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.

I'm feeling quite good about my spending today

I had some vouchers from work which have been burning a hole in my pocket. I've put off spending them as they are for a shopping centre in my local city centre... I was sure it would open the spending flood gates

But I made a list of a few luxuries I've not been buying lately to try and save money, such as make up, posh shampoo, moisturiser etc. I actually managed to stuck to my list. Did a bit of window clothes shopping but also managed to refrain (mainly die to being scared of admitting it on the 1 year clothes thread)

oh dear. bought lunch out for DP and DC today in a moment of rashness. £34.

Poor lad NK5BM3, is he any better today?.

NSD.

I'm going to try & do everything in one go tm to save on fuel.

I need cleanser soon though, compost for my herbs & cat litter.

I'm looking for a compost maker after seeing how much compost is.

NSD for me. Going to try for another one tomorrow as well.

Hope ds is on the mend NK.

Thanks for asking and your well wishes everyone. He is on the mend. He had a raging high temp (40 and up) since Friday which somehow calpol and ibuprofen couldn't touch. So by Saturday evening I was getting panicky. Dr at ooh said that his inner ear was v bulging and was surprised it wasn't hurting or that it hadn't perforated!!! So gave some antibiotics.

He was so hot last night he was delirious. He woke and didn't know where he was, wouldn't respond to questions. I was really freaking out. But this morning temp all gone and has been gone since then.

We went out today to pick up last minute party bags £20 and met up with the friends who we were supposed to meet up with and they paid for lunch which was very generous. We invited them back for cake and coffee and bought an extra slice of cake for the boyfriend as he's allergic to nuts! £3.50.

And they brought presents too. Too generous and such good friends.

Happy work week everyone. It's half term but the ds is going to football!

Welcome all newcomers.

Hope your DS is doing ok now nk5bm3

NSD for me today. DS back from his dad's and also have some relatives visiting for a few days although they don't stay with us as I don't have the room. My granny brought me various tupperwares of food so they've gone in the freezer but im just about to tuck into some chicken soup. Just what the doctor ordered. Not bad considering she's well into her 80s. I love my granny!

That sounds scary nk5bm3 Pleased to heat he is better today.

NSd here. Yesterday, £2.50 coffee, cake and snack for dd and me. We went to asda cafe and normally it's costa or m and s and she looks forward to us doing it all week. Also £5 mag for me amd book for dd. Shop was horrendous - £140, but it's a three week food shop for five of us apart from bread and milk top ups and we needed washing liquid, most cereals, spreads and lots of stuff that will last a month or more. Still don't feel madly frugal this week.
I have stopped frittering cash almost completely since my no spend week. I have a treat on shopping day and then basically buy nothing.

We're now at the inlaws for three days so those will be nsd because they're so kind. Dc and I have tickets for their library and they love it.

Two grocery trips today and combined spend of 56 quid. Impulse buys: 44p asparagus (yum!) reduced massively, dark chocolate nut spread (cheaper than buying cakes and last ages)
Frugalness: bought muesli base from dispenser and will add sultanas for breakfast. Loads cheaper than bought muesli. Made a carrot/apple/sultana/date cake for DS rather than buying snacks.

£70 on food shop, meal planned til after payday now though and some of that was museli ingredients (nuts, dried fruit) that will last c.3 weeks.

Made huge pot of frugal soup, 4 x 2 portion boxes, (lots of leftover veg frozen at different times over the month, added a tin of tomatoes and some herbs, stock & blended, it's actually lovely!) and also 3 x 2 portion tupperwares of carrot and coriander soup bulked out with red lentils = both our lunches for a week (I am off on half term now so no free school food for a week!)

Also used up some of the paint we have lying in the cupboard under the stairs and re-did the downstairs loo (all but the very upper edging round the ceiling which I will cravenly get DH to do!) while listening to Harry Potter on audio book, so relaxing!

Hi there was a LSD day. My lovely dm cooked a scrummy Sunday dinner for us then paid for me and dds go and see the new tinkerbell film. I spent £2.44 in homebargins on sweets and drinks. So much cheaper than paying at the cinema. Then £5.00 for coffee and hot chocolate for me and dm. She deserved it after treating us.

