Don't Panic, December is frugal this year.

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD = no spend day
LSD = Low spend day

£15 pizza for dinner. Dh bought costa.

Just waiting for my stuffing to finish cooking. I'm knackered!

Hope you're feeling better MissA!

HOORAY - today was an NSD with respect to the "everything else" budget

£59 was spent on petrol

£199 on a Fridge Freezer which was reduced in Very's sale from £349 and is being delivered on Tuesday (this is being paid for out of DH's Xmas bonus)

Was going to say NSD but then remembered I put £1 in the church collection at the crib service. Not sure whether to put the £1 I'm going to put in for midnight mass tonight under today or tomorrow. Might do it today and make tomorrow a NSD

£50 on Chinese delivery for 5 and 2 kids. ...dps dad gave us the money and we are in the process of trying halfheatedly to give it back

Nsd tomorrow

Woohoo, NSD :) spoiled with a lovely roast at my mum's, spent the evening arranging presents and, as seems to be traditional, building playmobil :o

I'm quite horrified at how much the DCs have although I know it's less than last year (and even less than the year before). I think it's just that we had to fit it all in dad's car along with bedding, clothes etc! Oh well. I love giving them plenty of lovely things - it doesn't happen the rest of the year!

Ah, I'm finally hearing sleepy noises from DD. At long bloody last. DH can fill her stocking now.

A huge HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all my frugal friends :)

NSD here today, but spent £106 in the supermarket yesterday, and then remembered that we hadn't bought anything for a dear old friend so spent another £20 on a bottle of something nice for him. Glad this Christmas spending malarkey is now over - this has been a seriously expensive month. Should be no spending at all till the weekend, and then we're planning to take DD to see Paddington.

Happy Christmas everyone !

Merry Christmas people!

Penguins of Madagascar was enjoyed by myself and DD, DS and DH, less so!!

Very strange morning. We are not doing Christmas, so DH is downstairs having a cuppa then taking dogs out, DC still asleep, I am in bed!!

Plan to walk to farm to feed the pony, then open pressies after that. So relaxing but I miss the excitement of small DC.

Let's steer a tight frugal ship together now the VERY spendy bit is nearly over.

I meant Dsil is doing the meal, my last post seemed a bit obscure!

Happy Christmas to my fellow frugaleers xx

EElectricity bill pinged into my email at 12.30am!! Same last year!

Happy Christmas my fellow frugaleers!

First email this Christmas day - electricity bill1

I was wondering needastrongone sounded like ye weren't celebrating at all!!

I'm very disorganized this morning everything is hours behind possibly cos I knew everything could be put together quickly!! And did nothing.

£77 on bedding but I've got a £75 cheque off plus net to bank to cover it.

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas everybody .

NSD today. Yesterday was about 23 euro and the day before about 60 euro in Ireland and about £19 in the UK, while travelling.

Fluffy did you get uggs?!

Happy Christmas lovely frugaleers!

NSD today. Yesterday spent at an outlet on jeans for dh £23 and wrapping paper and cards for next year £4 (m&s and v posh!). Baking stuff £13. Refill for reed diffuser £5. Dinner £30. Lunch £22. This is our holiday. This is our holiday (repeat).

Ugg gloves to match my boots.

Merry Christmas everyone! Catered for dps parents today and I have a ton of food left over, equivalent of a turkey breast and a big pile of gammon, cheese board, xmas pudding, cream, fruit flan....we are home just one more day so I'll be freezing some turkey for curries and fajitas I think. Also have a ton of wine, biscuits and chocs galore (bought and presents). Dp will make headway on them but the amount is crazy imo. ...his parents always bring wine/biscuit/sweets contributions but as I can't preempt what's coming I have twice as much.

Nsd

Lovely, I bet they're really cosy

Morning everyone! Hope you all had a great day yesterday - putting all thoughts of money aside for one day at least!!

