Dec--k--(ember) the halls with discount holly,

[economymode]

New thread, complete with tenuous title, to help us keep track of finances this month. Come be a Scrooge with me!

[AdoraJingleBells]

DDs are off for 3 months, the whole summer effectively. That's a lot of holiday to fill up, but I don't have to go out and pay road tolls 5 days a week we have bikes, roller skates, scooters and a lot of time to use them. There wil be the odd day out but mostly they'll spend the long weeks playing with friends

Elf can you leave feedback on those sites that recommend trades? Or call them about the shoddy work/disappearing trick?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Trading standards is the place to go, they may well be building a case against them and need more examples of their dodgy work.

I'm genuinely surprised they dont do school buses for you Adora, I mean one bus will emit less fumes than 30 parents per class all driving in.

[2Old2BeAChristmasElf]

They have already been kicked off the website, we went back to leave feedback and they've berth removed Yes we are going to trading standards about them too.

[Fluffycloudland77]

£1.67 in Waitrose using my voucher, got frozen green beans, frozen cauli and sprouts, soya yoghurts for xmas and milk for dh.

£30 MIL xmas present, £2 for wrapping and ribbons in poundworld

£20 petrol.

£33 for FIL's present but got 15.15% cashback at topcashback.

Used the gloop again, I think my annual bill for clothes washing stuff (highbrow) will be about £8. Plus colour catcher sheets but I use homebargains cheapy ones and the occaisonal laundry whitner. I think I'll only need the box of bio I have now for sheets.

[AdoraJingleBells]

They do have school buses Fuffy but I won't use them other than emergencias. I've seen then pass me way over the speed limit with the driver on the phone, which is ilegal here. Last week a class mate said they watched Ted, rated 18 here and these kids are between 3 and 12. The DCs run around while the bus is moving too. This is also why I take a friend's DCs home, she went back To work FT but didn't want use the bus. One driver was fired for hitting a sleeping dog on the drive of one house, it died

That gloop seems To be impressive stuff, I may have a go but I 'd have To make a long journey To get the bórax, so I'd try To do with out.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Blimey, that school bus sounds a proper education in all the things you wouldnt want them learning. I've watched Ted... I wouldnt let a kid under 15 watch it.

Poor Dog

I didnt use borax in mine, you cant get it in the UK anymore probably due to health and safety. Mines just grated yardley lavender soap and soda crystals.

[economymode]

Jeez, elf, so sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. Fingers crossed that's it now and you can relax and try to enjoy Christmas.

£35 in Aldi yesterday (would have been £40 but used my £5 off voucher).

£1.50 on Saturday paper and £1.50 on potato waffles for dinner (MrEconomy and I had been up puking Friday night and it's about all we could stomach).

EconomyBoy's chicken pox is over, so we can go out and face the world again. So that'll be a few £ on playgroups this week.

Happy holidays to your daughters, Adora!

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD.

[Helenagrace]

Well I spent £135 in Asda and there's another £130 coming from Sainsburys on Thursday but then apart from bread, milk and my turkey that's it until about January 4th. I might need to top up veggies after Christmas but shouldn't be too spendy.

I intend to busy myself baking all week so I won't venture near any shops

[AdoraJingleBells]

Thanks economy and I hope you both feel better.

NSD, plus weekend here. This week I'm getting the christmas groceries, can't decide wether To look for a smallish turkey or just get a rolled breast like I usualy do. Must get DD2 some sándals too, she's still using last year's but has now outgrown them.

[roguepixie]

Hello All,

Adora, so glad your DD's are finished for 'summer' now. It is a wonderful thing not to have those deadlines to meet - all those journeys and road tolls...enjoy the peace ..

Economy, glad economyboy is now free of the pox and you can face the world again.

Elf, I hope this spells the end of your run of bad luck and that things improve.

I did my food shopping yesterday, with the exception of the turkey. Came in at £192.00. Have another £80.00 to pay on additionals on Thursday and am paying the major balance of the turkey this afternoon (I get mine from my local butcher and it is so worth the extra money it costs - and it does so many meals and then I make stock so, all in all, I get as much from it as humanly possible.

All presents have been bought - just need to wrap the blessed things now.

Tree went up last night with RogueJr helping (so the tree leans towards wherever he was standing!!!!) so looks lovely .

[Helenagrace]

For anyone in the SE who wants a free day out - Kew Gardens have free entry tickets on all dates between 22/12 and 4/1. I just got some. There's a link on their homepage and you just have to print the tickets off at home. Usual entry is £14.50 so quite a good saving!

