My New Frugal Life

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Comments

  • Newfrugallife
    Newfrugallife Posts: 102 Forumite
    Leaving in a bit to go food shopping, will update with a receipt a bit later on. To be honest it does seem a hassle to go everyday, especially as we are quite busy this half term! But if I look at it as exercise and go right as it’s opens should be ok, I will do it this week and then the next normal school week and then see if it’s somehing I will continue.
    Also I’m dog sitting from Tuesday evening now as well, so will need to figure out what to do with the doggo Wednesday & Thursday morning ha ha
  • Nic880
    Nic880 Posts: 47 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Xmas Saver!
    Just been reading through your posts! Just wanted to say hello! And it looks like you’ve got off to a good start. I would like to start overpaying on our mortgage so will be keeping an eye out on your tips and progress!
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,228 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Mortgage-free Glee!
    BBH123 wrote: »

    Just a quickie to help with the meal planning / budgets, I notice a heavy empahsis on meat which is pricey. When I swapped to two veggie meals per week it makes a difference and opened my eyes as to how tasty veggie cooking can be.

    Also look at cheaper cuts - chicken thighs have more flavour than chicken breasts and you hopefully have time now to cut the bones out before cooking if family are a bit fussy. Then use the bones to make stock - for soup, risottos, gravy etc. Waste not, want not :). Also look at making your own curry sauces and even curry powder mixes. I'm in Spain and couldn't find Madras curry powder so found a recipe and made my own from ingredients I already had. If you read the curry sauce ingredients you'll find there's loads of sugar in most, making your own will be much healthier (though possibly only cheaper if you make in bulk and freeze some).

    Good luck, it's a very exciting time for you :)
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
  • Secret_Saving_Squirrel
    Secret_Saving_Squirrel Posts: 4,138 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Yes, good luck! Your budget does look tight for family entertainment, as even cinema tickets are so expensive. But if you can be inventive, for example inviting friends for board games, buying popcorn for family viewing of charity shop DVDs etc, £50 should do it. And if you get more side hustles like dog walking, that could begin a holiday fund so the children don't feel they are missing out.
    It is ironic that you don't have time to read the motivational books! But you do seem to be getting on very well without them. X
    Paid off mortgage nine years early in 2013. Now picking and choosing our work to fit in with the rest of our lives!
    Still thrifty though, after all these years:D
  • Newfrugallife
    Newfrugallife Posts: 102 Forumite
    Thank you for suggestions and replies :)
    Jusr dropped off my sons friends and having a quick coffee before tidying up.. I’m knackered if I’m honest ha ha as I also took my friends 2 year old (just to give her a break as she has a new baby). The kids were very very good I’m just not used to it ;)

    We spent £14.28 at Aldi’s. so quite a bit over the £10 budget! But I have decided I’m not going shopping tomorrow so will pull this back! Luckily I still have the frozen fish that I have not used from the shop before, which we will have for dinner tomorrow.

    We bought:
    Water
    Milk
    Bread
    Cheese
    Pasta
    Chicken for dinner tonight, I know the comments about too much meat, will have to research and try out more vegetarian meals and see if the family will eat it,
    Cereal - we have but kids wanted this type, I should have said no!
    Black bags
    Floor cleaner
    Cookies as a treat for when we had all the kids here!

    Looking back I could have pulled it back but as I’m not going tomorrow I’m ok about it :)

    We are very lucky as have a cinema which is £4 a ticket, so a trip is doeable with a bit of lunch thrown in. Also more than happy to do free things, my boy had a blast with his friends round today!
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,228 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Mortgage-free Glee!
    Newfrugallife wrote: »
    Chicken for dinner tonight, I know the comments about too much meat, will have to research and try out more vegetarian meals and see if the family will eat it,
    Be cunning - when you make chicken curry make a lentil or chickpea dhal as a side dish then you'll need less of the main course ;).
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
  • Newfrugallife
    Newfrugallife Posts: 102 Forumite
    Right the art gallery outing didn’t happen.... one word teens ;)

    So me and the younger one went to the cinema to see Thor (definitely reccomend). So £10 for tickets and parking, plus £4.13 on snacks from supermarket. This is good as not paying cinema prices... however next time with forward planning I will bring snacks from Aldi food Shop! But I’m learning :)

    Also ordered the youngest new trainers, branded ones on sale £25 with delivery. I know not MSE.

    So in theory I would have £35.87 left in the entertainment budget and £25 in the everything else budget. But I’m resetting the pots from the payday this Friday as this month I’m still being paid one last time! So it’s kind of a trial week and starting properly next month. But I’m thinking and learning :)

    Right, confessions over ;) The doggy I’m sitting is coming at 5, I’m just having a quick coffee and then will start cooking dinner as after we get the dog we are going straight to sons football training. Also we have paid the football for the season in advance so we are good there!

    Speak soon
  • Newfrugallife
    Newfrugallife Posts: 102 Forumite
    Dog sitting going really well so far, we took him to football yesterday evening and already been for an hour walk this morning!
    Also will be going to a different park after lunch.

    I went to Aldi at 8, but took the car and bought enough dinners until friday. The daily shop not really working so far ;) Also I might have to rethink my budget as I spend 40, so the total for the week is £54 so far. Need to try harder!
  • Miss_Moneysaver
    Miss_Moneysaver Posts: 247 Forumite
    Hi,

    Good luck with your frugal life and becoming a SAHM. I'm working full time (worked part time for 10 years) and finding it too much. We do shifts including early, late and nightshifts. We also work 2 out of 4 weekends but we are losing staff (I'm NHS) so those of us left are having to cover. It is really hard and I am starting to get 'symptoms' of mental health problems and other things. It really isn't worth it. I feel under pressure as I'm the biggest earner and we'd struggle on DH's salary (he'd only just cover the bills without any food)!
    We haven't got that long left on the mortgage (less than 2 years now) but we are thinking of moving next year anyway so we can be close to the secondary school when our youngest starts in Sept 2019. Our eldest is there now and we pay school bus fares and it is quite a bit for 2 of them. So, we are hoping to have the mortgage pretty much finished and sell up. I am thinking of re-training so I'm now working every weekend. Nights are extremely hard work. Not the workload but the staying awake and then back doing an early shift a couple of days later. My family life is suffering and my health is also starting to suffer so I need to get my priorities right.

    I did the £10 a day shopping when I was on maternity leave. I used to shop around offers and create meals like that. It worked well.


    Good luck!
    Interest rate 1.25%, offset mortgage Woolwich
  • Miss_Moneysaver
    Miss_Moneysaver Posts: 247 Forumite
    I forgot to say, I have a 13 year old boy (who can be very moody and hard work) and a sweet 9 year old girl.
    Interest rate 1.25%, offset mortgage Woolwich
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