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

[needastrongoneagain]

New thread.

All welcome.

I have some sort of lurgy - terrible nausea, fatigue and headache but no vomiting or diarrhoea, two days in now and can hardly move out of bed. Thinking of getting anti nausea meds as it’s so debilitating feeling this sick all the time. Could it be norovirus without vomit? I’ve slept most of the day away.

Sounds horrid gen, have you checked it isn’t covid? Get well soon.

We’re away, and dodging the rain too girlie. Swimming pool is fab here though, and we went in the outside pool in the rain, fortunately the pool is warm! Spent £125 on meals out so far 😩 but they were nice.

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate so sorry to hear about the building works. DH isn’t self employed anymore but still in the trade and he said since Covid how anyone is supposed to be able to price up a job is beyond him. Prices on supplies are climbing daily. Our workplace is long overdue a refit and it was due to start last year but it’s now on hold indefinitely.

@Gensola sorry you’re feeling crap. Could it be labrynthitis? DH has had it twice and your symptoms sound very familiar. He was prescribed anti nausea meds.

I’m feeling crap too. Dragged myself through my PT session this morning, managed to get bathrooms cleaned (not being a martyr, they really needed doing and I’ve no other time this week). Then I’ve just crashed for the afternoon. Just a cold but I hate being ill. Toast for tea and bed. DH is working away till tomorrow so I’m looking forward to the bed all to myself.

Gen I reckon it could be some sort of stomach bug without actually vomiting, yes, me and DH have had similar bugs before. Hope you are soon feeling better.

Time Sounds like a lovely holiday. I love heated outdoor pools!

Curls Oh no, you are poorly too. Hope you're soon better as well! What a horrible winter it has been for illnesses, and I feel that it's still ongoing even though it's April, as the weather is so bad.

Spends today just £2 on my bus fare to work, DH picked me up. Job 2 didn't pay me last month but when I chased it they have now processed it for this month and given me it already as an 'advance'. Not sure why they couldn't do that the previous two times they didn't pay me in the past...changing payroll employer for that job after this month anyway though so hopefully things will be smoother with the new organisation but I'm not holding my breath.

DS chest a little wheezy at bedtime eek so hoping that doesn't turn out to be worse by the morning as was hoping to take the kids out tomorrow and/or to have one of DD's friend's round for a bit. Horrible weather here. I had the electric blanket on when I went to bed last night!

Need to open a savings account, am I best looking on money saving expert for advice? Have about £5k to put away safely somewhere I reckon and then to continue paying into it as well. Possibly stretch to a bit more. Just sitting pointlessly in current accounts atm.

weight personally I’d start with your existing bank. See what they have - on the basis that they already have your due diligence docs etc. new accounts in new places can take time.

whats your appetite for investing? I’m not an investment adviser but might be worth checking out some investment accounts as they typically have bigger interest/gains.

it all depends on what you’re saving for though, your appetite to risk and tax

Hope you are feeling better today Gen. That does sound awful
and curls hope you feel better too

i think this morning might be the breakthrough as I’m not as bunged up. God love antibiotic’s

sorry about the build costs half. How frustrating for you. Is moving out of reach too to get what you want? I think house prices are still bonkers.

need some food shopping today as my weekend has now filled up,

Weight I opened a couple of saving accounts online a week or so ago, just to get better interest. I went via MSE and just made sure I got the terms I wanted (instant access, don’t mind online only). I think for cash savings it’s really straightforward and quick, for long term investments where there are investments in the market then risk comes into it. Skipton BS had a good rate, I went with them. I opened the account with £10, made sure it had ‘landed’ and all my logins worked, then I transferred the rest a day later.

thanks for the building sympathy! It sounds like a first world problem but it isn’t exactly - we have a conservatory attached on 2 sides to an inside ‘corner’ of the house (put in by previous owners) and it’s been a problem for years - leaking, now black mould everywhere. Throwing many thousands at it over the years, with a new roof, multiple call-backs of those people under the fensa guarantee (yeah, right…), other roofers, builders, hasn’t fixed it. I am at my wit’s end so now I just want to pull it down and do the proper rebuild in its place. The awful state of it is stopping me inviting people in, and given that our DC have SN and we can’t get out easily, it’s making me very isolated and really affecting me a lot. It’s just got to be done. Bloody inflation though!

