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 😊

@RumBananaSundaeThat’s a good deal on the Chia seeds they’ll last you ages . Sham about the dried pears. Hopefully tomorrow really is a quiet one for you, sounds like you could use a proper rest, bless you 💐
Liking the sound of your Dunk donuts @ChipshopPickledEgg
😁@FurForksSake a quiet day before the drive home will do you both good sweetheart. The pool in Inverness sounds lovely too. 😊 You’ve done well to go through the order and cut it back , it’s not easy but it makes a big difference. Monzo pots could be a great idea too , they make it easier to see where money’s going rather than it just disappearing. It's not easy balancing everything 🤗
@pistachiosanscream the preserves sound lovely , even just doing a couple of jars will make you feel festive and accomplished. Totally get that “chasing your tail” feeling too, hopefully things ease up once the birthday celebrations are done. You’ve done really well keeping track of your spends too , and brilliant move hiding those Pringles and sweets for Christmas! 🤣e

@pistachiosanscream you’d have to hide the Pringles from me too as I am also a hoover (plain only though…..)

went to the gym on my very own this morning and managed fine. It was almost empty at 8:30 so that’s my target time to go. Good to get that out of the way first thing (well, sort of first thing 🤣)

Went out with my sister to the garden centre today and we had a lovely day. Quite tired now and getting ready for bed and the Slow Horses finale (on catchup). Think I’ll watch Traitors tomorrow as I could really do with an early night.

Spent about £100 but that included some Christmas presents. Bought myself a new oodie type fleece although I’ve just realised it doesn’t have a hood 😭

I also hide things around this time of year that aren't being eaten. Pringles ... They always get eaten here. Any flavour!

I bought ingredients to make mint jelly and an almond croissant tree for Christmas today. Shall get baking this weekend and store them away.

£84 in Lidl. That included 5 presents, 2 advent calendars and ingredients for the two Christmas foods.

Got invited to a soft play which wasn't on budget. £12 to get in. Stayed an hour before DD got deliberately whacked by her "friend" so we left. Got fleeced for £3 of rides too.

Swimming was pre booked but bought cheddars from vending machine. £1.60!!!!! But it's part of the deal now when we go.

Tomorrow should be a NSD apart from travel to work. Already prepped the packed lunches for all. And I'm making a homemade pizza with pumpkin, blue cheese and red onion topping. Sounded Halloweeny!

Off to bed now, feeling so much better thankfully but absolutely shattered. Roll on 5pm Friday.
Happy Thursday all!

Glad you are feeling better @Frugal25. It's very expensive all these activities for the DC.
They have a better social life than we do 😁

Happy Halloween comrades. i’m back for Nov. Have been reading but not posting.
finances took a hammering with birthdays , half term and uni visits. Had to dip in to savings.
payday reset today though it’s DH last FT wage as he goes back part time in Nov.

@Frugal25 I know the deal with kids and paying for extras. . I know we should never do it or your sucked in forever. I would bring cheeders next time though! Deal with any tantrums and hope they get used to not using vending machines. My worst parenting moment is buying something for a child after a tantrum has started in supermarket. My DD is 7 and for the past couple of years, she's got some of her own money. We've not started regular pocket money but she has some birthday money and tooth fairy money. She's very frugal with it. So if she wants something that costs money, I'll say, do you want to spend your pocket money on it. And mostly she'll say no, unless it's a charity shop teddy that she can't resist. Allthough she is happy it only costs a couple of pounds unlike new.

Oh the venders at swimming is rediculous I forgot her drink the other week THREE POUNDS for a fruit shoot!
Best thing I've brought is some snack pots.

Thinking of pocket money. Those with children, what age do you give it regularly? A few from DDS class have had it for years. Me and DH can't agree on the details, except it's not nessersary yet. I think he's too tight and she's could be quite anxious and guilty about spending. We're thinking soon would be good, maybe age 8, but probably by 10 years old.

