I feel differently about this. I could save a bit buying dog food from somewhere like this but I go to a local feed store which sells everything from fish food to horse feed and all the other things that go along with those animals and it is more important to me that this business does well and all the staff keep their job than me saving a pound or two. I feel this way in general about online shopping and will research online then try my utmost to buy on the high street.

Morning all,

Spendy day yesterday as bought the remainder of a birthday present for Saturday and a few bits from H0me bargains. Also saw a reduced price baby present that I wanted for later in the year so bought that and put it away.

Did 4 hours temping work so thats another £50 earnt and last weeks pay is pending in my account I will divide that between social, savings and debt when it arrives . better go do some more temping now!

Hi All -

Now back from Sunny Italy - and straight back into work!!

Aim-Today is NSD #2- appreciate this is low but to be honest we have so much on that my main focus is keeping in our rather tight budget.

Update- Budget is £100 but I only have two weeks and 2 days to go until I get another £100 , cupboards full, fuel money is put to one side and I have extra money in savings for planned outings.

Get Prepared- Xmas is already budgeted for. Always trying to put money aside for up coming things, will keep at it.

Utilise- all activities planned for the summer Centre Parcs this weekend and I am planning to make the most out of the free activities there (swimming pool, kids disco). Also trying to stretch what we have available- left over sandwiches from my sons picnic today for lunch, cash back pay out of £2.50 paid into my account.

Share- leave things in your basket online to be sent a voucher code. Doesn't always work but company's know you are looking. I have been looking at Butlins break this last month and they have just sent me a £20 code- coincidence, I think not!!

Treat yourself- bought myself an Aldi Candle last night. for £3.99- Love candles - they are my luxury item as well as bubble bath!

Afternoon Turtles

Went for a walk today and went to the shops but didn't buy anything. Himself wanted to buy some half price tomatoes but we honestly don't need them and there is no room in the freezer to make them into soup or sauce. So NSD No 6/15.

Otherwise nothing much to report. Himself is out tomorrow so I'm hoping to catch up then.

No more NSD's to report yet. Yesterday I bought eyebrow makeup and a new extension lead that I've needed for ages.


Today I bought some gifts online for a friend who is getting married in a couple of weeks. I'm no good at knowing what to get people for weddings so hopefully have got something they actually needed... I also bought a gel cooling pad for my pets, I know it's due to get cooler but boy are they suffering in this heat.


Tomorrow is going to be a huge spend day - got the bill for my car and it's the best part of £400 I get it back tomorrow so will have to cough up. So frustrating as this will take my emergency fund back under £1,000, but on the other hand, I need to think of where I would've been a few years ago if this had happened, and I know I would've had to add it onto the credit card, so I just need to think positive!

Made a spinach and feta filo pie for dinner - spanokopitta (this may be spelled wrong ) for dinner, using big bowl of HG spinach. We love this, hot or cold, even my determinedly carnivore husband is happy with a vegetarian option once or twice a week

Need to do something with some French beans (probably freeze) and windfall apples (thinking about drying, I have an ancient and cheap dehydrator).

Managed a NSD yesterday, but bought some picnic bits today as I have promised to take 4 year old GD for a picnic tomorrow

apple muncher - Thank you. Have started to work towards self care and also have booked an appointment to see my gp in a few weeks time. That is the only time I can get as he knows my issues and do not want to go to a different and explain everything.
swimminginaseaofdebt - Thank you.


NSD 5/20
Did go for a walk in the park this morning. Sorted some more of my Mum's things today and a few other household chores. Did some self care eg word search, mindfulness colouring and walking - had listened to my music.

Hi, sorry I've not been posting but I've had a family crisis and last thing I can think about is being frugal. Going to son's on Thursday for a week then 5 days after returning I'm going to Australia for a month. This is very unexpected and I only booked yesterday. I could never have afforded this if I hadn't been so frugal for so many years.
Hopefully when I get back from Australia my life will settle back down to my quiet boring frugal existence. Hope to be back on board later in the year xx

I had a post! Where did it go?

Anyway, I am on NSD number 5. Yesterday and today were small but worthy spends. I am selling off all our worldly possessions and making okay progress.

Evening everyone

Day 7 progress is as follows:

• Aim for 15 NSDS - 3/15
• Update (budgets) - spends are at £119.33/£350. £4.04 added to the EF to date
• Get prepared (for Xmas) - no progress
• Utilise (free activities in your area) - one of the parks has an event on with free activities as part of the Glasgow 2018 European Championship. May pop along on Sat with the wee one weather permitting
• Share (money saving tips) - take all you electronic devices to work so you can charge them at your employers expense thus saving you money on your own electricity bill
• Treat (yourself) - bought my face masks. 2 were on sale so I got 3 for £2
• Read as many books as possible - 2 books finished
• Batch cook for the little one - 4 portions of vegetable soup, 5 portions of sausage rolls, 4 portions of shepherds pie and 3 portions of cheesy tomato risotto cooked and frozen
• Make £50 additional income - £14.01 made to date

Remained relatively calm again today.

Kerry Woman - Iam the same with my gp. If there are specific things that I want to talk to him about, then I am prepared to wait.

Plumduff - hope things go as well as they can for you with all the travelling - and the reason(s) for having to do it. Take care.

Today I am grateful for fresh raspberries, for getting the food shop done, for finding gf goodies at aldee, for my exam board marking payments being very nice indeed thank you, for clearing some stuff away, for bumping into one of dd's friends when out, for the lovely smell of rain on warm ground, for making bunny clothes with dd, for a good chat with big sis.

