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

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

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

Oh @Lockin26 that bedding sounds beautiful ❤️. You know me so well, l Love bedding it's my number 1 thing l love to buy for the house.
Marvellous news re your new shed , fill her right up and a new fence brilliant well done 👍 🤗 thank you re6 Mum ❤️

@DeepFriedCreamEgg oh that $adley handbag sounds gorgeous, they had a Radley outlet shop in the MacArther Glen shopping centre yesterday and the bags and purses were lovely l had to stop myself from spending on a gorgeous Tote bag they had in the window 😁
Your Ds sounds a good kid @BigSkies2022 , glad you enjoyed your Paella too 😋

Good Morning ☀

It's the last day of the Easter holidays here. I have had annual leave this past week and we spent it in Cornwall, coastal walks, fish and chips and ice creams were the theme of the week. DS3 spent his first week mountaineering in Scotland, he had a great time, the pictures look amazing.

Spending hasn't been too bad considering we were away, although the budget is looking tighter than I'd like. Two biggish spends to come out that will make a further dent in it are DS3's piano lessons and a school trip instalment. Hopefully I can make cut backs in the grocery, entertainment and eating out categories to even everything out a bit.

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday.

Oh I’m also very excited by the hedgehogs and kittens. How lovely!

Friday was a LSD (£4 for a treat for dd after a counselling assessment) but yesterday was quite a high spend day.

£130 on a food shop
£100 on a water softener/ filtering shower head system thing. Was a bit of an impulse purchase.
£9 on part of a present for my friend.
£10 on dog poo bags and a new dispenser bag.

However my frugal win is using some steak and veg (that I already had in stock) to replenish and bulk up Fridays Thai takeaway leftovers and managing to get 2 more decent dinners out of them. It was my friend’s week to pay for the meal but she left the leftovers at mine. I will pay next week.

Hoping for a NSD today. Dd is going out with a friend but any spends will come from her own account. We might make flapjacks this evening (was it on here that someone made some recently? I know I was inspired by someone!). Hoping that will save us some money in the week too.

Oohhh I have friends in @Lockin26 and @DirtyGertiefromno30 who love bedding. I'm addicted to buying it. Did not know Kirsty had her own range. Off to have a look.
NSD today. Hit the charity shops but bought nothing. Came home and watered the garden and cut the grass.

Roasted veg and feta tart for dinner.

Shall try and post the photos of the five kittens we have to choose from.... Bear with me!

Forgot to add. Radley handbags are at the top of my "but" list once I've ditched credit card! So very envious of you @DeepFriedCreamEgg

Kitty pies

£2 this morning for the collection at church for the DCs (we pay our normal contribution by standing order and get gift aid!)
It was me that was making flapjack but I haven't got round to it yet! The chicken (found in the freezer) is in the oven so I'll get cooking for the week shortly. I'm doing a spring green soup and the flapjacks.
Standing orders for the cleaner who comes every other Friday and for the DCs pocket money come out Sun night.
It's a lovely sunny day and DD and DH have gone to watch stock cars while DS who is 14 has been entertaining next door's 8yo girl with Hot Wheels races, he can be sweet when he wants!

CUTE

Evening all. Have been in London for a few days with a friend and it has been VERY spendy….. but a fantastic few days full of laughs. Just on the train on the way home, plan is to buy something to eat at the station M&S, uber home, eat dinner, shower and bed. Exhausted!! Wanted to post before the thread runs away with me again….loved reading all the updates 😊

Kitten number 3 please! Lovely quizzical expression !

Wapping to Canary Wharf walk today- lots of unexpected green oases, and wonderful river views, of course. DH treated us to street food lunches, which we ate al fresco sitting beside the Eden Project water gardens. I bought DS a couple of jamaican patties for dinner/easy lunch (not planning on cooking tonight) for £8. Then spent £9 on the Thames Clipper back to Bankside and home by train from London Bridge. An excellent urban outing! The only bit I wasn’t keen on was walking through Borough Market, which was heaving.

