Frugal Friends Facing Forward with Fortitude

[Happierwithouthim]

Here's a friendly space for new and existing frugal friends.

We have all different types of incomes and lifestyles but with a common goal of making the best of the money we have.

Many of us have experiences of becoming debt free or being in difficulty with money for one reason or another so there's no need for embarrassment, just join in, post as little or as often as you wish.

Some record daily spends, some record only spends that are unplanned, some don't record spends at all, the choice is yours!

Happier it has a 3p saving per litre but that doesn't always make it the cheapest in the area because it's for a particular brand of petrol station.

All my male acquaintances are married so no go there. I'm the only sad (not really sad) single I know

Good afternoon everyone ,
Hope everyone is fine☺️
Petrol £40
131.9 per litre Sainsbury's
which we thought was very good 😊
Morrisons £55
library book 50p , they had a lot of them for sale and it was one of my fave authors who l haven't read yet and it was the end of the series yay 😊
Home Bargains £45
Have been AWOL for a time, busy with Mum and hospital appts and tests but hopefully things are calming down now .
Costco cake for Mums birthday on Friday £16.49
Hope everyone is ok ☺️

NS day. Only today and tomorrow to go until I get paid.

February's spends will have to include a new tyre for my little car. It keeps going down, and the tread is a bit thin on the edges now. The other three look ok though. Its bugging me a bit not to get at least two new ones, it kind of puts the tyre consumption out of sync. I think it's because I think of them as the car's shoes, and I'd never buy just one shoe.

Menu for today, mushrooms on toast and cereal for breakfast. Lunch was h/m leek and potato soup and croutons. Dinner is going to be lamb pasties with meat leftover from Sunday, h/m wedges and baked beans. There are a couple of yogurts left for pudding, or some scones in the cake tin.

The curry from yesterday is now in the freezer, I wanted to use the lamb up today, and I've already got chicken portions defrosted for tomorrow. And its useful to have a curry ready to go either as it is or with leftover meat added to it.

Shut up !! That thread is not 5 years ago.
I can safely testify, as a confirmed catholic, our traybakes are rubbish.
Well except mine cos I’m a good baker

£146 emerg vets.
£7 moisturiser

boo about cars.

I have read but have forgotten sorry.

no dating here 30 years together this year. However some are best apart

Life you're not just a lifelongfrugaleer, you're also like a swan mating for life

Going to my parents for the weekend with dd, I'm torn between us gettting a bite to eat along the way and getting her to have something ready for when I finish work

😂 at some are best apart! My silver wedding this year too. DH worked away a lot....

I've agreed to pay for some extra work to be done in the garden. A fence we put up to enclose the chickens, said area cleared, some new turf and fruit trees

Further up the garden, some raised raised beds (ie tall enough for DH to use). He needs a purpose, we have a patio the size of a helicopter landing pad and it will hopefully let him potter, with some help.

What's happened to the dog @life

It’s lovely hearing how you have finally found a good DP happier. You really deserve happiness.

i wouldn’t date again, i just wouldn’t be bothered 🤣 I’d have to improve my DIY skills though! Maybe someone exceptional would fall my way though, so never say never.

Not too spendy here, not much left. Payday is nearly here!

DH informs me he isn’t going anywhere though.

That's handy isn't it time?

Long day at work.

£8 on a Moonpig bday card and £50 on Amazon on a few bits.

I definitely need to step away from Amazon for a bit! I have got a couple of bits for me in the last spend including a soup flask so I can start taking soup to work.

Ah happy anniversary when it comes need.
yes dh also was out a lot 😂

good plans re the garden for dh. Probably really help his rehab too

dog was being sick. Check over and a couple of jabs later he’s having sofa cuddles.

please dh is sticking around time

Ha ha yes happier and life 😁

We did have a conversation the other day about making sure we both know how to do stuff though. I think this thread has shown, life plans can change in a flash and unexpectedly. I’m sure I’ve said before, but my Dmum says vacuuming doesn’t need doing as my Ddad always did it. So she’s not done it once in almost three years.

