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Spring shenanigans, frugal mischief, Maypole antics, garden faffing, bargain binges, picnic pandemonium, Spaniel loving and Bank Holiday mayhem 😁

438 replies

DirtyGertiefromno30 · 08/04/2026 18:24

Welcome everyone, new and old to our lovely supportive frugal thread .

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21
needastrongone · 10/04/2026 10:03

Morning.

Found you all! I got confused as the other thread wasn’t full, then I actually read further down and found the link. Thank you - great title!

Ah look at all these old timers slinking into the thread! Hold your heads in shame in not keeping up with the 65,384 messages since you last posted 😁. (I jest).

I was going for ChipShopCremeEgg, ChipShopEasterEgg, ChipShopMiniEgg, or ChipShopEatenAllTheEggs!

Spends
£80 Ocado.
£195 race entry for Valencia Marathon. Jeez - that’s steep. But my main A goal race for the year. Flights and hotel already paid for.

Don’t think there’s much else spending wise planned this weekend.

DeepFriedCreamEgg · 10/04/2026 10:12

@needastrongone you keep your eyes posted for 2027 😆

BigSkies2022 · 10/04/2026 11:45

Hello everyone, new and old. Today I got paid and so started the day in my happy place, transferring to pots, updating spreadsheet…

on the train to meet a mate for lunch, and then we’re going to the Seurat exhibition at the Courtauld. Vanilla and chocolate ice cream in the freezer for pudding after Chinese takeaway at my niece’s 18th birthday gathering tonight. The ring she asked for arrived in good time so I just need to pick up a card and we’re sorted.

weekend brings gardening, new book group reading, and maybe catch the adaptation of Brideshead that I see has cropped up on BBC. It’s from 2006 and features a very young Ben Whishaw!

Valencia need! I loved the city when I visited a looonng time ago. I certainly wasn’t running a marathon though.

DeepFriedCreamEgg · 10/04/2026 14:02

Or ... £16 per month which is less than a takeaway for one but full of motivation. I think that's reasonable.
I don't belong on here with my spending justification do I 😆

DirtyGertiefromno30 · 10/04/2026 17:34

AHH can't beat cod n chips @MuddlingLong absolutely the best .
Great job on opening the £150 off the new bank account well done 👍
Never had it @DeepFriedCreamEgg but l obviously am missing out so that needs rectifying 😁
So glad you are here Unescourted@MyAgileHedgehog 😁
Congratulations on your retirement 👏
AHH glad you kept your old name @Lockin26there's no need to faff about with that, you /we/ they/everybody all have enough to do sweetheart 🤗
They don't do the chippy choccy here in South Wales either smores the pity 😂
Ah thank you @Holidaysandchocolate she was ok today as well thank God.
So happy for you re your both jobs that's wonderful news 😁👏
You did brilliantly budgeting on your cruise l am so impressed by your frugality well done 👍
Glad you found us @needastrongone 😁 good point l will repost the link to here on TBF other thread l haven't seen Frugal25 here yet and l last read she is going to have 2 darling kittens how exciting is that 🤗❤️
God knows what you are going g to dream up for next year @DeepFriedCreamEgg you are so funny you make me and everyone else laugh here 😂👏👍

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 10/04/2026 17:41

I was afraid of losing all that lot so had to post and now have to finish 😁😂
@BigSkies2022 l hope you had a wonderful day with your friend today it sounds wonderful 😊
That ice cream though 🍨 🍦 😋🤤
Oh l must have a look at
Brideshead revisited thank you for the heads up 😊 👍👏
Hope your DN has a wonderful 18th bless her 🤗
Went to Tesco £51 no half price Easter eggs l was very disciplined 😂
Boots £4 for a lovely Wax Lyrical English Tea reed diffuser in the clearance and a pkt of Percy pigs from Marks £2 for Dd1 🤗
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend 🤗

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Frugal25 · 10/04/2026 19:46

I'm here!!! So sorry, I didn't twig the new thread and wondered where everyone was going ha ha ha!
Deep fried mars bars I've done. Always wanted to do a deep fried creme egg. Next year maybe.
Love the new name @DeepFriedCreamEgg!
The ice cream sounds delicious @BigSkies2022, what time shall I arrive to eat it?! Happy bday to your lovely DN.
So glad your lovely mum is ok @DirtyGertiefromno30and thank you for the brilliant new thread!
Hello to old posters!