The week promises a bunch of admin connected to the flat, as a prelude to unavoidable expenditure, and I have also arranged to take my mum clothes shopping. This could be a stressful day, as she’s inclined to catastrophise if she can’t find what she wants, immediately, and then the glums set in. I may find myself eating cake to take the edge off!

Chimi- what did you do, and what did you buy, on your London trip?

Rolls up sleeves to fight @BigSkies2022over kitty number three 😂
What gorgeous puss cats @Frugal25but how can you choose sweetheart 😱 ♥️♥️♥️.
I would have to have them all l would be useless 🙄 you have got a friend in me 😂 l am addicted to buying soft furnishings, duvet covers , throws , curtains, cushions even tea towels 😂
Your day in London sounds fantastic 😊 👏
@chimichangaz l am so glad you and your friend had a great time it does you good 👏 🤗
Dinner sounds gorgeous @drspouse
Well done to your Ds he's a good un 👏😊 Roasted veg and feta tart, delicious 😋
Well done on the eeking out of the steak and veggies @Schnout 🤗👏
Omg @ your Week off sounded absolutely wonderful just my cup of tea 👏🤗 @NursieBernard 😊
Been to see Mum who was good there today thankfully 🤗
NSD for me today 😊👏🙏

Aw what cute kitties @Frugal25

That sounds like such a lovey day @BigSkies2022

Your time in Cornwall sounds idyllic @NursieBernard.

my NSD didn’t happen as DD and I ended up going to a pub this afternoon to watch the football. So £26 on drinks and food. But great fun and the right team won 🩵. It’s been a while since we’ve done that so it felt like money well spent.

Now to make those flapjacks… Thabk you @drspouse for the inspo :-)

@Frugal25 very cute! Not sure I could choose between them.

@DirtyGertiefromno30 good to hear that your mum is doing okay

Meal Plan done for the week, I'm away Friday and Saturday night so DH & DS3 will inevitably have take away on Saturday which is all budgeted for.
Monday – Creamy Mustard Chicken Crumble
Tuesday – Creamy Pasta
Wednesday – Honey Garlic Chicken
Thursday – Sausage & Mash
Friday – Bolognese
Saturday – Take Away

Sunday – Gyros

Day off today, I'll be out walking in a bit, I'm finding this is helping both mentally and physically at the moment. I will also be seeing my mum and step dad to help them with ongoing stuff that needs sorting for my brothers estate.

I hope everyone has a good start to the week

I'm off to the gym today and I always get a Starbucks afterwards... please hit me with alternative suggestions that will not make my gym membership worthless...

I have a very limited diet unfortunately so a decaf oat latte is doable but a can of Coke Zero is not, none of the canned latte drinks are me-friendly. I can actually drink very little beyond water, herbal tea, and very oat-milky decaf coffee

This is my budget's nemesis, I'm afraid - takeaway coffees and cake at work and Starbucks on non-office days (I usually WFH once or twice a week, office two days and day off on Friday. This Friday at least I'll have no temptation to go for coffee as we have a post-adoption social worker coming to talk to us).

This week's menu all catered for from the freezer:
M Lamb koftas with pitta and peppers
T Sausage and veg mash
W Fish tacos
Th baked chicken thighs and chips
F takeaway, DH turn to choose
S pork mince with noodles
Su venison cottage pie

Morning.

Kitten 2 and 3 for me. Although please ignore my choices as I’m firmly in the dog camp - sorry @Frugal25 I hope we can still be friends!

The Cornwall break sounds just the thing you needed @NursieBernard. I hope the admin isn’t too terrible.

