Familiar Friends in Frugality(Feb 24>)

[Happierwithouthim]

Frugal Friends Facing Forward with Fortitude http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/costoff_living/4957140-frugal-friends-facing-forward-with-fortitude

New thread

Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mums on this thread, hope you've all been spoilt!

Dd got me a miniature cherry tree! It's beautiful and I'm trying to work out where in the garden to put it. I saw my mum this morning and she liked the bits I got her.

This afternoon I went to Aldi and did a massive shop £120, hopefully should last two weeks.

Had a day out in Lyme Regis Ystd, spent £6 on hot chocs, £11 fish n chips, £10 gift for mum, £13 on a gift for me 😁

@Nellieinthebarn and anyone else needing new glasses. I am a longstanding wearer with complex lenses and I hope this is ok to add advice. Glasses direct are good and the fitfinder tools on the site are very helpful, but you do need a very accurately measured PD for an online order.If you've had an eye test at a high street optician they have no obligation to measure you or tell you what it is as it's not part of the official eye test, however I do know that Specsavers will measure you if you've had an eye test with them in the last 2 years. It is essential to get this measurement correct.

However I can recommend Asda opticians if you have one, as the prices were excellent, they supplied my complex lenses with very high level of thinning (I would be wearing lenses so thick it would have been extremely difficult to get them in a pair of glasses without it). Had my first go at Varifocals with them and was expecting to pay hundreds more than I did. If this helps anyone with specs and the astronomic cost of them I'm glad

Well I told the dc I expected a card which dd told me she had sorted.
On Fri pm ds asked me to buy him a scratch card, I wouldn't usually but I did on this occasion
Got a homemade card from school from ds & said scratchcard
Dd gave me a couple of reed diffusers & they gave me a candle each

I suggested they make dinner so they made carbonara & garlic bread & I gave them money to go get a dessert too. They came out with a chocolate party traybake.

We went to local fitness centre pool rather than regular pool it was 3 times the price

Yesterday ds had two friends over & only spends were €13.45 at local shop

Gen is it emotional or exciting or both?

Great on the sales gen. Little steps as they say.
pleased the kids came through happier even with a bit of promoting.
nsd here. Did lots of freezing and prepping as I’m away with work until wed

That's lovely 🌳 @Girliefriendlikespuppies you've raised a good'un

Glad the kids came through @Happierwithouthim chocolate party traybake is an excellent choice!

Girls too little to get involved much but I got some priceless works of arts 🎨 🤣!

Have had a look at the budget. It will be keeping a close eye on things but should be manageable. Waiting for the council tax increase confirmation to rejig budget after April. I think it's been helpful having an every pound allocated budget to help understand those little/not-so-little spends. Especially those that were hiding within an underspend in a big pots budget.

Spends
7 milk and some yummy snacks for mothers day 🍫!

I bought three cauliflowers 2024Hack. The ones in my local store were a good size. I have cooked the first one today.

I don't have a railcard Chile. I had a thumb through a leaflet a few months ago while waiting for someone at the station and remember thinking oh that's disappointing but I'll might have another look.

Glad yesterday turned out not as bad as you'd thought it might Happier. Did you win with the scratchcard?

Spending yesterday was £3.95 on a (disappointing) Too Good To Go Bag. I had to throw away planned dinner so bought it as a substitute thinking there would be a sandwich. Now wondering what to do with my weight in doughnuts and a loaf of bread the same size as me. I also spent £24.90 in Uniqlo on a pair of leggings.

Have managed some life admin today. Nothing from the mediator still but OK with that for now. Still procrastinating about estate agents and the council tax. Completed my passenger information forms and hoping I won't be arrested going through immigration as I made up some of the responses as the information wasn't on my travel document.

Trying to decide if I should get this months spending out the way now or spread it across the rest of the month.

Aargh, lost a long catch up post!!

Essentially, I’ve lost track of the thread due to work and life, but spending is under control, apart from food, which will get worse before it gets better next week as we are hosting a family gathering for my mums 90th birthday.

Hope you are all okay. I shall keep up forthwith!

Unfortunately not Rum

Double glazed unit damaged in storm finally replaced, balance paid off €170.

Lunch with my cousin booked in for Thurs, looking forward to that.

I think I bought a mumsnet chicken last week 2.4kg stuffed chicken was reduced to €6.99 in Dunnes, dinner Thurs, dinner Sat, lunch today, tomorrow and Wednesday and cats fed for a few meals too

Need what an achievement to reach 90 years, my dm will be 70 this year.

