Some frugal finds and some financial meanderings...

Ok couldn't resist! More clothes for the future - for the weeny beautiful one who has been unceremoniously put to bed due to bad behaviour. 99p for a dress!  Blue, floaty, embroidered bits also in blue - size 3yrs.
I actually spent 9.42 or something like that - She who shall not be named snuck in a cuddly puppy thing as well  which I thought was 99p but was actually a Ty baby thing and was £1.99 !!!!!!!!!!!!!however I didn't go over my two pound rule per item! two sweat shirts, one long cardigan, one fleecey jumper, one t shirt, one dress and a top for me! Cheapest was 59p most expensive 1.99. All to be put away (bar the dress) for next years play clothes ( ages 4-5).   We indulged in lunch out as well - Ok a large plate of chips, one juice, one coffee and a parking fee - all in all £5.20!!!! OMG OMG She enjoyed it however and felt very grown up.  And it was payday! Won't be happening again for a while!

We had jobs to do - financial ones - made an appointment to open a new bank account, gave in docs for council tax benefit, got CAB number - couldn't make appointment as was too late, emptied car of old wooden bits  that used to be a chest of drawers at the dump. ( Falling to pieces and nothing could be done with them) Good news on the council tax benefit - should be entitled to something taking my payments down next year to £45 per month. Am not relying on this till it happens and I hand in next months pay slip.   That could potentially be another £20 !!! To share between savings, creditors and car............ lol

Am waiting on electric company getting back to me re some readings - I like to monitor usage and make sure I am on track. Not a bad day - reasonably productive, also made enough shep pie for 2.3 people ( she is the .3) and enough for the freezer for 1.3 people.


I have a whole list of jobs for tomorrow as well! Joy of Joys! Then back to the horrid job on Thursday and Friday! 


Speak soonish! Keep penny pinching! Financial freedom is on the horizon .............its just that I keep walking backwards!

Shopping, court and other stories!

Monday comes around again all too quickly! I only work three days at present. I am applying for full time jobs. Not necessarily better paid jobs will consider those that are of a lesser hourly rate than what I am on now  ( and much lower than what I was on BD) however for five days more than three in totals - Am I making sense???? I don't think I could cope with full time doing this particular job - its vacuous.
I do my job because I have to - much of it bore me senseless - I like the people/agencies I work with but not the target driven crap I have to do. Today I was in court as a witness - only  magistrates but nonetheless not pleasant. I felt pity for the defendant - he clearly has mental health problems and I hope he gets the help he needs. I also felt really crap giving evidence against him - yes he was wrong but given his issues and mental health I felt guilty. Well tis done now - don't know what the outcome was. I just hope I never have to give evidence in those circumstances again.


Afterwards I treated my self and went for a look around the posh Oxfam in Jesmond aft- just looking as the prices are  high  ( jesmond for those not in the know is a very nice inner type trendy burb area of Newcastle) and I really do not need anything nor can I justify it. Quite a few designer names in Jesmond Oxfam. It was pretty much on my way to the office so was justified. Charity shop window shopping!!!  Its an indulgence just looking at the pretty sparkly things!!!
Didn't go over budget on the shopping either however did pay for parking £1, a cup of tea  £1.20and a 5litre bottle of oil so that came to  12.20 or just under. Sigh..... always something.

Shopping - Tried out home bargains  - a cheapie shop I do not get to inudulge in as its not local and  got cheap cat food - 99p per box (2) Sugar 69p, PG Tips tea bags 400 for 3.99 so 1p a cup!!! (I drink far too much tea and coffee to buy own brand - I need a small indulgence!!!!) High lights 99p, frying spray oil 99p and four choc bars for a £1.

Then off to Lidl - Forgot yeast for breadmaking and icing sugar but neither are essential this week. All in all  have stocked up and only spent  25.55 + 9.54 =    35.09  That's is for the week - ok maybe some yeast and milk but that should be it. I have more than enough food in the house to last and to make some rather scummy meals with. Need to start meal planning properly at some point but I think 1£60 per month is pretty good going all in for everything household you can think of.  - will maybe see if I can do £30 a week! £40 off the debt at the end of the month!! Or going towards the new second hand car........... First things first - I am monitoring spending on food and other such items all in my handy fugal notebook!

I also bought seeds! to grow ones own - out with the nancy flowers in with the vegetables!!!! I have pots to grow stuff in as I have a cat turd issue in the flower beds! Nuff said will keep the further adventures in gardening for the spring.

