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.

Yesterday's spends:
£58 Aldi
£11 Primark
£4.30 Starbucks for DD

Also £170 for emergency repair on DHs car. STILL waiting for a salvage price. They gave us a good price to write it off but because its a Cat A write off (headlight and bumper repair) DH wants to repair it and pay the insurance the salvage cost. The ball joint needed an emergency repair so he did it for safety, we'd have never forgiven ourselves if something happened for the sake of £170.

Once we get the salvage cost, we can move ahead with other finance things. And plan for the summer.

Oh frugal win. DH got free theatre tickets for August to see Alice in Wonderland. So that's one summer activity planned.

Afternoon all - Fred has been busy. Nice to see you all.

Em - ekkk for the pox. Hope your daughter is on the mend and your son escapes it.

Need - a lovely photograph of your dogs. Take as much as you can get re the healthcare. Getting help is hard and recovery is too.

Alfie - sorry you’re having a tough time.

Girlie - sounds like you’re full steam ahead with the decorating.

Collie - I feel you with the job hunting.

Big - any plans for the mango pulp? I love mango and have been tempted by the tins but have never bought any. The garden works sound like they’re progressing.

North - glad Brittany was fabulous. I’m jealous of your cheese.

Happier - that’s awful about the cats. Any news on the water?

Spending has been dreadful. Thursday was ok a (yellow stickered) loaf of bread. Friday went wrong when I forgot my lovingly made sandwiches. Ended up spending £75 on lunch, dinner and snacks so am annoyed with myself. Also spent £24 on some key rings as they were pretty. By today I’d given up so £8 in Waitrose on things I did need and £6.50 in Aldi on things I didn’t need.

No news on the council tax. Am quietly happy for the upcoming train strikes so I can save on the fares to the office. Hoping to not spend much for the rest of the month but my bills are all at the end.

Having a quiet day today. Was considering Kew but it’s closed due to adverse weather. Will be enjoying the forgotten sandwiches later this afternoon (Big they have mango in).

Bastard thunder scaring puppy dog£12 on calming spray which obv means it will be good weather from tomorrow on when it arrives
Useful for fireworks too

Collie We live in an Edwardian house and over the winter we also have to be very conscious of the humidity levels for mould growth and like you I'm shocked at the readings we have right now! DD's bedroom is the worst room for it so she's had her dehumidifier running most of the last few days. We are getting behind on laundry as it's just impossible to get it dried in a timely manner atm! Our house is still quite warm though, too hot to put on heating.

Need Oh no, your DF's partner is doing ok after their fall?

MrsEvans I also hate getting new phones and am not even quite 30! I worry what I'm going to be like when I'm older, I already feel I'm behind my peers tbh.

Collie I also struggle with SAD although am not finding this weather having too much impact on me, I think because I still feel warm and I hate the cold so maybe that plays into the winter issues for me more than I realised. I am however having lots of migraines which I think is weather-related.

Just realised I'm only on page 5 so will post and then check page 6...

Life Oh no, poor little pup 😢

Spends today £17.30ish in Tesco on groceries, I hardly bought anything!!! Just shocking the price of food these days😥

Also £18 getting threaded. My birthday is in the winter and I'm going to put any birthday and Xmas money towards laser hair removal for my face I've decided. It doesn't look as expensive as I thought it was and even at highest estimate of cost I would start saving money vs threading after three years. So long term a no-brainer and it would hugely help my mental health. I actually wish I'd looked into it seriously much longer ago and had it done years ago.

Withdrew £50 cash too as don't think we had any at home.

Going to visit DH's DGM in a nursing home for the first time later. Long backstory, but he's not seen her for quite awhile and he only found out a couple of weeks ago she is now in a nursing home.

Mango pulp was purchased to use in a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe. And now I'm eating on yoghurt, icecream, and having to stop myself from drinking it straight from the can. I love (good) mangoes, but they are a sticky mess to eat. The pistachio chocolate is all gone, and we're making good headway on the feta.

