Don't Panic, December is frugal this year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD = no spend day
LSD = Low spend day

DH is really good to his guys. He's given them all decent pay rises throughout the recession. Good bonus each year, shares all the Christmas goodies that arrive from suppliers, including M&S vouchers and Jack Daniels this year and will give them all £100 cash tomorrow (which I know is strictly 'wrong', but he cares about them). I think it's crap when other employers don't have respect.

What the employees don't see is the stress and hard work 70+ hours a week and travelling the world take out on him, how tired he gets, and how wearing being responsible for essentially paying other peoples mortgages is sometimes. He's bi-polar too, I am immensely proud of him sometimes.

Spends, not too bad. Hair cut for DD, balance on the goose (our contribution to Christmas Day, never had it before!), small top up from Morrisons. I'll report fully tomorrow.

The horse box passed it's MOT with nothing much to do, miracle!! I get the bill tomorrow though....

My New Year resolution re cash. Plan better. More 'pots' for expected but annual payments. Made good strides in the last few months, thanks to this thread.

spotty So you didn't really get a pay rise then? Crap, that is..

Despite all publicised glitches, Morrisons delivered on time, with no subs, on apparently the busiest shopping delivery day of the year.

I work for the NHS - no payrise for me and def no Christmas bonus I love my job but it would be nice to feel appreciated sometimes!! Although saying that the patients have been very generous with the tubs of choccies this year

Well I got it back dated to July and it was £28 it came with a letter about how delighted they are to award our hard work etc.

£46.24 tesco delivery. No crackers for cheese available, dh will go get some

Sounds like everyone's pretty much ready for Christmas eexcept for the iPod purchase!

I finished work today until Jan 7th. Left work at 3, spent just over 2 hours in town with the children in tow & finished our Christmas shopping.

Got some dominos pizzas vouchers for 2 families with teenagers, an added bonus was a free voucher for a large pizza for ourselves!!

Was spendy but productive & next 3/4 days will be lsd and nsd. Tomorrows dinner out will be almost covered by vouchers.

Also used a €30 voucher in fruit & veg shop and got two wreaths for graves, brussel sprouts, 4 pink lady apples, 7 granny Smith, 8 kiwis, bunch fresh thyme, bunch fresh sage & a tray of red delicious apples. The fruit & veg came to €10 which is great value, I think in New year I'll switch my fruit & veg shopping to there rather than supermarket.

cremeegg where in Ireland are you headed? I'm in Kerry

girlie I'm nhs sort of. Doctors surgery but partnered so a bit different. We got 37 boxes of chocolates/biscuits though which was enough for everyone, apart from the drs they don't deserve any

£20 on the last few presents so not too bad. That's it now until boxing day, which will be spendy due to unavoidable taxi costs. After that I'm going to try to be much less spendy for a while. Except for the cost of renewing my passport.

I'm NHS too, girliefriend. Have one more point to the top of my band I think so will get a payrise this year but that's it.

£100 asda delivery, included a free "do they know it's Christmas"

Nsd's due until at least the 28th...

My pay rise comes in jan, along with my interview to see if I get made redundant or not. People under a certain scp got £100 bonus this month, not me as I am paid "too much" (though it certainly doesn't feel like it on part time hours)

Spendy days so far! Yesterday left the south to come up north. Spent £20 at lunch at a motorway station. Dinner was at my cousin's which is great. We are staying here too.

Today, spent £5 for parking for national trust park. £22 for lunch, £37 for dinner. Argh!! But dh says, this is our holiday, and we aren't paying for Christmas turkey etc (well we did do that last weekend but that was also for a group of people).

£3.75 on oil & toothpaste in tesco plus gift bows

It's really hard to be frugal this time of year.

Some Christmas presents went on the credit card today but that is it now - no more spends on the card unless it is an emergency.

£30 in Asda on debit card on FIL & GMIL xmas presents
£6.58 on a sparkly top & a jumper dress in a charity shop

Really need to update my spreadsheet but can't face it

Thanks girlie DD seems a lot better, the DCs were mucking about almost as much as usual so I think it was just because of coughing. I'm keeping a close eye on DS though as he's got a horrible cough too. I've cancelled travelling in the morning and instead my dad is going to pick us all up when DH finishes work, which has the added bonus that he doesn't have to get the train down later. The DCs and I are going to have an easy morning but I've got to do lots of last minute stuff that I couldn't do today due to being exhausted and DD being extremely clingy!

23/12
£59.60 tesco - a lot of this was drinks and freezer food! It's amazing not having to get the actual Xmas food.

DH spent a lot though as he had to pick up the giftcards etc because I couldn't. He twitched a bit too bless him :o

LSD today, just a bit of milk and another trip to the park with DS. Last gift to wrap and the some sausage rolls to make, then it'll be nothing till Monday I think. We're just going to enjoy the break.

