Nicola, this is your journey and budget. You do this to show people what you do. No one should be judging you. You're not telling them how they should do it and they shouldn't be telling you either. Carry on. You are an inspiration to a lot of people. Xx
When I was a child my parents didn't spend extra on myself and my sister on days out and activities in the summer holidays, we just played with each other or friends and that was it. I never felt that I missed out on anything. My daughter didn't get extra days out etc either as I simply had no room in the budget as a single parent and she doesn't feel she missed out on anything either. Forget what you have done before or what others spend on their children and just go with the flow and spend time in your new home and garden, you won't regret it honestly
Same. My mum even saved vouchers when we went to restaurants, it was a little embarrassing as kids because other parents didn’t seem to use them. But as an adult now I’m glad she used them, because it meant we could go out to restaurants in the first place.
re the blueberries - they are super easy to grow - maybe you could ask for a couple of bushes as a Xmas gift? When I was in your position, and also had no money for going out during the holiday, what I did was to create a large wall calender type thing, and every couple of days there was a surprise activity - some days it might be baking together, some days it might be a movie day, complete with a small tray of mixed treats, it might be a treasure hunt, craft activities etc. My kids loved the surprise of opening each activity, even though they were all normal activities that we did anyway.
I have started listing clothes on Vinted, just things I can get a few £ back for - it really adds up and is so easy to do - has paid for my MOT, and now my new glasses, in the last few weeks
Hi there, as always your doing the best you can with what you’ve got. It’s too late for this year but you have a garden and two energetic little boys. Make some raised beds and get a cold frame or plastic green house. The boys can plant potatoes, carrots and turnips into the ground and grow more sensitive fruit and veg in the frame. Plant raspberry and other fruit canes along the fence. They will love watering them and watching them grow. Your not going to yield a green grocery haul but it is an ongoing project that overall is very cheap. P/S get them to plant a rose bush. They can give you flowers without spending more money 🤣
Thanks for sharing, I like to see other people's budgets. How they break down their spending. Also love a sticker and a bit of washi, brightness up a plain white page and brings me joy👍 As others have mentioned lots of cheap options for activities over the summer. It's just trying to find them before the event, I normally find out the day after🤣🤣 Take care and you're doing great IMO❤️
Have you thought about growing your own strawberries and raspberries. I was given one strawberry plant last year, and I’ve already got 9 new baby plants from the runners so should have an abundance of fruit in a few weeks. Also I got a raspberry bush from Morrisons for about £3, I think they sell blackberry and blackcurrant bushes too.
In my country fuel prices increase at weekends and holidays. The exception to that is unfortunately rare. At least we can plan around it though! Perhaps you could fill a jerry can with fuel when the price is lower and keep it in the shed to use when prices are high. Keep going, Nicola. You're doing a great job.
Nicola,you can add cooked rice,oatmeal and some veg to your cat food.Even if you replaced a third of a can of cat food like this it would mean that after every 3 days you would have a free can of cat food.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I just looked it up and it seems cats should only have small amounts of rice but larger amounts of veg to bulk out their food.
Summer holidays…. You could teach them the old ways. Like my mum was worried one year that we were going to a place to fly kites without one, so I used an old Tesco bag with string on, worked just as well. And it was a funny memory. You could do a picnic in a public garden for free (check for free entrance), and also take photographs of nature. Teach them what you take out you give back and that we are all responsible for our own rubbish etc. or learn about some butterflies that you might see and ask which ones are which? You could take them for a bike ride; if you all have bikes. Strawberry or other fruit or veg picking can be reasonably priced, especially if it’s a working farm or something cause your contributing to the farm and local area and sometimes they have things to entertain people as well. Things indoors; painting/craft day, at home spa day, board games afternoon, movie night, cleaning bedrooms?; who can be more organised 😂, baking days or meal prep together, you could make ice lollies at home.
I learned to grow these free (I get free manure) 2 varieties of potatoes, Bush & pole beans (green beans) Garlic & Onions. It shocked me at the Produce Swap that people weren't growing these. This saves us about $125 a month and it's healthier to get locally grown produce to buy/swap. Maybe you could do the same? We actually save more as the garlic we used to buy in abundance. We juice as our son has schizophrenia and we aren't that healthy, organic juicing veges and fruit is quite expensive.
I grow green (bush) beans, tomatoes, squash, potatoes and pumpkins. The squashes and pumpkins are used for quick breads. The tomatoes are grown from saved seeds and the potatoes from as many sprouted potatoes as I saved over the winter. I do buy one package of potato chits and one or two packages of green bean seeds. All in all, pretty cheap.I feel we save a bunch on food . Excess beans are blanched and frozen; potatoes are kept cool and in the dark, squash is shredded and frozen in recipe sized packages, pumpkin cooked and frozen . We use home made compost for fertilizer, no insecticide! Any snails or slugs get fed to the chickens.
