Frugal February continued....

[SpottyTeacakes]

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£21 yesterday on lunch. It was payday so treated dh to lunch in posh tea rooms near my office. Afternoon tea (and chips) for lunch. Lovely.

£10.50 refund from amazon. Signed up to prime. Free next day (or 2 day) delivery to Channel Islands my arse. Ordered gift for 3rd birthday. Supposed to arrive on Wednesday. Nothing. No tracking. Nothing. Had to re buy gift. Complained yesterday to amazon as other items due to arrive next week arrived (so no probs with post etc) they just refunded. Got home last night after the birthday party amazon box outside my door. So now I'll have to send back I suppose (or keep and gift to someone else).

Damn. Just went to find our cineworld clubcard tokens to print them and realised they expired already :( that's £10 of clubcard points wasted! We still have two adult ones that we can use but we will have to pay now for the DCs to see Big Hero Six. Thankfully they offer discount for TasteCard holders so that will help.

And I'm trying to find our travelodge eVoucher and can't...

FRUGAL FAIL x2! :(

Oh actually I found the travelodge voucher on the other email account.

Expires soon though. Thinking of taking the DCs away for a night somewhere nearby, it can be on a weeknight now since they aren't at school anyway!

Fuzz, ask tesco to re-issue them or cineworld to help. Their not losing anything.

I'd keep the free parcel and see what happens.

Good luck missA.
B&W I'll def show DH your blog, he'll love it. He finds it quite easy to fit in making a loaf around other things as he can leave it proving while he goes off and does a few jobs. He can't wait to teach DD when she's bigger!
Did someone ask about survey sites yesterday? I do Ipsos surveys and collect points, I get a ten pound voucher for Amazon or John Lewis roughly every 2 months but I could get more if I remembered to do the surveys more often. I've also registered with Saros and they pay for focus groups but you can only do about 2 a year. I got paid £70 for 2 hours last time.
mummylion that is amazing, well done!

bread, looks yummy!!

mummylion - Fab savings there, just shows doesn't it? I have only good things to say about M&S banking, we've been with them a couple of years now.

Thanks all again for your kind thoughts. DH is home. Tired, shaken but home. Didn't stop the git going into work from the airport 'just checking' everything was ok. They all bollocked him and grassed him up to me!! His perspective has changed at the minute to 'live for the day'. He thinks he won a massive contract while out there, so some small comfort for going through that. Not so much now to be fair, but maybe a few months down the line when the money rolls in!

I'll post a picture after this post of the car, I'm on the laptop. Chilling and I must admit to bursting into tears when he showed me it.

Spends today will be £10 for DS hair cut. £15 for pony food, maybe an extra £4 for hay. We have cancelled plans to go out tonight. I'm cooking for tea, just deciding between chicken or pasta.

£6 haircut for dd
£4.something on two cards and a roll of paper (I was really good and went to the paper shop instead of between the lines which is £££ but does lovely cards)
£5 something in tesco getting ingredients for a cake

The car that DH was travelling in. Makes you appreciate what is important, if nothing else. I know others were not so lucky, which still makes me so sad.

Wow! Glad he came out of that unscathed.

Haven't been on for a few days, will try to catch up properly later. Hope everyone's had a good, frugal half term.

We've not done too badly, I've worked my usual 3 days plus last Saturday so that has helped. Dh has been off with the dc and has done a couple of trips out but nothing too spendy.

Dd and I have been in a church panto for the last couple of nights (last show tonight) so that has taken up quite a bit of time but not spendy and great fun. Dd has a main role and has really shone in it. It's lovely to see her in the limelight and loving it. She has been having a hard time at school lately (not fitting in, no close friends) so drama is a great outlet for her.

bantam well done on your continuing FA cup adventure . I'm a little bit envious after our close call on Monday. Taking the lead was amazing, the atmosphere was fab and what can I say, every one of their goals was questionable. Never mind, ds and I had a great night, back to the important stuff of League one today.

Holy moly need!

Have just spent £46 in coop on groceries. We made a list. We stuck to it.

Need to buy fruit & veg but will get that during the week at the market.