Anyway, really sorry about your weather Girlie, have you managed to enjoy it nonetheless? It’s been very variable here, I got blown about and drenched yesterday just 5 mins after digging out my sunglasses for driving in dazzling sun.

I’ve just realised i forgot I’d booked my online shop a day earlier than normal and forgot to amend it before the cutoff. There’s nothing it it I don’t need but unfortunately there’s mostly storecupboard stuff, hardly any fresh. So off to the shop for me tonight 🙄

Oh no half I’m really sorry to hear that. Am I right that you are doing the building work because someone ripped you off a while ago (a previous builder??) or have I mixed you up with a previous poster?
gen I wonder labyrinthitis too, or maybe vertigo- my sister had this and it sounds similar. Hope it’s just a bug and goes quickly though. Good luck with the interview by the way (probably not your main concern at the moment…)
girlie what a shame about the weather, it’s rubbish isn’t it! Went for a very wet and windy run yesterday.

I’ve not been frugal recently - I’ve had a run of being more sociable and catching up with people I’ve not seen for a while. Had a weekend away this year and another one coming up, plus a couple of meals out planned which is around £100 for five of us. I’ve worked out I’ve committed to around £500 of social spends over the next month or so taking all that into account, which sounds loads. We do have the money but it’s dipping into savings so I need to rein it back.

And get well soon to the poorly frugaleers!

Life we could move but would have to waste more money on pulling down or completely replacing the conservatory first, probably a lot of money. And as we are in London, stamp duty would be stupid money too, over £60k. Our house is an extended 20s semi, very typical for the ‘burbs, but round here not many have garages and that means our plot is wider, and our extension and upstairs footprint is wider, etc. I did look at moving, mostly to avoid the building upheaval with the DC, and because building costs are ridiculous right now and not proportionate to the value they add, but even so the costs vs ending up with something lovely but smaller didn’t stack up. And there’s not much for sale either!

Didn’t refresh before posting! That was another poster Martha, though she was also outer London I think so easily mixed up! We’ve not done much to the house since we’ve been here, except replace bathrooms (when they leaked), hence the rather dire state of the place now!

Morning everyone.

After the horrendous weather yesterday, we have blue skies and sunshine today. Looks like our trip to to the castle/llama place is back on, whenever DD gets up - that may be a while yet. It's a bit chilly though (6 degrees atm) so we'll bring warm coats and scarves etc. with us. I'll try and get one of my plants planted before DD surfaces.

I need to do a small bit of paperwork also and send off a direct debit form for my car insurance.

Half looks like the building work is very much a need rather than a want. And moving house isn't an option because you'd still have to fix the problem before you could sell. It's a difficult one. I guess that means you have to either (1) increase your loan (assuming you're getting one) or (2) see if there's anything you can do to make the project more affordable. I haven't embarked on any construction/renovation projects myself but the ones I've seen on 'Room to Improve' all ended up costing more than the original estimate. But maybe there's a bit of dramatic licence at play and the producers deliberately do it to draw the viewers in and keep them watching.

girlie I forgot you'd booked a caravan for the Easter break. Yes, you always end up spending more when the weather is bad. When are you due back?

Gen get well soon. Sounds nasty, whatever it is.

Curls sorry to hear you've come down with a virus also.

Yeah I hear you on the need to do it, half ❤️

I'm very risk averse and know absolutely nothing about investing which makes me even more nervous. And we have so little savings I don't want to risk them. If we were more comfortable I'd probs feel differently. The savings is just for a general emergency cushion really. I'd like to keep paying in to it as well, although mortgage overpayment is definitely the priority for us. Thanks for all the advice, will check on MSE and with my existing banks and mortgage provider.

Spent £7.95 on entry to the play cafe for DD's friend. Her DM bought all the kids happy meals later though so she more than paid it back. I feel like she always ends up spending a lot more on DD than I ever do on her girls, I hope she doesnt feel like that too! I'm minding her eldest now though as her little one is poorly and its no bother as it keeps my DD entertained anyway.

i think all that balances out weight in the end, and looking after dd when siblings is poorly is priceless imo

Hi Weight there’s no risk of losing savings in the UK if you save with a UK-registered bank or building society - your money is protected up to £85k deposited. it’s called the financial services compensation scheme and it’s guaranteed by the government, who will repay your deposit in full (up to £85k) if your bank goes bust.