Boring fact, I don't like cauliflower

Cauliflower rocks!!

My DDad has recently gone into a home, as his body is failing him now - not his mind.

My DM (they are divorced) is incredible! Fully and totally independent and fiercely guards this fact - won't let us do anything!

NSD.

Can you freeze doughnuts, Rum? you can certainly freeze the bread, although you might want to cut it into more realistic and consumable chunks before you do, or you will simply kick the problem down the road.

Eugh, bloody cold, wet March. I can cope with winter, even enjoy it. But these sorts of days, where the buds and blossom say spring, but the grey skies, muddy ground and cold winds say winter, do my head in!

Bathroom fitter keeps promising, then cancelling, visits to measure up and flesh out the spec for the renovation. He's starting in 'early April', whatever that means, but at this rate, there won't be tiles, or a shower tray or new lav, or shower screen for him to fit. He's now promising to come tomorrow, so we'll see. I know it will be fine, but I really want to get on with ordering stuff and making decisions. (Actually, what I want to do is spend money on a better bathroom. Careful living, frugal planning, it's all dandy, but oh, how I yearn to splurge a bit and end up with something nice to show for it!)

@RumBananaSundae if you've got eggs and cream, could you turn into bread and butter pudding (using both the bread and the doughnuts). You could then freeze or keep in the fridge and serve up over the next few days with a cup of tea?
Or blend and turn into breadcrumbs, or garlic bread? All quite carby though 😲 😋
@Happierwithouthim 🤣 it's best with cheese 🧀!
@needastrongoneagain happy birthday dmum (I won't do 90 candle emojis!) 🎂
@BigSkies2022 is it a strict budget limit? Or is it rather that you're putting your money towards other priorities? Maybe I'm a spendthrift, but I think quality of life and enjoying your home is well worth spending the extra money for something you want/love

Wfh today so picked up the girls early. Should be getting ahead with chores but instead am sat on the sofa staring at the chaos

Chile - I absolutely agree re. spending additional money where it's needed in your home, to make it more pleasurable and functional. At my age, if I want that table or sofa or a posher curtain or light fitting, I am going to have it! (within reason - I wouldn't be spending £3k on a shower tray, which it is certainly possible to do; and I do a lot of my own DIY where I'm able to do so). The issue isn't that I don't have the money to get the nicer bathroom I want, it's that the bathroom fitter has been promising to visit for weeks, and hasn't managed to show up yet! So, I have the money, I have the ideas, but I can't get going until I start verifying these ideas with the tradie, and then I can start spending!

@Chile1978 not even then

I agree @Chile1978 and @BigSkies2022. Since DH's stroke, it's obvious how much more we are going to be in the house than we anticipated being. We might not travel the world as we might have imagined, but the money we'd saved for this will go on making our house as lovely as we can. Hence the plumber (sorry @BigSkies2022, extremely reliable!) is currently here, ripping out two en-suites. I might as well adore where I live - which I do!

@Happierwithouthim it’s both emotional and exciting but work are misbehaving so much it’s making me certain it’s the right decision to move on 😁
I am glad your kids sorted something out for you - hope you enjoyed the day 💐

That's great that it's strengthening your mind that it's correct decision for you.

morning all.

ds home with me today - he's a total snot bag. not ideal, but he's happy watching movies whilst i sit at the table to work. Dh away today and tomorrow so really not great timing!

NSD for me.

i just took one of my handbags to the post office - accepted the quotation from Mulberry and they sent me the UPS label to send it back so ds and i dropped it off this morning after we took dd to school.

noting that i haven't updated the credit card situation for a while - but am waiting for payday. i am hoping that i can clear it by a minimum of 50% on payday, and chunk up the savings. i will get the pay rise (backdated to 1 January) and then hopefully a nice bonus too.

i thought that my regular saver would pay out this month too but it's May. which is annoying because i got my timings wrong, but ok because i have another 2 months to add money to it. hoorah.

said to DH that once i get paid i will sit down and sort out my finances and our budget. this year is the year of getting the money back on track. we're doing ok, but could do better.

