Is your March miserly or munificent? Join the frugaleers sharing news and tips.

[BigSkies2022]

New thread

Feel better soon @northender , it's always the way isn't it, you start something new or go on holiday and become ill.
@ChipshopPickledEgg ooohhhh new cooker shopping.... A big expense but so much fun.
@Rainbow1901 I so need to start my potatoes. I've started planting seeds but mum has just bought me a small greenhouse so hoping to really get going now on planting up veg to eat.
NSD for me. Just bills going out.

Hi all, I'd love to join your thread.

I'm an impulse buyer and spend spend spend. A month ago though, I decided I have had enough of being in debt and having no savings.

For the last month I have been really good. I get paid monthly and wanted to save €500, Pay day tomorrow and I have managed to keep €375 that I will transfer to savings. (My first ever savings at the age of mid thirties). I would usually spend this on takeaways, eating out or the kids. I did buy myself some clothes this month but got all reduced clothes from next like 4 smart work tops for less than €50.

I'll come back this evening with my spends for today, but it's looking like eye test €30 and something for dinner.

Just found the new thread. Thank you!
Managed a few NSDs this month. Got a lot of upcoming work with exam season looming. Also, got two cat sitting jobs lined up at the beginning of next month.
I have bought two new pairs of trousers for work as some existing ones looked a bit shabby.

Oh Fudge!! DH has just said the boiler won't heat or provide water!! 😢
We woke up this morning and the house was cold - the pressure had dropped - but been doing that for a while. But it started up again when brought back up to pressure. I think we may have to bite the bullet and go for a replacement boiler!! Can't really complain as it was installed when we bought his wife out and then did a complete renovation job on the house including installing central heating, new windows, kitchen, bathroom, solar panels, knocking out walls and so on over 20 years ago!! 😬😭

20 years is a good innings, Rainbow. You might find that modern boilers deliver a much better service than the old one, even when new - we got rid of the Potterten workhorses when engineers refused to fix them and haven't regretted getting a lovely modern boiler with separate channels for upstairs, downstairs and water, and responsive thermostats. Silver linings, and all that.

£74 in Aldi, £15 in Sainsbury's. Quite a big shop for us. I am keeping spends low on both joint account and personal account this month, as necessary. Reckon we'll make it. DH did take us out for dinner in Soho last night (forgotten how crowded, and er, piss-redolent the streets are) so it's not all miserly March.

Likely to place an order for DParents' sofas tomorrow - an unexpected 20% off, which is nice. However, in the course of searching online for a new bag for DMum, I have stumbled across one I want for myself. Now, I do have a new bag on my list this year, and this one, while modest by some standards, is not cheap, but I can manage it, although it will slow down my emergency cash fund saving, which is a key metric for me this year....I think I'll just sit on it a bit, and hope they don't sell out.

We bit the bullet and ordered a new boiler!! It's being fitted tomorrow - depleted some of the savings but the rest is on 0% for two years.
Still got a holiday to pay for by early April and another by August for October - we don't usually have two holidays abroad but this is three special family birthdays and all that. Another break booked during Spring with family at Center Parcs - but that's paid for. Might be eating less in the next few months - but a diet is no bad thing for either of us right now!! 😳

NSD for me today 😁
DH did buy himself a pr of shorts and 3 plain tee shirts all from Primark, £22 they are to do the garden in so nothing fancy needed .

Hello @Imperfectpolly , you sound like me! I'm so glad I found this thread, it's seriously helped me so hope it does you too.
Pay day here whooo. Put some on credit card, some into savings.
£91 in lidl, a bit too high but I am trying to cook more from scratch which boosted it up.
£6 for play group session.
£10 for a swimming session for little one.
£87 for bin collection (that's gone up big time this year)
And £200 for childcare for the month.
I also found I have two subscriptions that id forgotten about that went out this month for the year so I'll suck it up this time that cost me £60 in total but I've put a reminder in diary to cancel next year before they renew.
A big spendy day. Let's hope the rest of the month is quiet!!

Forgot to say, hope your new boiler goes in smoothly tomorrow@Rainbow1901 my new one is amazing and although costly it has been utterly worth every penny

£7 in Aldi on a couple of nights meals
£5 charity donation
£4 postage for a friend's gift

Thank you @Frugal25 - not money we wanted to spend but needs must. DH reckons the gas bill will go down as a new boiler should be more efficient. We are in the living room sat with the 'gas' coal fire on so not feeling so chilly now. This fire comes once in a blue moon for 'the effect' of a coal burning fire. Pretentious or what?!! 😂The rest of the house ain't so clever though - thank goodness for toasty duvets!! Good to know that your investment has been it!!

Welcome @Imperfectpolly also a big impulse shopper who never had leftover money. Trying to change that.

@Rainbow1901 enjoy the new boiler. I nearly can’t wait for ours to pack it in so we can get a modern one. But also don’t want to draw the expense on us.

today was €10 contribution towards a colleague who is leaving.

tomorrow I’m going to go shopping! Hoping to get new runners, I looked at multiple online and nearly bought them. Saner head reminded me I need to try them on. Comfort is as important to me as style nowadays.

Welcome to all newbies I love seeing another € poster as sometimes expenses differ so much from £ to €.

For those interested. I’m a divorced mum of two, mortgaged with a full time job. My only debt is mortgage. I use YNAB and find it has helped me so much.