I'm going to have to sort out ds birthday party food for Saturday. I'm thinking sandwiches with jam, ham/cheese, sausage rolls/cocktail sausages, crisps, cucumber and carrots. Grapes? Anything I can do more frugally? Shop at asda? Oh paper plates, cups... Robinsons squash?

Any tips gratefully received!!!

Uthat

That sounds really frightening, Nk, I'm glad he's feeling better now.

Re party, how about little jellies in shot glasses (plastic ones if they're young children)? Hummous is cheap and usually popular with veg and breadsticks. Quiche, pretty easy and relatively cheap to make. Lidl or aldi might be cheaper than Asda?

I thought tomorrow would be a NSD but I've just remembered I have to post a coat for ebay and book train tickets so it will actually be quite spendy. I might try for a no spend week next week though. How did you get on with yours, bigbirthday? I feel like my NSDs have been accidental up to now, whereas I could make more of an effort and go out of my way to have them. I need to up my game! I am noticing the difference in my bank account though, I don't hold my breath and cross my fingers when I check online anymore :-/

I've just noticed my odd post above,not sure what happened there!

NK glad he's on the mend. How about cold pizza? Just the value ones as. They're cheap as chips.

I just bought myself a cd

Hi NK I hosted some birthdays in a softplay centre earlier in the year! including making, and clearing up from! all of the party food! I think keep it simple. Fewer choices the better! I think you've got it spot on, sandwiches, vegetable sticks and grapes, breadsticks, cocktail sausages. Then if you want something sweet, chocolate fingers and party rings. From a clearing up perspective avoid anything crumbly or squidgy - quiche and muffins are a bugger to clear up!

amber I don't do breath holding either anymore!

I've just meal planned up until next Friday - end of the month can't come quickly enough here. I've got a little left in the food budget and I'm going to shop at asda as I have a £7 returns voucher from taking back two unopened packs of swim nappies.

Glad to hear your ds is on the mend NK. You must have been so worried! You've reminded me that I need to book dd2's birthday party too. They each get a big party in Reception and then its a few friends at home and this is her year so expect it will be spendy!

Not too bad over the weekend. £21 in Tesco on Saturday as I needed to get some bits for the week (misjudged how much my dc and dh snack when I was in Aldi!) and pants for ds as we are potty training today. Needed wine too as I spent 6 hours watching my best friend try on wedding dresses, which was lovely, but as she is incapable of making decisions it was all a bit stressful! She found "the one" in the end though and its amazing! Fingers crossed she will choose something as lovely for me, the worlds oldest bridesmaid! NSD on Sunday though.

Hoping half term will be low spend. Potty training ds so can't go out too much, and DM is taking the dc's for me a couple of times so I can work.

I hope your DS is recovering well NK.

Just checked where I am with my budgets: food £175 remaining (after weekly shop delivered this morning), household/kids £65 remaining, personal spends £16 remaining (cutting it fine; spent £50 this w/e on work clothes from eBay ). Travel budget on target, not that there's much I can do about that as it's nearly all work or other commitments.

I feel like taking the DC out to soft play today but I would get through the best part of £20 so entertainment at home is the order of the day. Might get paint/glitter out and a dvd this afternoon to recover.

Just spend £20 on eBay for DS sleeping bag and adding to his wooden trainset.

Should be able to sell the sleeping bag on afterwards though. Can always use as firewood if times get tough....bwahahaha [evil grin]

marking my place!

went to the library to return a few things and found another interesting frugal book - "In the Red" by Alexis Hall. She ran up credit debt of over £30,000 and then did a year of no new clothes, shoes and only buying essentials to try and pay it off. It looks intriguing!

£4 on lunch out today and 5 on posting something for eBay. Ugh. Must get better at refusing lunch in cafes, its just hard when I'm meeting people and they're all buying something and for me to not would mean taking DD home early :(

£4 on lunch out today and 5 on posting something for eBay. Ugh. Must get better at refusing lunch in cafes, its just hard when I'm meeting people and they're all buying something and for me to not would mean taking DD home early :(