I've drawn the short-straw and am up with dd and her cousins so whilst they tuck into cornflakes I thought I'd start thinking ahead to 2015...starting with a mini-review of this year to date. Feel free to add your own!

greatest achievements

• ending the year with £1200 in savings. This was my goal at the beginning of the year and I've done it! We are still waiting to see if our mini-fix of the roof stands up to winter storms otherwise this money will have to be spent on another solution.
• selling 45 items for £367! My aim was 60 items for £300. I have almost exclusively used local Facebook selling. I will continue to sell next year but may struggle to find anything else to get rid of!

must do better

• spending too much money on meals out, holidays etc. DH and I disagree to some extent on money attitude and he (perfectly within his rights) wants to spend money on enjoying ourselves with friends and family whereas I could be quite unsociable and miss out on things if left to my own devices. I think we have quite a good balance but we do need to introduce an element of planning for example setting aside a monthly budget.

favourite frugal habits

• checking bank balance daily really helps me to stay in control of finances and I check back to the same day of the month before to see if we're better or worse off!
• coin sweeping to the nearest £ to my savings account every day.
• swapping my main shop to Aldi. I know it's been said a hundred times but Wowzer - what a saving!

bad habits

• buying lunch or breakfast because of being disorganised - no excuse! I need to stock up on so be healthy things to keep at work. It's not good for waistline or purse!
• buying wine and beer for the weekend - see comments above!

best bargains

• saving over £100 on car insurance
• garden bistro set reduced from £70 to £17
• £150 wedding dress!

awful waste of money

• buying a ticket to London from the station - £70 instead of about £20 in advance.
• emergency new tyres from ATS - 2 for £190 instead of about £120 at my local garage.

spending aspirations for 2015

• new pillows. Ours are so flat and squashed they only fill about 63% of a pillowcase!
• new jeans. Mine are baggy, shapeless and at least 5 years old.

I love it sixforgold
I'm going to try your coin sweeping & going to do the same with my personal bank account to nearest € also.

Today or tomorrow I will do the same for 2015, the Facebook selling is one we spoke about yesterday, everything thats in kids playroom will be photographed on way to attic & advertised in stages afterwards. They've received a full playroom of stuff & there's more to come yet. Have this [[http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7190425/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+and+furniture%7C14417894/Trail/searchtext>CHILDRENS+STORAGE.html] children's storage]ordered from Argos & if its not a standalone item or fits into this or a bookcase they don't need it!!

Sorry posted too quickly will be selling stuff belonging to us too. Decluttering is a priority as well as debt reduction.

I've personally cleared €3k of debt since May this year, eliminated one catalogue account I would like to clear €6k plus next year, clearing both credit cards being first priority.

Great idea six. Hope you don't mind if I follow your format

Firstly, spent £10 yesterday on a taxi home from SIL's after a fabulous Christmas Day. Never been so chilled and relaxed. Slightly tipsy by the end of the day and after party games, but a lovely day. NSD today as we are going to my brothers.

Also started being frugal mid year, so still learning!

greatest achievements
Getting and keeping on top of the finances
Slashing the food budget, and stopping so many 'top up' shops.

must do better
getting to the week before pay day and thinking we a doing ok, so splurging.
planning for known expenses such as MOT's, tax, holidays etc, but hopefully my new method of splitting our wage will help.

favourite frugal habits
using money saving websites.
getting my fruit and vegetables delivered from the local market, brilliant for me,

bad habits
not being frugal when I should be!
DH not buying into the idea and going wild!!
M&S food shopping

best bargains
walking into M&S when they had just reduced all their food and walking out with a trolley of food for a few quid.
Need a year for this topic I think!!

waste of money
the bloody pony

spending aspirations for 2015
being able to live from the paid monthly wage, rather than using DH's dividend, which is substantial to be fair and he's been in the position to pay one every year since he started, but isn't guaranteed income, and I need to stop thinking of it that way.
Agreed, new pillows, duvets etc. Ours are ancient and dreadful.
Having 'pots' of money for everything, even if notional.

Lastly, first frugal (sort of) win for 2015.

DH bought me two beautiful coats for Christmas, from Joules. This was thoughtful, as I have tatty old dog walking coats and a thin summer blazer type thing which was a tenner from ASOS, but nothing else. He refuses to do frugal at Christmas. I love both, but need a size 6 (very generous sizing at Joules, I am slim, but not tiny I would say). I knew the sale started pre Christmas as I had an email, so I have ordered online, same coats, and saved £150.