Hi there Nicola. Just realised that your 3 month budget books would complement the 12 week year idea that is being promoted a lot lately. One book would cover "a year". I also follow Kate Kaden who has been working and promoting those ideas this year on TH-cam.
Yeah how did july get here so fast. Ours isnt to bad but just got a load of school uniform and thats been a bit if shock how much all thats come to, luckily i made some money on vinted so used that. Summer holiday ideas as ours us defo a low spend. Making a den or fort the kids can spend the day in with food and colouring or playing. Parks parks and more parks with a picnic (and i always do an icecream when we got some). Possibly low spend swimming! A nature walk and have to find things butterfly/certain trees ect. Libary, any local free museums sometimes have free or cheap activities. (Sorry a bit long) . Like others have said its been with the kids and just being happy. My kids love it when i make a new games up! Oh car boots a good idea as well (sometimes a little stressful) but if its makes a bit to pop in ur sinking funds that would be fab.
More than anything, your boys will remember the time spent together, so give yourself grace for not being able to spend a small fortune on daytrips. Your local library should have all sorts of free activities for the boys. a packed lunch to enjoy on a picnic doesn't need to break the bank - make the most of your local parks and beaches. Lots of supermarkets will probably have their kids eat free / eat for £1 offer to help stretch you budget. Turn cooking tea into an activity by getting them to help. Could you print off some activity sheets at work (puzzles / colouring) as a stand by for rainy afternoons? Use and enjoy the board games that you have. Enjoy a movie day in your pjs. have a massive lego building day. if you have or could borrow a tent, go camping in your garden. lots of paid activities (soft play, trampoline park, cinema etc) near us offer heavily discounted early bird offers - is there similar in your area?
Plus if the kids are around at home they will meet more of the other kids in the area! There is. National reading agency challenge where kids read 6 books over the holidays, literally anything and they can get medals, stickers and a certificate. 100% free.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage your welcome, thanks for your ideas on budgeting. 🥰💐 I just think of my childhood when I want to give my niece’s some good memories. The ideas start flooding back 😂
Hi is this £30 a month for cat food for two. Im only asking because ive got two i spend that on a week thats food and treats and cat litter. You are doing well if thats the case. Its hard trying to feed animals and humans these days . Take care and keep doing what you do x
Remember when I got my child benefit I use to use the money on the kids and get electric or gas if I was running out. It was tough. Thank you for taking your time to answer. ❤❤🥰🥰
Nicola, thank you. We're 57 & 65 yrs old in Northern Calif. Bought a major fixer Cabin to live in on 9 acres. It's nice now, we did all the work *Monthly Income- $1700 Social Security +$410 Food Stamps= $2110 a month* *Monthly Expenses*- $84 Property Tax, $16 TH-cam, $25 Garbage, $75 Clothing/Grooming, $100 WIFI/Cell, $350 Transport, $150 MacBooks Wear & Tear, $75 E-Bikes Wear & Tear, $700 Groceries/Eat out, $50 Pets, $150 Misc, $150 Donation, $50 Gardening= $1975 a month expenses. Our son lives with us 50% of the year reflected in monthly expenses. He has schizophrenia. We usually have $150 or so leftover to go into the Emergency fund. We grow, for free, about 4 veges for free in abundance and hers we swap at the Produce Swap so earn about $125 a month doing that for about 7 months a year. This is not reflected above in numbers since it goes to the Emergency Fund. We also make about $200 during Xmas at the Craft Faire but it's used for gifts and food for family. We have a fenced backyard with 4 ducks, 15 hens, a small pond w/waterfall and a few dogs. Do not have these bills- Healthcare, Homeowners Insurance or Water
Nicola, this is your journey and budget. You do this to show people what you do. No one should be judging you. You're not telling them how they should do it and they shouldn't be telling you either. Carry on. You are an inspiration to a lot of people. Xx
Thank you 💜
When I was a child my parents didn't spend extra on myself and my sister on days out and activities in the summer holidays, we just played with each other or friends and that was it. I never felt that I missed out on anything. My daughter didn't get extra days out etc either as I simply had no room in the budget as a single parent and she doesn't feel she missed out on anything either. Forget what you have done before or what others spend on their children and just go with the flow and spend time in your new home and garden, you won't regret it honestly
Thank you for sharing that 💜
Same. My mum even saved vouchers when we went to restaurants, it was a little embarrassing as kids because other parents didn’t seem to use them. But as an adult now I’m glad she used them, because it meant we could go out to restaurants in the first place.