We collected half a tonne of cement ready-mix and carried all the bags to the garage this morning. Then laid out the slabs in the pattern we want. Then I repotted the geraniums while DH dug up the current brick path. Dog walk, and late lunch. I want to watch the Wimbledon final, but can't bear to see Ons Jabeur bottle it and lose, which is what was happening 20 minutes ago. So I think I will sit in a nice bath with a cup of tea and a podcast!

Life - our dog has hysterics around thunder and fireworks. We've tried drugs, don't really work - he's ripped to the tits, but still inconsolable. We've tried training with 'scary soundtracks', Ddog is oblivious. I would love to hear the feedback on the spray!

Rum it's awful weather here & pumphouse is in a field, it's working today so I haven't gone out for a look, I think I'll need to get someone professional anyhow unless there's a pipe loose I won't be able to do much.

Thanks for kind words about cats, I'm not a big cat person but the dc are very fond of them.

€3.70 nail clippers which means one of my many pairs will show up
€3 blondie
€170 cat sitter

BigSkies I'm exhausted reading your posts

€5 charity bucket
€40 registering for a charity walk

Wish we had your DIY motivation bigskies that's great.

Hope the spray works for the pup life

The price rises still take me by surprise weight

Spends today:
£5 leisure club entry for DD so we could have a swim.
£5.90 Krispy Kreme.

Was tempted to get a takeaway but made up some garlicky king prawns and rice instead. 😇 DH at work for next four nights so try to save treats for his days off.

Garlicky prawns sounds better than a takeaway @kessiebird anyway!

So awful about the cats @Happierwithouthim, can you think what might have got to them? A lot lighter note, but agree re nail clippers!

Mango pulp, yum! What a day you've had big, you are really cracking on with the DIY.

Poor pup @lifelongfrugaleer. 😢

Hope the visit goes okay @WeightoftheWorld. It was quite the accident I think, the air ambulance was called, but she's home and 'just' with stitches.

So easy to get into a cycle of spending isn't it @RumBananaSundae, I was a bit like that last month when I felt I'd spent too much anyway.

Ploughing through that decorating @Girliefriendlikespuppies

Low spending still here
£20 on flowers and card for friends birthday. I have a presents budget.
£10 oat milk

Other wise, pretty well stocked re food and supplies

I'm pretty low today with my new life, the family politics too. The DC have stepped up and given me some time but I'm struggling to see any positivity. Early night for me, I'll be okay in the morning, I generally bounce back fine after a wallow!

Nsd yesterday. Today train and lunch so £15

Possibly a fox need

£150 spends deposit for dh motor bike test ?? He is going to collect his brother gear next week for turning a blind eye as this is obviously something he needs to do

Dh other brother has phoned today he’s been medically unfit for work for years his hands have been going black so he’s finally been to the doctor he had blood clots now getting injections everyday and due surgery dds boyfriends mum passed away 2 days away in surgery having a blood clot removed

Out of toilet roll

It all sounds very stressful alfie

Hope you are feeling a bit better today need?

Hope you've had a better day need

alfie that all sounds awful, people go through so much in life 😕

B&M £17 needed cleaning and general household stuff.
Coop £18 I have a partner discount of 30% on own brands, plus I max that out with deals. Sometimes it's cheaper than Aldi and Lidl.

Hopefully enough to see us through to next weekend. Pay all of my grocery and essential spends on a credit card then pay off in full. It's likely over the budget of £600 again, sigh. It's a bit of a slog, I will keep at it though. Been a long day, and the wind unsettles me!

Nsd had a lazy day watching Wimbledon dh working so in bed as he works nights and dc are away with dsis had dm round for tea

Had a busy weekend around the house and garden but didn't spend anything other than the usual groceries.

I drove into the big town to pick up DD from her bus 'cos there was no sign of her usual one. I nearly had a crash on the way back! I was driving along the main road and a car pulled out from a housing estate right in front of me! I had a feeling the driver wasn't going to stop so I'd slowed down and I jammed on the brakes and he stopped too and we managed not to hit each other but it was verrrry close. Looked like a young lad who was driving. DD reckoned he was busy looking to his right as he exited and never looked to his left.

