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 😊

Last couple of days have been expensive. Also buying for Christmas and small child’s birthday party. Had to buy tiles for the new fireplace and adhesive etc.

A pizza takeaway last night was €47. Some poor ordering on my behalf meant it was about €15 more than usual.

today was a NSD and I picked blackberries. Small child’s birthday party and I also made crumbles using some of our harvested apples and I made a pear and almond crumble. They are in the freezer now to be baked as needed.

going to start again tomorrow and hope to have a less expensive week.

£10 lunch box bits.
£6 at the golden arches.

Morning.

Checking in.

Last week was busy as it was The Week Before We Go Away but we are here now and after a very wet and tired day yesterday, I've slept like a rock and am about to head out for a run.

Got sucked into the Christmas thread yesterday and got a heated throw for DD's Christmas present. She works from home upstairs and gets chilly so hopefully this will be useful.

Otherwise, usual spends related to going away, and quite a large food delivery when we got here but we will eat mainly from the cottage. £16 on a wireless charger as my phone will hardly charge otherwise.

Enjoy the new dishwasher @GreenGodiva . The joy of a new dishwasher knows no limits in our house!!

That's impressive food prep, healthy food and frugality @chimichangaz

I love Vinted @MaryGreenhill, you can get some real bargains on there.

Good morning. Just catching up after an extremely busy (and expensive) weekend. We had DDs party on Saturday. I’d bought most things in advance - but ended up spending about £20 on extras in the morning. Not too bad in the scheme of things. She then had an extra and slightly impromptu party with her sports team yesterday. She hadn’t seen most of them all summer and it was lovely but I ended up spending £80+ on takeaways etc. We’d rented a hot tub for the weekend and they all had great fun mucking around in it. I paid for that ages ago but I wonder what my water and energy bills will look like next month?!
I also paid for a dance course dd really wanted to do. She’s not done much dance before but is starting to really get into it so I agreed. £70 for a 6 week course.
Will have to be super frugal again from now on. We have our Paris trip in a fortnight which will be a bit spendy but (hopefully!) planned for. Other than that we don’t have any planned expenses at least!

have a great holiday @needastrongoneagain

great frugal food plan @chimichangaz

@JustStopItNora definitely insist on a secret Santa again. Or a non secret Santa if the unknown element was making people uncomfortable. (Or even better just the meal out!)

Have a good holiday need

Hoping today will be a NSD. ended up yesterday evening buying 2 dresses from vinted for approx €20. I was influenced by you @MaryGreenhill. one was very cheap and a bit of a fingers crossed to see if it actually is nice but the other ive had in a smaller size before so should be perfect.

@JustStopItNora it's really hard when you have to multiple small presents. Definitely try and put a stop to this. just because one person likes buying and has the mean to do so does not make it suitable for a whioe group especially if you have different means. Perhaps the person driving it doesn't realise how exclusionary she is potentially being and could be talked into a more suitable way of exchanging holidays greetings.

Still not done a big shop but need to do it by friday as i have vouchers expiring and they are worth 25% off so not missing out on that. I have done a good job of using up pantry and freezer items. However i stock them like i'm running a restaurant! I still have loads in them but i do need to give my head a wobble at times as we could easily eat out of it for weeks. Especially with all the garden produce we have. I've apples, raspberries and rhubarb in my garden as well as tomatoes in the greenhouse. Pears and cooking apples from the neighbours and blackberries all over the roads around me.

Today i must make some stewed apple and blackberries which i will use in porridge/.yoghurt so i'm going to process all the apples and blackberries in the house and make a plan for them all. Some i'll freeze for baking.