Thanks
Thnk you so much 💜
re the blueberries - they are super easy to grow - maybe you could ask for a couple of bushes as a Xmas gift? When I was in your position, and also had no money for going out during the holiday, what I did was to create a large wall calender type thing, and every couple of days there was a surprise activity - some days it might be baking together, some days it might be a movie day, complete with a small tray of mixed treats, it might be a treasure hunt, craft activities etc. My kids loved the surprise of opening each activity, even though they were all normal activities that we did anyway.
I love this, thank you for sharing 💜
I have started listing clothes on Vinted, just things I can get a few £ back for - it really adds up and is so easy to do - has paid for my MOT, and now my new glasses, in the last few weeks
Amazing!
Hey, £30 for cat food and litter pcm is totally ok. I'd like to know what other people are feeding their cats if £30 to them is a lot!
You are doing fantastic, I love all things budgeting and could watch all day long 😊
Thank you 💜
Hi there, as always your doing the best you can with what you’ve got.
It’s too late for this year but you have a garden and two energetic little boys. Make some raised beds and get a cold frame or plastic green house. The boys can plant potatoes, carrots and turnips into the ground and grow more sensitive fruit and veg in the frame. Plant raspberry and other fruit canes along the fence. They will love watering them and watching them grow. Your not going to yield a green grocery haul but it is an ongoing project that overall is very cheap.
P/S get them to plant a rose bush. They can give you flowers without spending more money 🤣
Thanks for sharing, I like to see other people's budgets. How they break down their spending. Also love a sticker and a bit of washi, brightness up a plain white page and brings me joy👍 As others have mentioned lots of cheap options for activities over the summer. It's just trying to find them before the event, I normally find out the day after🤣🤣 Take care and you're doing great IMO❤️
Thank you 💜
Hi I will buy your yearly one when it becomes available. The current one is very helpful for me ❤
💜
Nicola your channel is truly inspiring & thanks for sharing.
Thank you 💜
Have you thought about growing your own strawberries and raspberries. I was given one strawberry plant last year, and I’ve already got 9 new baby plants from the runners so should have an abundance of fruit in a few weeks. Also I got a raspberry bush from Morrisons for about £3, I think they sell blackberry and blackcurrant bushes too.
I really need to do this!
In my country fuel prices increase at weekends and holidays. The exception to that is unfortunately rare. At least we can plan around it though! Perhaps you could fill a jerry can with fuel when the price is lower and keep it in the shed to use when prices are high.
Keep going, Nicola. You're doing a great job.
Thank you 💜
Nicola,you can add cooked rice,oatmeal and some veg to your cat food.Even if you replaced a third of a can of cat food like this it would mean that after every 3 days you would have a free can of cat food.
I did not know this - thank you for sharing!
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I just looked it up and it seems cats should only have small amounts of rice but larger amounts of veg to bulk out their food.
Summer holidays…. You could teach them the old ways. Like my mum was worried one year that we were going to a place to fly kites without one, so I used an old Tesco bag with string on, worked just as well. And it was a funny memory.
You could do a picnic in a public garden for free (check for free entrance), and also take photographs of nature. Teach them what you take out you give back and that we are all responsible for our own rubbish etc. or learn about some butterflies that you might see and ask which ones are which?
You could take them for a bike ride; if you all have bikes.
Strawberry or other fruit or veg picking can be reasonably priced, especially if it’s a working farm or something cause your contributing to the farm and local area and sometimes they have things to entertain people as well.
Things indoors; painting/craft day, at home spa day, board games afternoon, movie night, cleaning bedrooms?; who can be more organised 😂, baking days or meal prep together, you could make ice lollies at home.
Some great ideas, thank you!
Good Morning, watching. Happy Monday.
Morning ☺️
I learned to grow these free (I get free manure) 2 varieties of potatoes, Bush & pole beans (green beans) Garlic & Onions. It shocked me at the Produce Swap that people weren't growing these. This saves us about $125 a month and it's healthier to get locally grown produce to buy/swap. Maybe you could do the same? We actually save more as the garlic we used to buy in abundance. We juice as our son has schizophrenia and we aren't that healthy, organic juicing veges and fruit is quite expensive.
I need to look at growing more. It’s just that I don’t really know where to start and I’m not that good at gardening 🙈
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage Neither am I but I am sure that's just temporary. Have w wonderful week, thanks for your videos!
I grow green (bush) beans, tomatoes, squash, potatoes and pumpkins. The squashes and pumpkins are used for quick breads. The tomatoes are grown from saved seeds and the potatoes from as many sprouted potatoes as I saved over the winter. I do buy one package of potato chits and one or two packages of green bean seeds.
All in all, pretty cheap.I feel we save a bunch on food . Excess beans are blanched and frozen; potatoes are kept cool and in the dark, squash is shredded and frozen in recipe sized packages, pumpkin cooked and frozen .