@Alwayslearning25 it’s one thing that I regret - not giving my son pocket money. No idea why I didn’t except I split from his dad when he was about 9 so that may have something to do with it. Although he always got what he wanted/needed from both of us I wish he’d had the opportunity to learn how to manage money. And in fact it’s the first thing he said recently when I asked him what he remembered of his childhood!! He’s 24 btw.

Anyway I think 8 is a good age to start, if that helps!

Morning everyone 😁
Shopping to Tesco spend £83
Bought loads of Pringles for £1.50 for Christmas on special with clubcard .Several other bits like nuts on offer and shortbread tins of biscuits for £4 nice ones with a stag on .
Also Celebrations and Quality street are £3.95 a tub there so stocked up on those . I give them to the residents who don't have anyone to give them Christmas presents in Mum's care home bless them ❤️

Welcome back @lifelongfrugaleer it's a spendy old life in the UK l am finding 😱
Food prices are through the roof 🤗
Re the vending machines it's very difficult to cajole them off them because it's fun to put the money in and see the treat drop and collect it l think that's why the DC love them . Just my opinion l know it's daylight robbery 😱
Happy Halloween everyone
😁☠️👹👿💀👻🎃🤗

Regarding pocket money - mine get £20 a month each. When I remember. They have their own Monzo accounts and manage it well. They are 10 and 12.

Daylight robbery Vs fun. Very mixed emotions about it all now I've started as a treat.

Should have been a NSD. Was doing so well. Went home at lunch as I always do on a Friday to WFH rest of the day and someone got hit by a train that was Infront of mine. All trains have stopped and I don't know the buses here to get home. So. £38 later and I'm in an Uber.

Love the idea of pocket money. DD is 3 so a bit young but maybe as she starts school she could get 10p for every chore. She currently has "clothes in wash box" and "help clear the table" on her list. How exciting! She would Def spend all of it on teddies.

Glad your back @lifelongfrugaleer

Oh @MaryGreenhill you're so lovely. Actually made me emotional you doing something so beautiful for other residents. What a lovely idea.

How awful @Frugal25 puts things into perspective but not great for the finances.

we were going to go swimming but I’m too sore and the features aren’t open so we are just having a quiet one and slowly packing to leave in the morning.

AHH @Frugal25 you would do the same l know how very kind you are sweetheart ❤️
I couldn't not 🤗

I didn't connect about the tragedy that happened on your way home @Frugal25
So so sad . Poor you glad you are home safe and sound now .

That poor person :( and £38 is a lot but worth it to get home safely.

We have always given DS his age a week. So he gets £15 a week at the mo, plus £20 a month from grandad. He mainly spends it on gaming, has no concept of saving, no matter what we've tried money burns a hole in his pocket. Guess we know who he gets that from.

Well your Ds is still very young@PearlsPearl . l hope you are feeling a lot better sweetheart . It's good to see you here 🤗💐

A nice chilled day @FurForksSake sounds perfect. You don't want to be rushing about on your last day anyway.

Awful news about the person reg the train. That poor family. Does indeed put things into perspective.
I was late home for my next MTG but it pales into comparison doesn't it

Oh. Found £30 on the floor. I asked Dmum if it was hers as she was with me but no. Will keep in purse for now in case I do hear of someone losing it. But if not I'll buy some bits for the food bank with it.

Afternoon.

Terrible news about the train accident. Awful.

I can’t remember the age I started giving the DC pocket money. I didn’t link it to chores, as they were an expectation in our house and that’s still the expectation now I they pay me to live here 🤣. They are both very sensible re money.

Nice to have you back @lifelongfrugaleer. Hope the uni visits went okay. Any front runners?

I’m really pleased the PT session and subsequent gym visit went well @chimichangaz

Spends
£20 race entry.
£50 Amazon - bulk buy of coffee, and a couple of pairs of joggers for DH (easier to pull on than zips or buttons).
£17 coffee and brownies yesterday
£31 veg box, dozen eggs, Parkin from local greengrocer.
£90 Ocado.

Quiet weekend planned, DH is a bit under the weather. I made soup out of parsnip, carrot, cannellini beans and sage (seasoning etc too) while he slept - that’ll last a couple of days, used up a few sad veg and upped our bean quota!

