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

I'm sorry you are having a crappy time @RumBananaSundae. I think the majority of people would feel similar.

Lovely dog @Girliefriendlikespuppies, I remember you deliberating for ages before getting a puppy.

Great sales @Gensola! And declutter to boot.

Welcome @Pigtailsandall I'm better not shopping at all too.

We've had a busy week and weekend and I'm tired today, not helped by a long meeting with the accountant this morning. I've overspent on food this month, some of which is my not being frugal, some of which is to do with my mums 90th party, but I should have planned for this. I've shifted a few pots of money.

Menu plan
Venison and black bean ragu.
Leftovers.
Sweet potato and chickpea curry.
Beef stew with pearly barley and squash.
Chipotle pasta.

Do any of you use budgeting apps to see where your money goes? I tried for a bit but it was a bit hard to break things down as sometimes one transaction could contain several categories so I gave up 😅

I had a very low-spend weekend. Saturday we took dc to the park and playground in the morning, and as it rained most of the afternoon we watched a film together (well, grown-ups took turns with doing chores). Dh got 3 months of Disney+ free with tesco club card points. Yesterday I took dc swimming which was already paid for, and then we all went to our friends' house for roast. Took wine which cost £10.

I did buy dc a few clothing items from Vinted for a total of £21, but I paid with my Vinted credit. Was quite nice as I sold a pair of shoes, bought a pair of shoes etc so it feel circular and sustainable.

Today I did buy a coffee (£3.30) and a small bouquet of roses (£3) when I got groceries. Those were not strictly necessary but both cheered me up. Total grocery shop was £16.70 as it was the most I could carry!

And thanks @needastrongoneagain :)

100% Chile it was the best decision I ever made for me & my dc 
Rum it's hard going until suddenly it's not anymore and you're into the next stage of your life

Dunnes shop in person yesterday €133 after vouchers  there was some nice fish in there 

I've just spent €3.99 on a too good to go bag, and we're having roast chicken for dinner, bank holiday here so hopefully that'll have dessert in it.
Got soaked at a sideline this morning

Welcome @Pigtailsandall
I use YNAB & it's honestly changed how I handle money, I've savings no debt except mortgage and I no longer have to say no to dc all the time, I don't have more money I just make smarter choices with it.
I used to have unpaid dd charges regularly now my bills have money waiting for them when they arrive

The ~wallet~floodgates opened this afternoon....

Thanks @RumBananaSundae not 100% sure it is fixed but something is definitely happening - feels warmer I think... so hard to know whether you're imagining it or not. Will keep trialling over the week to see if it is working. Frustratingly we're still in debit for gas/electricity so no idea what's going on. Next step is calling a plumber out so trying to avoid if possible.

@needastrongoneagain we also have a family dinner this weekend. Hoping I can keep it budget friendly - weather being warm would help. Thinking spatchcocked chickens with new potatoes (or jackets if cold) and salad. Pudding will be some fruit from the freezer either served with whipped cream or steamed sponge (if cold)

@Pigtailsandall I don't but I should do. I think partly I'm happy in denial on how much the renovation continues to cost us and the DDs' activities/days out/ad hoc spending. I do use pen and paper at times but I don't do it religiously monthly.

Spends
40 diy
70 house odds and ends (towels, kitchen scissors, tupperware, etc.using clubcard points so it would have been £120) (Like @needastrongoneagain I've had to do a bit of pot juggling)

Fingers crossed you’re right Happier. Thank you. Thank you need.

Big spendy day today. Not even nice spending. Council tax bill arrived so I paid that. Took a walk to get over it and ended up on the high street and spending just over £5. I have milk and some Pringles (well had Pringles). I got some new walking trousers in Marks and Spencer. They were £35 but I had a £50 coupon so it wasn’t spending spending.

Office tomorrow and Thursday. Have a talk of sorts tomorrow so hopefully I’ll avoid Too Good to Go. Have enough for one commute on my card. Not sure how I’ve spent so much on transport this month.

Rossignol sent me a money off coupon. Oh dear. I will resist. Will distract myself with YouTube.

He's nearly 5yo now need! Can't imagine life without him.

Spent £38 on fuel today, have done a lot of driving this month so more on petrol than usual.

Top up shop in Iceland - did have pensioners discount and then rounded up for Xmas spends £25
Also spent £12.50 online for Car parking for a family day out at Easter - cheaper that way!! 🤔

Spends
£60 petrol
£7 gym

€224 chemist - my regular prescriptions, copper coil, box of ibuprofen & bottle of calpol 6+ forgot probiotics of course!