We use home made compost for fertilizer, no insecticide! Any snails or slugs get fed to the chickens.
Hi there Nicola. Just realised that your 3 month budget books would complement the 12 week year idea that is being promoted a lot lately. One book would cover "a year". I also follow Kate Kaden who has been working and promoting those ideas this year on TH-cam.
I haven’t heard of that! Will have a look ☺️
Yeah how did july get here so fast. Ours isnt to bad but just got a load of school uniform and thats been a bit if shock how much all thats come to, luckily i made some money on vinted so used that.
Summer holiday ideas as ours us defo a low spend. Making a den or fort the kids can spend the day in with food and colouring or playing. Parks parks and more parks with a picnic (and i always do an icecream when we got some). Possibly low spend swimming! A nature walk and have to find things butterfly/certain trees ect. Libary, any local free museums sometimes have free or cheap activities. (Sorry a bit long) . Like others have said its been with the kids and just being happy. My kids love it when i make a new games up! Oh car boots a good idea as well (sometimes a little stressful) but if its makes a bit to pop in ur sinking funds that would be fab.
That was meant to say ice creams when we get HOME not some
Great ideas, thank you for sharing 💜
More than anything, your boys will remember the time spent together, so give yourself grace for not being able to spend a small fortune on daytrips. Your local library should have all sorts of free activities for the boys. a packed lunch to enjoy on a picnic doesn't need to break the bank - make the most of your local parks and beaches. Lots of supermarkets will probably have their kids eat free / eat for £1 offer to help stretch you budget. Turn cooking tea into an activity by getting them to help. Could you print off some activity sheets at work (puzzles / colouring) as a stand by for rainy afternoons? Use and enjoy the board games that you have. Enjoy a movie day in your pjs. have a massive lego building day. if you have or could borrow a tent, go camping in your garden. lots of paid activities (soft play, trampoline park, cinema etc) near us offer heavily discounted early bird offers - is there similar in your area?
Plus if the kids are around at home they will meet more of the other kids in the area! There is. National reading agency challenge where kids read 6 books over the holidays, literally anything and they can get medals, stickers and a certificate. 100% free.
Memories last forever. Cash doesn’t. It comes and goes, mostly goes in my case.
Thank you for these ideas 💜
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage your welcome, thanks for your ideas on budgeting. 🥰💐
I just think of my childhood when I want to give my niece’s some good memories. The ideas start flooding back 😂
Oh I used to LOVE camping in the backyard as a child!
Hi is this £30 a month for cat food for two. Im only asking because ive got two i spend that on a week thats food and treats and cat litter. You are doing well if thats the case. Its hard trying to feed animals and humans these days . Take care and keep doing what you do x
It is - thank you for sharing that spend more! I’m finding it expensive to feed them and have the cat litter too…
Add cooked rice to their food to make it last longer.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottagewhich litter do you use? I find wood pellet from Asda and it works out not too bad xx
Sainsburys own one - it’s the cheapest I can get here ☺️
Hi Nicola,does your ex husband contribute to the children's costs?
He does.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage Hope that that is contributing. If he sees them that will take pressure off a few days too.
Hi do you get any financial help from the government. Or does your pay take you over the threshold. Sorry for being nosey. Take care xx
I get child benefit which then goes towards their childcare costs ☺️
Remember when I got my child benefit I use to use the money on the kids and get electric or gas if I was running out. It was tough. Thank you for taking your time to answer. ❤❤🥰🥰
Nicola, thank you. We're 57 & 65 yrs old in Northern Calif. Bought a major fixer Cabin to live in on 9 acres. It's nice now, we did all the work
*Monthly Income- $1700 Social Security +$410 Food Stamps= $2110 a month*
*Monthly Expenses*- $84 Property Tax, $16 TH-cam, $25 Garbage, $75 Clothing/Grooming, $100 WIFI/Cell, $350 Transport, $150 MacBooks Wear & Tear, $75 E-Bikes Wear & Tear, $700 Groceries/Eat out, $50 Pets, $150 Misc, $150 Donation, $50 Gardening= $1975 a month expenses. Our son lives with us 50% of the year reflected in monthly expenses. He has schizophrenia. We usually have $150 or so leftover to go into the Emergency fund. We grow, for free, about 4 veges for free in abundance and hers we swap at the Produce Swap so earn about $125 a month doing that for about 7 months a year. This is not reflected above in numbers since it goes to the Emergency Fund. We also make about $200 during Xmas at the Craft Faire but it's used for gifts and food for family. We have a fenced backyard with 4 ducks, 15 hens, a small pond w/waterfall and a few dogs. Do not have these bills- Healthcare, Homeowners Insurance or Water
It sounds like you’re doing fab 💜