Have a fabulous frugal February with the fantastic frugaleers

[northender]

As we filled the old thread, thought I'd start a new one for February.

Dd does ballet at nursery. During nursery hours, which I pay for, and it's £60 a term The local toddler group here is £4.50 it's just too much and snobby

I might try morrisons next week anyone have an opinion on it? I'm not so keen on the food we got from aldi

Morrisons is fine, the meat is very good. They do online shopping now so you can cost out the shop before you go.

They do big sacks of potatos sometimes which I've not seen the other supermarkets doing.

Thanks fluffy. It's forty minutes away... Might try it the week after and do ocado this week £20 off £80 spend for new customer.

I'm expecting a power cut today but instead of being annoyed I'm thinking of the electricity we will save

First NSD of February yesterday. Think today will be one too and possibly tomorrow. No need for a top up shop this week either.

DH has applied for another job - making 9 in total. Getting fed up waiting though. He had two interviews last week and we still don't know if he has got through to the next stage for either of them.

He's been approached about a job in Bermuda too. He "doesn't see the attraction of the Caribbean" though. I'm planning to educate him on the attractions if the Caribbean!

£7.17 in tesco on crap yum!

-£7.40 in boots as I took back a tangle teezer (thought we'd lost dd's then found it!) and bought dp some sudafed.

Blimey this thread is moving fast, not been on for a couple of days! So Monday was 6 for parking at the choir thing & 3.68 for McD's on the way home as DD only had a packed tea and I wanted her to have something warm before bed (might have sneaked a cheeseburger in as well!). Yesterday was 43 on petrol, but nothing else....have mostly been too tired to think about frugal things over the last couple of days so will be good again today!

PS: well done to everyone, I love the support on this thread! x

Toddler groups - what ages? DS is nearly 14mo and we've never been to any groups... Not strictly a frugal issue but perhaps you can give me some frugal toddler tips

Would a 14mo like the city farm? I've been wanting to take him since he was born but as a newborn I figured it would be more for me than him! Saw someone mention libraries upthread, never thought to check it out so will do.

I think I might get spendy soon. That might sound odd... We don't spend much on things, it's mainly groceries and takeaway and this thread has really helped us to make sensible purchases. But about once every 6mo, I get the feeling to buy the stuff we need - new shoes or clothes where necessary, housewares if needed, that kind of thing. I've been deliberately putting it off because I don't want to make any mistakes. So, any tips for current shoes or homewares sales?! I want to get some fairly good quality stuff but disappointed with our last lot from Clarks and couldn't afford to replace Was considering Ecco or FitFlop for me and Loake for DH, will they be fairly good quality? I'm hoping they'll last well at least 2 years. They will be worn fairly frequently and walked in, I'm thinking 2 pairs of shoes each and summer sandals (finally worn out the ones we've had for 3 years).

Tk maxx and shoeaholics are good for shoes.

delasi 14mo would love a farm, IME :) its one of DD's fave things to do. I will be home edding DD so we go to a couple of home ed groups, they're not just for toddlers, there's mixed ages there so she gets to play with older and younger ones. At the moment we also go to a forest playgroup but they're opening a forest school kindergarten and she will be going there for 1.5 days a week from march. I'll be using the free places so will save on paying for one group per week. I definitely don't think groups are essential but I get to see my friends as well and so they're beneficial for us both

Been a watcher for quite a while, love all your good saving ideas.
I am currently 24 weeks pregnant and we are moving to The NL next week, so trying to save as much as possible for a deposit for a house and the baby arrival.

If anybody have any good frugal tips for all the stuff, you need to buy for the baby, I will be happy to hear them :)

Italian there's not actually that much that's essential for babies but it's easy to get carried away! What's on your list so far? Nct nearly new sales are great.

Thanks Amber, I think we'll start doing more exploring now. We've started meeting up more with other kids (fortunately I was already friends with a number of people and we happened to have had kids within 2 years of each other, so we meet up and the DC play) but I don't just want to stay in living rooms anymore! DS is energetic and likes to climb stuff so I think it's time to get out there!

Oh Fluffy, what have you done... I've already found 15 pairs of shoes that I like. It's been a long time since that happened (just ask the minimalists, I've gone from 40+ pairs to 6!).

If you lot don't see me in a while, you'll know why

Italian Unless you specifically need things to help (eg physical problems, need extra support, or living in very difficult terrain), a lot of things can be skipped or bought later when they actually become necessary.