Bit of a spendy weekend - two petrol top ups, motorway food (okay Maccys!! 😉) paid for a takeaway and then picked up a KFC when we got home plus flowers and biscuits for my neighbour who was on 'cat duty'. But it was lovely to see DS and his DP along with our youngest GC - just adorable!!
Did a detour on the way home to see SIL who is receiving palliative care at home - was shocked at how she looked but her vision has been affected by various medical issues she has so she couldn't the shock registered on my face!! 😮But she was in extremely good spirits - DH was very quiet for the rest of the journey home 😯
But back into the real world today - looking after youngest GS - playgroup today - good to catch up with the other GPs - we keep swapping notes about free and cheap activities for GCs that we can do.

€24 on diesel because I was at the service station & I'm going away at weekend
€23 on topup shop including a bottle of wkd cocktail & bar of dark milk salted caramel (€10 of the €23) can you tell it's TOM?

I'd great plans for all I was going to do this eve because dds horse riding got cancelled but I've cooked dinner watched two episodes of emmerdale & scrolled Instagram so far. Going to fold laundry & go to bed. I'm tired 😴

Had a conversation with my parents about power of attorney and funeral wishes this evening. Depressing but an essential.

wolf those conversations are hard aren’t they? But as you say, you would be very glad to have had them. My parents are very frank about those kinds of things which makes them easier to approach…though sometimes a bit too frank. For instance my DMum was telling me recently that she’d been trying to persuade my DDad that they wouldn’t need resuscitation if anything happened to them, as they’re both very old. She was quite shocked that my dad DID want to be resuscitated if necessary!

Oh Happier that made me laugh. Thank you. What I would give to have had a crystal ball. Sneakers were £230 full price. They are lovely and I will wear them and not save them for best. Have a fabulous weekend away.

Hope you mum is OK Mary.

How is the garden coming along need? I love the idea of fruit trees. It all sounds lovely. And practical.

Absolutely Time. I’d not say no should someone exceptional fall my way.

Will attempt to join your step away from Amazon group Girlie. They’ve been getting too much of my money for things I don’t need.

Glad your dog is OK life.

Sorry to hear about your SIL Rainbow.

Amazon got £38.20 yesterday evening for three books. I spend an hour or so looking at flat rentals in France yesterday evening. I would like to spend a month or so there once things are done here and was tentatively looking to see if it might be possible.

Haven’t gone to the office today. Decided I couldn’t face the commute. Think I might do the same tomorrow. Will take a walk into town later to buy some juice. And try and relax a bit.

Pay day. Hallelujah. Paid myself first and set the NI money and some overtime aside for holiday spending money for half term. I'll be feeling flush until Friday when it's service and mot time!

That moment when you see the money in your account is brilliant wolf until you think of all the things it has to do!

I increased my savings last week to start saving towards a car in probably 2027.

€25 on 3 polo shirts for ds for school & a gym+coffee dupe fleece for me from Dunnes stores, I did debate the €65 on gym+coffee one but I'd have had to pay postage too.

I just need to hold strong for a final Jan day and not give in to the feeling that I can reward myself for a sensible month. How ridiculous would that be but I'm admiring the sneaky self-sabotage attempt to wheedle a purchasing-related dopamine hit.

"But that vinegar sounds really interesting. That's a good price for mixed peel and you go through a lot of it."

Sneaky, sneaky dopamine seeker. 😊

I've already got POA for my mum, she was keen to have it sorted as her brother had a massive stroke which left him very disabled and sorting everything out was tricky.

And since we're talking dopamine hits...I am going to confess to online purchases from Sephora and Space NK yesterday. Now since I have nearly run out of the things I ordered, and I use them all, and need them, and would certainly replace them, I can argue this is an essential purchase. But I could have eked out what I have for another week, and had I done that, would not be ending this pay period with, um, £2 to spare. But now I have two parcels of nice things on their way to me!

Oh well. At least February is a short month.