Jumping into July: Frugal Friends Financial Fun

[needastrongoneagain]

New 'Fred.

Very low spend couple of days.

£12 AdBlue but that's expenses.

Will be back to post fully later.

Thackeray museum leeds
Hiya weight has this worked? It’s great, I would definitely recommend it. It’s maybe a bit niche as not everyone is interested in medical stuff..but it’s so well done and quite affecting. There is a gallery relating to a young girl who had to have her leg amputated after an accident in the factory, based on a historical case (see what I mean…bit niche). My grandparents were from Leeds so it feels quite relevant to me:

£12 in Superdrug on hair stuff.

Dd has been paid today, it is slightly more than we worked it out so she's happy and it will cover driving lessons. I'm still not convinced about the health and safety of the place (it's a fast food kiosk) but she said it's easy money to earn over the hols so 🤷‍♀️

Ddog seems under the weather but this might be literal as he hates the rain 🙈😂

Is there an august thread yet?

Morning, dropped off the thread again.

So I now have an adult son, ds1 turned 18 on Saturday. Friday night he went out to celebrate. There’s one club in town that he usually can’t get into as they insist on ID for everyone. So he loitered around outside until midnight, then approached the door staff with his now legal ID, they saw the funny side!

Hes currently on holiday in France with friends for a week. During which time I am going to go through his bedroom, wardrobe etc and have a good clear out.

Payday today, it’s been a long month, what with school trips and birthdays to pay for. I was down to my last fiver!

Morning all. I'm zonked, body is tired. On Saturday, DH and I transported 6 x 35kg bags of ballast from the building merchants home and thence to the garden, where we together mixed and poured the concrete for the footings. This is also how we spent Friday. We also had 850kgs of hardcore delivered and had to shovel it into a barrow and wheel it to the garden to add to the other pile of hardcore. We're now waiting for the bricks to be delivered, and once they are here, we can get the fella with the skillz to come back and build the wall. DS is now here for a few days, so hoping that he can help with the wall and lay the hardcore, if weather and materials align.

We are saving money doing it this way, but I am closer to 60 than 50, and although I"m not aching too much, I am tired, even after a day off yesterday! This is positively the last time I do a garden project of this sort. Henceforth, I"m strictly about the plants.

The Thackeray museum was one I didn't manage to get to on my Leeds tour back in the winter - definitely on the list for future.

Aldi today, need loads of essentials.

Em 4 already how did that happen

On Sat I bit the bullet and bought a 9.5l Ninja AirFryer, my dm and dsis are paying for it, for my 40th which was in Feb but my sis couldn't find one on Sat so I ordered it myself, got a discount of €25 and they'll take an old appliance so my old Halo is in the boot for whenever I click and collect, however neither dm or dsis gave me the money at the weekend so there's a €274.99 sized hole in my bank account and my YNAB will roll over tomorrow so I think I'll just cover it from Emergency Fund there until I get reimbursed.

This morning I sent a pic off to Elverys as I got a jumper for dd there and the cuff has almost completely frayed away, it hasn't even gone into the washing machine yet. They replied and said take it to a store for assessment so that's another job to do.

Curls dc are sorting out their wardrobes currently, at least they're meant to be. Their rooms are filled to capacity and they're not using half the stuff so I want all of it ship shape for when they go back to school and I can buy their winter wardrobes then without duplication! That's funny about the nightclub, well done on having an adult child

I only work half day Thurs and this weekend it dawned on me there's 4 left, ds has football blitz this week, day out with friends next week, uniform shopping following week and then one left before they return to school. Them being with their dad almost every weekend this summer has really squeezed our free time.

Fabsil got to waterproof tent so hoping to do that this coming weekend which is a bank holiday weekend here, no plans yet, bf and I were away last weekend and we went to my parents this weekend so will stay home or at his this weekend, driving and being away takes it out of me more than it did before.

Spends this weekend
€15 kennels
€12 car wash
€63 diesel
€21.50 petrol station spends including some mince for ddog & cat nuts
€11.95 on roosters peri peri wrap to share on Saturday's journey
€4.90 on cat food/dogfood/freddo bar on Saturday

A friend is taking second last kitten next week so I've only one to find a home for, will be down to one dog, two cats & two children then to care for.

Tayto if your sister lives anywhere near Limerick or would be in the area I'd recommend a voucher for The Milk Thistle Website, lovely vegetarian and vegan options and the food is absolutely top class. Otherwise if she likes cooking, the Spicery has fabulous kits Website
If it was a job she loved is there something specific to it she might like as a memento? The stone picture frames are lovely, loads of different people doing it. On facebook The Crafty Fairy is good.

Can only see back up page 11, so apologies to all I didn't catch up with

Morning.