This weeks menu plan ideas. i'd only needs wraps for the gyros to execute this

1. Dim sum, stirfry veg and noodles
2. Pasta with cherry tomatoes
3. Taco beef
4. Lasagne
5. Pork Gyros

Oh well done @pistachiosanscream l hope you will be thrilled to bits , lovely meal plan 👏🤗
Have a great holiday @needastrongoneagain 🤗
Thank you l am so enjoying Vinted it's addictive 😂👏
So glad your Dd's birthday weekend went so well @SockHop🤗👏
Aw thank you so much @Frugal25 you have done brilliantly decluttering Dd's toys well done you !
Aw thank you 🤗 l just loved the dress l don't buy much for me full price but l knew it was me the minute l saw it ❤️🤗
£13 Asda today, on a few new tea towels and 6 teaspoons in the sale
(where do teaspoons go ?! )
Hope everyone is ok and having a good day 🙏 🤗

NSD here. I was due to go into the office but DD is unwell so kept her off school and I stayed home.
Hoping for a LSD tomorrow. Need more celotape to wrap the vinted parcels and off to yoga but that's hopefully my day.
Already done my meal plan for the week. Very boring as tight on budget after Christmas shopping.
Celery soup.
Leek and potato soup
Stew
Picky bits - my fave
Homemade pizza - already have all the ingredients
And probably something from the freezer like fish and chips.

Have a great holiday @needastrongoneagain - and I’m sure the heated throw will be a hit. My son bought me one a couple of years ago and I used to wrap it round me when I was wfh.

@SockHop that sounds like a lovely birthday weekend for your DD, just what memories are made from! And great idea to rent a hot tub!!

NSD for me and felt very smug eating my oat and banana pancakes I made yesterday for breakfast, and my lunchtime homemade soup! I dug a fish cake out of the freezer and had it with veg and sweet potato fries.

think I might have the roast veg and halloumi for lunch again tomorrow- it was so good!!

I’m hopefully starting a free course next week (digital photography- run by my local council) which is free but I have to have an interview in the morning to check my suitability 🤪

I’ve also been offered some contract work for this month so that will help refill my car pot which is in negative figures after the last couple of months!!

@Frugal25 l forgot to ask l hope you Dd is feeling better bless her 🙏 ☺️💐

Your photography course sounds amazing @chimichangaz and your food sounds delicious 😋

Ah thank you @MaryGreenhill , she has a UTI. She is only 3 so doesn't really get why her tummy hurts. Gp said the infection was quite bad, no idea how she got it. She drinks so much water and we always wash hands. But hopefully the medication gets to work fast

Oh bless her that's awful she must be so upset . Hope she's feeling better very quickly @Frugal25

My son and FIL love the heated throw I got last year.
I agree the extra birthday celebrations sound worth the £&
that photo course sounds great
hope dd GWS

spendy today but will expense it as travelling for work

Afternoon everyone 🤗
NSD for me but l just wanted to tell you all about how my first orders with Vinted went .
OMG the clothes are superb quality .l can't quite believe how good and how inexpensive they were. My Mum is going to be absolutely thrilled to bits with them . I realise it might be beginners luck but l am genuinely over the moon 😁👏

Ah @MaryGreenhill that’s fabulous to hear. I do fear though that this might be the start of a Vinted love affair?!

Today I spent a fiver in the £1 shop on stationery and bits, about £7 in Tesco on cards, returned some stuff to B&M £8 and spent £18 on Starbucks for me and a couple of friends.

Tomorrow will be spendy as my car is in for repair but no other spends planned.

€5.15 on a birthday card & a stamp.

mary ssh I haven’t renewed my tv license in almost 4 years, I was paying by direct debit and one month it stopped and I asked for it to be restarted and it was suggested I go to post office and pay for the year. I didn’t and haven’t since. If an inspector calls I’ll start paying again, but we’re rarely home so have escaped so far.

need have a great holiday, so deserved.
green new dishwasher was the happiest purchase I made of an appliance lately
reminds me I must buy a dryer

Dunnes click & collect yesterday €42.15
dunnes in store spend €23.90 both utilising €10 off €50 and €5 off €25 vouchers. Purchased a sourdough pizza for €7.10 from Baxter and greene counter cooked in store. It was amazing and three slices in freezer for reviving in airfryer at a later date. This may be my takeaway replacement in future. cheaper & better than the local guy.

