Pumpkins, Pies… and Prudence! Autumn Frugal Saving Shenanigans here 🍂🌰All Welcome 🌰🍁

[MaryGreenhill]

Making a new thread!
Please check in regular posters and welcome new people.
This is a super friendly thread to contribute to. We are all wanting to be as efficient as possible re spending but all have different budgets and priorities. No judgement here we are all friends 😊

Ah @MaryGreenhill that so kind, but I am but a cog in a lovely big friendly wheel ❤️🙃.

Hello again @SockHop. Gosh, your DD must literally be the oldest in the year. DS is early September too - I was always glad he was pretty much 5 as soon as he started school.

That's a good haul from the garden @pistachiosanscream.

I always cry at ET, even now!

So today is looking very relaxed, I felt like I was cooking and prepping most of yesterday. I've walked the dog, had a short run and we will potter about at home I think now.

Menu plan
Left overs from last night - Greek salad, hummus (I forget how darn easy hummus is to make), baba ganoush, pitta, salmon steaks if needed (I'm not sure how much is left). There's some moussaka left too.
Chicken chilli with baked potatoes and salad.
Paneer and aubergine curry.
Pizza as our 'easy' meal.
Chicken broth and crusty bread.
Cashew and chickpea curry.

Just spent £50 on 2 new pairs of leggings- I literally live in the 2 pairs I've got but they're finally too big, hurrah! Hit 5.5 stone loss today so I'm half way there to my goal. They were 40% off.

Won't spend another penny today!

Dunnes shop done
aim was to use two vouchers so €75-€15 but somehow we’re at €72.23 after discounts and vouchers for not very much, a little restock of the baking cupboard, stocking up on weetos while on offer and a very basic shop.

Another trip to outside dryer today, for last week ds has wet the bed every night, I assume it’s to do with returning to school although he’s very happy with it.
I only have two duvets for his bed both are currently washed and won’t dry in the miserable damp weather outside or in cupboard with dehumidifier

Wow pearls fantastic weight loss!
I hit 4st lost yesterday, currently weaning down off ozempic so when I get to 3 years from my highest weight in Nov I’ll be off it completely.

Well done both @PearlsPearl & @Happierwithouthim fantastic losses 👏 👏 👏

Thanks for the new thread. I'm now officially 3 days a week at work and did no overtime in August (I normally do 14 hours a month it's shifts not really overtime) so will be paid less in the end of September. Nsd today and finally got round to printing and attaching returns label to school shoes the wrong size. So will post when I get that refund. Pset up monthly payment for nursery. He's only got 2 days and it's funded until 3, we pay for the evening/ prevening. Still £80 a month. He also is still going to the childminder but she bills monthly for the exact hours that month.

NSD so far today (might have to do some Amazon shopping later for some bits). I’ll do a meal plan and shopping list for tomorrow as my car is in the garage Tues and possibly Weds too.

Had a busy morning, had to remove two
spiders - one huge one that I’d spotted outside and prayed didn’t come in (so that didn’t work) and one smaller one that moved at speed across the bed this morning as I was having my coffee. Had to wash the bedding and then got stung by a wasp in the back of the neck hanging it out!! Multiple other things gone wrong today too 🤦🏻‍♀️

Fantastic achievement @PearlsPearl on the weight loss 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Definitely feeling autumnal in the chipshop household today and im honestly all for it.
£17 Dunelm mill for a side table that my living room lacked. Not strictly necessary but definitely filled an hole.
£10 Poundland toothpaste and snacks. Husband and daughter are costly to shop with.
£50 grind coffee I forgot to cancel a subscription so this will do me until Christmas. Felt quite satisfied to be honest that I can afford to not worry about forgetting a subscription which wouldn't have been the case before I was better with money. Definitely cancelled now though as won't need anymore for a good while.
Keep browsing autumnal decor. Must put my phone away!

Hello! Can I join please? We've had a very expensive couple of months with necessary repairs to the house and a large vets bill, and the bank account is looking very empty. We're away for a couple of days too (booked and paid for before the other expenses or I'd have cancelled). I've bought food with us from home so, apart from ice creams I'm hoping to not spend anything extra -planning on lots of walking and avoiding shops!

Everyone welcome ladyfelicia enjoy the break away

Welcome newbies! Hello regulars 👋

NSD today. OH took us to lunch out which was lovely. Then a park trip to wear out DD and I cleaned the plant pots that I've used for veggies this summer but need to be put away until next year.

I need to use up the last of the toms and spinach from the garden but beetroot, cucumber and sweet potatoes are still going.
Had a glut of toms yesterday so made slow roasted toms and stored them.
Love that bread recipe thank you! Will add it to my bread recipe book :)

Menu planing tomorrow so will post it then but greek salad with hummus and sides may be making an appearance now I've seen it!

Evening all -

Have spent a bit yesterday and today:

• Last minute holiday things £30 to Mr Amazon.
• Unnecessary groceries about £20 all in to Mr Tesco and Mr Sainsbury. Needed a distraction so took a bus ride to a Tesco as we don’t have one where I am.