Yesterday was more spendy than I thought. Swapped the creme fraiche in Aldi but ended up getting 4 pairs of kids gloves for DS @ £1.99 for 2 pairs, he seems to have managed to lose all his so with the cold etc he needed them. Then £6 in asian supermarket for bits and pieces that will see us through till Monday.

It is hard to be frugal at this time of year but we are managing to do it simply because we have to at the moment. We are astounded at how much we managed to waste in past years and we're not going to repeat that.

Dh will come home with massive tin of Quality Street today from his work which I'll be trying to stop DS raiding for the next 2 weeks. He definitely thinks chocolate is a valid diet option now!

I actually want to get into the New Year and feel like a fresh start spending wise. Just seems like every day there's something (multiples, usually) that needs to be bought for Christmas. I feel a bit out of control, even though it's all recorded etc.

I bought the Aldi gloves too for DD. She's renowned for losing gloves everywhere, so I bought 4 pairs (2 for £1.99), split them up into singles, wrapped and popped into her stocking as a joke! But, fills the stocking too

Cinema later as our Christmas eve family treat. Used to be annual, but having two puppies in two years meant we haven't done it for the last two years and the DC want to go as a family, which is nice, given their teenage years.

So many Xmas crappy bugs around. Such a long term. Or, it seemed to be to me anyway!

DH has also maxed the CC to the extend that I have had to pay some off. He decided to book all next months flights without telling me. Obviously the CC spends are higher from me at this time of year (paid off monthly via dd, but not due out till 24th). Putting £5k on the card sent it steaming!! It's expenses, but he should have told me so I could have notified them.

Should be NSD today. Actually won't be tomorrow as I have to give friend some cash to cover the joint presents we bought! Must check I have enough as obviously I can't use my card - couldn't order a new one because of DD being ill (both DCs seem fine today though thank goodness)

Also having a panic that I've only got a week's worth of sertraline left. I don't think the dr put it on repeat as we were just trialling it. Fuck! Got to phone the doctor. Among all the other stuff I need to do - still got a few bits to wrap and finish packing. Just procrastinating majorly ATM!

Wrapped my last bits. Need to just tidy up a bit.

Collected horse box. £600. Bollox, hadn't budgeted for that much. Then £85 to fill it, although it's not been filled for 2 months in fairness.

January will be extremely tight for us all, we best all support each other

the DC want to go as a family, which is nice, given their teenage years.

That's sweet :) we have a relatively new tradition of cinema + meal in the Xmas holidays and I love that my teen/adult DSCs still enjoy it even when it has to (due to young DCs) be a children's film. Don't know how we will fit the cinema in this year though as two out of three DSCs are working, and DH now works FT. We are doing Sunday brunch as the meal (they're staying round on Saturday for presents/quiz etc) but then they are working. Might transfer the cinema bit to next month as we are all desperate to see big hero six anyway :)

Well, two frugal things fuzz. Just decided, given the cost of the horse box MOT that we will have a takeaway instead, as the cinema will cost £32. Although, we have CHOSEN to see Penguins of Madagascar!!

We've been paid. Changed tack. Always record everything we spend but instead, split the whole disposable income, after bills, into 'pots'. Included savings for birthdays next year, holiday, school trips, Xmas 15, petrol, pony, food, insurance/tax etc. Haven't left much as misc spending, but will see.

Cinema is ludicrously expensive isn't it! This year we've got clubcard ones though - £10 worth of points for the four of us. DSCs all have unlimited cards (one of which we pay for because she sometimes babysits :o) so that cuts it down too. We have gone to Pizza Hut in the past but can't afford that on the weekend as the buffet is the only way we can manage it for 8 people! Breakfast at the harvester is good and cheap though.

Penguins film looks fun :o we were planning to see paddington!

I'm trying to work out how best to manage finances next year. I think the main things will be a proper food budget - which crucially will include the 'nipping to shops for milk' type thing - and DH recording his spends as I already do.

£8 for fake tan and nail varnish because I forgot mine. We're in hotel for Christmas but I'm still on the wagon.

£20 fuel too.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Fell off the thread, prob due to excessive Christmas spendign but that's done now, had to nip out for extra wrapping paper today as I ran out! Looking forward to chilling out tomorrow and Boxing Day, even this eve will be relatively relaxed once dinner is made (chicken, sweet potato and leek curry, yum!)

Merry Christmas all!

Merry Christmas to all of you - see you on Boxing Day!

Nsd - last day at work till 6th of Jan am so ready for a break!!

All ready for the big fat man in red now I think

Tomos should be another Nsd and probably the day after that as well....

Merry Christmas Frugaliers - hope you all have a lovely Christmas