Don't Panic, December is frugal this year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD = no spend day
LSD = Low spend day

8/12
£2 Bus
£10.87 Boots for various things

Welcome encyclo!

Just dropped a huge bag of clothes and toys that wouldn't sell in my fb site....making room for Xmas!

Went to tescos for butter...and ended up spending £33 oops. Got a Turkey crown for £17 which seems expensive compared to chicken but it's only once a year eh. Also got kale, advocados and various other healthy things - am off with a bad cold and have healthy cravings for once??!

Also got a new scarf from peacocks as mine is v knackered/bobbly and I looked a state.

Saved £22 by being off sick and not commuting/parking.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I'm very inspired already.

It's a funny time to be reigning it in, with Christmas looming, but just being here will help me control that urge to splurge and the constant inner voice that tells me to "go on it's Chriiiiiiisssttmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaassssss!"

I love the idea of a LSD and a NSD. I can definitely enforce that in my house.

Won't be a proper NSD as going to an Alexander Technique class, but have managed an NSD apart from that by eating lunch out of freezer instead of nipping to shop for loaf.

Have also made:

Roasted root veg frittata (6-8 portions)
leek and chestnut risotto (8 portions)
cranberry sauce (2.5 jars - bought too many berries )
red wine poached pears (3 portions)
cabbage and red lentil bake (6 portions)
roasted parsnips (side dish, 2 portions)

Unfortunately now I am knackered, hoping I feel better in time to walk to my class.

£1.40 work supplies
£2.50 squash
£3 lunch, norty.

£20 petrol. Should last the week though.

colliewobble I wouldn't bung frozen chicken straight into slow cooker, takes long enough to cook a thawed one in there!

Is music cheap on google play? haven't bought any for my phone since I got it and my car radio doesn't work either, music for my phone might be the least expensive option!

peonies you were busy! Like the sound of your red lentil bake & the risotto.

My christmas present money that I've received this week is going on a wood pellet delivery as is this months child benefit I'm impressed with myself for spending it wisely. Usually get good cash presents where I work so thinking dishwasher with the rest, ours hardly ever washes properly now and hasn't been great for about a year.

I did my christmas food shop using aldi €10 off €50 voucher & spent €63 got ham & turkey crown, pate, as well as bits for our regular shopping too...came in bang on usual budget so there may not be any big shop towards christmas this year. Didn't get paper sunday so no voucher this week but will buy too again sunday for following week.

I watched Elf last night so def not too early to start on the Christmas films! £27.10 on parking and train fare which I can claim back. Tomorrow I need to get stamps and send my Christmas cards out!

lilla get a bosch dw, you won't regret it. I miss my bosch dw. This. Electrolux one is crap.

Well another NSD - thats four in a rom welcome encyclo this is a great thread and def makes you think about ways in which to save money. When considering whether or not to buy something I now think 'hmm how will I justify that on the thread....'

Oh and frugal tip, a very cheap way to whiten your teeth and get stains off off is bicarbonate of soda!! I am very pleased as my teeth were looking a bit faded and things like tea tend to stain them, I spent about 5 mins ystd cleaning them with some bicarb and they are pearly white again

NSD here! Hoping for another tomorrow (on same course, so more lunch provided).

A Siemens dishwasher is the business, we inherited ours from the previous owners of this house and it's great.

£19.45 in Tesco on food to last til the weekend and some chocolates for DS's stocking, £2.20 on bus fares, £1.40 on chocolate and £5.60 posting two eBay items, but I won't count that, as it was paid for. So, £13.05 altogether.

I thought the advice here would be not to get a new dishwasher and to wash by hand!!
Siemens way out of price range I'd imagine but Bosch only use 6 litres of water compared to 12 by lots of models.

Dh van giving trouble & as this is a shared expense due to au pair having his car it bothers me.

Bought present for playschool online today €30 she's been there two years though & I bought nothing last Christmas.

Must check out Google rewards

I have a Bosch dishwasher - I love it!! It has an eco wash that I use and I normally put it on half load as well so am guessing that has to be quite cheap

Dishwashers use less water and electric than washing by hand.

Plus washing up is the devils work, I went on strike to get my dw & dh lasted two nights.

I did 6 years, he lasted two nights.

I knew that about water, plus time too!
We handwashed from Nov to Jan last year cos it wasn't working then guy came to repair and it worked again!!,

I would totally get a dishwasher if I had the space!

9/12
£24.02 2x Harry Potter game for DSD and DH (made sense to get them one each!)
£19.10 2x presents for DH, and colouring pens and pencils for DCs
£1.09 drink/snack at social club while I waited for DS at yoga
£4.40 bus
£6.48 McDonalds for me and DS - had planned to eat at cafe when taking DD to disco (no car means no point going home in between) but turns out they stop doing food really early. Still I think it worked out cheaper at McD even factoring in bus fare!
£2.49 kinder eggs (in lieu of pudding)
£3 gloves for DS as he lost his in London
£2.50 DD disco
£3.99 keyring for friend
£18.99 school bag for DD (will wrap up as Xmas present - she is making do with her falling-apart one until then. False economy getting a cheapie one from Argos blaming DH only lasted one term! )

And my paypal got credited £15 today thanks to giffgaff payback :) so only really paid £7.98 for the last two items.

£23 today in supermarkets
£16 yesterday on veg and fruit for the week and honey.

Will cath up soon. DDs currently coming out of school at 10am, messing with my schedule somewhat.

Got my Tesco finest orchard vouchers today so that will be some free tasty Xmas treats.

Most Xmas shopping done other than dh - due to ds2 arriving I had got all presents wrapped prior n have now been sent with my mum on 200 mile journey n she will pass on to both mine n dh family.

Still need to wrap both ds presents have brought ds2 a few bits for now n some 6mth plus toys as won't have bday til Nov.

Oh god, what a nightmare day, I really needed your Usain Bolt technique yesterday MissA. Buses not running due to an accident with a bus and a car in city, so we're not just talking some buses but pretty much ALL buses. So I had to ring ahead tell them I'd be late, but fortunately they were cool about it! So I think interviewer was impressed but can't tell what I'm up against except that I accidentally found out one of the other candidates is my friend! Now I'll feel so guilty if I get it! Anyway finished interview late and phone had died because I used up all my charge on google maps and calling agency, so had to call DH from shop to let him know I would pick up DS from afterschool club. DH had gone to school at regular time as he failed to read calendar where I write everything down (Grr!). Had to leg it around a mile from where this bus stopped to school, so it turned into a very long day indeed!

Fluffy wish I could have a dishwasher but we have no room, my hands would be in a far better state! DH says he doesn't like washing up cos of the bits that float around in the bowl, although he will do it if pushed!

No unplanned spends, have got cash out for the remaining 2 presents I need to get today and only really need to get milk and cheap cream cheese for meal later.

3rd NSD - got a coupon to spend from Hovis and that's it, working rest of week, need petrol but that's it, perhaps there will be lots of NSD now because I have nothing to spend now, lol...

£124.51 in the VW beetle fund, cannot save this month, but we have spent really wisely for Christmas and it is all done :)

Well done everyone else, its great to read your threads and it is such a hard month to be frugal I think....

£12 at sainsburys yesterday picking up carrots and other things that were on the list. Didn't stray. Carrots went into making stock in the slow cooker (with roast chicken carcass from when in laws were here). Will make soup for dh tonight.