Just spent an eye watering £7 on earl grey tea. Sigh. Should have checked before I bought it. I will use it. We did need it. But still. £7 for 200 teabags.

Next time will buy online.

Going riding today so £30 there and out tonight for friends birthday drinks. I may drive so will save money.

Hello everyone,

Just came across this thread, I am TERRIBLE with money, really I am. If I have it, I MUST spend it.

I am married, we have 3 children DD1 16 yrs old this yr, DD2 12 yrs old this yr and DS will be 4 yrs old this yr. We have 3 horses, 4 cats, an Alaskan Malamute and a Spanish Mastin, 2 pet mice and I think that's it lol. I am a SAHM who trained as a nurse but had to drop out, but I am hoping to go back and restart in the next few years.
Anyway, looking forward to not spending as much as I do lol

Flipping heck need is he home now? I am not normally a religious person but things like do make you wonder if there is someone looking out for us.

Just spent £14.99 on Amazon, I am blaming mn as was inspired from one of the threads to buy a Davina workout dvd!! I bought last years one though so only cost £5 rather than this years one which is £12.99, hopefully might get me moving a bit

Also got a dvd for dd £3 and a cookbook for £6.99 - low sugar recipes.

No other spends today, although going out to a visitors centre later so may end up getting a cuppa in the cafe.

Welcome bunnie I imagine with 3 children and lots of animals the money must just disappear, it is bad enough with 1 child and 2 cats

Oh it certainly does, our Malamute Storm could eat his own body weight ( 55.60kg! ) in food if we let him, and it would all be chicken!!

Omg he looks like a cross between a bear and a wolf

Passed! DH bought me a burrito and a choc brownie to celebrate

OMG you have a pet bear! He's gorgeous.

Haha He is a big boy, great on the cold Scottish nights, who needs fluffy slippers!

Congrats to you, MissA!

Here’s a cheap, quick, satisfying meal using a yeast-risen batter (or a batter made with s/raising flour). I was amazed when I first made this, just how filling it is and how few ingredients are needed.

Just said goodbye to our lovely DD and our beautiful, cheeky, 17mth-old GS!

I sent them on their way with a large fruit soda bread which cost in total 61p:
300g S/r flour 9p
25g sugar 2p
300g sultanas 50p
200g water

Normally, I would have included mixed spice in there, but DD isn’t a fan. Took about 40 minutes in total.

And I would have used 150g of d/fruit to 300g of flour - but Oscar loves "'tanas"!

Welcome bunnie and what a beautiful dog you have.
Congratulations missA
NSD at last - hooray!!

Oh well done MissA bring on that practical test eh?.

Breadandwine.
Do you bake in oven or bread Maker? My mam makes soda bread brown in oven and a white one in a frying pan on hob!
I just don't think I d get use out of bread maker? Are they expensive?

It's been a bit spendy. Yesterday DS1 €25 for cinema and sleep over, brought ds2 for cake and hot chocolates as his midterm treat €10. And aldi shop €85. Pennys (primark) spent €27 on few clothes and school jacket for ds2. Had to get foundation and oilatum emulsifier for €36! And petrol €65 ??

Today paid colleague back for social club nite on Thursday next €14 for 3 course meal in fab restaurant (subsidise by s.c.).
Tonight going to cinema & pizza with friend!
We spent extra €45 as it's mid term which is half what we usually would. Plus I still have €45 in food budget till end of week and a lot of meat in freezer...

Girlie. It has taken all my will power not to buy that seven minute fit DVD (€22).

But I have plenty here. Also narrowly avoided joining lunchtime Pilates as I have DVD I never use!

I have wasted so much money on classes and gym memberships. I am awful for not getting use out of them!

Sorry for third post in a row but...

I am tracking all spending for a month & this tread has already helped me... In boots y.day I was trying to switch down from benefit pressed foundation compact to no7 one as difference of €16! When I nearly bought a day cream just so I would get the free gift worth (cough) €31.
But I realised I would have to write down my spending here! Besides I have rarely used the bloody freebies before!

So it does work being on here!!