Welcome Polly

did you get reminders for your subs frugal? Is it worth getting in touch and asking for a refund & cancellation now. I would.

Hope all the boilers and fittings go ok

lsd last couple of days. Shopping was below budget at £120.

I’m a married mam of 2 teens and a number of expensive animals. Of which labratwat is 4 today!

I think if you need the bag & will get lots of use out of the bag but it now

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Yesterday was just the eye test. We had freezer dinner so saved money there.

Wages was expected this morning but isn't in the account. Feels good that I have my little cushion there for a change of what I didn't spend this month.

Today I have a food shop coming, as wages was expected it has all the monthly items in there too, so it's €130. It also includes the big easter eggs for DC so that's another thing off my list.

I shouldn't spend anything else today.

If we're doing intros then I'm a married mum of 2 now grown up (23 & 20) DC. Ds is all but off our books now, working away & renting, Dd is at uni so we pay her rent and any necessary extras. She is great at budgeting and being frugal. Our only debt is our mortgage which will be paid off when I can take most of my NHS pension at 55 (18 months time). I've had CC debt, loans etc over the years but all clear now.

I've been on these threads pretty much from the start of them I think (many years ago!). Great for keeping you on track.

Morning all. Currently sitting in an ophthalmology clinic waiting for the follow- up appointment to the tear duct clearing op performed last September. This is the eighth appointment I have been offered- they kept cancelling and rescheduling. Yesterday they rang and tried to cancel again and I said no way! So I’m here, I have seen the nurse but god knows when I will be seeing a doctor.

hello to new posters! Not usually so moany! Sorry.

Life - was that message about the bag to me? I am inclined to agree! Will sit on it over the weekend but am very likely to go for it soon.

have a good day all.

Happy birthday to Labratwat Life!!
Hate those unexpected spends Rainbow and Chipshop
Feeling a bit better thanks, have had bloods done this morning which was my first trip out since the GP on Tuesday. Am feeling a bit down to be honest, so meeting my aunty for lunch which is always a good thing.
Haven't got much energy so just trying to get through life admin bits & dh has asked for a list of weekend jobs for him so I am plotting!
Going to Paris with said aunty and dd in summer & have just booked train tickets back from london which is the last piece of the jigsaw. So all budgeted and paid for, just spends now, but we are all good frugaleers so I think it'll be fine.
We've got ferry crossings booked for our seemingly annual Brittany trip too. Now just need to sort accommodation & decide where we are going. 2 nights in Rennes booked so far.
Will mealplan today and then a (hopefully) small aldi or lidl shop needed.
Need to start tidying and decluttering my parents' house this weekend. It's going on the market soon & photographer is booked for a couple of weeks' time. A friend is offering half day cleans for charity so I've booked her for the day before the photos.
Have a good day all!

Happy Friday all!
So glad you're feeling better @northender .
Hope you're seen very soon by a Dr @BigSkies2022
I was hoping for a NSD but window cleaner turned up, so that's £27 paid out.
Mum has turned up with some toys my brother no longer needs for his two DC so my little one is currently playing with those which means more garden time which is free so I love this!

I'm 43, living with my partner of 12 years and we have a 3 yo little girl. I work part time whilst she is still small but I'll go back full time when she goes to school. Between my partner and I we have two houses, he owns one outright and I have one with a mortgage (long story of why we have two)
As well as my mortgage, I have a credit card debt, a car on finance and I owe my mum £2.5k. I've got a plan for all though and if I stick to my plan I'll be debt free (apart from mortgage) by next June. This chat has been incredibly helpful and I'm already ahead of where I should be with finances.

Been to Costco spends £93. I stuck to my list 😁.
Costco lunch £10.
Very unhealthy but nice 😁
Lots of lovely Easter stuff there 😊

Finished week 3 of my new job and I'm shattered but feeling good! Not really spending anything weekdays now at all. Have stuck to my goal of taking packed lunches in and I'm really pleased with myself, been eating in the park sat by a lake every day reading my book on my lunch break too.

Cinema tonight- will get popcorn and a drink (£10ish).

Ikea tomorrow for a new desk, but will claim back from work (£99) and an Aldi shop.

yes it was big. I just forgot who I was replying to

For my intro. I’m married with one child (5) both of us work full time. Mortgage and big garden that sinks money. Expect to have to do some bigish maintenance jobs on house in next few years. This year is new fireplace, hearth and stove. car loan of 8k approx. No other debt.

today was a big spend day. my shopping time turned into whole family shopping outing.

€45 new adidas runners
€11 on t shirts for the child
€24 on jeans and socks for me. Pretty sure the jeans will be returned
€30 on Easter treats.
€69 Nando’s, was only ok so won’t be rushing back.
€5 treat for child

sayonara to the extra money I thought would be left in the joint account! Still good though as we did cash flow €400 of car expenses through the joint this month.

Now that north mentioned she had previously had debt I realised I never said about mine. Prior to my separation and subsequent divorce I had three credit cards & a car loan, in order to get my mortgage I had to be debt free so when we sold the family home I paid them off and saved hard during Covid while also paying rent. I’m determined to not be in big debt again, so I’m currently saving a car payment monthly & plan to buy in summer 2027, dd will be 17 then and I’ll give her my car & I’ll buy something. I’ll have had my car 11 years at that point all going well.

I did however topup my mortgage to do an extension last year.

Great to get a picture of everyone’s stories I wasn’t expecting to start that.