Yes, comfort and pleasure at home is very important! I can't get on the same page as those people who think of home as just somewhere you sleep and throw your dirty socks. Bathroom fitter promises today, and DH is WFH specially! So, fingers crossed we get to the next stage. What are you having done, need? Does marble feature anywhere? Very zeit-geisty apparently. We're going for marble-effect porcelain, on the grounds that we don't want to watch actual marble stain and chip over the next 10 years. And I'm getting rid of the clattery plantation shutters, which we didn't install, and which I really hate. Upgrading the pipework and replacing the lav with a wall-hung model. Flush-to-floor shower tray and reducing screen frames and rims and seals and general scum- and limescale-catching clutter. Huge looking glass cut to size. Streamlined storage.

Where I'm hoping we can save is by retaining sink, taps, radiator, shower valve and heads.

sounds lovely @BigSkies2022 i can't wait until we do our bathroom. its a shocker of a bodge job. but i think that's next years job once we've saved up the renovations fund

Filled my car up in preparation for going away at the end of the week, I still had half a tank so only £24. Still I remember that when I first got my car I could fill the tank for £30. Admittedly its 15 years old - I suppose that's frugal in itself, I got it new with the scrappage deal, so cost me 8k new, and still going. I think a similar one would be about 14k now.

I hate it when that happens to posts need. Happy birthday to your mum for next week.

Seconding the wet March Big. I can’t believe how much it’s raining. Good luck with the bathroom fitter. I’m on a road to nowhere trying to find someone to come and quote for replacing the windows.

Oh Gensola loved the way you described work as misbehaving. I’ve never been so diplomatic. I think I might borrow it.

Hope the snot ceases soon em.

Have spent quite a bit since yesterday: £3.03 in Aldi, £47 on membership fees, £136 for the PT next month and 250€ on a subscription. I have emailed about maybe getting the tax back on the subscription (you can if you are in France) but I am not sure if I will be able to.

Looked into a charge back re the holiday activity and as I paid more than 120 days ago it’s a non starter.

Currently waiting for Mr DHL. The notification helpfully said they’d deliver between 09:00 and 17:00. Not feeling work today. It’s irritating the hell out of me. Making progress with the leak (I think). Still need to sort out the council tax and call more estate agents. Surprised that I’m not looking forward to France next month but feel I need a break.

Bathroom fitter has been! We will be starting work 3rd week of April. The flush to floor shower tray has morphed into a wet room/tiled floor all the way to the wall, which will raise the price of the work, but avoid the cost of the shower tray and screens and give us a sleeker finish. There will need to be two floorboards lifted in our bedroom to enable the new pipework, which means some extra work to put it back to rights. Looking forward to getting the revised quote. Now I'm off to check out glamorous pendant lights and ceiling roses.

Gen - have you handed your notice in yet? I'm glad the decision to leave is improving with time. I have had a number of jobs I really enjoyed, but I never enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed handing in my notice.

I am hoping desperately that the snot finishes soon. how does one small boy create so much snot!!

hes curled up on the couch with nurse cat face. she rarely spends any time with him so its nice to see.

i can't be bothered with work today either. i needed to be in the office today as had conversations i needed to have with people. not urgent but needed to move things on. i've done the bare minimum today. mucked out my inbox, filed emails and done some online training. yawn.

on the plus side NSD

Afternoon.

£5 local shop, bread, milk, potatoes and chocolate (for DH).

Your bathroom sounds fantastic @BigSkies2022, glad the plumber turned up! No marble here, but I did love that look, I know exactly what you mean. The main bathroom was the big reconfiguration job last year, ripping out the bath, changing the layout and making it into a wet room for DH. It was A LOT of money, but you wouldn't know it was adapted by clever use of shelving and walls rather than grab rails/built in granite seating so it looks really classy. I used a specialist company, but they were so busy they contracted out the work to the guy who is doing these jobs and he was brilliant so he's doing these as his own work.

These en-suites are already well designed, and had wall hung sinks/toilets so it's a case of swapping like for like and much easier (cheaper). I appear to have expensive tastes and have chosen pricey taps, shower head and cupboard (attached to sink), but the taps especially make the bathroom and downstairs loo (done last year too) look really classy so I'm fine with the cost. My friend made me these super planters, that currently house two of DH's mums plants (she died last year), you can see the seating a touch, to the left.

Hope DS is okay Em.

@Gensola I'm glad you feel at ease re your decision.

You are probably not looking forward to France because of everything you've got on @RumBananaSundae, but you probably need it.

Car sounds like a sound investment @Nellieinthebarn