£35 for a gift for beautiful friend for her birthday. That's it though. First day back at work after two weeks off and I may have had a cry at my desk (worked from home).
But it's ok, as I made a gorgeous pizza for dinner and we got approved for the two kittens!! So just need to wait now until they are old enough. They were born in a rescue center bless them. Their mum is only 7 months old herself and was brought in unwanted where she then had her babies.
Not much planned for this weekend. Hair appointment tomorrow which is £35 and eye test which is free. That's it.
Migraine is still very much present so a chilled evening on the sofa and an early night needed.

MyAgileHedgehog · 10/04/2026 20:07

Not a very frugal day... Car repairs £280. <Sigh> pizza on the way home from a&e if I can liberate the car.

I did make some homemade paper clay. Super fun for modelling etc. I am using it to finish paper mache bumblebees.... Your kids will thank you.

MyAgileHedgehog · 10/04/2026 20:07

@Frugal25 hope the migraine passes soon.

Lockin26 · 10/04/2026 20:23

Have been knee (or neck) deep in work for four days so I've likely lost track of the thread already!

Sorry to hear of the migraine and return to work being tough @Frugal25 but much better news on the kittie approval and pizza.

Sounds a lovely weekend @BigSkies2022

Valencia marathon - amazing @needastrongone

Lovely hearing about your cruise @Holidaysandchocolate and even better coming back with some cash for the next break!

Hello @MyAgileHedgehog paper mache bumble bees cute, car repairs ouch!

Hope you had a better day today @lifelongfrugaleer

£22.99 Amazon water bottle. Finally accepted my Chillys water bottle is lost. Still trying to drink 2L of water per day and a decent bottle motivates me.
£35 Chinese takeaway. Two adults, two 14 year olds so not bad. Looked on Just Eat initially and it was £59 😲 so I rang our local and collected.

Out of office on for 9 days! I was more productive today than any day for ages. Friend has cancelled our trip to the coast tomorrow for genuine reasons (we are going for a walk next weekend instead). We always have quite spendy days so that's some cash saved.

Lockin26 · 10/04/2026 20:24

Same to you @DirtyGertiefromno30 have a lovely weekend. Love Percy Pigs

needastrongone · 11/04/2026 10:00

Morning Frugal Folk!

I’m a bit knackered today as I raced a 5k last night and it didn’t start until 7.30pm. By the time I was home, showered, fed etc it was late and even then I was still full of adrenaline. Did just over 22 minutes - very far off where I’d like to be back at - but thankful to train properly again and enjoy the process of getting there. And I will get there!

Oh enjoy the time off work @Lockin26- sounds like you need it. I’m quite sentimental towards my water bottle too bizarrely!

@Frugal25 - this thread started early - it confused me too! Excellent news re the kittens but less so re the migraines. I’m so sad for the mother cat too - she’s only a baby herself. Animal welfare (or lack of) makes me so sad. It really pulls at my heart strings.

I hope you realise that I live my cultural life through you @BigSkies2022 I’ve just looked up Seurat! How was the ice cream?

Spends since yesterday
£22 veg box
£16 Oddbox
£4 local shop (ibuprofen for slightly stiff knee which is very definitely muscular as it eases after ten minutes easy jogging/walking).
£18 Amazon on some bedding for DD
£20 Amazon on some bedding for Spaniel who puked all over his old one and I didn’t deem it salvageable
£65 Sketchers on sandals for DH - they are most definitely not his old style, but he only shuffles now and has severe drop foot so needs must as these are supportive

That’s it for the weekend though as we are having a quiet one, other than moving some more of DD’s stuff over to her new house. We planted garlic and asparagus in our raised beds yesterday before DH got too tired and I cleared some more leaves up too to mulch.

I’ve hopped on the treadmill already for a recovery jog and now will do some upper body stuff while DH’s sleeps. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Schnout · 11/04/2026 11:22

Hello everyone and thank you for stating a new thread @DirtyGertiefromno30.
Im back after going awol again. We’ve had 2 holidays in the last 2 months which have been amazing - but not especially cheap. We got home from the second one yesterday and am ready for (and needing!) a more frugal period ahead.

I hope everyone has been ok. I know I’ve missed a lot. Will try and keep up more on this thread.

