Frugal Autumn/Winter shenanigans ,is it an hour on or an hour back😂 .Halloween trick or treating, spooky silliness, Guy Fawkes fireworks , toffee apples and hot dogs ,lovely wedding plans , cosy Christmas plans and all the rest of it 🎃🍂🔥👰🎄

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome one and all to our lovely frugal thread . All welcome just join in 😁

Been to my local continuity shop today. I volunteer for the group and am low income so entitled to a free shop every week but don’t really make that much use of it. Decided to take a wander down and I’m so glad I did. I got a litre of veg oil, 4 beans and sausage, 2 tuna, 2 tinned spuds, 2 mutti toms, some posh Italian pasta,2 chicken soup and on the random Amazon return table was a lovely sturdy potato ricer so I snapped that up. Done a dig on tinternet and it should have been £18 so getting that AND the food for free was brilliant.

You don't need to know about all this big girl stuff till you are my age @SpookyHalloweenDeviledEggs 🤣

Oh God, what a bloody waste of time that call sounds @Frugal25. Hope they actually listen to you, sweetheart! And well done paying your Mum back, that’s lovely of you 🤗. You’re doing so well getting everything sorted and being organised for Christmas already! Typical about the chocolates though, honestly! I’d be keeping that expensive box for someone more grateful too and sod the bloody tombola 😂. Enjoy your yoga later sweetheart do you good 😊

Oh what a brilliant little haul @cuckoolodger! 😁 👏 You did so well , especially getting the potato ricer for free when it should have been £18! That’s a lovely bonus on top of that food. Well done for doing your voluntary work too that's so good of you 👏😊

Afternoon everyone 🤗,
Mum was fine there today bless her, the weather is horrible here raining like hell and only 9C, it's cold 🥶
I need to shift my bum and do some cleaning so that will warm me up 🤣.
Have a lovely day everyone 😊

How did the cleaning go @DirtyGertiefromno30? I did mine but still giving the skipping rope some side eye ....
Well done on the charity work and grabbing some bargains @cuckoolodger!!

Adding to my payments £10.55 for swimming session next week for me and DD during half term.
And £26 for her school photos which tbh I'll use as Christmas gifts for family.

My windscreen cover comes tomorrow feel like a proper adult 😂

@cuckoolodger that sounds fantastic! I have done some searches for community pantries near me to buy surplus food cheaper, there are none. Only food banks for people in actual need unlike me I just want to save some money.

It’s so bizarre, in my town I have two community pantries within a 5 minutes walk and the save from landfill place is about 5 miles from me. If I go in the opposite direction I can find another two save from landfills within 5 miles but they aren’t very good tbh. I love our community shop/pantry as I can attend Monday and Tuesday to do a shop but I only tend to go Tuesdays as it’s also community lunch in the cafe. All of this is in our local church by the way, an absurdly beautiful building that dates back to the 1300s. Is not at all god centered either, very much a place for everybody and we have people of all colours from all backgrounds. Todays community lunch was shepherds pie with garlic bread and apple strudel with custard. All donation based but I bought myself and DH a fancy coffee each and rounded it up to £10. But plenty of people attending for the free shop just get instant tea/coffee/cordial/water and get their lunch for nothing. Some throw in a bit of change but I always like to make a donation and add onto the pay it forward board.

We have had a surge of homeless people present there recently and I purchased a few pop up tents, bedrolls, sleeping bags and shopping trolleys to store them in as not everybody actually is ready to be signposted to the council or homeless teams etc. often they just want to be dry and fed. It’s crazy, I’ve never known homelessness in the uk to be this bad. Feels positively medieval 🙁

@cuckoolodger Theres a few not far from me but in another ‘borough’ literally a 12 minute drive but as I don’t live there I can’t use it as need proof of address. Seems a waste to not let people from outwith use if they are willing to pay.

I absolutely HATE food waste. I grew up with limited money and food so hate seeing either of them being wasted makes me sick the amount of places that throw away perfectly good items.

What you described sounds fantastic I would really make use of that. Paying for a lunch knowing the money is being used to keep place going for a good cause.

I don't blame you giving that skipping rope the side eye @Frugal25, it can wait a bit longer! Lovely that you’ve got swimming booked with DD for half term, something nice to look forward to together. And the school photos will make lovely Christmas presents for the family ❤️. Cleaning went ok thank you sweetheart, just sat down and got the heater on it's only 17C in the lounge 😱

Oh that sounds lovely @cuckoolodger and that sounds like a beautiful old building to have it in! 🤗 Lunch sounds delicious too 😋. I think it’s wonderful that everyone is welcome and nobody is made to feel bad about needing help. What you’ve done for the homeless is so kind. It’s heartbreaking that things have got so bad here, sometimes people just need a bit of warmth, food , kindness and somewhere dry. Thank goodness there are people like you about . I take my hat off to you sweetheart ❤️

Spendy little day here!