• bath: I still bathe DS in the bathroom sink, he's 11.3kg and 85cm, that's pretty much top of the centiles! Plus the sink is a perfect height so you don't have to bend over.
• clothes: you need some sleepsuits and vests. Big blanket or warm suit if you'll be taking baby out in cold weather. Maybe a little hat and a cardigan. That's about it! We had a Wallaboo fleecey wrap as it can be used in the carrycot, pram and carseat and it just made things easier, about £30 and used for 5mo (DS was a winter baby). Only just bought DS his first coat!
• shoes. Just don't. DS crawled at 7mo, cruising since 8mo, started walking 13mo. Still doesn't actually need shoes, as he doesn't walk when outside yet, but he has them on now to keep his feet warm as I got rid of the footmuff last month. He owns one pair.
• nappies: anything relating to special nappy bin/containment is unnecessary. If you're using disposables, then all you need are some nappy sacks. With reusables, get a pail and liner and a wetbag for when out.
• eBay: search bundles, eg '0-3 baby bundle'. I got 15 items of unisex stuff for about £2-3. They're usually very good quality, good brands, a lot of other people buy or get tons of new stuff that just don't get worn.
• toys: I found a bouncer and baby gym essential as DS loved both, and we got two Lamaze toys for the pram (hanging octopus when he was in carrycot, firefly when in buggy, loved both). That was about it really, he's never had special comforters or anything like that. People end up buying them toys when they get bigger and actually start playing.
• bottle stuff: if you plan on bottle feeding, don't go and get the massive everything-you-need kit. Get a starter kit (most brands usually go on sale around £13 for 4 bottles, 2 in each size, and cleaning brush) and see how baby takes to it. I go for the Milton combi steriliser, about £12.50 at Kiddicare, can be used as a cold water steriliser or in the microwave. You can use cold water sterilising in pretty much anything, but I wanted a set thing that I used for that purpose.
• travel cot: ok, not everyone will agree, but we were given a Pack n' Play for DS to use as his main sleeping area (common in the US and at least some of L. America). It costs £80 and has a raised bassinet option and also an attachment cot top changer. We bought an extra mattress for £25. It's fantastic. The sides are mesh so no climbing up, no smacking into cot bars or getting limbs caught, and breathable. We used the bassinet until 5mo and the regular cot until now and there's still lots of space in there. When DS finally moves out of it, it will fold up! We can travel with it, it's just so much easier than a regular wooden cot.

As for the buggy, it depends on your circumstances. But you can get away without one for a long time. We had DS in a carrier solidly until about 3mo (£30, what we could get at the time, I would say you can get a really good one for £40-50 or go for a sling/mei tai). We still use a carrier (Ergo, £80) but have only just recently slowed down with it due to our own health problems. We got the BJCM for £200 and it's perfect for our needs. Go for practicality first, even if something else looks lovelier

Sorry that's so ridiculously long.

PS: bouncers are always in the baby events/sales, we started using it from birth as DS was refluxy and it helped massively. The baby gym however we got second hand and started using around 3mo.

PPS: baby events! There's loads of them, everywhere, all of the time. I don't know if it will be the same in the NL but basically you hardly ever need to pay full price, and if you want something later and can't get the same sales there, maybe you'll have someone here who can send stuff to you? We send boxes to the NL up to 30kg for about £15 through a courier, and many companies will ship to Europe.

£2.50 on DS' s breakfast club.

Helena the Caribean is great for holidays but is humid as hell, gets lot's of rain and the hurricanes pass through there. I wouldn't want to live there, but that's me. You get to work on DH's education.

Won't be an NSD here, need cheese, and spray and something else I can't think of ATM. Will report back later.

SpottyTeacakes my list so fare is most like way to long lol

3 in 1 kinderwagen, plus auto chair
Nappy bag
Rain cover, insect cover, parasol
Cot plus madress and duvet, pillow, cover around
Nappy bin
Baby towel
Bath tub
Baby carrier
Nursery table
Termo meter
Voksi bag
baby alarm
High chair
Baby swim wear
and lots of other small bids and of course clothes, which we already have a fair amount of.
Sorry for spelling mistakes, my list is in Danish :D

delasi Thank you :D :D :D
Dont actually know if they use Ebay a lot in NL, need to check that out, when we get there. We will find out the gender Sunday, if its a girl, a family member have loads that we can buy cheap.

