Chanie fabulously looks after her pennies...

chanie

I've spent the last few months getting organised for various things. I do like to plan ahead as it keeps my stress levels in check:

Holiday - we go away in a couple of weeks, so I've been buying toiletries along with the weekly shop so I'm on top of it.

Children's stuff - DD starts school in September and my mum said she would give me the money for her uniform. I bought it now in case the shop sells out. In reception they wear polo tops and joggers, but wear shirts and ties in year 1 onwards. To save money, I could have bought just acouple of sets and did a mid week wash, but I prefer to have enough to last for the week. MiL suggested I put DD in her brothers reception uniform, but it's rather tatty.
I ordered DS sunglasses for our summer holiday. He has bad vision without his glasses so wouldn't be able to wear normal sunglasses. Luckily, ASDA sell prescription sunglasses for £15 (many opticians will charge £60+).

December - I'll refrain from using the 'c' word (not that word in case you were thinking!!!), but after a few dry weeks, I'm back on th ball with my preparations and bought a few gifts to put away.

chanie

This weekend, I went to an event at the Olympic Park. It was agree event and you needed to register for tickets. As I grew up in the area, I know where the best (cheapest parking) is.


We didn't have much food in the house to make up a proper picnic, but I managed to cobble together enough food so that we wouldn't starve and when I was there, I bought some more drinks as it was a hot day. I'd also make a cake the day before so I took the leftovers with me - it was only a Victoria sponge, but it turned out really well.


I bought the children some ice creams on the way out, so the day cost about £12.

Kitten868

Well done you with all your bargains and lovely ideas for outings glad to see you back again xxx

chanie

surviving the school holidays

I feel a bit of a fraud writing this, as I work full time so don't really get much time off over the summer holidays with the children. I do like to plan things to do so that they have a nice summer.

Here are my ideas for some cheap summer fun:

Things to do:
Local Authority websites promote local events. I also look at neighboring authorities sites too.

English Heritage/National Trust - I have membership to EH through work and there is loads going on. Entry to sites is often the same as annual membership, so join up and make the most of it.

Cinema - many cinemas do early morning screenings for £2 ish per person. A good option for rainy days.

The library - as well as books, they do craft sessions etc.

Parks - although we live near some great parks, the children enjoy exploring new ones as they are a novelty.

IKEA - has a creche for children aged 3-10, which is free for an hour. My children enjoy getting a 50p ice cream.

Drawing - I got some lining paper and I'm going to let the children draw on it to create a really long picture.

Boxes - I once found some huge boxes in Lidl which the children loved playing in. I was amazed at how much they enjoyed it.

I printed off a free calendar online for August and I have written a timetable of 'what's on' on various days so we can plan our days and don't miss things we really want to do.

Picnics - I always take a picnic on our trips out to save money. The money we save is put towards another trip but we still have an ice cream, as a treat. If you are near a supermarket, you could buy a pack of lollies for £1.

chanie

the next sale

I used to go for 5am, but haven't been to the Next sale early for a couple of years. I bought Ds some jeans and a tshirt and DD some jeans and a jacket for school (DD needs a navy coat, so it was a great find).

The children's clothes I've bought from Next have been good quality, so I do think the sale is worth it. I take advantage of sales and buy the children's clothes in the next size up, so they get plenty of wear out of their clothes.

Kitten868

Love the next sale but I cancelled my account so I don't get invited anymore to the online slots. I can easily spend money there so I don't miss it lol. Well done on your bargains! It's definitely ok if they need it xxxx

chanie

:beer:

Kitten868 wrote: »

Love the next sale but I cancelled my account so I don't get invited anymore to the online slots. I can easily spend money there so I don't miss it lol. Well done on your bargains! It's definitely ok if they need it xxxx

I have an account, but don't use it much, but when I do, I pay it off in full. I've been tempted to get rid of it, but is handy if you need to order multiple sizes to try on, as you can return the wrong sizes without having to pay out in advance.

kitten I'm wary of using Estate Agent recommended solicitors. I don't know why, but I'm concerned about conflicts of interest. Although the Solicitor is working for you, as you are paying them, they want to keep the Estate Agent happy, as they would have made the recommendations s they may not always act in your best interest. Now, this could be me jumping to assumptions, something to bear in mind, particularly as your Estate Agent doesn't seem to know who they are working for.

chanie

Hi everyone,

My last post was a few weeks before I went on holiday and I got back this weekend. We spent pretty much our whole budget of spending money on holiday - mainly on ice creams and drinks for the children. I did try to reduce costs by bringing squash and ice poles from home, but this had limited success. Both the hotel and supermarkets were equally expensive, more so since the exchange rate has dropped. On the positives, we only spent what we bought with us, so no extra cash machine withdrawal were needed.

August is going to be a costly month. We have DDs birthday coming up, school uniforms to buy plus a few other bits and pieces. OH is self employed, so doesn't get paid when he doesn't work, so he needs a couple until he gets some money in.

chanie

We managed to save £37 on DDs birthday present today. Her birthday is in a couple of weeks and she wants a bicycle. She has her eye on a particular one and whilst we could afford it, I didn't want to pay that much for it,given her age, so I'm over the moon that it was on sale. Her party will be a bouncy castle in the garden.

I've also hit £50 on a survey site, but won't count this but the money is in my account.

pennywisepoundstupid

Well done on the saving on the bike, that's a fantastic amount.