Don't Panic, December is frugal this year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD = no spend day
LSD = Low spend day

needastrongone let us know how cake turns out, I've been reading about them on slow cooker saddos Facebook group but haven't been brave enough to try it!

Not related to this group at all but my ds has slept through the night! He's 13 months, I can't remember last time this happened!! Usually he joins us anytime from 1.30 on. [Fgrin]

Ohhelp have you ever made nigellas chocolate fudge? I replace the pistachios with dried cranberries. You can keep it in the freezer and eat it straight from it mmm

17/12
£2 bus
£6 secret Santa (was £5 budget but meh)
£9 3x ridiculously cute Xmas tree decs - DCs always get one each on Xmas eve with their jammies from the elf and it was 3for2 so I got myself... a sloth in a Santa hat :o
£3.69 breakfast. Much required after less than 6hrs sleep!
£3.19 Millie's cookies
£8 present for friend
£24 xbox game for DSCs

fuzz where did you get the sloth? I have a step-sister that loves them.

It was in Accessorize :)

This week has been manic - haven't had a chance to post. NSD yesterday, and LSD on Tuesday. I can't remember what happened on Monday! I finished writing my Christmas cards last night so feel a bit more on top of things - just need to plan meals for this weekend while my family's visiting, and then make a big list for meals across Christmas when in-laws are here. Suspect the weekend will be spendy.

lilacclery, fist bump for your DS! Let's hope this is the start of a trend.

Will be NSD today as well as waiting in for DHL and baking present goodies.

Downside DS has lost his hearing aid somewhere at school so hoping it turns up or else it's a hospital visit to get a new one done.

So hopefully we'll find it and I can have a peaceful day as tomorrow will be quite busy and spendy (all planned) as it's Christmas food shopping with DH who I will have convince we don't need a gazillion deserts just because he likes the look of them!

LSD yesterday as dd off poorly. Just grapes. Hoping for a NSD day today and tomorrow. Then Spendy weekend.
Need to complete my online food shop and meal plan but that is part paid for with nectar points.

Should be nsd today. I'm staying home. Dd's gone to panto with the school and won't be home until five.

Dinner is meatballs with salad, pitta and tzatziki.

Ds so far today has eaten:
Two weetabix
Three scotch pancakes
A slice of toast.
It's only 9am!

colliewobble have you topcashback? They're offering £7.50 back on amazon on purchases of £7.50 or more.

That's quite a bit of food spotty is it cold out, I'm usually starving when it's cold.

No quite warm. He's a bottomless pit. I'm going to have to sell him as I can't afford to keep him he's tiny for his age too

Spotty is he going for a growth spurt, my DS usually seems to do that when preparing to grow phenomenally in a short time (meaning new clothes, shoes etc ).

So DS hearing aid has turned up and despite being left all night in the school playground in the rain does still work. Words will be had about taking more care! I'm amazed and relieved at it still working though!

Halfway through baking so should be done for all pressies soon, just wrapping to be achieved and I can collapse into a chair with lots of !

No he's always like it. Glad you found ds' hearing aid

Yes, Spotty me too! It would have mean't getting the whole thing redone again which would take around 3 weeks. I'm amazed it worked still!

Baking is going well but DHL haven't turned up and I need to go to the shop for some bits. Still DH will be home soon...

The slow cooked cake taste good, but did not rise well, so I have cut up and iced as buns.

I will try again, I only used the classic 4/4/2 combination of eggs/sugar/flour/butter combination so not sure if that was enough. Also didn't use baking powder, but I wouldn't if I put in the oven.

Might try a pudding, rather than a cake. The DC and DH were a bit like eh? Why not just bung it in the oven?

Slightly spendy day - £50 in Aldi, this included some hampers to make the DC and DH's Christmas present hamper, and the cheapest I found. Lots of cheese as we are having family over on Saturday.

And two dog toys for Christmas!

spotty - My DS is 15, I am constantly in awe of how much food he can put away. Cereal in particular is eaten at least every 20 minutes, regardless of whether he's just had a main meal

Don't say that needastrongone he's only two! I'll have to take out a massive loan to get him to adulthood!

If DS has his mates round, I am afraid it's like a plague of locusts has arrived

Seriously, I think I have said this before, but the books such as the ones by Jack Monroe only cater in spirit to feeding frugally, and certainly give lots of helpful tips. But I couldn't feed essentially 4 adults for a tenner a week or anything close, which she does acknowledge in the new book.

Veggie chilli for tea, DH will have chorizo added to his portion as it's not a real meal for him without meat. I caught him at work today ordering a meat pie when he thought I had left, after dutifully eating his vegetable soup

Sounds like my dh!

Nsd other than £11 to the after school club.

Was thinking about going late night shopping but not sure I can be bothered can't believe Christmas is a week away really should wrap some presents up!!

We're having brinner :)

Mmmm brinner.

Dh is having his nice birthday dinner cold or in the bin pretty fucking soon as he appears to have gone to the pub instead of coming home

i have a splitting headache, but today was another NSD. Another hefty credit card bill though mostly due to DHs car service which I paid for . Just half day at work tomorrow and that's it until 5th Jan!