I want to try breastfeeding, but I have had a operation in one breast, so have no idea if I even can. So wanted a starter set, so just in case, we has something at home, if I can not breastfeed or do not feel comfortable with it
Buggy is like a sling right? My partners family is Asian, so I will try there way first, which is like huge linned, that you rap around you and your baby, they should be really good for the first months, because the baby is close to you and your skin and the body is wrapped up, so no pulling in legs or bag.

NSD yesterday, been a spendy week though as everyone's feet have grown at once so it's been 2 sets of trainers and socks. Waiting for the other two to shoot up as well, it all happens at once.
£40 to book a birthday party for 6 year old at local screamfest playgym, he was struggling to make up a guest list to ten though so may not be extortionate amount more to pay. Must do some serious strictness with myself as far as party bags go, my secret shame is tat and the £ shop.

Congratulations italian! I found most of the stuff you're supposed to "need" for a baby you actually don't, delasi's list was a goodie :) I used, and still do, a sling, so much cheaper than a pushchair and you can use it round the house to get on with things when baby wants to be held. I found it invaluable. Regards breastfeeding, its perfectly possible to feed from one breast but depending on the operation on the other, it may well be possible to feed from that one as well. Bf has the frugal advantage of being free :D I wouldn't bother with a nappy bin, baby bath (those things are VERY heavy when filled and tipping them over or lifting them can do you some real damag. The sink has the advantage of you not having to bend.), baby towels (they're so small, they grow out of them very quickly. I just got a couple of normal size bath towels in a different colour. Cheaper and she can use them until they wear out, rather than until she grows out of them). Is a nursery table a changing table? If so I'd leave that, a changing mat on the floor is just as good and safer.

19 from the book man who comes to work from The Book People & 17 in Homesense on birthday presents for this month's mammoth haul.

I have 92 left in my petrol budget and 128 in my food/household shopping budget until 25th which is payday. Will be a bit tight but I'm at home for 3 days of half-term which will help the petrol side of things (50-mile daily round trip) and only need meat and basics like bread/milk this week so going to try Lidl instead of Aldi as I prefer their meat.

Frugal things I have done today: used vouchers instead of money at Homesense, resisted work lunch out and had my soup from home. 12months ago I would have just agreed to go with everyone else.

Italian there is so much there that you won't use! I will be back after the dc's bed time! What your in laws use (the wrap around) is what we mean when we say a sling. Such a good idea to start with

Agree with Amber, we use our regular towels with DS - I remember when he was born, my DGM rang and asked what we needed, in my newborn haze I said, "We don't have any baby towels", she laughed and said, "You already have some, they're called bath towels"

We do a towel on the floor for changing, we did that on the bed when he was tiny and not rolling.

Italian The buggy is just another name for pushchair/pram/stroller. The wrap with a large piece of fabric is good, it will be easy to adjust to your needs and very snuggly Also I understand your back up option for bottles as I was in a similar circumstance, I recommend knowing how to make up formula and/or having some ready to feed (ie liquid) formula on hand in case you need to use it. In the end I couldn't bf, and at about 1wo DH and I desperately spent hours on the internet trying to work out what was safe as the formula guidelines seemed to contradict the NHS guidelines Would have been far less stressful if we knew up front!

Right, just bought the first pair of shoes... £27! Yay! New pair of Fitflop Due, in the sale, then got 10% off and 10% cashback

I'm off to spy out some more shoes now...

delasi and amber I see your point with towels, I think its just because they are so cute and when you have baby brain and its your first, you of course fall for all...

I do see with bathtubs as well, but it might be cultural, but neither in DK or NL are we use to use the sink for bath, mainly because we only have showers too, so do think I would like a bathtub for the baby. I found one in IKEA which we both like and is only like 15 pounds, so duable.

Nusery table is a changing table, sorry for the confusing. I do see the point with just having a mat, but I also thought that the changing table could be nice for storage and we dont have bathroom space to have the mat on there and think I will be tired of having it on the floor. But I need to check it out more, perhaps I can find one second hand and then just buy a new mat.

We have been looking in IKEA and we think they have loads of good stuff for fairly good prices, so defn going to get as much as possible there.
I have fallen for a Stokke or Joolz pram/3 in one, anybody have any good recommendation for prams? I want a new one, because we are hoping for more babies in the future and my parents are buying us the pram, so we have been told to choose whatever we want :D

Delasi I see the idea with having some emergency fomula feed ready, so we can use that in case breatfeeding dont work out. I will try breastfeeding first and if not working, then having the starter set as back up, some formula ready to make and the guide for us to do so :) Lukily we are living with my in laws in the beginning, so my MIL has raised 3 boys, so will have her for advice :)