The only thing you have to watch out for if you have more than £85k deposited across multiple banks (not a problem I usually have!) is that yoir savings accounts are not owned by the same bank, as it covers the ‘group’ total. So for instance, my current account is with FirstDirect, who are part of HSBC. So if I have £100k saved between an HSBC and a FirstDirect account, only £85k total would be covered if that bank group went bust. If I put £50k in, say, Barclays Bank (unrelated to HSBC) and the other £50k in FirstDirect than it’s all covered, as neither exceeds the £85k.

it sounds complicated but if you go to this link you can see what the scheme guarantees and also check that the savings account you are thinking of using is covered:

https://www.fscs.org.uk/what-we-cover/

If you check on MSE which accounts gives the best interest rates, and then check they are registered (you can check via the link above) then you should be fine. I tend to discount any account provided by someone I’ve never heard of, unless I can see they are owned by someone I have heard of AND I can find them on the FSCS website. But that’s me being extra cautious 😉

Tayto that programme sounds good, I love a bit of property telly, though maybe that’s not the cheerful building news I want to hear 😂. I think it is true that most schemes go over budget! Especially now, as Curls says, the costs are changing faster than anyone can write a quotation.

We could definitely do less work but it won’t make any sense not to do 3/4 of it, as those parts are interdependent in terms of what spaces we are losing and gaining. Doing less than 3/4 would basically mean doing a lot less, and not doing any net improvements. It would be a ‘replacement’ job and spending a lot of money on fixing the conservatory but not gaining anything in terms of improved layout /bigger kitchen (ours is v small, in a house with a lot of living space, so it’s not in proportion). We sorted planning and borrowed some extra almost 2 years ago, have party wall agreement in place… just been stuck with the shortage of builders! And we only have a year left of our planning permission now, argh!

I still haven’t been to the shop as I’m working a half day today. I can manage a freezer /cupboard dinner if we forego vegetables, otherwise someone’s got to go out.

@Gensola , @lifelongfrugaleer and @CurlsandCurves hope you are all well on the way to recovery.

A frugalish day today - I spent £1.99 on some sauce in the supermarket.

Feeling a tad sorry for myself and annoyed today. Nothing like death to bring out ugly family politics. Will try much harder to stick to my line of “ignore”. I really can do without other people’s drama and nonsense at the moment.

Am counting down the days to my holiday.

We had a nice time at the Castle/llamas place and the rain held off while we were there. I've attached a few photos.

Food shopping today £160 plumber bill came in at £535 fml

@RumBananaSundae sorry to hear this - i always think weddings and funerals bring out the absolute worst in people.

I am cautiously hoping I’m on the mend. Was violently sick last night but haven’t been sick today although I still feel very nauseated and lethargic. Hoping I’ll feel better tomorrow as I have so much to do and the pressure is starting to really get to me.

Hope curls and life are feeling better 💐

half you can usually trigger your planning by doing a small amount of work. Then it will last until the work is complete. It could be as simple as cutting trees back if that is part of the pp. See if there is some enabling works that can be done prior to getting a contractor on board.
Building costs are going bonkers... And quotes only last 1-3 months. As you say cost engineering can only go so far.

Today I was reminded why I hate going into the office... I have got out of the habit of making a pack up. I ended up paying £4.80 for a lunch of sorts.... I couldn't bring myself to eat a supermarket sandwich.

Gen &life ... Hope you are both feeling a bit better.

Morning everyone

The weather here has been awful. We had hailstones yesterday but it's looking better for today and tomorrow.

Hope all the sick frugaleers are feeling better. There are so many bugs going around at the moment. Everyone seems to have coughs here that they've had for weeks. Not covid but very similar.

Half that's so frustrating for you. I guess the question is if you don't do it now will it become even more expensive in the future? If it will make your lives easier and enhances your enjoyment of your home then it sounds like it's worth it.

