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[BigSkies2022]

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Morning.

Wake to to read all about @BigSkies2022's knickers 😁

Lovely news @ememem84. Enjoy the busy weekend.

Spends in the last few days
£75 dog groomers, very much needed and out of my dog 'pot'
£40 presents for beautiful new baby, mum and something for the sibling. Another 'pot' for this.
£13 Boots for conditioner and strong headache tablets (migraine)
£7 Marks and Spencer's (my only ah hoc and lack of planning spend).

This weekend looks cheap. It's the last one before payday, and we've got a bit left in the kitty. Not loads, but enough to get to next Friday with enough for any extra food and a couple of drinks at the local sports club, and maybe even my hair cut (super cheap is my hairdresser!). There's plenty of food in the house anyway.

Have a good day all.

Yesterday was a big spend day. €30 retirement present for a colleague.
€52 on clothes for small girls holidays. €52 on underwear and tights for me and a very pretty travel mug with a handle. One that looks like a regular cup.
€56 groceries which includes lots of treats I bought as I may be asked to do a last minute contribution to a communion and I’m off today and have no intentions of going to the shops.

I’ve left them in the boot of the car and if not needed I’m going to put them away in their bag until another event.

day off today and I am going to lie in the garden in the sun

Afternoon everyone 😁
£64 Asda
£11 Tesco
£16 Waitrose
Not too bad should see us through till Tuesday fingers crossed 🤞
Hope everyone is ok and enjoying the lovely weather 😁

Hi everyone. Haven’t been on here this week!

A bit of a spendy.

Sunday - weekly shop £125.25. I returned my hair diffuser to Argos +£30 back in my account, but while I was there I picked up a couple bits from TU clothing for £50.94 (I wasn’t supposed to be spending like this!!)

Tuesday - £31.94 on collagen powder. It’s on a really good offer and is 3 months worth.

Wednesday - £49.98 on my friends daughters bday presents!

Today - I booked holiday for next august. Going to France with Eurocamp for a week. Paid the deposit of £185.99. £1053.94 left to pay by next June!! Was thinking I would pay a bit off every couple months to get it done. Ive near enough got all the money in my account anyway, so could pay it all off shortly if I wanted. Need to get passports for all for of us, which I’ll do probably after Christmas & travel insurance, which I can’t do yet as it’s too soon. And then pay for the ferry when they release bookings for next august!!

Hopefully I won’t have any other spends other than the food shop this next week 🤞🏻

Nsd hurrah

£20 on a scooter for DD. She has wanted one for months and we said no but I found one on eBay for £70 cheaper than brand new and she has waited patiently for months so I caved.
£27 on dentist check up.
Last weekend here before pay day and it can't come soon enough I have to say.
Happy Friday all!

Managed 2 NSDs. I'm happy as I've had a very low spend week.
I have a day out with a friend today so will spend as we'll have lunch and drinks.
Tomorrow, going to buy plants for the garden. I do have a £5 voucher.
Happy weekends all!

Also interested in pants updates - I used to love an M&s big pair but they’ve reached £16 for 3 and don’t last very long. I don’t mind pricey if the quality is there. Also getting really annoyed with not being able to order online and have gone elsewhere for my school trousers. Surely this is hurting them really badly.

i normally read and don’t post so hello! My frugal fail this week is that I’ve spent a fortune on sewing. I used to pay someone to sew in my kids labels and take up trousers etc but it’s got really expensive. I was also rather ashamed I couldn’t do it. So I found a lovely teacher who for £18 an hr has shown me how to do those things. Problem is I envisaged buying a cheap second hand machine but have ended up getting a bit carried away with a £320 one!

Hello @WhitegreeNcandle, welcome! I expect sowing is like gardening or baking - in theory cheaper than buying from the shops, but in reality more expensive!

Enjoy your afternoon @Vinorosso74

Keep the money in your account I say @PeenaM

I've done a rough menu plan based on what we have in and what we didn't get around to making last week, as a couple of our meals made lasted 2 days.

Fresh tuna (well, bought and frozen), probably with some spring vegetables or salad.
Chicken and preserved lemon tagine.
Smoked salmon risotto (bought yellow sticker and frozen).
Fresh tomato pasta sauce (I've lots of tomatoes to use up)
Veggie chillli
Chicken dhansak
I'll also make guacamole as I've two avocados to use up quickly. And coleslaw or spring salad

Should be a low spend day today with drinks only at sports club (I'm driving anyway) this afternoon.

Morning!
I had a LSD on Thursday (2 coffees for me and a friend at £5.50).

Yesterday I went shopping with my mum and got some new cushions, a blanket, and some nice happy coffee mugs for my home (which I’m moving back into next week) - but my mum bought me those for my birthday which was very kind and ment I still had a NSD (even if my mum didn’t!).

