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!

Got rid of the dcs pram today. It’s gone. Sad but no point in keeping it as never going to use it again.

gym today. Hurting already!!! asked trainer to do body measurements today. so I can monitor progress.

nsd.

@needastrongoneagain thank you for your kind words. I do indeed feel myself more in control in many ways since starting this.

I braved the contents of a large storage tub today. It had sat under the desk for several years, mostly papers to file or shred. It's just occurred to me that that was around the time I fell down the stairs at home and my mobility was much reduced for a couple of years. My confidence in everything was rock bottom. Then paperwork for tax, etc, changed and suddenly there wasn't just the enormous ledger that he could fill in neatly, there was masses of paper everywhere and I was dealing with a longterm family crisis and secondary trauma.

Wow, How long has all that been locked away in my brain?! It's suddenly all making so much sense.

My next stage is to file everything in chronological order up to the closing of the business, and make sure all the accounts are in order.

@Taytocrisps hope the conversation goes well and you see change! It's a change now with your DD becoming an adult. My OH and his siblings were all pampered at home until they moved out, and I'm not sure it was necessarily the best thing for them

@ShortFatShambolicHouseElf sounds like things are becoming clearer for you and dp/h.

I was reviewing my budget and thinking in particular about food spending and whether my budget was in line with the average family.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2021tomarch2022
This may be interesting to some (although bear in mind the average household is 2.3 people). Seems like our spend is higher but not outrageously so which makes sense given the amount of fruit the girls get through and that we include cleaning products, Nappies, etc. In that spend. What was more shocking was the housing and fuel costs.

Spends
£10 toothbrush heads

That’s very interesting chilli. Wonder what a similar survey now 2 years later will show

Thanks for that chile - glad you specified the household size as I couldn’t work it out. Like you we are above, but not too much.
Thanks need for pensions info, that’s really helpful as was one piece of the jigsaw I couldn’t figure out. Looks like that means the inheritance tax thing isn’t relevant. But…I have no relationship with DP’s mum (neither does he) and do have a bit of a worry that she could turn up and scupper things as potential next of kin.
em selling the pram, that’s a biggie!

We spend a lot more than the average (near London), housing, transport costs, fuel (heating and various appointments. It's always a shock to realise how much more expensive it is to live here!

It's worth considering I believe these are mean figures. They also provide a table for spending against household income from lowest fifth(net income 14500pa) to top fifth (66000pa ) [they call it disposable income but they mean income after tax].
Anyway, useful data to compare your spending. I do love the ONS! 🤣
I think we'll see a significant change for the next release.

Not planning any spends today fingers crossed.

I have managed three NSDs out of six which isn't too bad going.
£2.30 for GSs playgroup this morning and will need petrol for the car at some point. Just wondering if I should try and hang on or put some in before snow may possibly arrive. Swings and roundabouts??!! Either way I will have to pay at some point!!

What are you gaining by delaying it @Rainbow1901 ? The worst case is you end up not being able to get fuel at all when needed versus paying out money for fuel and the car gets written off and you never use it.
I'd rather get it when I could than put it off - the first worst case scenario seems a lot more likely to me.

I’ve been making a list of stuff to sell if I get the US job 😄 including the car, my peloton, my Brompton and lots of furniture. I would also use it as an excuse to get rid of about half my books and clothes, aiming for a much more streamlined life.
Should find out around this time next week.

I know the feeling Elf. I do the same - not using coupons, vouchers and offers. I should make more of an effort.

Love your pink nails em and good find with the skull.

Good grief Gensola. That would have driven me potty and I’d then have served fondue. Your lists for selling and getting rid of are putting me to shame. I need to do the same.

Hope you had a nice day off Tayto and that the conversation went well.

Spending since Sunday hasn’t been good. I spent about £80 on Sunday on a GPS app and a custom map for my trek. Haven’t looked at it yet so hope it’s OK. Paid for another four sessions with my trainer. Yesterday and today was £6.53 on groceries I didn’t need. Need to get back to the point of not wanting to buy anything.

Met up with a work colleague today and she paid for lunch. It was nice to chat and lunch was lovely too. Yesterday I called the bank about the mortgage. I need more information before they can really help. Called some estate agents to come and value the property next week. Trying to brace myself for tomorrow. I really don’t know what to expect. I hate the unexpected and not being able to plan. The book about operational efficiency I was exciting about reading arrived and I was flicking through it and it opened on a page about mediation. Not sure if that’s a sign of something.

Spent £14.81 on some notebooks and some knitting needles. I thought I might try and learn to knit. I can crochet, and have wool to practice with so no other expense needed at the moment. I have difficulty keeping the tension even with crochet since I broke my wrist, so I thought I might give knitting a go.

The last time I knitted anything I was in primary school, and the lovely Mrs White took us for an afternoon of 'needlecraft' every Thursday afternoon. We happily ruined wool and fabric, whilst the boys wasted wood and broke chisels doing 'woodcraft.'

This was before OFSTED and national curriculum, and it was not unusual for little country primaries to just make it up as they went along. This is why I know how to clip a chickens wings, but long division will always be a mystery to me.

Today was expensive. £418 at optician's. They did every possible test, and I was so relieved that very little is wrong with the health of my eyes. Apart from getting older and my sight changing, and some dry eye. I got a prescription for drops and will have my new glasses in a fortnight.

