeze for us. The container is a washing up bowl!!!

Hello. Chaotic time recently here. Kids insane. DH and I both busy as the bee. but all good.

not so spendy.

I’m wfh today as DH is away so need to do school drop off and pick ups.

have finally maybe worked out what’s going on with my periods too. Dr thinks maybe it’s my coil running out she’s done a referral to have it replaced because it’s a year early but I need to chase up on this today.

work is busy. We have been acquired by a similar sized firm so we’re working on integration. I’m doing this as swiftly as I can to get back to the client work which is ramping up. But am also making noises about promotions. Wont happen until next year I doubt but never to early to start.

Great to hear your news, north - and have a wonderful time in Brittany. I have been dreaming of a retreat to an hotel on the Ile de Brehat - they accept dogs! Maybe for my next big birthday, or I'll organise it for DH's next biggie.

DS rang yesterday - busy time doing his training shifts at work, packing up to move, organising storage, a room for the night and squaring up to a potential confrontation with their landlord who is making noises about withholding all the deposit because of a tear in some lino flooring in the kitchen. I've directed him to the Shelter website for guidance, reminded him of the rules around the tenancy deposit scheme, told him to get all points in writing and steeled him with the advice that disputed sums have to go to arbitration, they can't just be taken. I imagine these scenes are playing out all over the city - all tenancies end on the same day and all students are on the move. It's like the great migration of the wildebeests.

Just compiled a big list of admin and tasks for the next 5 weeks. God. Nice things included though, like organising British Library card, which requires me to go in person, as well as dull but necessary financial stuff.

Yotam Ottolenghi and Nigel Slater have been serving us well this week, with various colourful salads and sides. Am going to confit some disappointing tomatoes and use up the cheap mozzarella tonight . Have finished the Chris Van Tulleken book, Ultra Processed People and been listening to the Addicted to Food podcast on the same subject again, so full of zeal for real food at present and ignoring the fish finger sandwich option.

Just floating by but trying to keep up. Those strawberries are amazing.

NSD yesterday
NSD so far today

Pay day tomorrow (DH) and Friday (me) so the streak of NSDs will not continue 😊

Spendy day here,

£50 m&s on bra and period knickers for dd (they were much cheaper than previous online ones I've bought her.)
£36 Wilkos, got lots for this including toiletries, dog chews, loads of bird food etc
£56 pets at home on a months worth of dog and cat food - remembered vouchers so saved a few quid.
£15 in the Entertainer on a bday gift for my niece
£12 lunch in Greggs

Little win was that the barrier in the car park was up so I didn't have to pay for parking 😂

Going to Aldi in a bit and that will be spendy as haven't done a big shop for ages.
*
North* glad the scan was okay, were you in north or south Devon? We're going to north Devon next week - can't wait! And yy to the bonus! I think we get another one at some point?

Kessie my shared meal was lovely thank you. And I brought home some left overs so that is nice. Your holistic massage sounds rather fabulous.

Need Sorry about the family strife. Hope you are doing ok and finding things to lift some moments.

North Glad the investigations all came back ok. A worrying time. Amazing strawberries. What will you do with them all?

Big I’ve spent many an hour at the British Library. I look back on some of it rather fondly. Their online/remote offering has increased somewhat over the last two or so years.

Yesterday’s spending was £4.83 in Lidl on toilet roll and some odd bits. Then £85 topping up my travelcard.

Today went a bit wrong. I was at the office and ended up in The RA having margaritas so am £65 down. Work is driving me nuts so maybe it was a good thing but not a financially responsible one.

Next week will be spendy as I’m in the office twice and at Wimbledon on Tuesday. Trying to offset it a bit and only go to the office one day this week.

How many margaritas d'ye get for £65, Rum???

I wasn't aware that anyone could get a BL pass - I thought it worked like university libraries, and you had to have some affiliation/specific approved research project. I only found out when I booked to attend an event. Anyway, looking forward to a new haunt. And yes, the online resource is also an attraction.

Five @BigSkies2022. They were very nice but my remorseful self feels the money could have gone to better use in the Mont Blanc fund.

For the BL card when I first got one I had to take a letter from my institution saying what I’d use it for. It is a nice place to go though I’ve only been once since the pandemic.

Spending today has been £39 on some sparkly pink trainers. They were in the sale reduced from £129.

5 margaritas! Respect.

Ballet class tonight. A live class, I discover, differs importantly from a YouTube one, as the teacher demonstrates, and then you have to remember the combination rather than follow along. Harder. Much harder!