Love the idea of your DS loitering @CurlsandCurves 😁

Have you used the air fryer yet @Happierwithouthim? Thoughts?

Poor you @BigSkies2022, that's some serious physical work there, no wonder you're tired!

£30 energy goes on Amazon, 16. I only use one a week so these will rather obviously last 16 weeks 🤣

Chicken broth already in the SC for tea.

I'm seeing Barbie tonight 😁

No point @lifelongfrugaleer re the monitor, I'd used it a couple of times, gotten all sweaty so would have had to wash. Just stupid of me to try a brand I don't know based on price when I know the Garmon HRM doesn't rub. They notoriously rub.

need I haven't even picked it up yet and won't get to do it today, it might go to Wednesday actually. I've had a halo or actifry since 2008 and they were good but limited, using colleagues salter airfryer at work and there's a massive difference so I'm hoping Ninja will be worth the €'s, my sister says she barely uses their oven now.

I just love the fact ds loitered until midnight curls. Brilliant
Payday here praise god

Big Thank you for the suggestion. I will have a look. You made me feel dizzy with the lifting and carrying. Hope the outdoor work is going well.

Girlie A very nice blind.

Kessie Good luck for the interview.

Tayto No practical suggestions for your sister’s hamper but travel journals are wonderful.

Curls Happy birthday to your son. His loitering made me laugh.

Spending hasn’t been too bad. Saturday was £1.09 on some chocolate milk and £4.29 on some crisps. That included £1.29 on some Aldi quavers that went in the bin. I’ve had them before and they were fine this time they smelt unpleasant and tasted odd. Went back out to Asda and got something different. Sunday was 35p on some yogurt and today was a no spend day.

Saved some pennies on Sunday as was meant to be meeting flakey friend for lunch but they cancelled. They’ve suggested a day this week instead. I’m not holding my breath.

Good luck kessie

Thank you for the good luck wishes. Spent the best part of three hours wrestling with the slides for a presentation. I've cracked it so the rest of the prep should be much easier.

Spends £20 Lidl on top up, £9.50 ice rink for DD, £6.20 on chips at the ice rink waste of money, there's something odd going on with potatoes. Got a boots meal deal for free with points. Small frugal win.

Happy birthday to curls DS. Love the loitering.

big well done on the DIY. My DH is currently decorating the whole house it's taken 6 weeks so far, slowly does it.

Hope you enjoyed Barbie need

Been MIA for a couple of weeks. Hi all 👋🏻

loved the nightclub loitering too Curls 😂

Weight, I’m a bit late but yes there is a cooling off period for insurance autorenewals. Not sure how long but I recently had to cancel mine after it seemed not to renew but then did. After I’d bought another one. No penalties.

Big that sounds insane! I am in my 40s but fat and unfit and that would break me

well, interesting times here. In brief:

• DH’s kidney stone is not shifting, turns out it’s YUUUUGE and he has to have surgery at the end of the month. In the meantime He’s in pain, can’t sleep, so i don’t sleep… I feel sorry for him but it’s hard to be sympathetic when he’s huffing about noisily at 4am. Or knocked out by painkillers and snoring fit to raise the roof. I am downstairs right now and can hear him snoring from here 😡
• This situation is not compatible with a holiday in France - kidney is swollen, infection risk, I really don’t fancy him having an acute episode and me having to try and get him to hospital /speak hospital French /drive back home all the way myself/ manage the kids in said crisis (they are not flexible if I have to drag them along on difficult missions). So our holiday has had to be cancelled 😭. Luckily we were forced by the French website to take out insurance as a condition of booking so I think I’ll get back most of my money for the gite. But not the other costs - ferry (which was over £1000), the expensive (but happily useful!) insurance (over €200), various fees etc. Sigh.
• Just staying home isn’t an option as our house isn’t habitable so I’ve booked a holiday let in Yorkshire instead for the 2 weeks. Feel less worried about juggling kids /DH in a crisis with the NHS on hand, no language barrier or La Manche in the way, and where friends and family could rescue us if help were needed. Should be covered by the gite refund (though the gite was lovely and this is a bit run down… budget and time are not on our side now though). DD had been learning French and was very disappointed but they mostly just love beaches - luckily even in the drizzle, as long as the picnic includes crisps - so Whitby should manage to keep them happy 😉
• we’ve moved out of the expensive rental flat and are now at PILs. Bit stressful buffering their unrealistic expectations of my asd kids, and I feel a bit sad that they don’t seem to think DD is a ‘nice girl’ (she is, she just comes across as rude because she doesn’t understand social nuances and struggles with not being in control of literally everything - it’s an anxiety thing). But they have been so helpful in having us, we just have to get on with it.
• building costs are very stressful right now. Today I was told it would be an extra £5500 + VAT for electrics. Ridiculous, and I am very annoyed (surely a fuse board is implied in the contract if there is a complete reprovision of all electrics? Not a £1500 add-on at the end? Argh!). Budget is all committed so we just don’t have this headroom left and there will still be a few surprises, I’m sure. We are going to be so broke… we were generous with our contingency and detailed in planning the tender, but the costs have still escalated quite a bit. Sigh. Managing it is also like having a whole ‘nother job!

