Frugal January, everyone welcome.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Useful links.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2209167-Slow-Cookers-are-shit

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2224969-saving-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2258202-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-6-start-the-new-year-with-a-clear-purpose-and-keep-moving-forwards-even-by-tiny-steps?

orchard.tesco.com/ Sign up to this.

www.topcashback.co.uk/home And this.

www.quidco.com/home/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ditto.

www.checkoutsmart.com/ Plus this.

www.hotukdeals.com/all/deals/new?page=3 Check this daily.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Signing in! Thanks for new thread :)

Martin Lewis has a thing called Cheap Energy Club, or similar. You input your details and energy consumption, and the site finds the best tariff, based on the information. Then, you agree to a switch and they do the rest. Also, when your deal ends, or even if there's a better deal before that, they email you. Win win.

Thanks. I have swapped to Sky, the full package, including sports (DH) and movies (DC and me!). £54 per month (currently pay £80!) and £197 cash back. I know I could get cheaper without the full package, and may change if we don't use enough to justify, but it's hellish cheaper anyway for a year.

No mention of a MAC or PAC when I signed up!!!

Happy new year all!

I am going torts and stay with this thread this time!

Have got off to a good start so far as have just done a big shop and prepped ten meals for the freezer (only took and hour!) to reduce random shit we need ingredients for tonight's dinner spending!

Hi there
Just signing up with you all. Really need to watch our money this month. Great links, am just signing up to topcashback, it looks good thank you

Out of interest, how much do you spend per week on food? We are two adults and ds1 (17) and ds2 (12). I do a weekly online shop but always have to top up. I am convinced I can cut it by planning better

Cool. Just looked at n power and it looks a lot cheaper but there's a flag that they've had lots of comaints about them. Anyone got experience if them?

Thanks for the new thread, and Happy New Year, everyone.

Spendy day today - £37 on a haircut, and £10 on a new alarm clock as mine inexplicably broke this morning, making me late for work. But I did remember to make a packed lunch - hoping this is the start of a new good habit.

Chocolateteacake, Npower are appalling - the previous owners of our house were with them and we had huge problems getting shot of them. They read the wrong electricity meter and tried to bill us £750 for our first six weeks in the house - it took months to get them to admit they'd made a mistake. We're with Ecotricity now for elec and gas - they're not the cheapest but they are good. You get through to a human being when you ring up.

Next cheapest was sainsbos. Wonder if you get nectar points with that... One after that was edf energy.

Robin we pare with Ecotricity too and love them, they don't work out at massively more than we paid before with EDF, and I love love love them, their service is excellent. I'd happily pay a little more for that. Although what we have done is make a real effort to turn stuff off etc and bills have stayed the same roughly although the unit price may be higher.

EDF were ok. We had enormous problems with Scottish Power resulting in ombudsman etc, they are a fricking disaster and I'd rub sticks together to make fire to keep warm before going back to them.

Hello again - back soon

Hoping to join you all for a frugal 2015! Love the coin sweep idea - so simple and could save a fair few pennies over the year. Thanks for the heads up!

Happy New Year all.

Joining you as we desperately need to watch the pennies in January after spending more than we'd like over the Christmas period. Unfortunately two spendy days in a row - today spent £5 on bus, £5 taking DSS to a soft play centre, £12 on trousers as he's outgrown his, £8 on food and £8 on beer for tonight but DP spent his Christmas money on that. Tomorrow we're going for a meal to celebrate the new year with family so that'll be a spendy day too :/

Hopefully after 2nd we can start getting things reigned in!

Hey all, will be back again soon.
Going to coin sweep week days as it's not possible on my phone app and use pc daily at work. Have an account that I'll use for it too only other payment in or out is for playschool so set payments.

Hi fluffy thanks for starting a new thread and happy new year!!

Hello everyone...today and yesterday were NSDs which is great as will tomorrow,

Today, spent the day making gammon joint, and used up left over red cabbage and made a hash. Yums. Also decluttered kids books (so many!!!) and decluttered their craft table. So clean and tidy!!

Tomorrow going to friends for the afternoon so will bring the gammon. Will hopefully declutter the hallway of the shoes, hats and gloves.... And perhaps toys as well?!!!

Doing a home dye now. Frugal!! Have an email from salon to get it done in feb so I'll get it done then at a discount.

Happy new year all!!

mortil I average at £400 pm (2 adults, 2 dcs (5&6)). Could be lower but includes convenience foods for days we have minimal time, beer, posh snacks and cleaning/toiletries.

Had turkey fajitas today

Our budget for food is £75 a week. Two adults two dc (2&4) including nappies and cleaning stuff.

Martin's Energy Saving Club is amazing. Switched through them and then got an email after a few months to alert me to a better deal with same provider. Super easy to change tariffs.

I've posted today's spends on the old thread as it's still December :o

It did include a heat pump tumble dryer though! SO EXCITED!

And the fact that I've got to the end of December means that I've done two full months of writing down all my spends. Yay! Going to persuade DH to join me from tomorrow as I now have proof it's worthwhile. I'm also going to suggest coin sweeping but not sure if it works when in the red! Might do it with pocket change though being mindful of emergency bus fare money (do it on the app usually but in case of flat battery etc)

Anyway, happy new year to my fellow frugaleers :)

Now there is no way I'll make it to midnight so I'm going to bed :o

Just checked isa....but mistakedly logged onto an old account (I move every year) and found £50 in it! I'll be having that back thank you. ..when I work out how

Also finally managed to log onto dps club card account (they won't amalgamate) and he has £32.50 of vouchers. Happy days......just as I was feeling sorry for myself with the super long month.

Evening all, just marking my place for tomorrow x