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!

Will be NSD today as I've finally worked out something decent for dinner without needing to buy anything else.

Meal plan for next few days:

Spaghetti squash + roasted tomato and sausage sauce with chilli
Asian noodle soup
Veggie burgers, hm potato wedges, salad
Garlic and herb Nut roast, braised red cabbage, buttered swede with sage, mash

None of this will need any extra stuff bought in. I also need to find something quick and easy for Monday as I work from 08.45-11.15pm with a quick break for dinner.

Btw If anyone is low carbing, spaghetti squash might be a good alternative to pasta, you just slice them in half and roast and then when they're cooked, scrape the flesh out with a fork and it is all long strands like spaghetti. Gorgeous!

Has anyone linked to this thread?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/a2270804-batch-cookers-what-are-you-making#51707946

I think it's very relevant to our frugal discussions :)

Peonies where do you get your spaghetti squash? I've never been able to find one anywhere!

Hoping for an NSD here... Embarrassingly my first one this year, which is a bit shameful considering how well you lot have been doing!

Got a free coffee from Waitrose this morning, and I've a few bits to get later to do DH a good birthday breakfast tomorrow but I can get them from M&S and use the gift card we got when we switched our bank account. We said we wouldn't spend it frivolously, but breakfast is serious business

I've got some new Ralph Lauren jeans to sell.

I've just asked about a part time job. Man wants to meet me. 4/5 hours a week cash (I should declare it should I? If I get the job...) it would be on top of normal job.

avocado I get them from riverford, I usually watch out for their squash only boxes and get 2 about 3 weeks apart, each has 9 mixed squash in and usually 2-3 spaghetti squash in each. They keep for most of the winter if stored in a dark, cold place like garage or shed.

I have seen them in Waitrose, they do a section of mixed squashes and I've defo seen spaghetti squash in there (they're a beige-yellow colour and long oval, like an American football with smooth skin, a lot less exciting than most of the others which are all patterned and crazy!)

I also got a white patty pan squash that looked like a flying saucer and it was delicious it tasted so rich like it had cheese or butter in it when it was just roasted plain.

Spotty - you only need to declare it if it takes you above the tax/NI threshold for income I think.

It won't do. We get tax credits atm but they'll be stopping in April...

Right have had a good day I think

Took cat to the vets for a weight check as he lost a lot of weight over the summer, to my relief he has now put it all back on and added a bit more for good measure so that means no expensive blood tests or investigations. Weight check was free.

Then got petrol £30 and my Morrisons shop came in under budget £39 I got £6 off with vouchers and feels like I got tons of food for that. Being that its January stayed clear of biscuits, chocolate and crisps and bought lots of fresh stuff. Going to make some oat cakes once got back from school run.

My friend who had the baby at the wend is back in hospital as the baby lost 11.5% of birth weight sounds like the care she is getting is not that good either. Honestly it is no wonder so many mums give up bfing

You lot have inspired me to get some Fly boots that I have hardly worn out and sell them!!

Money in purse: £3.00 (was £8.30)
Money in bank: £263.58 (was £263.58)
Money in coin jar: £31.10 (was £35.50)
Available money decreased by: £9.70
Total remaining: £297.68
Days to payday 7

Spends since yesterday
£4.04 on groceries & budgie food
£0.06 to copper tin

£0.20 to my friend so she could buy a coffee from the vending machine (not enough change)
£2.30 for kid's bus fare
£3.10 unaccounted for...Not sure what this could be as £1 of it seems to be from my purse and £2 from the jar

Did an online shop today on Tesco for delivery tomorrow evening to use up the £15 code they sent. Even with that it still came in at £60.70 but that is for a full week's shop, so not too bad really but I think more expensive than Morrisons and probably a small top up shop midweek. I budget my groceries spend at £350 a month definitely savings to be made when I stick to a meal plan and shopping list!

Both DH and I previously had Natwest Credit Cards and they have written to us both to offer 4.9% life of balance transfers so I have a balance on a Tesco CC and a small one on a HSBC CC so I think I will transfer both balances to take advantage of that when the statements come rolling in.

