February faffing, wig mischieving, pancake stuffing, bargain gymnastics and looking forward to Spring Shenanigans ❤️

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome to our new thread everyone 🤗. All are welcome to our supportive, kind , frugal thread .

Chimi. - DH didn’t want to watch Sinners and If I Had Legs was £20! Not paying that to stream a film. So we watched The Return (Odysseus story, Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Binoche) instead - very much lower on laughs and a more austère offering. Good though.

Arm- yes, I’m in London, zone 2/3 - on the Windrush/London Bridge lines, so fast into centre. I am determined to get out and about more and experience more of the city, especially now I have my old person travel card! I try to visit the great free stuff that is (still) available and I find that if you book a timed ticket for even the free stuff you can avoid the queues. I would hesitate to pay more than £20, absolutely max, to visit an exhibition/monument, which rules out many of the blockbuster exhibitions. I’ve found that the crowds mean you struggle to have a good experience at those.

Happy sunny Sunday all and mothers day to those celebrating and hugs to those who aren't.
I got my asked for cup of tea in bed. Haven't had one for about 6 years so it was very much welcome and I've smiled every since.
Planted some flowers seeds to grow and plant where bushes were. And planted some peas and lettuce seeds too.
The scones and cakes I bought to do a semi afternoon tea at mums are now in the freezer as she wants to now go out. Which is fine. Off to Dunelm later (wish me luck, I'm lethal in there)
I'm a London girl too! Zone 6 though. But I do need to do more in London also. Maybe in the
summer I can be brave and take DD to the natural history museum.

Well done on credit card paying off! @Rainbow1901
And I hope scans go well. @Lockin26 so sorry about your DM and DB.
Well done on the gym @chimichangaz

Obvs I meant hope not nope earlier

So jealous of London on your door steps I absolutely love London.

Update to declare £17 on a new door mat (mine has been broken a while) and £9.99 on a magnolia as mine died. Both were on the list to buy but weren't on the budget for this month so I'll have to move money from savings to cover. Thank you Dunelm and home bargains.

Evening everyone 🤗
Hope everyone has had a wonderful day 😊
NSD for me , just chilling with my girls today ❤️
All you lucky peeps in London 😁.
We love London it has such an exciting feeling there 😊👏

Bought a £50 Marks and Spencer gift card. Most of the last one went on clothes in their sale. Spent £3.50 on it buying some white strawberries. Went to Asda and spent £2.80 on random yellow stickered things for the freezer. Was looking for avocados but nowhere had the type I wanted.

Well done on the clearing @Rainbow1901.

I’m in Zone 6 @ArmDimples. I took out membership mainly for the tapestry but I wanted to see the samurai too. I didn’t notice that there was a separate members entrance so that is a bit of a pain but the queue did move rather quickly. Glad you’re enjoying your pizza oven.

Hope you’re doing ok today @Lockin26. And that you get the all clear.

Don’t be hard on yourself @lifelongfrugaleer. Sending you hugs.

This weekend has flown by. I’ve done no physio since Thursday. Really need to snap out of it. Will try not to spend this week. Tuesday I’m meeting an out of town colleague for dinner so I will spend something and need to think of somewhere to go.

£38 KFC
£2.70 hospital parking

On a more frugal note I made up a large pot of broccoli and gorgonzola cheese soup this morning, plus belly pork bites and smoked salmon in the Ninja oven. Need to have a week of reigning spends in - no social plans now until the 27th.

Yes I can imagine having London on your doorstep in fantastic. Being in the NE it's not even a day trip we can do. Going to try to make more of our local attractions this year.

We're not far from London, a comuter town. I keep meaning to go for a daytrip, but there's lots here and I'm not great with crowds.

I spent £18 today in Asda. Took my 3 year old and was looking for the £1 world book day books we have tokens for but we didn't find them, I got butter and toiletries.

My 7 year old will need need new school shoes. Her feet haven't grown but there's a hole on the outer layer. I decided to splash out and got her a ricotta, barefoot style, ricossta shoes for £56 in the summer. I was disappointed that they quickly looked worn, eg the sole was lightweight, foamy material, but then, they haven't broken. And she's generally clumsy but hasn't fallen over so much with them, plus says they are the most comfortable shoes.

So my dilemma, do I spend another £56 on the same pair, or get a cheaper pair. I'm thinking cheaper, but feeling mum guilt. There's decent looking ones for around £25

@Alwaysploddingon id look on Vinted for them! And if they’re comfortable then a definite yes.

