Marvelous Frugaleers - May the Money Magic Continue into June

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Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

By popular request - copied from January

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.

Freezer is empty! Bubble and squeak will be a winner what do you serve it with?

There's a girlcalledjack recipe - sardines with pasta and green beans, or her chickpea and tinned peach curry are both cheap favourites of mine.
Ssmoked salmon scraps are really cheap (around £1.25 for 150g in supermarkets) and nice mixed into pasta with cream cheese.

You could also have a mooch around the reduced aisles and see what inspires you. I got a bargain bit of beef the other say that I'm going to slow cook.

Fish and eggs are out unfortunately and no reduced stuff as all online. Thanks for reminding me about jack Monroe though I keep forgetting! Will browse her recipes later.

Free personalised & delivered Fathers Day card from Photosnap.

Just enter BESTDAD when checking out.

Found the deal on MSE and have ordered one for DH!

That's the Photosnap app

MissA we have insurance for our cat. I sometimes wonder if it would be more sensible to just put the money aside every month but since vet bills can run into thousands I'm not prepared to risk it, especially as our boy's getting on a bit!
£3.05 on a quick top up shop just some fruit and a kitkat to take with me on a school trip today - coach journeys always make me hungry!

MissA I have insurance for both my cats and so far have done very well out of them!! For my girl cat I have paid in about £36 and they have paid out nearly £600 to cover vet bills def worth it

However my boy cat have been paying into for 5 years and never had to make a claim, so swings and roundabouts I guess.

Just had a sausage roast for dinner with lots of veg and home made gravy, was really yummy.

Sporting thats so annoying about the school trip, I would have been so pissed off

Collie I know easier said than done but ime the best thing with food refusal is to be totally nonchalant about it (even if inside you are panicking/ stressing etc) if kids pick up on you feeling anxious it just makes it loads worse.

Keep offering and try and keep it relaxed would be my advice!

Spotty my go to cheap meal is veggie Bolognese, i always keep a bag of soya/quorn mince in the freezer and just add onion, a value tin of tomatoes and any other bits and bobs that i can find into it!!

NSD.

I would also say chill out on the eating - both my dd's went through a food refusal stage. dd1 is 6 and will now pretty much eat anything. dd2 is 3 and still an absolute nightmare. Some days will constantly eat but others barely at all. she is terrible with dinners/veg but I keep offering in hope that one day she will just start eating it. I do really praise and occasionally bribe her if she tries something new. I was told by hv before to look at their diet over a week when they are young not daily. so I feel better thinking she's had a varied week rather than looking at individual bad days.

anyhoo spendings £20 tesco on fresh food top-ups and pizza/buffet type dinner tonight. also bought a reduced toy for dd2 bday which she will love

We often have cold pizza for lunch in the summer in the garden. Can be pretty cheap but seems like a treat/nice picnic food.

In opposition to your ds collie my ds (2.5) has eaten crap all day

Bowl of Cheerios
Fruit pouch
Four mini jammy dodgers
Blueberries
Grapes
Raisins
Banana soreen
Six crackers with cheese
Yoghurt
A few vegetable crisps
Two breakfast biscuits
A big bowl of home made sausage spaghetti (with hidden veg!)
Four more mini jammy dodgers

he doesn't usually eat so many biscuits and sugary crap honest!

Collie you prob do already but home made lollies are always popular here!! My dd loves making eton mess with bashed meringue nests, chopped up raspberries or strawberries (get frozen ones to be ultra frugal) and mix with greek yogurt, some drizzled honey on the top for extra indulgence!!

Collie DS did exactly the same at 18 months. It lasted about a month - 6 weeks and then he just started eating again. I don't worry any more just let him get on with it, he won't starve even on days when his diet is junky :)

Collie when teething, DS always loved chilled melon slices or chilled cucumber sticks. He had a fantastic gag reflex, so I could give him raw carrots, but I know most people par boil then chill them.

I have insurance on all our pets. The company I use, I think it is Animal friends, is non profit making and it is really reasonable.

Spends today: lunch £4.60, I have almost run out of everything, as I tried not to shop before the new fridge arrived. Tonight £19 in Tesco on salad, cheese sauce (I can make it but was really late home), some reduced bread, a big pasta bake for Saturday as I have to work.

£5 for DD1's karate lesson. I paid £1,500 off my credit card bill in cash, £2,000 by bank transfer, so it is cleared. Unfortunately I don't gave a branch of my bank where I worked, so £5 charge to make the payment at HSBC. I wanted to pay it, rather than pay into Natwest, wait for it to reach RBS then pay it. £54 on diesel, which I can claim from work. Working in Winchester tomorrow.

£35 petrol
£15 sainsburys
£10 Led bulbs. These will be the ones that fit the light and are bright enough. Stupid fancy light fitting.

Anyone use british gas or sainsburys energy? we have stupidly low consumption, I pay £36 a month but the bill says £97 in debit. How does that work?. Theres no way we've used that much, it's like they aren't taking our payments in account. Roll on December when I can jump ship.

I just don't understand it at all.

I have just checked, it is Animal friends. If you run a comparison on them and would like to use them, I can get a £20 Amazon voucher for a referral.

When I first got a pet insured with them (boy dog) it was the cheapest deal, added kitten, then moved girl dog. I got a multi pet discount.

Fluffy that does sound weird, have you rung them to query it? I am at £36 a month though!!

I have had a NSD today and tomos I am speaking to my manager about increasing my hours to 30, worked out that I would be much better off (even though I will be quite a bit more knackered!!)

I have bought a Tilley hat!! (but not from here) for my holiday! have wanted one for ages so am inordinately excited about this

V expensive thimgs I know, though I found an outdoor shop on the net selling them for £53 so it was about £10-15 cheaper than anywhere else ive seen them and has free next day postage too so so thats a 'frugal' win!

This is coming out of my '£2 pig' money (I put all £2 coins I get in for holiday treats) theres £74 in there currently ..

No other spends today

We have a department 'Christmas savings club' I put £33 in it every month direct debit (I know strange amount but its just a building society account and we all put different agreed amounts in so they can be recognised ) and paid out November so its a nice 'surprise saved amount)

My moggy doesnt have insurance . but luckily thers been no need ( touches wood)

Yay! audit on clearing the credit card! Feels great doesnt it?

Now you must budget to pay it off every month ..

My pet insurance is with Argos, for 2 cats its £12 a month which I think is good. Have had no issues with them paying up. Would imagine girlie cat is pretty much uninsurable now with another company Audit otherwise I would be tempted that company sounds good!!

Laska that is my "using" card. I use it for all my work expenses and the food shopping etc. usually it is paid off every month. I have another card with a balance on 0%, working on clearing that one.i am going to try to pay an extra £10 a month off, to clear it quicker.

Cheap meal -tuna pasta. Cook pasta with some frozen mixed veg chucked in, while cooking. Drain, add a can of tuna and a can of condensed mushroom soup.

I don't eat tuna, so I add chicken breast instead of tuna, and add some garlic and mushrooms when I cook the chicken.