£60 on Christmas presents of which ££50 for DD and £10 a friend's son's gift. Around half done for DD and have a couple more different friends kids to get.

£10 hair appointment deposit

£68 a couple of bits of autumnal clothing which will last into winter. Don't get much for that nowadays.

£10 on sods and ends

£10 I chose to drive further so out of my treat pot to fuel budget.

I bet at times you still think there is another level of grown up to unlock?

24p on a potato in Aldi and £4.02 on some cream cheese and custard cream spread when I went to pick up my TGTG.

Hope your day at the office was OK today @DotCottonsSocks and that you avoid the cold and that the patient is on the mend.

I can say with complete certainty that I do not like being a grown up @SpookyHalloweenDeviledEggs.

I’ve been thinking about Black Friday too @DirtyGertiefromno30. Glad your mum is OK. It’s getting colder here too. I thought of you today when I read that Ritz crackers are going to be made in a gluten free variety.

That’s great with your community pantry @cuckoolodger. I’ve looked up the one nearest to me and should take a stroll over. There was one rather closer but it moved premises and it’s too far. I did hear they have a coffee morning once a week so might try that.

Had another go at looking for a coat today and was disappointed. TGTG was mostly pastries so in the bin except for a small loaf of white bread so this one was a loss.

You’ve had a good little spendy day @SpookyHalloweenDeviledEggs! 😊 You’ve got a good chunk of DD’s Christmas presents sorted already, which must feel so good and some lovely new clothes for yourself too. Although l know £68 doesn’t go very far these days . It’s nice getting ahead with Christmas and spreading the cost a bit. It can get a bit overwhelming if we let it sweetheart 🤗

Omg if only there was another level 😁.
l think l am on top level adulting already and l am so ready to going back to being a toddler 🤣

Shame about the TGTG bag @RumBananaSundae it's so disappointing ,especially from Marks . Being an adult is rubbish , l hate having to think about doing everything and having the responsibility for ourselves and our beloveds , it's hard flipping work! Hope you find a coat you like soon, it’s getting proper chilly now and you need one sweetheart! Ooh GF Ritz crackers would be lovely, I do miss being able to just pick things up without having to check everything first 😋. I’m thinking about Black Friday too, fingers crossed we might grab ourselves a bargain or two!

@Frugal25 hope the call was not entirely pointless. Lovely you paid your mum that money now you don't have a credit card.

@DotCottonsSocks window screen covers could be a help here too - I spend 10 mins with the engine running on frosty mornings (never been stolen but would be just my luck!)

Totally fallen behind with the thread so hello everyone else!

Work manic again - roll on half term as I'm only working one day!

£10.80 Lidl
£29.50 White Stuff. Two pairs of tights which is a lot, I know, but they last years and are colourful and sparkly 😂

Oh those sparkly white Stuff tights sound gorgeous @Lockin26❤️. Glad you got time off in half term bless you.

Last year she was sat on the floor opening gift after gift after gift and it became a two sitting activity I can't actually remember most of them gifts now so I absolutely refuse to fall down that hole again. My car is like Santas sleigh this morning as I couldn't sneak them in last night so they are in the boot. Maybe I should put a Christmas song on and get in the spirit. Absolutely not

@Lockin26
Do you do the girl way that I do that drives my husband up the wall? I take my porridge to the car and let my windscreen wipers work their magic.

I’m of on holiday at the end of November and raised today that I’ve got no swimming costume after some serious weight loss. So just picked up a really nice bnwt one on eBay for £21. Hoping that’s my entire spend for today.

last night I made a lamb chili and got enough left overs for another meal today so that’s grand for when my DH gets home from work. I’ve got pea and ham soup in the freezer so going to have that I think.

Can I join in please? Yesterday I went to Sainsbury's and noticed they have half price small legs of lamb, I got one for £8 and it fed 4 of us with cabbage, mash and carrots. Felt very decadent to be eating lamb on a random Tues. They also had really nice chickens (the ones in a foil tray with seasoning on) for £3.66 each. I bought two and froze them.
Made a giant spiced plum cake with frozen sliced plums, scavenged from our neighbours tree a few weeks ago. I always try to bake when the oven is already in use.
I made £35 on vinted.
Yesterday was a good day 😁.

Afternoon everyone 🤗
Windy as hell here but it's fine l am partly drying the washing, get the worst off it and then tumbling it . I had 4 loads, last load in the washer . I am like a production line here 🤣.
NSD today just packing up presents for Christmas and trying to sort them out a bit 😁
I don’t blame you for refusing to fall down that rabbit hole again @SpookyHalloweenDeviledEggs! Porridge in the car while the wipers do the work, that's the way to do it 🤣

Ooh well done on your swimming costume bargain @cuckoolodger! 😁 £21 for BNWT is good going! Your lamb chilli sounds lovely and pea and ham soup as well great job 😁