£40 tonight on fish and chips that took 2 hours to arrive 😖 we were so hungry by the time it got here! Neither DW nor I wanted to cook after a lovely day.

I lived in/near London for most of my life til we moved up to Scotland 2 years ago. Now Edinburgh is my favourite place to go, we go in there every couple of weeks for various things. It’s like London but cleaner, smaller and calmer!

I love Edinburgh, been there on holiday.

Good morning everyone 🤗
Just quickly Sainsbury's unleaded is 133.9 a litre that's the cheapest we can find .
Asda £35 their Lindt Pistachio boxes were down to £3.75so l bought 4 boxes for Easter etc .
Hope everyone is ok am on the hoof so just posting quickly 😁

Ohh fish & chips 🤤 @MuddlingLong delicious 😋

Should be a NSD for me although grass treatment is being done today so if I get that invoice it will be £28.
Eating my homemade salad for lunch. Trying to enjoy it and not want a sandwich 🥪
Oohh zone 6 twins @RumBananaSundae :)

Lock in are you eligible for free hospital parking. Worth asking the ward
Spending a small fortune on Amazon deal but all stuff we use

Unexpected expenditure this morning: took the fitted sheet out of the airing cupboard to find the little tear had expanded to a huge hole. I suppose I could try to mend it, but I don’t have the right fabric, or a sewing machine, so I have jettisoned the sheet and ordered a replacement from La Redoute. £80. Don’t know if it’s DH’s man-toes or Ddog’s claws, or my practice of washing the bed linen at mentalist temperatures. But let’s hope the next one holds up.

Windows overdue, so organising cleaner this week. Their prices have gone up again- £90 inside and out. They are thorough but yikes! One major job I need to get done/do this year is redecorating the windows. We need putty replacing on the outside, filler on the inside, and repainting - not all, but a fair few. I can do at least some of it, but feel slightly heartsink at the prospect.

But not today! Today I am doing simple errands and chores and providing comfort food- bangers and mash- tonight.

£6.95 in cafe while waiting to meet DD. Couldn't resist a sausage roll!
Spent another £13 on the M&S vouchers. Need to sit and make a list of how to best use the remaining £62.

Good tip about the hospital parking Life. I think it's only Blue Badge Holders here. Trying to keep visits to under an hour or may try to find some on street parking instead 🤔

Need £35 for a replacement POA form for DM as mine has gone missing in the ward somehow. I am registered online for them both and can provide access codes to organizations but this would be the worst moment to not have the paperwork.

Ouch!! Big spend today!! But a necessary one - paying for wills to be drafted!! 😮

A spenny day, spent £60 on a handyman to come and swap over our light fitting after I spontaneously bought a new one for the living room. Only it needs 5 bulbs which I hadn’t thought to buy so he says it’s done and I hope it’s right! Bought the bulbs off amazon, £14.99.

They are different criteria for free parking lock. Nowt lost by asking

Ours do a discounted permit too £10 a week

My purchases today were an avocado and some mango cottage cheese in Waitrose. Paid with a gift card.

Your broccoli and gorgonzola soup sounds lovely @Lockin26.

My will is on my to do list too @Rainbow1901.

Has an email from the solicitor today just as I was starting to settle for the evening. I do wonder sometimes why I’m paying solicitors as they ask me what to do. If I knew what to do I’d do it myself. Was planning on some Paris shopping list writing but I’ll be fretting about legal things instead. I don’t want to end up in court but it’s looking more probable now. Uncertainty and I have never been friends.

Am out for dinner tomorrow and am looking forward to seeing my friend. Will do freezer and cupboard for the rest of the week. I’ve not managed to find my freezer list so I’ll have a rummage. I have been enjoying my freezer meals but have been buying eggs and things to have with them so I’m not sure how frugal I am actually being in reality,

£2.60 on a coffee for therepy. I like to take my therepy call away from home.

£6.25 on a few bits bread and milk etc from farm foods.

Absolutely exhausted today.

I am craving some mushy peas and mint sauce so I am having that for dinner.

£18 in Waitrose on sausages, laundry powder, salted almonds and pistachio dark chocolate which I have hidden and plan to eat all to myself.

Sausage and mash here too 😁

Oohh mushy peas and new lights. Love this!