Summer is a distant memory - feels like it's been raining forever. Every time I step into my garden (front or back) I step on a snail . Never mind all the talk about AI - the snails are taking over.

A very quick catch up on this page.

kessie sorry to hear about the crash but good news about the Alice in Wonderland tickets. Well done for resisting the take away.

Big you had a very busy day yesterday!

need you sounded a bit despondent last night. Hope you've perked up today.

Alfie hope your BIL will be ok.

Big you’ve had a far more productive weekend than me. The garden will be done in a jiffy.

Sending you solidarity Need. Had a rather wallowy weekend too. Hope you’re feeling a bit better today. New lives suck.

it’s raining here Tayto and* agree on snails taking over. They’re *everywhere.

Hmm... we are digging out London clay, by hand. It doesn't feel fast! We don't have a skip so we need to redistribute the soil thus displaced into the borders. DS is arriving tomorrow, and has declared that he wants to pitch in. So...if DS and I (DH is in work) make good headway, we could be laying the slabs next weekend, and then we can tackle the path.

£95 in Sainsbury's today, basically buying a bunch of extra stuff in anticipation of DS' visit, additional snacking needs with all the work going on. It felt like a lot. Leaves me about £90 for food over the next 2 weeks.

Season 2 of The Bear drops on Wednesday, we've fired up our subscription to Disney+ and have begun rewatching Season 1 in preparation.

Curious about The Bear, Big, I’ll look it up. And forgive me if I’ve missed it but what is the DIY project you are doing?

ah Need, I am sorry it’s hard right now. It’s an enormous adjustment. I still have days like that with DS from time to time and his diagnosis was 7 years ago. I hope today was a better day.

speaking of which, DS is really tricky right now. Alternately very sweet and affectionate (because he is) and raging anger /anguish which can turn quite physical and destructive. He’s finding being away from home, and DM not visiting for a few weeks (she’s hurt her back) and end of term incredibly stressful, and so are we all. I am quite worried about how aggressive he will get when puberty properly hits, which isn’t far away. He just seems quite confused and at the mercy of his own Big Feelings that he just can’t deal with. And then DD… in many ways even trickier. Parenting is so hard right now!

As for frugality... These days it’s spend spend spend, argh! Mostly on the house, but that project budget is very stretched so we’re having to make lots of trade-offs and decision fatigue is setting in. I am starting to get a sense of the space though and I know I’ll love it.

Did a £41 top up shop today. How?! I’m in the office tomorrow and determined to take a packed lunch!

So much rain here as well. Hard to believe Europe 40 degrees plus. Yesterday nsd. Today will be animal food

I'm back to work today 😢 it's felt like a long break (two weeks) and this last week has been very productive but I really don't want to go back!

Managed to get the bathroom finished Ystd, it was a lot of work but I'm so pleased with the end result, it looks transformed. I need to sort the new floors for the bathroom and downstairs loo and then those rooms are done.

Spent £10 in Wickes Ystd on yet more frog tape and some tiles to go behind the sink. Popped over to see my nephew for his bday, gave him a tenner and selection of chocolate.

Think my cat might need to seed the vet as her mouth looks swollen, she has an autoimmune condition which means she's prone to mouth problems.

Hope you're okay need it's okay to feel sorry for yourself, life is shit sometimes.

Thanks all for the kind words. You are such a great bunch. I'm just generally 'flat' at the minute, which is an odd feeling! I'm usually pretty positive so this feels a bit weird.

Blimey @Taytocrisps that sounds scary re the guy pulling out. Good anticipation though.

Ah @HalfWomanHalfChocolate, you've such a lot on in your life. I can imagine DS is struggling with everything being outside of normal and the end of term fatigue is a killer. Is DD okay?

You've been so productive with those two weeks off @Girliefriendlikespuppies, can't believe how much you've done!

Today will be a NSD and we've plenty in food wise so hopefully just essentials. I've a Sainsbury's food order coming this week for £70 as I had a £10 voucher to use, filled with only their price match items, which looks like there will be loads of items, but we shall see...