From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Blackcats

How many days til MrGP's next more normal pay packet in December?   Could you highlight how soon the next wages will arrive.   It might even be an early pay day for Christmas so that November's lower pay can soon be irrelevant and normal service resumed.
This week I bought one of my grown up children a portable radiator from the big river company.  It was about £50 and is a dimp lex eco chico.  Their home struggles to get warm and their bedroom is particularly chilly and they say it has helped take the chill off.  The reviews say it's economical to run.  It might be a temporary fix while you replenish the coffers.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good question Blackcats - I'm not 100% of the answer to that.  I just asked DH and he says he thinks this 'new' (2 years?, 3 years? in their employ???🤣) company do pay early.  The 'old' company did pay early.  Not that we would spend it any earlier - but I know what you mean.  If it's in the bank, it's there as an (untouchable) comfort isn't it?  I think the new company does pay early, as we were trying to remember whether a colleague went on a bit of a spending spree one year, and then had significant buyer's remorse come January 🤔  It's a story as old as the hills, isn't it?  But used as a target - to know that it's there, yes, I see your point entirely 😁

So tea has been munched.  I went with vegetarian Mulligatawny in the end - potatoes, carrots, apples, lentils, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, turmeric and black pepper, ginger, garlic, onion and a stock cube, all cooked up in some water in the PrC.  Really nice, and DH said how warming it was.  Pud was the apple and blackcurrant steamed pud with icecream.  Not a 100% success, most of the apple seemed to have gravitated to the middle (how?) and remained undercooked ☹️ I did put it in the microwave, and it firmed up, but for tonight, I portioned from 'around the side'.  When it had cooled down....... it was very nice, and smelt just like autumn.  Worth doing, but a bit of faff to have to re-start cooking - especially when it was in the SC for 4 hours, and there was enough water in the crockpot.  

A no spend day today, so that's good.  

Thank you for popping in and having a "chat" - I so appreciate it.  

Greying X

beanielou

Late to the chat.  I also think it's so poor that companies dont pay sick pay.  Would Mr GP not be able to claim SSP pay to cover the time he was off?  (Apart from the first 3 days)

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

Late to the chat.  I also think it's so poor that companies dont pay sick pay.  Would Mr GP not be able to claim SSP pay to cover the time he was off?  (Apart from the first 3 days)

That's what he got hun - is it something like £14 a day??  It hasn't gone up very much over time, I know that much.  

Greying X

beanielou

Greying_Pilgrim said:

beanielou said:

Late to the chat.  I also think it's so poor that companies dont pay sick pay.  Would Mr GP not be able to claim SSP pay to cover the time he was off?  (Apart from the first 3 days)

That's what he got hun - is it something like £14 a day??  It hasn't gone up very much over time, I know that much.  

Greying X

OKidoke  x

Greying_Pilgrim

Actually, beanie has just inspired me to look and SSP is now flat-rate of £118.75pw. So it is slightly more than I thought.

And at least we knew it was coming, and at least our default is to budget, and have budget pots.  We all know that it's still possible to come unstuck (the wheels were beginning to fall off for us when we were in a rental property), but at least - as was mentioned up thread - DH isn't a spendy-pants, expecting me to maintain the home on 3 buttons, a washer and tuppence.  Counting blessings - again.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Blackcats said:

How many days til MrGP's next more normal pay packet in December?   Could you highlight how soon the next wages will arrive.   It might even be an early pay day for Christmas so that November's lower pay can soon be irrelevant and normal service resumed.
This week I bought one of my grown up children a portable radiator from the big river company.  It was about £50 and is a dimp lex eco chico.  Their home struggles to get warm and their bedroom is particularly chilly and they say it has helped take the chill off.  The reviews say it's economical to run.  It might be a temporary fix while you replenish the coffers.

Just a note on this - it will be precisely as economical to run as any other form of direct electric heating - 1kWh or electric in = 1kWh of heat out. In spite of what the companies marketing teams would have us believe, that's exactly how it works! 

Greying, on the plus side LG is probably at least getting better sleep in a cooler room - not much of a compensation for those times you wish the room was warm enough for them to sit and play in there for a few hours, I know, but at least something! 