Schnout · 11/04/2026 11:42

So today’s spends have been £120 for a food shop. Seems more expensive than usual and I don’t think I bought anything particularly indulgent. I also need to pay £40 for dog who spent an extra night at the sitters last night. My mum was supposed to have him for the afternoon yesterday until we got back from the airport but she’s been in hospital so can’t look after d dog for a while. It turned out our flight was quite delayed anyway and we didn’t get back until late evening so much better all round for dog to be at the walkers. Was lovely getting him back today after 2 weeks!

lifelongfrugaleer · 11/04/2026 12:28

22 mins is still great doing need for 5k.
we planted strawberries and beetroot yesterday
I need more gardening stuff but need someone too take me
£92 Matalan for Dh work stuff now he is office based again

BigSkies2022 · 11/04/2026 17:09

Ice - cream (and the evening in general) was lovely! Returned the ice cream maker today somewhat reluctantly, but we have some of the chocolate left over for tonight.

£18 on empanadas today- moment of hungry weakness while out and about. Very nice though, and fed the three of us plus morsels for dog.

£60 on 400 litres of compost to mulch the garden. Weeded, drenched and mulched the front garden and then it began raining.

£65 on DS’ hygienist. He needs to floss more. Dentist check up on Monday, the first since 2022 (my fault, apparently, for not nagging him) so we’ll see what that brings. My hope, in continuing to do this sort of stuff for him, is that when he does leave ‘properly’, he will have taken on board the benefits of basic health care and continue to do it for himself.

The Seurat was lovely! As was the walk through Temple Gardens and the salads at Corner Shop cafe. The section of the Strand outside KCL and Somerset House has been pedestrianised and is brilliant. The galleries and museum trips and the book groups are my attempt to hang on to my own life beyond elderly parents and halfway launched spawn and cleaning up after the mucky spaniel! I hope it doesn’t sound pretentious or show-offy!

Right now- laundry, cleaning the stairs and organising dinner. Sun’s out again but my gardening is done for the day.

RumBananaSundae · 11/04/2026 17:17

Yesterday I bought a ticket for the new exhibition at the Kings Gallery (£22). Today I bought some trousers, a travel book and lots and lots of sushi (£55ish).

Congratulations on retirement @MyAgileHedgehog. Any plans or your time? A&E? Hope you are OK.

Glad you’re enjoying your new jobs @Holidaysandchocolate and that your cruise was great. An end bill of £1 is a win.

Good on the marathon @needastrongone.

How was Seurat @BigSkies2022? I haven’t made it yet.

Oh no @Frugal25. That’s not nice. Hope work smoothed out a little. What kind of kittens? Any names? I’m being nosey. Fingers crossed the migraine has gone. They are no fun.

How is your mum @DirtyGertiefromno30?

I’m day three without the gym. Feeling a bit better so will try tomorrow. My leg is complaining so I don’t want to leave it too long. Still can’t work out why I’m so tired. I tried to buy a ticket for Matisse for when I’m away next week but the website crashed as soon as I clicked submit.

MuddlingLong · 11/04/2026 17:47

£102 for new passport and £12.50 for the photos. I don't travel and don't want to, but it's good to have isn't it.

£50 in primark for DW and DS today. T-shirts, hoody and jeans and socks. They got a lot for the money.

£36 in asda. Didn't get a lot for the money, it really doesn't go far!

We discovered a Lidl 10 mins away from home yesterday. Well, 8 minutes. It's right by the foodbank I volunteer in. So I can go there after or before. I did a mini shop there and was impressed!

Frugal25 · 11/04/2026 21:09

Oohhh a new Lidl!! Love this @MuddlingLong

Love sushi @RumBananaSundaejust little moggies, I've been lucky in years gone by and found by accident proper breeds in rescue but these are black and black and white moggies. DD wants "kitteh pie" as a name and I'm thinking "magpie" to match for a black and white one lol.
Work did indeed smooth out a bit thank you Hun. Hope your leg is better very soon, have you retried the Matisse?

@BigSkies2022i don't think you sound pretentious at all. I love hearing about your trips and adventures I like to think I'll be the same when DD is a big bigger xx

Well done @needastrongone! You're so fast, even though you are getting faster.

Welcome back @Schnout glad your dog was liked after. How is your lovely mum doing?

£40 hair today as I left a tip. And about £20 in vinted for things for kittens and two cat photo frames. The idea is to get photos of the cats in them and give them to DD the day we get them as part of the surprise. Something like "do you like these cats? Shall we go and get them?!"

Migraine still present but better today and I can function. Whoopee!!!!

DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:13

So glad everyone is here on the new thread .I am closing the other one asap.
Hope everyone is ok 🤗 NSD for me 😊

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:13

Watching Taggart

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:14

It's murder Jim 😂

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:14

Southampton

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:15

Won

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DirtyGertiefromno30 · 11/04/2026 21:15

So

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