Join the Fantastic Frugaleers for a February full of frugality

[northender]

Shiny new thread ready for Sunday. Newbies very welcome. This is a wonderful thread full of encouragement and support

NSD although DH bought some dishwasher tablets from the local shop. They look a bit rubbish too! Just wondering what to do for DD's first birthday. House is too small for a lot of toddlers plus parents but hiring somewhere would cost money. Hmmm, need to think about it.

We held a picnic at the park for DD's first birthday, but it was June so perhaps more feasible!

I'm just C&Ping a post from my thread on home ed, as somebody might know - because if we do home ed hopefully we can find a childminder for one or two days a week so I can keep my job:

In the past we've used the childcare voucher scheme, and I'm wondering would we still be able to do this for childcare used during school hours? Or would it not be eligible because technically we don't have to use paid childcare as we could send them to school for free... IYSWIM?

We didn't do anything for ds' first birthday I'd been in hospital for a week really ill.

We tried to have a party for eldest but most of the guests ended up being ill so was just a waste of food really! Stuff that worked well for us was just having a few friends to play, then family birthday tea at grandma's (much bigger!) house when convenient.
DH missed both our girls first birthdays unavoidably working away as well. Something always seems to go awry!

To be honest I'd be quite happy to have a family day out somewhere and a cake but we've been invited to so many that I feel we should reciprocate. It's just not realistic to have loads of toddlers in our house. A picnic would be lovely and the weather might be ok in March (it was lovely when she was born!) but it's a gamble incase it rains. I might find out how much the local church hall would cost for a couple of hours.

Our local village hall is £25 for half a day so you might get something cheap. It's the food which adds up though!

£25 is doable! I'm happy to do some cooking. Would parents expect alcohol at a kids' daytime party do you think?

No they wouldn't tea and coffee maybe a nice soft drink

That would be much cheaper, thanks

Church halls are normally really cheap, I paid £10 on hour for dds party, I did own food just sandwiches and a basic buffet, 1 yr olds will prob just want to run around but if you find a church hall that does a play group you may be able to use some of their play equipment.

I think I have finally had a nsd - yay!!

MissA that def looks like an infection to me, I would think antibiotics and ibrufen would help.

Right must get off mn as have to do some tidying up and getting ready for the bday girl in the morning!!

574 - we just got a new washing machine. A Bosch, rated A+++ and we even got a topcashback amount of £7.35 back. Also possibly £30 back if ao.com honour their promise of giving a cash back for any kitchen appliance bought over £349. It is vvvv quiet. I'm running the service wash now and I can't hear it. I'm in the kitchen and it's just behind me. Quite eerie because I had completely forgotten it was on, and I turned around to put something in the dishwasher and the machine was sloshing water and spinning.

Spent £2 on parking but spent the whole afternoon with friends at their place eating and the kids had a nice play. All in all a pretty decent weekend.

Not quite sure what we are eating on each day, but this is what I have at the moment:
Chili con carne x2
Chicken curry
Fish and chips (frozen)
Tuna pasta bake
Chicken noodles

MissA I can't see the photo as am on the app but it sounds more like an infection.

I've just remembered there's a whole load of washing in the drier that needs folding including DD's school uniform. I'm exhausted though and have actually just got into bed I'm just going to have to shake it out in the morning and put it on her!

Aiming for three nsd in a row from tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Girlie, I hope your DD has a lovely birthday.
Hope you are ok MissA.
So much for researching party venues, I'm watching rubbish tv!

NSD - but looking like being a bit spendy tomorrow. Some bills to pay, our share of a hall hire for a party and some wool.
home made jaffa cakes went down well with brother as did offer to knit him a scarf so I'm feeling quite good about that.
Tired of working in the evenings though - just logging on for the evening and would rather be in bed...

fuzz I have no idea really, but I pay my childminder for wraparound care with the childcare vouchers, does homeschooling have to stick to the same hours as school??

£20 in toysrus on a couple of party presents and 2 loom band looms and lots of bands from £9.99 to 99p! Kids happy...but now expecting us to teach them how to do it, been trying to copy youtube and failing. Wondering when the craze will finally leave this house.

Also £20 for a 2nd hand bike for dd. hopefully her old one will fetch £8-£10. Ds needs a new one too, so will look 2nd hand for him and sell his old one. They hardly use them so I'm not buying new.

pointless I've been to many parties where the parents get nothing. However, it's nice to put out tea and coffee, or even a bottle of water/coke/lemonade and some posh crisps/box of biscuits.

So, confess. Spendy day. £75.05 on everything I need to finish DS's blanket (which he has been optimistically asking for for ages!).

Unfortunately I had vouchers to spend £50 but they don't work online so my planned discount did not happen.

It will keep me busy the rest of the month though!

Pass nope home ed doesn't have to stick to school hours :) it's more that I guess the childcare voucher scheme is for parents who need childcare to work - whereas I'd be choosing not to send them to school, IYSWIM?

Anyway I've emailed the local family information service so fingers crossed I'll get a reply at some point! :)

8/2
£2.99 sequel to a maths game on iPad for the DCs (mystery math - really recommend it) - except so far it doesn't load :(
£91.14 tesco - huge amount of fresh stuff for batch cooking
£4.54 DH took DD to the nature park and cafe
£2 pocket money for DD

Tomorrow will be spendy as I'm taking my friend for lunch as a birthday treat (I missed her actual birthday as I was ill) - looking forward to a nice meal though!

(By the way it's mystery math town/museum games not the other ones that come up! DCs love the town one)

NSD

Gave my ds1 an extra €12. For his trip.
€2 for ice creams!

Thanks all it doesn't feel hot just sore and hard to bend my fingers. A different matron at work now says chilblains! Dr tomorrow in any case.

Cooked a delish casserole of roasted squash,red onion, garlic, 2 x tin tomatoes, butter beans, carrots and potatoes plus paprika and parsley, everyone wolfed it down.

Have been offered a nicer house by work (I live in work accommodation) but it will cost to move plus new curtains etc as ours don't fit, not sure whether to got for it.

Well, the weekend away for my DSis's birthday was NOT frugal. I'm not even going to say how much it cost (we were paying for ourselves plus Dsis and DM). It came in just under the budget limit I'd mentally set myself, and we can pay it, but I still feel a bit sick. I might feel different if I'd enjoyed it, I suppose, but I was feeling so ill and just wanted to be home in bed - I only coped by taking the maximum dose of ibuprofen and hitting the next dose as soon as the packet instructions would let me. I have a hellish week at work this week too - hoping at least it will be frugal and hellish.

fuzz, I don't think anyone polices the childcare voucher scheme - you can get them as the working parent if the other parent is a SAHP (I know because I did for a while!). I don't see why it would be a problem using them in school hours.

Morning.

Mystic Thank you for the recipe again I will let you know how they go down.

Should be LSD, although I NEED coffee (none in the house AAARGGHH) and probably cereal, the latter is annoying, as DS has chomped his way 3 boxes since Thursday.

I need to meal plan too, but have a rough idea what we will be eating this week, definitely mince tonight, although I haven't decided in what form, probably chilli.

MissA How about a pros and cons list for your house?