Haircut and colour tomorrow, yess! I don't think I've ever been so grey, and my hair is like straw. I need this stuff off my head!

I complained I only got 3 twirls in my 4 pack and got a £2 voucher back. Win

Nice one on the twirls, @lifelongfrugaleer !

That’s a huge reduction on those trainers @RumBananaSundae bargain!

Payday! Transferred some straight out ready for DS2s school trip to Belgium in a few weeks time. I have to admit after reading the headlines this morning I’m a little nervous about him going but hopefully things will have calmed down by then.

It’s ds1s birthday at the end of the month, he turns 18! No idea what to get him, I don’t think he really wants anything like a keepsake to mark the occasion. He goes on holiday on the actual day itself. So a colleague suggested €180 to spend on holiday, which I think he’d appreciate. I’ve found a site called the unusual gift company which has some fun silly stuff on that I might get him for a laugh as well.

Our new tenant signs his contract this morning, so I’m hoping for a phone call to confirm later.

Saved money Ystd as debated eating out as dd had an interview in town at dinner time but put my halo on and said we have plenty of food at home let's go 😁

Did spend £14 in the co-op on bits I can't buy in Aldi, £3.50ish posting a parcel and £3 on a drink waiting for dd to finish the interview (for a summer job, really hope she gets it!)

Last day at work today before two weeks annual leave!!

Popping in briefly to remind you all to read your electricity and gas meters due to the price change. Hope all are well

Thanks for the reminder about the meters wolf I asked DP to do it yesterday as he takes care of this and I think he forgot. So I was wondering if it’s still worth it.
I’d fallen off the thread a bit and I think it’s because I’m really not feeling successfully frugal…this holiday seems to have cost a lot in bits and bobs. I’ve got £700 spending money set aside (for a week) which I’m hoping will be enough as we’re planning to be quite low key, cook at home sometimes etc.
We’ve also been trying to sort out student finance for DD - that’s quite scary looking ahead. I’ve earmarked £500 a month for her (yikes!) but what’s annoying is that I think the maintenance loan she’ll get won’t quite cover her rent. So we’ll have to top up and k don’t have that set aside for the first term iyswim, so will be playing catch up. Also school uniform for DS2, holiday cash for him as his friends’ parents are taking him away, extra food with them all at home…it’s one of those periods where you feel you’re handing out money hand over fist.

Great to hear your health scare is over north and need, what an emotional journey with your DH - and still ongoing.
girle I’m glad you are pleased with your backpay, I saw another thread where the amounts were less than people had hoped. What do you think of the new NHS plan?? I’m fearful as to how they think they can stuff more students into midwifery education - when placements are bursting at the seams and there aren’t enough midwives to train them…

life frugal win with the twirls. Bad enough that the choc bars have also got smaller!

Thanks wolf. I have a smart meter however I need to research whether moving suppliers now makes a difference. We got moved to Shell in Jan 22 after our smaller provider went under, but I'd rather not be with them.

Student finance martha still potentially got that to come.

Not too bad bearing in mind two pay days this week.

£101 grocery shop at Aldi, Lidl and coop.
£19 primark
£7.29 Macdonalds
£20 lunch yesterday with friend
£26 pizzas today out with DD and friends
£31.95 voile panels for the glass doors. If it creates privacy in our living room, may save me the cost of two new doors 🤞

Morning.

Just the best news possible @northender. Strawberries look incredible.

Respect for 5 margaritas @RumBananaSundae, that's stamina right there! Lovely the idea of the pink trainers.

Happy Birthday to your DS @CurlsandCurves. Like the idea of the spending money.

Thanks @marthasmum re DH. It's exhausting physically and mentally a lot of the time. We are mad busy and short staffed at work too which isn't helping🤣. Having not long come out of the student finance days, with two there at once for a couple of years, fully appreciate the strain and cost of it all.

I've had a stupid spendy week on food and really need to rein it in. A lot of it was stuff I though we 'should' have in for guests (friends yesterday and family today), but really don't need. Going to have to be really careful for a few weeks. Some on drinks that I again think we ought to have in, but at least these will last.

That said, I need butter and soft fruit today. (really benefits DH, we easily managed last year on apples and banana). Yesterday was a NSD and today a LSD.

I had a payday shop yesterday but between aldi price match and nectar got a lot more for my money in Sainsbury's

Out watching the take that film last night. Was emotional cheeses. £45 ish

Will endeavor to keep up now