2015 Frugal Living Challenge

Wombatchops

Thank you for all of your kind messages. My DD1 is five and is besotted with her new baby sister. My DS is 20 months, and is interested in the "babby", as he calls her, and likes to touch her, but he's acting up and isn't enjoying sharing me.

I am breastfeeding, which I didn't really do with the other two for various reasons. I'll do it for as long as it works for both of us, plus it's free, but I'm not going to feel pressured to do it. I did with the other two, and that's one of the reasons it didn't work.

With nappies, I actually have two kids in nappies. My DS is in A!di's own brand, but I've been given lots of Pamp3rs for DD2, so I'm going to use those first, and then move onto own brand, or whatever I have vouchers for/are on offer.

She will be in hand-me-downs or stuff bought for her, to keep what we have to buy to a minimum.

Looks like the supermarkets have their baby events on at the moment, so that's good timing for us.

As for weaning, I tend to make my own stuff as much as possible rather than buy jars. But I do buy fruit pots, because they are convenient.

But, although I'm a third-time mum, I'm sure there are things that haven't occurred to me, or things I can improve on, so any advice would be gratefully received.

rubiesr4eva

Wombatchops - huge congratualtions


I have a dilemma. I currently pay £80.25 every 3 months for DS1 to go wall climbing, we go every weekend, and he goes in the club, where he gets to do his grades and really enjoys it. To pay individually, the club is £9.50 a go, so paying for 3 months up front is a saving.


However, I've decided i'm not making full use of the 3 months pass as I only take him at weekend, when I could take him in the week and it would cost me no extra!!


My dilemma is if it's not under instruction (which it won't be in the week) DS2 would also like to go, so where as on one hand i'm getting more for my money, on the other hand it will cost me an extra £6 a week for DS2 to go, but feel as though I can't say no, as its really good exercise! Aaaaahhh!!

lynnejk

Wombatchops wrote: »

Not posted for a few days. On the 19th I gave birth to DD2, who is now one week old.

Huge Congratulations :T a new frugalite :T


Lx

Nicki_Sue

Huge congrats and love and hugs WombatChops xxx

COOLTRIKERCHICK

CONGRATS.... so nice to ear the news....


got an A$da order being delivered to work today.. just under £50, but this did include a new £8 double duvet for eldest..


even though hubby had to call into Lidl to get potatoes, and some bread...we arnt doing too bad, so I think over the next few weeks, once I get into the routine of a weekly £1 delivery, for my shopping, I will not run out of things, and the only I will need to send hubby out for I bread..


I think the only time I will go to a diff supermarket is to bulk buy any real good offers, that warrant me doing it...


we have been given 2 lots of free eggs ( approx. 30 each time) and it looks as though it might be a regular thing, they are the slightly mis-shaped or crinkle shelled eggs that someone local doe not sell the local markets...


so last night, we had corned beef ( tin aleady opened as had corned bee and onion sandwich during the day) mashed potato and fried eggs.. a bit of a wired mix, but it was cheap and it was ok..lol..
as this wasn't quite filling for hubby, he also had egg on toast after it..

mummy2threeboys

Ha I must be a lazy cloth nappy lady, just dumped the paper down the loo, The nappy in the pail , then every 3 days i dragged it out (was in one of those large laundry bags so never had to touch it) and rinsed it out first them washed them, Simple for me. But i do know people who wet pail and that doesnt sound fun to me! I won't talk about cloth sanitary protection then ha ha ha.

Breast feeding my 3rd till i was 19 months old..we just could not afford what £40-£50 a month on formula, so had no choice but to make sure i got every issue sorted out. Thankfully here there is so much more help and support than there was just 9 years ago ..Proper internet connections for start!

Managed to get an 0% interest card and transfered my balence over. I wish I could pay off my loan with it, but havent figured out how to make a payment to it using my cc. And it is a 15 year old loan! That with my balence transfer would save £35 a month! For now the current saving is £150. Soon to be £1000 on that cc. yay. Thats the one I hope to clear by the end of the year.
Have been using up all left overs, Sunday roast (or just the veg for me) I just added a tin of toms, half a tin of water and recooked and added a tablespoon ish of tandorri masala , ..made a nice veg curry. Feels like I cheated somehow lol

Have a great day all. Nice weather..wondering how much longer before it gets warm enough to put the washing out , over shadowed garden means no sun at all until around March.

Frugaldom

Congratulations to Wombatchops and expanding family. Glad everything went well and that you are home safe and sound. Drying real nappies during winter is a nightmare, I think rather than worry about using disposables, the companies responsible for making them should be encouraged to further develop them into more eco friendly products.

Rubies, you have a dilemma right enough. I can't even comprehend that amount of money per month for kids' activities, but it has been a long time since mine were kids. I think if it was me and I had no debts, I would attempt to cut back elsewhere and make the activity affordable to both. If you can easily afford the extra travelling and £6 week then I don't see a problem. Sorry if this isn't helpful but it is a huge amount of money to some. They are very lucky children to have that opportunity.

mummy2threeboys

Oooh If anyone is in kent This is open, have had a good few lovely years out for free or a lot cheaper ! http://www.mykentbigweekend.co.uk/

youngmummy

congrats Wombatchops

maria3104

rubiesr4eva wrote: »

Wombatchops - huge congratualtions


I have a dilemma. I currently pay £80.25 every 3 months for DS1 to go wall climbing, we go every weekend, and he goes in the club, where he gets to do his grades and really enjoys it. To pay individually, the club is £9.50 a go, so paying for 3 months up front is a saving.


However, I've decided i'm not making full use of the 3 months pass as I only take him at weekend, when I could take him in the week and it would cost me no extra!


My dilemma is if it's not under instruction (which it won't be in the week) DS2 would also like to go, so where as on one hand i'm getting more for my money, on the other hand it will cost me an extra £6 a week for DS2 to go, but feel as though I can't say no, as its really good exercise! Aaaaahhh!!

This takes me back. We resolved this by having a house plan that anything more than 1 child wanted to do took preference and was approved by the family budget as it made sense in terms of travel cost and everything we do, as we are so rural, costs a fortune in travel. We also had a system that any activity that was a healthy one, and climbing would certainly qualify, was moved up the list to top spots on the decision making list of activities approved.

My DS,s are now 25 and 23 and both are working,solvent home owners, reasonably healthy, very light drinkers and do absolutely no drugs or smoking. Their friends are all equally activity based people who play hard outdoors and work hard for their incomes. Although the farming friends obviously work for their Dads for pocket money, have no income and are too exhausted to do any playing at all! lol. They met their friends doing stuff as children, so da dah! DD is only 20 but same type.

I looked on any sport fees as an investment in their rounded personalities and healthy bodies for life.

Have fun. :T

Maria