Greying_Pilgrim

Back from shopping ☹️

I am officially, a prize parsnip.  Why?  Because I forgot to take my phone into MrS, so didn't use my shopping voucher 🙄  It's still in date, but  I don't help myself, do I? 🙄

I did a 'smarty-shop' and I don't know why I bother - in all honesty, thinking about it, I could have done without the 2 (?) things that were on smartyprice, the shop wi-fi was playing up, so it made it difficult to use today, and then to top it off, my shopping was 'checked' by a lacklustre employee who just stabbed and jabbed at stuff, and insisted on opening the cool bag - which was closed, to y'know, keep the cold stuff cold....... 🙄  I hate the smarmy message that pops up on the screen about 'making sure you haven't forgotten anything'.  Rubbish.

I did drop on a couple of YS'd things in MrS (no boxes there or in MrL), I bought some lettuce, which means we can have wraps for one meal over the weekend - YAY!  I had it on my list, and I think there were points or something attached to it, but I struck it off when I went through economising.  The YS discount was 50%, so worth it.  I also bought our bread in MrS.  I don't normally, I prefer the MrL offering in wholemeal, but at 49p a loaf, money savers can't be choosers, so I saved myself £1.  Which was then munched when I bought a box of fish fingers, as they have leapt up in price and are now £2.25 a box (10) - they were £1.79 when I bought them in...... September???  They can't reside in the freezer as an emergency meal now - they will have to be set-aside specifically for the Boxing Day tea.  

I did a small shop in MrL and picked up a couple of things in hB.  My total shopping bill today came to £40.71 for food and £1.84 for non-food.  So i have bust the budgets, but do have (by numpty default 🙄) a £20 MrS voucher to carry over to December.  

I have to say, that whilst I try very hard to not worry about things - and if I do allow myself a wobble, or a wallow - I am reasonable at limiting the wobble/wallow, and then moving on to come up with a plan to change things.  After today, with obvious rising prices across the food board, I really don't think I'm going to meet my 'self-imposed' £200 grocery budget for December ☹️  Whilst we're extremely fortunate that we don't host Christmas for a large family, nor do we have to buy some of the foodstuffs associated with a "traditional" christmas feast, just 'ordinary' stuff is so expensive.  Mmmm, I admit to feeling a bit worried.  I'll admit it to you guys, as you understand, but I'll have to maintain a stiff upper lip to DH, as I don't want to set him off down worry street again 🙄

Oh - I did purchase one "luxury" item, which I could have done without, but it is notionally for me and DH (LG isn't a huge fan), and that was a jar of sliced gherkins.  They used to be so reasonable, but they have shot up in price.  MrS had an offer on the 'Baxt3rs' brand, so I did pick up a jar.  Oh, and my staple, fall back, quick, easy, cheap, staple of Stam.St baked beans have been hoiked up to 30p a tin 😱

Away to amend siggie figgie.

Greying X

themadvix

I get the feeling that you don’t have to do a smarty shop now to get the n3ctar prices GP - I think that changed a few months back? Would save some faffing!
I have to agree with you about a £200 budget - I think that would be very tricky even for two these days. Food is so expensive! That’s a lot for the fish fingers - you can get 32 from 0cqdo for £5 (but while that’s not an offer, it is seemingly the outlier on there - not sure why, it’s what we buy and they are normal fish fingers).

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey tmv - the smartyprices are "tailored especially for you" - I think there are 10 products each week that they discount that aren't 'nectar' prices.  Say like a cucumber is 67p (for meeeee - said in a MysticMeg voice 🤣) rather than..... 80p? MrS are regularly rubbish at the selection they give me - it'll be on (for example) at tin of treacle, one week after I have bought..... a tin of treacle 🙄 They also gave me a 'special' price on...... qu0rn sausages (I think) the other week - for the big bag. N*ctar price on the smaller bags gave me the same sausages (I bought 2 bags) for less money 🙄.  Thankfully fish fingers aren't a regular item for us - but it's still a heck of a jump ☹️

Greying X