I need to pop my vinted cherry. Everyone seems to be getting great bargains. I’ve a few bits to put up for sale. Ds is buying & selling there since he got a phone & revolut card this summer. One purchase was disappointing alright he ordered a book in French by mistake! He’s only 11.

@chimichangaz l have fallen hookline and sinker🤣
@Happierwithouthim give it a go , nothing to lose
(Or only a couple of quid) And everything to gain 😁
I promise l won't split on you re the TV thingy 🤣

@mary. Run. Save yourself. There's no helping me but you can still make it. I'm properly addicted to vinted. Absolutely adore it. Cheap and amazing quality.
Glad you are happy with the clothes!

£5 on a pumpkin picking event later in year. Managed to find three local Christmas events too that are free so yay.
£7 yoga session. Needed tonight. Very stiff and achy so it did me good.
OH bought me my celotape bless him. Even went out of his way to get it. Very grateful. Was able to wrap and post my Vinted this morning.
Hoping for a NSD tomorrow. In London working but I'll take my lunch and they supply free drinks.

AHH thank you
@Frugal25 🤣 l am afraid your warning came too late l am over my head & diving into Vinted 🤣
Well done on finding the free activities too 👏😁

Morning.

Thank you for the reassurance re the heated throw. Hoping it will be received as well as those of you who have them already.

You've got me thinking about pumpkin picking now @Frugal25! Glad the yoga helped. How's your DD?

I warn you @Happierwithouthim Vinted is addictive. I'm less so now, but certainly it is at first! So easy to sell on it. Plus as @MaryGreenhill says, you can get some amazing stuff for very little money on there.

I can't believe how tired I've been since relaxing here on holiday. I can't stop falling asleep - we all must have really needed the break. Just heading out with the dog - it's glorious walking here so it's a real pleasure being out in the countryside early.

Spends
£22 charging the car (usually done at home or work so wasn't sure of cost)
£20 - plastic stool for DH to sit in the shower here.
£44 lots of fresh fruit, food, etc from Morrison's while car charged. Nice to get the chance to have a mooch rather than a dash!

Chilli and rice for tea.

I love my heated throw, I literally live under it as I’m a cold person. I’m sure it’ll be well loved @needastrongoneagain

Vinted. I’ve never bought clothes for myself but have for DS and I sold a load of trainers last year when I got treatment for plantar fasciitis. Made a load of money. However I must confess I’m lazy and just give so much to the charity shop. I’ve sorted out a big pile of clothes that no longer fit, some of which are brand new with tags still on 🤦🏻‍♀️ and I’m going to force myself to put them on there. My lazy brain says just take them to the charity but my new frugal self says… that blazer is £59 with tags on! Sell it!

re Tv license, I’d love to be brave enough not to pay but I’m scared of the inspectors 😁

Oh dear. I need to check out Vinted clearly.

Hope your DD is better @Frugal25

Spent £8 at Aldi. £27 on a charity lunch for later in the month. £15 on a litter picking tool to help DS1 who is doing litter picking as a volunteer activity.

On the upside, I banked a cheue for £250 that I never thought we would see. It is reimbursement for something but as it was coming from a friend of DHs who is notorious for taking the piss i never thought we would see it. So a plus.

Afternoon everyone 😊
Enjoy your hols @needastrongoneagain 🤗
@PearlsPearl l am the same re the TV license 🙄😁
We need to have a word with ourselves 🤣
Excellent result re the cheque@JustStopItNora 😁
Jump on the Vinted wagon it's fabulous 🤩
£8 today on a windscreen wiper for Dd2's car and £12.99 for a bag of Bird seed
£4.14 on another dress for my Mum.
Let's face it, even if it's rubbish it's £4 !!! 😁

I have given hundreds and hundreds of pounds of clothes to the charity shops over the last few years my laziness unfortunately outweighs my frugality feel like I need 34 hours in a day not 24.