DH and I have fallen into a constructive pattern with the paperwork. I couldn't do any this afternoon as my eyes were achy. He is checking up on a wrongly recorded address on the council tax bill.

He likes to shop at lidl because it's cheaper. I like to have tesco delivery because I have no willpower in the actual store. So far, we're getting on fine with each other's preferences.

@RumBananaSundae thanks! Not sure if you could see on the original picture but they’ve got kitty cats on them.

one more “fun” nail appointment on the 21 feb then the next one in March has to be a bit more sensible as it’s dsis’ wedding.

Gen that would have made me livid!! Has she got form for being a nightmare?

Em can you sell the baby stuff? It is sad accepting they're not little anymore although I found the primary school age the best parenting stage.

I have booked a hotel spa for Friday night, it's dds bday (might have mentioned once or twice she's turning 18 😉) and by the time I costed up going to a spa for the day it was actually cheaper to stay at a hotel with a spa for the night!! £115 for the both of us for a night.

I'm officially skint now though for the rest of the month 🙈 I had budgeted £200 from my savings to cover bday related things and I've probably spent double that.

Just as well I only have the one kid 🫠

It does feel like 18 is a big deal and the last of the bdays where I'll have any input in to! After this she'll just want money and to go clubbing with friends 🫤

Been looking at cars for her, there's quite a lot around the 2k mark which surprised me, she wants to get a mini but I'm thinking they're probably going to cost a fortune to insure and run?

Tayto that would piss me off as well re dd making a mess. We're in a similar situation where I do the bulk of the housework but don't mind too much as dd is doing long hours at college (made longer as it's a long bus journey.)

She also has a wend job and needs to study however if she has a day off I would expect her to tidy the kitchen and hang out the washing as these are quick jobs.

Tbf she is pretty good but I find I have to ask her as expecting her to just notice and do it off her own back doesn't seem to work!

Gen your post made me laugh, years ago a friend of mine was attending weight watchers and her and her now husband came to visit for a weekend. We were in a touristy place and went for dinner, she asked the server about several dishes and if they had cream in them? He had to go check with the chef at least once, then she decided to have seafood chowder and he said "there is cream in that" to which she replied "that's ok" I was mortified, she went on to have pavlova with fresh cream and fruit for dessert too.

Tayto & Girlie ye are not giving much hope for dd13 improving any time soon, she will do jobs if I specify them but won't notice that there's a wash to be put out or will walk over something rather than pick it up, I had hoped this would improve. I met a friend on Mon and her ds18, is doing hoovering or putting on a wash before she gets home from work to help her, without being told.

As tayto said it was a bank holiday weekend here. I visited dps with dd.

Dinner Fri eve €24.95
Breakfast Sat morn €15
Takeaway Sat night €19
Sun NSD
Mon Lunch from Deli €17.85
Mon Click & Collect Dunnes €78.55
Bf came to stay Mon night and we and ds stayed up late watching a film, I brought a packed lunch to work yesterday and was feeling a bit meh, so went to takeaway €10.50 for a chicken burger, chips and Fanta, I should have just got the burger I ate about 5 chips!

Tues Topup Shop Dunnes €9 forgot milk in my click & collect & ds's fibre 1 bars
Diesel €68
Centra €2.50 on 5 mini doughnuts

Had to replace my trusty Garmin today. Was refurbished and got in Nov 23 so has served me well. Software is glitching now

NS day, but now want bigger knitting needles and chunky yarn.

Fuck knows why I want to knit, I've spent loads on learning how to do patchwork, fabric, wadding, thread, classes x 3 with 2 different teachers, and I'm still shit at it. I haven't even got a decent quilt. I have several half finished horrible rag-like articles, and some ugly cushion covers.

Anyway, I'm going to resist the extra wool and needles and wait until the fancy passes.

Menu today, Avocado on toast, cheese and crackers with salad and grapes, and salmon in a lemon sauce, potatoes, carrots and runner beans. DH ended up with 2 portions of salmon, I really struggle with fish unless its fingers or 'n' chips and mushy peas. I do not have a sophisticated palette. And now I want chips.

Edited due to spelling, grammar and repeating myself.

3 NSDs out of 7.

Today was not a NSD I spent £25 on Petrol. £6 on GSs Swimming Lesson and £4.27 in Lidl
But I did try baking another batch of bread - better than the first lot, not quite right yet. But way too good for the birds!! 🐦We are eating it anyway!! 😆

But I did try baking another batch of bread - better than the first lot, not quite right yet. But way too good for the birds!! 🐦We are eating it anyway!!

If something goes wrong with bread, we make it into Melba toast (it rose but over-proofed) or plain biscotti (it didn't rise) by slicing the loaf thinly then baking them at low temperatures. 😀

Yesterday filled both cars £100, £21 Lidl, £220 watch.
I did have a Sainsbury’s shop for Friday but I think I can stretch to Sunday by actually planning and topping up

Cold/flu bug has finally hit after lurking since Christmas. Very feverish which is not helpful as have a busy day

Takeaway last night as running round after ds who had sports and couldn't be bothered

In better news asked for a bonus and got one. Hopefully paid at the end of this month

Hopefully Nov 23 was a typo!

Which one did you buy? I need to replace my fitbit my dsis has had Apple, Garmin & Fitbit and she said to go with Garmin.

Brilliant news on bonus wolf not so good on lurgy