I do try and support local as much as I can - I buy my chicken/turkey/goose/pig food from a local feed store and spend quite a few hundred each month but I save between £10-£20 per bag on dog and cat food by using Zooplus, if it was a few pounds I wouldn't bother shopping elsewhere but sadly its not. I buy large bags of dog and cat food and they last 4 - 5 weeks so its quite a saving over the year.

Oh plumduff - thanks for joining us over the last month and hopefully will see you back with us Turtles soon

SFD number 4 today

Went to the gym, walked the boys, collected blackberries and did some temping work, so rather happy with that. Looking forward to a cooler day tomorrow so that I can be more productive around the house!

Aiming for 15 NSD currently on #7
Updated budgets all looking ok
Get prepared on backburner until next month after some family birthdays
Utilise making most of weather being outside and visiting family and friends
Share make a wishlist for retailers and buy when they offer a beneficial deal eg discount or extra
Treat still thinking what I would like

E_E - that is a rather large saving, much more than I would be saving.


apple/KerryWoman - you are lucky to be able to book a GP's appointment in advance, we can't do that unless the GP says you can. It is ridiculous, not everyone is dropping dead on the day they phone and able to drop everything and go, sometimes you have a non urgent issue that can wait a few days.

Hi All-

Just checking in -

Aim- still only on 2 as I need to go shopping tonight for Centre parcs this weekend. This however is much better than buying food there & eating out.

Update- my bills have now all gone out and so I have an extra £15. so my spending money for the next two weeks in £115 pounds plus £100 for C parcs.

Get- no more done for xmas BUT I am doing 4 days over time this month and that all goes into the xmas pot.

Utilise- no free activities planned but did add quinoa to our porridge oats this morning to get them used up and I have been working through items in the house that need using.

Share-carry a juice shotz and water bottle in the car or in your handbag - you can usually find free water so this is a quick and easy way of getting a juice while out and about if you have little ones.

Treat- Candle smelling lovely

Just checking in. Still on 1 nsd. I dont know why I seem to be spending everyday. However, determined to get sorted. Today will be a no spend day.

NSD4 today

Picked a massive lunchbox full of blackberries down a path in the park while the boys played football. I am using the time to walk around in circles for 1 hour and lie under a tree and read for 1 hour.

Then came home, picked over the berries and open froze on baking trays and then bagged up, so I can grab a handful when needed rather than having to defrost an iceberg in advance.

Made a brilliant salad dressing from the left over marinade the olives came in. Chili lettuce surprised the kids!

Saw a builder drop £5 note outside the sandwich shop, so followed him in as he looked confused at his empty pocket and gave it back to him

Got £2 lurve2sh0p voucher in post from postal spy survey - went straight to Xmas envelope

Going to take pictures of unwamted furniture and see if I get a bite...

Sorry for the lack of check-ins - not a lot happening moost days.


Yesterday I was at mum's shortly after 8am. Volunteer driver (extended family) arrived to take us to mum's neuro appointment (down to check up every 4 months now). Found a good car parking spot but big queues from then on - luckily I had a small present for the driver's small son which kept him entertained most of the time. They went to look at the ambulances whilst I went in with mum. Doctor was very pleased with how well mum looked, still on four monthly check-ups but trying to resume reducing the steroids.


Next to Barton Aerodrome (now called city airport) to look at helicopters, small planes and micro lights and have lunch. The 2 air ambulances were at the other side of the field we parked in. A smallish fun fair had attracted crowds (it's normally empty) but the food was good and we saw enough helicopters (in the air and on the ground) to keep a small boy happy.


Mum wanted to call at meat mart on the way back so trundled round with a basket on her walker and packed nearly £50 of stuff in the car boot. Unpacked at mum's. driver and small boy went home to weed their garden (been away for 2 weeks and her garden has gone from dead to weed infested).


Spent nearly an hour unpacking meat and repacking in small quantities to fill the freezer. Short rest then worked on a birthday card mum has been making. Used wool to make 'balloon' strings and fixed the bits that mum couldn't get to work. Went through 2 cupboards full of framed photos to find something to fit the card - left it until Thursday as the glue needs to dry.


Put the completed jigsaw away and started another (separated the edge pieces out for mum to do in the next few days). Bins out, fed us both, watched Supervet and came home. Put my bin out and went to bed.


Today I am totally wiped out. Have woken briefly 3 times. Have taken painkillers and now okay but feel 'boneless'. Have my craft tool box and a colouring book for crafts and if I wasn't halfway through helping someone make a card, I might cry off altogether. However if this is all I've got, then I will do what I can (plan, 15 minute work sessions, get rubbish out, put away 3 things every time I go to the bathroom). Think I might have lunch at the Centre, so that's one less thing to think about (need to take more wraps from the freezer as I ate the last one for breakfast). Just get myself washed and dressed in the next hour. Will need a taxi so it's going to be a spend day - yesterday was a NSD, any money I spent was refunded.


For yesterday, I am grateful that mum is so much better (doctor says that now the myasthenia is under control it should not affect her life as long as she takes the pills), for a good day out and being with a small boy again (I enjoy the company of all my sons - separately - but small boys are fun, especially when you are not the one who has to deal with the tantrums).


For today I am grateful for having the sense to listen to my body (more sleep and painkillers) but also being able to work round it to keep my committments to others and make some small attempts at progress (hoping I have a bit more energy this evening), for house repairs at the house on the car park (free entertainment if I have another slump after crafts) and the heat not being oppressive.