Don't Panic, December is frugal this year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD = no spend day
LSD = Low spend day

Just twitched....ds announced "I hope I have Hama beads for xmas". ....I know dd is getting a (pink princess) set so seconds later I hit amazon, oops, spoilt kids eh.

Spendy day yesterday, tescos and sainsburys about £60 in each.....included little bowls for nibbles and lots of wine as I realised I had just one bottle
Got everything in for the next few days and then I just have asda coming on the 23rd, £60ish.

£60 on a new tyre yesterday, £18.50 on swimming today and that's it.

Payday was early (fri) but I'm trying to ignore it as otherwise it'll be a long January!

I'm desperately trying to ignore the twitch as I have sudden, unfounded, fear that while I've made good choices for the grown ups I've got the dc all wrong. I may just get a couple more small things as they are only young, dd is 6, volume of stuff is important.

Anyway, apart from that all is going well. We're eating various bits and pieces as big shop is arriving on Monday and I'm trying to make space. I'm hopeful we may finish the year with about £200 in the account. Whatever's there will be split between me and dh as some bonus pocket money as we've both made a big effort to big frugal this year.

I'm just adding bits to my shop on Tuesday. I've added ground coffee and posh orange juice as a Christmas treat

Quick question: we're having gammon Christmas Day and, although I got the smallest, it's big for us four. I'm thinking Christmas dinner, then cold with jackets and salads on the Saturday and in a risotto on the Sunday. I still don't think that'll use it up though but it won't keep longer. What can I do with it? Other than make doing qty risotto and freeze (which I will do!).

Gammon, egg & chips? I low carb so I'd just eat it with coleslaw. Slice & freeze for January if there's loads.

Spotty a ham and leek pie, or chopped up to jazz up a Mac n cheese?

Lilac chocolate suicide sounds awesome!

It's my birthday today and I have been spoilt with vouchers and enough reading material to last me six months! Spent £20 on lunch bits and last minute Christmas stuff like napkins.

Happy Birthday,574EJones

£1.75 on a lovely carrot cake from Lidl. Just enjoyed a slice with a cuppa, whilst watching my favourite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" .

Happy birthday jones!

Fluffy can I just slice and freeze? That would be preferable.

Yep, just freeze in portions.

NSD & my pillows got refunded & eBay gave me a free returns label.

Thanks fluffy

Bil has bought me and dh dominos. Dh has gone to get it. Yum!

Gammon will keep up to a week because it's salted. I cook one most weeks for sandwiches or making quiche & it's never gone bad on me.

I thought I didn't need to buy many groceries €102.49 in aldi! And that's only 4 toilet rolls cos I prefer lidls but was too tired to go there. Very few things left to buy will do on way to see Santa tomo & using vouchers for lunch.

Didn't buy Brussels sprouts, hoping dh wont notice until its too late. Must post 30 Christmas cards €20 for stamps.

My lovely DH braved Aldi this am to do our Christmas food shop while I cleaned (I totally got the best deal with that).

Did have spends on hot chocolates all round for £20 but I got paid on Friday and it was within our 'festive' budget - we're trying to have nice experiences rather than buying more stuff for Christmas as our rented flat is tiny and this was the first nice Christmassy thing we have done.

Last min Christmas bits today, making my head ache trying to think what I spent!

Right

£3 on some posh conditioner for my mum (on offer)
£6 on some socks for sil
£6 on a scarf for sil
£1 on some Christmas knickers

£6 in superdrug on toiletries
£6 on a mug for secret santa gift
£6 on a game of chocolate Russian Roulette for my brothers evil

Also £4.70 on a milkshake and hot chocolate

Lots of things cost £6 today!!

Total £38.70 which is actually better than I thought and the good news is I am now done had a couple of friends drop round with gifts for me and dd which I felt slightly bad about as I hadn't got them anything. I have kept it very much immediate family this year.

£30 on a taxi, which was not as bad as I was expecting it to be.
£7 on toiletries in boots

Xmas shopping still didn't happen but might end up spending less than I thought and that should be more than covered by tax credits that get paid in on Monday.

Not a LSD but not as high a spend as I feared.

Managed to do Xmas food shop in Sainsbury from leaving home to back again in hr n half by going late afternoon ds1 4yrs didn't moan once n ds2 4weeks slept the whole experience.

Spent £65 but had a £4 50 off £30 spend from buying nose,drops for baby from pharmacy counter (cheeky buggers tried to make me buy the calpol version off shelf at £4 when they sell a plain bottle from counter for £1! )

Also had £40 in nectar points so used those

Husband works nr aldi so will get the fresher bits Mon or Tue like cream, milk, fruit n bread.

Today should be a nsd. Dh left for work at 6:45 I'm going to blanch and freeze my parsnips and because my red cabbage dd is going to the village children's Christmas party later, ds is too little.

Spendy day yesterday. Forgot about work colleagues pressies, treat for Dh for promotion, and top up bits until shop on 23 rd. £70
Got a Chinese last night to watch strictly with friends. We took desert and drinks ( see sainsbo) so they paid for the Chinese. It's good having lovely friends.
£5 in the charity shop.
£16 in Morrison's
£17 in the butchers
£6 co- op

Hopefully NSD today if I avoid the range shop as going to a soft play party near my nearest one. Will be bankrupt next year when one opens in my town.

collie - that sounds lovely. I walk the dogs at a council owned but out of the way stately home and grounds (we live quite rurally anyway), so it's always quiet. Sometimes have the place to myself. It restores my sanity sometimes

Managed to be a NSD yesterday, despite having my fruit and vegetable delivery as that was already paid for.

DF's birthday do at ours, but DSM brought most of the food (we have a large house, it makes sense to cater here). I made a vegetable and chickpea curry and bought the cheeses mid week from Aldi, which were absolutely delicious.

Today, last £10 spent on the lego movie for nephew.

Quite moved by DMIL yesterday. We bought her a Tower of London Poppy for her birthday. Remembering the fallen means a lot to her. She rang me in tears, she was so moved. Somehow, that meant a lot to me.

Looking at all the posts, it is SUCH a spendy time isn't it?

Was supposed to be going to the pantomime today and then out for a meal with the Pony Club, but DD has been poorly all week and was sick in the night. I am actually starting to get worried about her, she's rarely ill, can't remember when she was last at the doctors, but this cold has knocked her for six, says her ears are all bunged up too.

Welcome rafa

Yesterday
20/12
£9 family bus pass - took the DCs to see Santa at work, which was free. Resisted DCs' pleas for macdonalds/cookie etc and went straight home via the park.
£30.99 pizza delivery (only really because we were incredibly tired and disorganised, but I think it might become a tradition for when we put the tree up!)
£65.19 Tesco, this included lots of treaty stuff for the holidays and some chocolate as presents too.

Nsd, been to Christingle service this morning and dd had her swim lesson this afternoon.

Watching the lion, the witch and the wardrobe now and wrapping presents

£12.50 on toothbrush heads BUT I love cashback is doing £10 cb on tesco.com and its tracked so only £2.50 really.

The offer ends tonight though.