I really need that holiday, whether Yorkshire or france!

Have just sent a very moody email about those electrics costs, am off to bed now. 3 more working days and counting! 💃🏻

Oh half sounds very stressful.
Can you move the ferry?
Lots of us have been to / live near Whitby and can recommend lots of frugal things if you want.

half that does sound v stressful but think you've done the right thing with France. Can you move your ferry tickets, I went to Holland with DFDS and they moved ours (and it was cheaper). Even if you shift them to next summer in the hope you do it then?

Know what you mean about needing that holiday.

Half sorry to hear that about dh's kidney stone and the effect it has had on your holiday.

I have a minor understanding of your dismay at your parents expectations of your dc, my ds is a challenging child he's gentle and kind alongside being stubborn and clams up in situations where he doesn't feel comfortable, anxiety I guess, I was in tears at least twice on holidays with other peoples lack of understanding/empathy and with my own feelings too.

Went to Tesco last night for dc to get present and cards for their fathers birthday, spotted 25% off uniforms so picked up shirts for both, tshirts and trousers for ds and footballs shorts for ds also. €90.30 but loads sorted. One more afternoon at school uniform shop and I'm done. Both need new runners too.

€5.78 on postage on freeprints app, I was too emotionally drained to make a photobook as planned, hopefully I'll do that this month.

Fallen off the thread. Just done my last half day of work, until the end of August. Woo hoo!

Spendy few days though:
£260 annual home insurance
£135 annual maintenance
£140 a years travel insurance (covers our holiday in October and August 24)
£29 M&S on school PE kit
£20 reusable period pants
£23 on some new jeans
Car currently in for MOT/service, hopefully not too much.
Urgggh!

so sorry to hear about the holiday half, at least you have sorted something more suitable and have insurance. Sounds like the DC will like the new holiday. Hope DH feels better soon too.

Afternoon everyone , Hope everyone is ok
Sorry l have not been on all week but
Mum has been poorly with D&V & My Dd2 has been ill with Tonsillitis , so been kept busy looking after them both , even though Mum is in a care home she has needed extra visits from us to give her some comfort . The residents of the home have had it & you know what it is like in any establishment where there are a lot of ppl altogether like schools, hospitals, offices , once one has it then they all get it . Anyway l am glad to say she is feeling a lot better today but she had me worried
All the residents are better now and it's business as usual bless them
So here l am back on the laptop and posting in after being away for nearly a week.
spends 108 Tesco
Birthday presents x 2 £60
Shopping for Mum , Dioralyte , Imodium and Aptimil yogurt drinks , so expensive for these few things from Boots £12.50 but at least they did the job
I will stock up in Home Bargains because their rehydration sachets and generic Immodium is much cheaper but it was a rush job so l had to just get it quickly to take up for her.
Weather has been awful but l have managed to dry three loads on the line today because it is dry and very windy but not at all sunny
Hope your weather has been better than here anyway
Take care all

Ah sorry to hear about your DM and DD illness woes mrs hope they both feel better soon.

Weather still really unsettled here. Got a load of washing dried today but forecast for heavy rain again tomorrow.

Spends today :
£10 DD ice-skating. She does figure skating lessons but asked for extra practice as her holiday activities. That's it for a few weeks though as we are away this weekend. And I have the job interview Friday. Roll on Friday lunchtime!
£7.37 Macdonalds.

Will try to have LSD or NSD for next two days.

Hope everyone is OK. I've had a no spend weekend and started into Monday with a free Greggs coffee thanks to the O2 priority app.

Then I went to Home Bargains - my favourite shop and spent my usual £40. All household essentials and some snack treats.

Tuesday we did a little ASDA top up shop (I DID forget loads in that suspiciously affordable Ocado order last week😅). Asda top up was £30 so we're at our usual £125 for food for the week. Unbelievable really! Good thing is I found some brilliant cashback offers in ASDA! And another freebie - a Lipton ice tea.

I'm loving using cashback apps at the moment.

Sorry to hear DM and DD are unwell Mrs
Cash back sites are ace. I got free matlteasers from shopmium good for the pocket, bad for the waistline.

Need to allocate pots today as wages went out yesterday

We are on a walking holiday dodging the rain. Cake yesterday £6.45 but essential

I hope wages went in rather than out life

Yesterday was a NSD
This morning I've spent €34.14 on tickets to a comedy gig for myself & bf

They may as well have all gone out again