PS - have been in bed since before 8pm - house in darkness bar telly, PC and one lamp - only one night storage heater turned down to half way. Conserve tconserve conserve.

Prep for Monday... Tomorrow is a shopping day!

Am off to a place I hardly ever go to tomorrow due to being a witness at the magistrates court. I intend on fleecing the area for bargains! It is also a shopping day or if I am held up it will be Tuesday.

New rules for shopping are to list in specially purchased notebook all items purchased over the month - I have a £160 budget per month for food and household items for the gorgeous one and I. Thus us for breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea plus weekend food for Biggles the owl lover, and cat food for the moggs (2).  I have a small list of essentials to purchase: self raising flour, chicken breasts, bread flour, yeast, oil, cat food, sausages ( if on special offer) cheese ( if on special offer) pizza ( if on special offer) coconut milk ( if on special offer - an indulgence I love Thai style food) tortilla wraps, apple juice, moisturiser ( cheap for me) veg, potatoes, fruit etc  Otherbargains also much appreciated and very welcome. I shall however keep my receipt and tot it all up in a little book!  Balancing spending on food over the month so that I do not go over my budget of £160.

Living in the country in the far northern provinces of Englandshire the closest supermarkets are not great - Sainsburys, - too expensive mostly but occaisionally worth a trawl for kids clothes, Morrisons - a fall back I suppose -some bargains to be hadif all else fails,  Lidl and Iceland - to be watched closely for staples such as chook, pork, mince- Lidl special offers are supreme eg COFFEE Gold Blend - £4 huge jar and they sell the cheapest bread flour I can find. Icing sugar - for fun things!! Mustn't forget! Will tell you how I get on!

Ahhhhhhhhhh Sundays!!!

Lazy Sundays never are in a frugal household - there is always penny pinching to be done! I hoover less and sweep more these days  as its better for you, better for the environment as no use of power and no use of electricity so no cost all round!. I still do hoover but much less! Suits me fine - Not a house work type person anyway - My house is hygienic and nothing will make you ill but I certainly do not keep up with the Jones'. Having had an OCD mother so totally focused on her mantra of  ''a place for everything and everything in its place'' and on a one woman mission to rid the world of crumbs I have rebelled. I am very chill about houses and prefer them to be 'homes' brimming with signs of use, activity, life not bland show homes where you feel too creased to be part of the perfect picture. ( Please don't get me started on show homes) I feel very little cannot be cleaned with some bicarb, disinfectant and washing up liquid. The cheapest eco stuff abounds and is sufficient for my needs. I only do full loads of washing and wash whats' necessary - It was OK in the 70s to  do this and we have survived. 30 degrees,  half the amount of soap powder will normally do. Soap powder - non bio- bought on special offer in triplicate or at least duplicate. My bargain was two boxes of 25 wash fairy non bio for 3.99 each. In my world that's more like 70 washes at least all in.
(OK OK I admit to cheap toilet cleaner too)


So Sunday frugal housework then frugal cooking of cheap chicken breast still on the bone with skin, pots, carrots, peas, some onion, home made gravy and white sauce. I fail when it comes to Yorkshire puddings - I am unable to bake a decent light Yorkshire that has risen. I cheat and buy cheap. I must do something about this and make ones own. I just need an idiot proof recipe with detailed instructions written for a Yorkshire making biff! Will also prepare carrots  and fruit for the freezer. Everything in my book can be frozen pretty much and made into soups, pies, cakes, curry's, sorbet, jus, smoothies.....And a full freezer works less and as such saves money - same principle with the fridge. Keep it full and it will keep cooler easier - less space to cool down and things hold temperatures   - or so I am told . Please feel free to correct me with you frugal tips.
All in I would estimate around two pounds per person - not bad at all for Sundays Dinner. Lidl is a dream super market!!!

The rest of Saturday

I managed to spend exactly nothing today! I am chuffed. Free afternoon at Boulmer beach and village looking for signs of spring - one crocus starting to boom and a few snow drops - not long now. Jess collected shells and ate a yoghurt on a rock so was chuffed. The park at the end of the street has been revamped with some quite funky play things so that was another hour whiled away. Lots of cookings - school chicken curry with peas and rice and naan bread followed by cupcakes which will do for tomorrows sweet treat as its Sunday.