When we bought this house we were always going to put an extension on it. Sixteen years later and we still haven't and it's deterred us from doing so many other improvements. We thought oh there's no point in getting a new kitchen as we'll be extending, ditto about a million other things 🙈

Two nsd this week and two spendy days. Hoping for a lsd today as need bread but not much else.

Hello all. God, I feel cold today. Have put the heating back on. Not helped by my total lack of motivation to do anything very much, even a stretch workout.

half, that is so frustrating on build costs. I hope you can find a way through it - if it will make the house workable 'forever', maybe it is still the right thing to do? Building costs never go down, but eventually, house prices go up. Good luck.

I have managed to shave £140 off my monthly tax payment plan, at least until next April, having paid down a good amount on the payment plan over the last 12 months. So I can save a bit more each month and pay down more on the credit card balances. I think I'm also going to open a stocks and shares ISA, and start small.

DH back from his family event in Australia, and rebounding from the time difference very well. Came laden with delicious macadamias, giant Vegemite jars and Haigh chocolates - the latter not good at all for my no-sugar regime. DS home on Tuesday now - was going to be this weekend, but has decided to complete one deadline there and will do his other here.

Have treated myself to a tray of geranium plug plants to plant up in pots this year - £12.99 plus postage for 40 (extremely tiny - 2cm by 1.5cm plugs!) and am waiting for delivery of a dark brown leather belt from Etsy - £18.

Good evening all - @Gensola crikey if you’re right about funerals bringing out the worst in people. There isn’t a whiff of one yet and it’s bad enough. Think I might go into hibernation if that’s the case.

Had an accidental spend day today. Bought a bottle of chocolate milk (£1.50) and a t-shirt (£3) so was feeling pleased enough with myself. Then I saw one ticket for an attraction I’ve been wanting to visit while on holiday so I bought it and am now a further €47.30 down. I had bought a ticket for before I got there my mistake so this particular place is proving to be pricey. It had best be good.

Evening.

I'm in the utterly fed up of this weather camp too. Totally sick of it. Feel for anyone that has had their Easter plans affected. It's supposed to be super warm next week, just as the schools go back...

Hope the poorly folk are feeling less poorly now.

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate. Get the work done. It's moving money rather than spending it. It fixes your issues and improves your quality of life. You are in the house a lot due to the DC. It matters. We spend ££££ on our extension and then two weeks later DH had his stroke. I'm still glad we did it. It's a stunning space and the money would have gone into care costs anyway. It's now a real 'wow' factor area and perfect for his needs. Plus, it's added almost as much as the cost to the value of the house. ❤️

I've read but not posted as work is manic (in a good way) and balancing my life hasn't left much time.

Frugal wins

• Dsil cooked a turkey the size of a dinosaur for Easter and we've eaten turkey in various forms all week. Plus, there's loads frozen too...menu plan out of the window though.
• we are £650 in credit for energy costs. Gotten through the winter well. Cheap energy tariff kicking in. Heating on here too @BigSkies2022...🙃
• £78. Cash back made in one transaction via my Chase account by paying for some flight costs our employees need for a long haul job. Paid straight back via expenses. Doubled my cash back since opening the account in December.

Frugal fails
Not much, in truth. Bit too much spent on food but cupboards full.

Same here with the weather - it’s very frustrating trying to keeps the kids occupied when it’s raining (and DS can’t cope with busy indoor attractions either). DH took them to a soft play place we found recently, it’s not too busy. £25 though. And I had ideas about garden tidying this week, but instead I’ve been painting the mouldy wardrobe.

You are right and we are going to do it Need. It will take a decade to replace the extra we’ll have to take from our savings that we hadn’t planned to spend but I feel its now or never, and we’d regret it if we didn’t. We’re like you Born, we’ve been here 14 years and never done the (already tired) kitchen because we knew we’d want to change the layout. Even small changes make a difference though - I take great delight even with a new doormat. I will be beside myself when this is all done (and I’ve painted it, as we can’t afford for the builders to do it 😂). Your extension sounds amazing Need - do you have big windows view over the garden? That makes such a lovely space even if you are looking at the rain

other than soft play, DH also went to B&Q for more paint, no idea what he spent though. Oven pizza for dinner, also courtesy of DH, as I cba to cook after all that painting.