[roguepixie]

Thank you Helena - I have just ordered mine. That's a nice day out and an even nicer saving. DH will have no cause to complain - especially if I take a packed lunch and a thermos of hot coffee .

[Helenagrace]

That's our plan rogue

[economymode]

Wow, thanks Helena. I'm trying to book tickets, but the website is being a bit of a pickle, guess everyone has the same idea!

[Helenagrace]

It was creaking a bit when I ordered mine economy. Stick with it and I'm sure it will work out.

What date are you going? I've booked for the 27th.

[2Old2BeAChristmasElf]

Thanks everyone DH's car cost less than £250 in the end, pays to use an independent garage.

We almost had a major let down last night. We were on our way to London to see our favourite band. Tickets booked months ago. At the station we went to the wrong platform as advised by staff at desk bump into our good friend who DH use to lodge with, he bunged us on first class, Nice :) Except a train had ripped down all the overhead cables between Hitchin and Stevenage, train terminated :(

Feeling very sorry for ourselves my Mums neighbour and longtime drinking buddy of my Dad was sat near us and had to get to London for work so drove us there

We made it on time, they were still queuing outside when we turned up! Managed to get ok the last train running home too! Plus DH had been back to the station this afternoon and we're got a full refund too! We're going to get our rescuer and chauffeur a bottle of something to say Thank you.

[2Old2BeAChristmasElf]

*Sorry for typos on phone

[Fluffycloudland77]

£6 christmas stuff wine and choc in Aldi, £30 vet.

[economymode]

Got tickets for the 2nd in the end, Helena. Hope the weather holds out, but at least we won't have lost any money if we can't go!

£51 filling up car and £15 at Sainsbury's on stuff I can't get at aldi.

[Leilandri]

Spent ALL day wrapping DS's presents today. Have managed to locate them everywhere where I have squirrelled them away during the year. Considering how skint we've been this year, I am very proud of how excellent my boys' Christmas will be

Have also recieved the very good news that DH will be paid half of his wages early tomorrow, which is also our 15% staff discount day at Morrisons, so I shall be buying our veg etc early :)

[Mum2Fergus]

Evening all! Busy few days though thankfully not expensive! Christmas work events now finished, made 2 of them and stayed on my budget. Few Ebay items due to end in the morn, annoyingly have had to open a case of non payment on one from last week.

House passed gas safety inspection this morning so offer confirmed ... appt with Bank in the morn to go through full mortgage application.

Still have main Christmas food shop to do. Was paid a week early but trying not to dip into it until 20th.

[AdoraJingleBells]

Thanks Rogue, they are already enjoying the freedom

Elf very glad you managed to get to the concert, I would have been mega if I missed a good concert. Well done on the car too.

Had a spendy day yesterday, dentist for DDs, £120 for DD2 and £160 for DD1. That was sealing new molars, we still have to do X-rays and flouride treatment. I'll be sending all this off to BUPA, but it's painfull to pay it up front.

Supermarket was £118, just need to top up veg/salad and get the turkey. DDs topped up on Xmas choccies, which were reduced, as we're quite a few things in my trolley [frgin]. Also spent £14 on summer sandals for 1DD, still can't get anything for t'other. £2 on the dreaded road tolls, and that was my lot. OH agreed to a dinner out that we couldn't afford after the school prize giving, they do this after they break up, I didn't see the bill as I was too busy nattering. I haven't had to fill the car up, and shouldn't until the weekend.

Hope everyone enjoys the days out at Kew Gardens. just a tad here

[Mum2Fergus]

Christmas food shop done, £73 inc alcohol. Have enough in freezer to do us til Xmas Eve. Been shopping around for utilities at new house, thinking of dropping BT and going with SKY for everything - that should save approx £25 p/month on top of £150 saving between rent to mortgage and lower Council Tax.

Mortgage app gone to underwriters for approval this afternoon

[Fluffycloudland77]

Sounds like everything's going really well Mum2Fergus, we will switch to sky for BB and line rental next year when our contract with Bastard Twats is up.

It will cost me half what it does now because I will only keep it for the 12 month period then look around for someone else, I'm hoping talk talk will have got their act together a bit by then. They dont get good customer service ratings at the moment.

£2.23 today on sandwich (too tired hungover to do a lunch) and £15 on fuel.

I'm not doing our xmas shop until sunday morning, every week aldi is full of newbies clogging up the aisles and not knowing how to pack at the till. Very annoying, I keep hoping they'll bugger off back to sainsburys.

I bought the sausagemeat for our stuffing in the summer when it was reduced to 39p.