Well done you too for using your vouchers @RumBananaSundae ! I too have let vouchers expire or lose them so I try now to use as I go - I have an envelope by the front door where I keep them so it helps me remember when I go out shopping and they're all in one place if I shop online.

@Rainbow1901 do you get your shop delivered? I don't have Iceland near us but it could be good for stocking up for kids parties!

So nearly at the end of the financial year. Dragging myself over the finish line. Another paper due tomorrow so another late night tonight. I'd been contemplating some work related training but not sure where I would squeeze it in to be honest, but at the same time I know it would be good for my career. No pain no gain as they say.

Spends
£6 breakfast on the go

Inspired by your meal plan, need, I am also cooking sweet potato and chickpea curry tonight. I am trying to make this month's food budget stretch to Easter catering, and it's going to be tight (extra spends on Ddog and gardening supplies this month, plus DS needed a modest top-up, plus new DD for energy kicked in and increased insurance premiums). Haven't yet checked the price of lamb, will call the butcher today. In the meantime, we are eating the pantry/fridge and if some of this looks like student food, well, it won't hurt us!

@Pigtailsandall - hello, and no, I don't use a budgeting app. I track my personal account for spending and saving on a cash flow spreadsheet, and over the last few years have honed my categories down. DH and I both put money in the joint account pot each month for shared household expenses. I keep a close eye on both my personal accounts and the joint account - pretty much check each as soon as I wake up - so I always know what our available balances are and I usually have a daily disposable allowance for each in my head. NSD let me roll that allowance up.

From next month - new financial year - I will be putting some tweaks in place for my personal account and running on a system of percentage splits between essentials (allocated via various standing orders/direct debits, requiring not much effort from me), savings/investments (20% - automatic transfers), guilt-free spending (10% - transfer over to Chase, and that's what I use for fun/discretionary spends). At 70%, my essentials percentage is too high currently, but will come down over the next few months, and will plummet next year to 40% when some big expenses go. God willing.

Ah, I'm glad I'm not the only one without an app. I'm hoping that the accountability of this thread will help!

I spent £11 on a skincare product yesterday (travel-size version of something I do use all the time), and £10 for 2 school jumpers and school polos for dc from Sainsbury's. I put 3 old jumpers which were too small and stained in the textile recycling.

I'm in the office today and spent £7 on coffee and pastry. I felt a bit glum when i left this morning but now I feel glum for spending money!

We have money in our joint account but my personal account has £6.40 in it till Monday so that's definitely putting a stop on the spending 😅

For travel could you get empty bottles next time and decant?

Oh Chile the envelope. I did that and helpfully wrote the expiry date of each coupon on the front. Now I can’t find the envelope. Go for the work related training if it’s on offer.

That’s a good plunge Big. Fingers crossed it comes off.

Unexpected spend today. I bought another pair of the walking trousers so that was £35. Went to an exhibition after my lecture this afternoon so bought a stamp (£2.20) for a postcard to send to my friend.

Enjoying my cauliflower soup. It was a throw everything in effort. I have one cauliflower left. Might freeze it for another time. I think cauliflower three weeks in a row might be a bit too much. I spotted some Comté that I brought back and threw in the freezer so I might do something with that.

£50 per food, £100 shopping food, £45 gig tickets for DH, ££& shoes and trainers as DS is growing. ££ gcse textiles supplies.
sigh
put my expense claim I. For work and for once it covers the £ I spent.

Oh no @RumBananaSundae ! I hope that doesn't happen to me.
Certainly don't have @Happierwithouthim around for dinner!

Sounds an expensive week @lifelongfrugaleer. Glad work expenses covered actuals.

Squeaking through to the end of the month - have a very strict budget for food shopping this weekend.
🏖on Thursday can't come soon enough! Hoping there will be minimal spends as it's AI so it should be the odd ice cream and sunchair hire. And of course the obligatory airport meal/snack but hoping to pack a few bits in hand luggage.

Spends
£60 cleaners

Excellent that expenses are fully covered life

I also had trainer spends, ds got a pair of sketchers in mid January & the sole lifted, must see if I've got receipt because I'm going to question it. Bought two pairs in sports direct one karrimor one under armour on Monday for €87

Todays spends €5.85 on eggs, a croissant & lucozade sport as dd was puking last night, the only upside of this is it made my Thurs eve much less busy as I'd to cancel orthodontist & I didn't have to collect her from school

€19.95 on a gigantic Easter egg for ds, own brand choc spread & a box of twister lollies.