I had a look at my Quidco account and there was £29.88 sat there waiting for me to claim it, so I have asked for it to be transferred to my account. It has practically paid for the FA Cup tickets.

I have to say, thank you for not berating me for being boring for posting to the penny where my money is going and how much I have left – I feel really in control now because of this. I'm even thinking now, that if we do get our glamour tie, that I'll actually be able to pay for the tickets in cash and not stick them on the credit card.

Tumble dryer arrived today :o :o :o

Have just spent the last hour listing things on ebay. Hopefully someone will buy. Otherwise they will be taken to the charity shop.

In hunting for things to sell I have also found a bag of EUR1 and EUR2 coins. Which apparently can be exchanged for GBP in the post office. Yippee!

have taken stock of toiletries (spurred on by arrival of boots vouchers in the post) and sadly (?) do not need to buy anything. Must have stocked up last time.

total money in bank account - £203.
total money in purse - EUR23, NZD45 GBP0.59

Heat pump tumble drier. It's the future.

£10 top up shop but £1.20 can be claimed back on checkout smart.
£3 salt and rinse aid.

Switched electric suppliers, £2 a month cheaper & £38 cashback which will pay one months DD plus nectar points.

Yy t control bantam, Quidco & tcb are great for paying for treats.

A house near me has had 13 solar panels fitted. I am seething with jealousy. I've got dh to agree to a woodburner but that won't happen for ages.

Work rang, they are not allocating the other jobs, they'll either be cut or downgraded (that we could apply for if so wished), completely contradicts the consultation that we went through for 3 months. Bit annoyed that there were 7 men, 4 women.....and 5 men got the job. How can that be right?

Anyway, spoke to boss, I'm paid in lieu of notice until end of March and so long as I don't get a job until then my redundancy is guaranteed (18weeks gross pay). Ideal scenario would be get a fancy new job starting just after Easter Hols, fingers x!

£7 something today in tescos, saved £22 on travel by being redundant

£1.89 spent today - 89p milk (for 4 pints in iceland) and £1 for a big bar of dairy milk . I've got around a tenner in my purse so account balance is intact and should remain so over the weekend.

Also £20 for the cleaner. I thought she wasn't due til next week so the house was a tip (we're in the middle of sorting dd's new bedroom out so furniture etc on the landing)

Ham, pepper and cheese omelettes for dinner with salad.

NSD here -

Im rocking lentils in bolognese/chillie and shepherds pie -big bad batch cook starting soon.

All the best pass

Due to my last minute interview (in an hour!) dc are having a small pizza I had in the freezer and we're having veg stir fry. I'll get do to make it when I'm on my way home. I've got noodles and veg and made my own sauce with soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, white wine vinegar, garlic and ginger.

So you'll get nearly 6 months pay, are you eligible for any benefits?.

Failed yesterday. Caved to requests for takeaway and wine - which would be fine if we had the grocery budget left for it, but we don't and so I dipped into our hard, hard-earned savings to pay for it. Really with myself. Couldn't sleep all night and felt rotten all day because of it. Feel such an idiot!

NSD today though :) And I've learned something. It's a marathon, not a sprint - especially in sodding January.

pass so sorry about that. If it helps, my BIL was made redundant a few years ago. He found work with a week of being made redundant, for more money, with 6 months salary tax free as his package. Think positive.

Good luck spotty for the interview.

I am rustling up veggie slices. To be had with home baked sweet potato slices. I need to batch cook too, either Friday or the weekend.

I love having so much veg and fruit in the house thanks to my market deliveries, as it makes rustling stuff up very easy indeed.

Sky has just been installed, so excited

Needed to leave ten minutes ago. Dh not home from work as roads are flooded

Benefits? I have no idea.....my redundancy is gross so will be more like 9 months pay

Dinner was leftover gammon scraps and onion crustless quiche, hm wedges and salad. Dp washed it down with about 20 celebrations.....oink oink

Oh no spotty! Good luck, hope you make it!