Have discovered Asda on a Sunday afternoon is yellow sticker paradise. Might have to make it a regular fixture. Was disciplined today and bought nothing.

Trying not to reflect too much but the last seven or so weeks (post leg injury) have been disastrous spending and eating wise. Hopping I can use my break as a reset.

I’m meant to be meeting flakey friend for lunch tomorrow but I think my money is safe as she’s flakey. Thursday will be spendy as am getting waxed. Fingers crossed for at least one NSD.

Welcome @ladyfelicia . It’s feeling very autumnal here but new stove won’t be fully installed until the 10th of September so no fire for me.

today i spent €50 on petrol, €2.50 on bread and €40 on some gifts for small child’s birthday. Hoping to have her sorted by mid September.

todays dinner was loaded taco wedges which used up a slingers g pack of potato wedges from the freezer and the filling was a mix of fresh salsa from earlier this week and a recipe fail of turkey taco boats. The filling was way too powerful for a taco boat but perfect over the wedges.

menu plan for the first half of the week
-Roast chicken and vegetables. I’ve braised red cabbage in the freezer that needs using up
-chilli or chicken enchiladas
-pasta using some of the tomato sauce I made last week and froze
-dim sum and fried rice

too much up in the air to plan the rest of the week but I must try and do a freezer inventory

A NSD today - have a bank transfer to do for a birthday tomorrow but will do that tomorrow to preserve my first NSD in a few weeks!! 😜

Well today wasn’t the LSD I was hoping for as DD and I swung by the Korean supermarket on our way back from the theatre to buy the food for her party next weekend. Spent £45 there and £5 at the theatre on a small tub of ice cream. It could have been a lot worse though and the food she chose for the party was definitely the cheapest option on her list so that’s all good. Tomorrow should definitely be a LSD though and then I’m hoping Tuesday and Wednesday are NSDs.
@needastrongoneagain yes she was the oldest in her year at her primary. I assume she will be at secondary too. If she’d been born 6 hours earlier she’d have been in the year above. It’s definitely been an advantage so far.
Loving the sound of everyone’s menus. I’ll probably be eating leftovers for the start of the week but I also treated myself to a small shoulder of lamb in this weeks shop so I will be slow roasting that later in the week and thinking of a few ways of serving it up. I’ll probably do a mini roast one night and lamb pitta with garlic yoghurt the next day. Might make a single portion of curry on day 3 although it sounds a bit time consuming!

@needastrongoneagain was it you who had a chicken and lentil curry recipe? Would you mind posting it again? Sorry I thought I’d saved it but I can’t work out where!

Had a summer off from MN but ready to tackle frugality again as we head into Autumn. Managed to keep within budget for July and August but a big trip this October may stretch my budgeting skills 😀

Afternoon everyone 🤗
NSD for me so far today
Going to Dentist and Costco tomorrow so that will change .
Weather is awful raining all night and all day with a tiny speck of sun for about 5 mins just to taunt us 🤣

Hi all! Ordered coffee and need cereal but otherwise all good today. There’s definitely a vibe out autumn in the air….

Today has had a spend
Took DD to a soft play £5
Brought snacks from supermarket instead of Starbucks £6 but still have some of it left.
£6 other groceries.
Got a free Starbucks by using some points. Absolutely blew my diet on a tiramisu cream iced oat shaken espresso.
Currently sat with my salt lamp having a breather.

Your salt lamp sounds blissful @ChipshopPickledEgg

Loving through recipes. Def need to do a meal plan tonight.

NSD today. Posted my vinted parcel so hopefully the pennies come through soon.

Off to Leeds tomorrow for a work event. Gosh I hate those. Having to look interested and keen all day with people you don't want to be with. Means I also have to work on a non working day and I miss the last summer holiday day with my DD.
On the flip side. Free food all day up to £15 as long as I don't get home until 9pm (oh dear, that bus did take ever so long to get back.....!) I was going to take food with me. But if work are paying....

Afternoon.

www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/nishas-easy-chicken-dhansak-a-guaranteed-crowd-pleaser

Chicken dhansak recipe. It's super easy.

£19 spent today on Oat Milk (Barista type) at Amazon. It's on offer at the moment and so I got 2 x 6 pack.

Other than that, no other spends as a working day.

I'm loving the idea of a chipshop household😂.

Spent a bit today. About £12 out with flakey friend. She covered lunch and I covered coffee. Added £200 to my gas/electricity as I’m anticipating a bill while I’m away.

Still have to get money for going away so will try to do that tomorrow or Wednesday.

I've just been to get some tea bags.
Yorkshire tea bags! Almost 8 quid in Asda. How absolutely rediculous. Obviously I wouldn't be drinking anything but, but c'mon!!!

Today was a little more spendy than I planned. It was cold and wet so instead of ice creams, we bought pasties and I bought a lovely candle for £15. I'm going to put it away for a friend's birthday latrer in the year though.
@ChipshopPickledEgg £8 is crazy but Yorkshire is the only tea I'll drink too! If you're near a Tesco, they're £6 with club card at the moment