This is my hedgehog set up, excuse messy garden situation, it’s right at the bottom of ours, our natural habitat (ie we’ve ignored it) We collected her on Saturday and I suspect she’s buggered off already. The bedding from the house was disturbed Sunday morning, so she’s definitely been out, but the food I left in the feeding station (which I also bought from the rescue, they have to be very specific for the welfare of our prickly friends don’t you know?!) was untouched. Due to my new obsession with one singular hedgehog I bought a trail cam yesterday and set it up and there was no activity last night at all. I’m very proud to have set up my own trail cam!! I’ve also spent about a billion pounds now on this new activity so far.

Hopefully, our environment is such a good hoggy playground that she has buggered off, but I am now open to new rescue hogs, or even current hogs that fancy a posh housing situation. New cameras will be purchased.

I'd move in, @needastrongone ! Looks lovely. I am a bit envious that you have a woodland in your garden too 😍

Oh @needastrongone your set up and garden is beautiful ❤️. Lucky girl. I bet he has wandered off getting a feeling for the place.
Always friends whichever beautiful animal is chosen 😍

I have to admit I am swaying to kitten number 3....

£10 today on hotel Chocolat hot drinks as a friend popped up to London to see me for lunch. Screwed up my budget and my diet but was worth it to see a friend.

Pay day here so will do budget when I'm home.

Hope everyone is ok today

No choice but to shop today!! Home Bargains £16.83 and Lidl £52.63 plus £1.69 for a Tuna crunch buttie for work! It was worth it!! 😋
If I could I'd have another cat - we have a rescue cat who is loopy and has us well in hand! But don't think she'd appreciate the company - she's too spoilt. But love seeing the cat pics. 😻

Afternoon everyone 🤗
Been shopping for food and bits l needed to stick up on .
Tesco £58
HB £38
Marks £11
Aldi £44
Bought lots of toilet rolls, hand wash ,
Soap , stain remover, kitchen towels ,
I needed to restock them .
Hope everyone is ok and has this beautiful weather too 🤗

I succumbed to Starbucks. I feel like there are no "third spaces" if you know what that means, that aren't work, home, or somewhere you spend money. For example, on my day off I go to a Pilates class in town, and then wander home but I rarely want to go straight home, and the only alternatives involve spending money.
I do sometimes mooch round the charity shops but I'd rather sit down with a book TBH!

We fitted a lot in and I did 70k steps between Thursday and Sunday! London Bridge station (that you travelled home from) was very familiar to us as it was near our hotel and we did a lot of walking to and from!

We went to see Cabaret (fantastic), danced at Abba Voyage (also fantastic), had a mooch round Oxford Street, Liberty's, dinner in Chinatown, lunch in Soho, view from the Shard, Camden Market, also mooched round Covent Garden, lots of 'snacky' meals and a couple of lovely meals (All Bar One in central London was actually very very good food!).

Lots was spent on 'incidentals' like food and drink (and transport) but I also bought some jewellery at Camden Market, plus a cushion cover and some fancy handles for my bathroom door. Treated myself to some Jones Road makeup too (about £100 altogether).

Have spent money only on essentials lately, and also disability-related stuff (private prescriptions, migraine botox)- probably about £350 in total (ugh!) but I can't function without them. I use my ADP and I don't really count it as a proper expense because the money is for spending on disability-related stuff.
My clothes no-buy is going well though! Last time I bought clothes was 14th Feb. I'd love to do a year if I can. I might aim for 6months to start with though.
No unnecessary spending last week at all though!
Beautiful kitties @Frugal25 !!!! How exciting

I e spent loads but lots saved for house renovations. Bathroom done
stairs done
lights to do. But I might clean the ones there and see how that looks

food is about £120 a week. Did throw a ridiculous amount out that went off though. Bad planning.

everything else just ticking along

I agree need the kitty pies are cute but dogs

what about a library or park with a travel cup and home made snack drspouse? Or plan a senic walk home with a different route each time
I hope you are at least in the Starbucks loyalty programme
missed loads of the thread. Reading but fatigue is strong so not posting as much