This weekend is potentially a bit of an higher spend one as we are visiting friends in a different city. I’ve already bought the train tickets. The dog is going to the groomers this morning for a cut and then staying with her until tomorrow lunch time as she also does boarding. That’s £80 but budgeted for. I think we’ll probably be catching up at their place most of the time rather than going out - dd wants to watch the FA cup final, as does the friends dad and then her friend wants to watch Eurovision so tonight should be pretty chilled - but I’ll buy some wine and flowers and pay for/contribute towards a takeaway so it could add up quite quickly. Will obviously be worth it though and DD and I are really looking forward to seeing them.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend whatever your plans.

Would you just pay it all off on the due date in June next year, or pay some off every couple months?

Ive not spent this much on a family holiday before!

Could you put the money into a high interest savings account and make it work for you for a little while @PeenaM? I just think if the money is still in your account, it's not due, then it's better in your pocket😊. You never know when you might need it!

I forgot to add dhal to my menu plan - that's a bi-weekly staple here and a cheap meal.

Yeah but the machine will pay for itself with you saving outsourcing your sewing

sounds like a lovely weekend sock and good luck moving home

i agree put the holiday money into a savings account. Pay the account then the bill at the end when it’s due

£50 new washing line but need some postcrete
£30 home bargains but included dish and laundry tabs

@PeenaM re travel insurance. Get it now.

if something happens between now and holiday and you can’t go you could lose money.

speaking from experience here. Had a Disney trip booked last year then a cancer diagnosis 6 months after I booked. I managed to claim everything back on insurance because I wasn’t allowed to travel.

£40 on Gymshark leggings. New pants and leggings in the same week! What am I like???!! My justification is that I haven't bought workout gear since before lockdown, my current pairs don't owe me anything (although I will continue to use them for home workouts), the Adidas ones I bought because they were a bargain I hate and never wear, so they don't count; and Gymshark are half the price of Sweaty Betty/LuLu Lemon. They include a feature called, I believe, a 'bum scrunch' to 'make your glutes pop'. This is new to me, so I look forward to looking like Dina Asher-Smith when I put them on...

I’ve tried to get it now, but because it’s more than 365 days it won’t let me?

I will definitely get it as soon as I’m able to! x

NSD for me yay !
Been beautiful here again today , hope it's been the same for everyone else 😁

I love my gym shark vests. Well worth the money
can’t get away with leggings though so I do sweaty betty but never full price

Nsd.

we went to an event at local beach bar. DH paid for drinks.

the kids (only one of mine as ds is on beavers camp) did a beach clean and were rewarded with a free ice cream for every 10 bits of rubbish.

LSD. I sorted out a wardrobe and bought a second hand drawer organizer for £3 including postage.
Park with DD and OH bought lunch.
Hoping for a NSD tomorrow and Monday (moved working in the office from Monday to Friday next week as pay day Tues so the travel will come out of next months budget)
Ooohhh are you looking like Dina now @BigSkies2022 ?
Love the meal plan @needastrongoneagain I need to add in things like dhal.

Spends night out with farm friends. Food & drinks for 3 of us. Probably around £100 but that’s ok.

Dhal is an easy win for us here @Frugal25. Bosh do a good roast sweet potato and coconut one (it’s on YouTube) that even DH will eat!

Sounds like a good night @lifelongfrugaleer

Yesterday was £20 at the sports club.

£90 Ocado
£27 stock up of spices

That leaves about £35 in the pot until payday on Friday, with cupboards full. This is the first month on reduced income, and we’ve had to be more sensible and mindful re spending but it’s all be doable and I’ve put money away for all the annual expenses we incur, managed a £125 dental bill we’d not considered, so a good start.

Quiet day planned here - dhansak for tea. Some tidying, a run and a chill planned. Water a few pots, sow some sunflowers, make some guacamole etc.

Yesterday planned spends of grocery shopping and fuel for car. Picked up a couple of middle of aisle extras but grocery bill (including €18 of extras) still came in at less than €100, which is a lot better than usual.

We have a day out today with family but they are paying for the entry and bringing packed lunches, so we will probably just buy the drinks and ice creams. There are 9 of us though so not expecting a LSD.

Spent £300 at Costco yesterday which made me feel sick, but with the exception of a box of Dubai chocolate (which is very very nice) it was all good things we needed and good prices. DW and DS take supplements and drink and eat protein things which are very pricey, and DW needed some new t-shirts.

Today I need to go to the garden centre to buy a colleague a plant as a thank you, but it'll only cost me £5 as everyone else in my team has given me money for it. I'll also get my free iced coffee, love the Dobbie's card. And will try to resist buying myself anything!

Treated my car to a full spa treatment on Friday £35 but absolutely worth it. Was an hour of work for them and I just stood with a coffee.
Yesterday was LSD just £8 on a chippy tea.
Today hopefully LSD got a visit with family can't see much more happening as my little one is exhausted/seems a bit under the weather.