I feed Biggles the owl lover at weekends - Five sausages, two chicken breasts for a saturdays isn't much really- He brought the box of wine so fairs fair. Roast chick breasts tomorrow with the ususal trimmings for a sunday and fairy cakes.

So apart from being stuffed for thrity quid due to an errant standing order have spent bugger all and won't spend till Monday.

Gotta love curry sauce and bargain frozen chook bits!

bollocks waste of thirty quid

 I set up a standing order incorrectly - with a single incorrect digit. money now lost and no way to trace. In my haste I cancelled the SO on finding out it was incorrect and thought the bank would be able to take up the case. But no. it is gone. I am annoyed with the bank and myself. £30 I can't afford to waste. Hmm you live and learn. Grrrrrr. You would have thought there was something they could do- a trace or something I have the details fo the account I sent the money to. NO It has gone. I hope it has gone to someone who needs it for important stuff like food and bills. Probably a business however.

Am laughing now The gorgeous one and the chap in the owls shirt ( boyfriend) are counting cat poos - good for counting practice - a different educational tool granted but whatever inspires!

todays mission!

I have come to the conclusion that I need to pee off my bank. I need to open a new account, transfer direct debits and write letters offering meagre payments rather than drain my rainy day pot. So so undignified. I could afford it BD- before Dave. Comfortably in fact - well comfortably for a fugal thrifter with green leanings like oneself. I take control of the repayments and annoy my wonderful lovely bank. I know the staff and see them in the street at lunchtimes and say hello. Bollocks - humbling, undignified but a need to be done.

As I have no margin for error these days its essential that I conserve what I have. My resolutions after filling the car up for the second time in two weeks is to drive more efficiently. Keep to speed limits nice and steady. I have a budget of approx 25 per week to get me to work and back and a few frugal journeys into town -4.4 mile round trip. As a rural dweller I need to commute. I use the car sparingly and always try to acccomplish multiple tasks. It is mostly for work and for this I have no choice. I drive diesel and it is economical. It is a banger however and its emissions could be improved. This was to be the next on the list BD.
Public transport would really be a luxury!!!! - A complete hour on the bus/train to de stress, read. Ahhh the peace! But not for me - journeys would take more than an hour and would not fit with child care arrangements. I need a car so the best I can do given the green leanings and the budget is to drive sparingly.
Radio 4 is a saving grace most of the time.

Things could be much worse. I could be being treated like  a second class citizen  and completely powerless about my situatution signing at the job centre. Client I suppport   is working incredibly hard to put his life back on track has been crapped on by the wonderful job centre! Literally by the Martinas of the job centre. If anyone can remember Bread from the 1980's they should be able to remember Joey Boswells dole officer with starchy flicked up hair and a sour mush.  My client turns up every week to the employability drop in to work on his basic skills - literacy and numeracy and complete his job search and application forms. He is there for at least three hours per week using the internet and printing facilities.  He had an interview- notified the job centre as his interview clashed with his signing on time. He completes his job search diary in full each week btw. They asked him to sign on before his interview. He needed to catch a bus just after nine to get to his interview for ten. Signing on  before his interview they attempted to make him complete an in depth job search . He all suited and booted and prepared for his interview objected explaining he needed to catch a bus. She - for it was a Martina, warned him that he would lose his benefits if he didn't play ball and go through his indepth job search which would take approx 15- 20mins. HE WANTED TO ATTEND AN INTERVIEW FOR A JOB! He left after explaining where he was going, advising her that the job centre had proof in the form of a photocopied letter. He  went to the interview, returned to the job centre to sort  out the issue of not being allowed to sign on.They said No. No money for two weeks. No crisis loan. No electricity. No money to visit his son. No electricity meant the freezer defrosted. No food. How he managed I do not know- relied on friends to cook his food I suppose. The CAB have taken up his case but there will be no compensation for his lost freezer food. He was judged and even in the face of overwhelming evidence the little Hitler would not back down.  We were happy to advocate on his behalf to 'testify' to his consistent efforts to improve his situation but to no avail. He has had his benefits reinstated now and a kind of apology from the job centre.  As a frugal I get how pissed he was about his food stocks. Hard work, wasted money to buy them, money to prepare the home made frozen meals - all gone because of a judgement. He has graciously accepted this state of affairs andd is getting back on with his job search and studying. I doubt I could have been so gracious and have moved on so well.