Today was £3.60 on six yellow stickered tins of prunes in Waitrose. There was an overspill of about £40 on Amazon from yesterday. They had discounts of 10% and 5%, both of which applied, to some books so I bought some travel guides.

Thank you @MaryGreenhill. I had a nap this morning and not much work was done. That’s a lovely thing re the residents who don’t have Christmas gifts.

If it’s any consolation @chimichangaz I bought an Oodie last year and I’ve never worn it.

Sorry about the unexpected taxi fare @Frugal25. That’s always a horrid thing to hear. I remember one day it happening and someone shouting at the man on the gates at Waterloo as they had to get to Wimbledon. Why they didn’t just cross the bridge and get the underground I’ll never know. Hope you’re able to relax now.

My weekend has started. No plans except flicking through my travel books and maybe some light tidying. I was meant to get some paperwork from the solicitor today but it’s not arrived yet. I keep seeing trailer for Instinct on channel 5 but I can’t find it to stream. Though they say you can. Would have liked to have spent the weekend in front of that.

At very sad when someone is hit by a train. Happens all too frequently. might be worth a message to the train company to claim it back. Or do a delay repay if your train was later than 30m

my DS has just gone 16 and in the last few months has started saving. It will come. They get £20 pm off us and £10 a week off gran. DD saves DS doesn’t. I pay for most things still

Pringles don’t get house room here. The Aldi lisl
ones are far nicer

Still have London to see in a fortnight. Currently Falmouth. It’s a nice town but flipping miles from us
it was quite funny when people from Kent were complianing about the length of travel. Err try 10 hours mate. Did get £53 back on delay repay though

pleased you are going in the right direction pearls.

Hope DH feels better soon

spends
£49 coffee bulk buy
£25 ikea
£47 Sainsbury’s
still have the Lidl shop to do tomorrow with my 10% voucher

Bless my OH, he gave me the money to cover the cab fair yesterday. Have put back into my savings ready to pay for my yoga sessions next month.

Ooohhh uni visits. That must be exciting!!! We are currently visiting primary schools and finding that exciting too. Albeit closer to home!

Off out today for lunch with a friend. I'm hoping it's around £20 as that's what I've budgeted for. No other spends though. Home after to spend time with family and chill. OH isn't very well, same thing that myself and DD had last week. So staying in and chilling is the answer I think.

Sorry I fell off the thread somewhere between the new roof going on and half term break up - then the amount of posts overwhelm me so I avoid looking 😂

I thought last night, what's so hard about logging spending, logging calories and drinking 2l of water a day. physio has banned from my weightlifting class for a couple of weeks due to tendon damage so I do need to eat healthy which often comes with home cooking and menu planning. So here I am!

@lifelongfrugaleer welcome back

@PearlsPearl hope you are okay and sorry I didn't read the thread and see that news earlier. Small steps.

@Frugal25 that's awful to hear about the train. Taxi the right call to get you home safely and how nice of your OH to cover it.

My DD used to love these plastic eggs with toys that came out of the vending machine at swimming lessons. I remember at the time money being so tight and it was hard. I think she remembers that fondly.

Pocket money DD (14) by her own admission spends as soon as she gets it. I send her around £7-10 per week and she goes out with her friends after school normally gym or food. I've said we need at some point to put that in your account monthly and you can budget it but she's not ready. Chatting to DS about it yesterday, he said he was the same and now he's a good saver.

Half term hasn't been too spendy as I had prebooked two large events and DD has done a little volunteering which is a free activity. Although this week I saw a Martin Lewis deal on a Ninja outdoor oven and I've wanted an Ooni pizza oven for so long I ended up spending £189 on that. Then this morning we got it unpacked and I've ordered a cookbook (£8.94) and a cover (£17.99).

Right hopefully back on track now..

Good morning everyone 😊
Raining here 🤗.
Been to the shops bought only what l needed , £17 Lidl with free Asparagus tips using my app and £12 in Asda on covent garden soups, £1.50 on offer ATM and orange/passion fruit juice .
@Frugal25 aw bless your DH he is a sweetheart 😊