Is there anyone on here familiar with the issues around employee benefit packages that include private medical insurance? It's never been an issue for us (both near-lifelong civil servants), but it's come up. The package would include:
private medical insurance - can you negotiate on this? extend it to family members? how do you know it's a good deal? Does it involve annual health checks?

death in service benefit - assuming this is a life insurance policy underwriting this? How do you check on the value of this?

What about critical illness/long term sickness cover? What do you look for in the contract/employee benefits and how to ask about this without looking like a potential liability?

Hey @BigSkies2022 we have this through DH work (private school!) and I had it in my last job too.
with private health I’d say check what sort of package they’re offering, what is the excess, DH can add spouse and kids, pre existing conditions are covered (this is a biggie - some plans won’t allow them) and it comes out of his tax free allowance as a taxable benefit but the true value is obvs much much higher than that if you need treatment.
I have had my tonsils out and DH a heart condition treated which together cost £10,000 we didn’t pay a Penny of.
Death in service I think weigh against insurance - we don’t insure DH as his death in service is so good, and to insure him for the same amount would be £150 a month.
I’ve never had critical illness provided by work, the best I’ve had is current sick pay policy which is 6 months full pay and a guarantee they’ll redeploy you at the same pay to another job if you need adjustments.

Yes, possibly! It's an acid type thing though, so little hard to decanter. This small one was on offer so tbh it didn't end up much more expensive than the full-size version. But skincare is definitely my weakness so I need to be careful!

It's been a cheap week though. I went to the office yesterday so paid tube fares, but we had lunch provided. I paid for an NHS prescription fee (£9.80ish I think) and today got a few top up groceries - bread, apples, blueberries and pint of milk - £6.25. So nothing frivolous.

Gen - thank you for the insight - that's really helpful. I just remember being a bit awestruck many years ago when a city trader type I knew airily talked about a ten round recruitment process, the last of which was negotiating your own package. He said the health package was one where they always tried to chisel you, checking your eye for detail, I suppose! a different world from mine...

@BigSkies2022 We’ve always found it’s more that each school/university/company has its own set package on offer and some are much better than others. The one we each had at the previous place was much better than the current offering - so it had a lower excess, covered more, the care was easier to access etc. But if it’s private sector then there probably are more variables.
I haven’t even started to get my head around the US healthcare situation 😳

Sorry nothing to add re healthcare
spent £20 pet shop yesterday as labratwat is 3.
£27 Aldi for bits

thinking about a skip for Easter’s as it’s finally starting some dry

@BigSkies2022 agree with Gen. It's not really a negotiation except whether the company do it or not. They'll have a company package - you can ask for the details. For the vast majority of companies I (and my friends) have come across this is a much better deal than going private as an individual. They normally provide cover for immediate family/dependents (spouse and children) but not to other relatives (and sometimes not to unmarried partners either).
Death in service is a good benefit to have - it's usually x times your annual salary (could be 2 or 3 times which is the most common). I wouldn't stop private life insurance for this only because if you change jobs to somewhere that doesn't have this then usually you're that much older and the premiums are higher. But if I didnt have life insurance already or had pre existing conditions then it's a good benefit to have.

Some packages are more comprehensive than others - include annual health mots, can include dental as well. It would also be worth asking if the reward package included for example a discount to a gym.

Very eas to ask about critical illness etc. I would ask about their overall employee reward and benefits package. They should then provide you with information (or direct you to the recruitment hr team) about things like critical illness, life insurance, pension, employee rewards (example access to blue light scheme or other employee discount schemes) etc. If they're not forthcoming with the information around sick or parental leave, you could then ask for their employee policies; or you could ask specifically for their employee leave policies (this would include sick leave but also things like a sabbatical). If it's a large company you could speak directly to the recruitment team (they would be unlikely to tell the hiring manager about the day to day conversations with potential hires). If you have to go through the hiring manager that could be a bit trickier - but for asking for the big picture 'employee reward' then you're not asking so directly about sick leave.

@lifelongfrugaleer can't wait for the weather to turn. We've got so much to get on with in the garden. I also ordered a new pruning saw which hasn't arrived frustratingly even though it was 24h delivery.

Should be A NSD today. Another late night working.