Super Savvy Savers Skid towards September Saving Spree

[lilacclery]

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

Plus this.

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

Kudos to PeoniesforMissAnnersly for the links

Sounds lovely spotty. I do a similar thing where I mix brown rice, chorizo, chicken, peas and sweetcorn. It is popular with both dh and ds.

Cottage pie ready for tea! Feeling less stressed now. The new mattress arrived too. Ordered it 2 weeks ago

I teach piano salt :) casually, mind you, I'm not a professional! Used to teach in a music school while I was at school/college, finally got the guts to actually start offering lessons earlier this year after my friends and family kept on at me. Actually been surprised how much I am enjoying it!

Chorizo is fab stuff. DD is hooked on it! I used it in the jambalaya I tried the other week, we hardly had any but it didn't matter.

I love it with scrambled egg and sauteed veg too (and pine nuts and gran padano... which makes it not actually that frugal really )

Need, same here, we don't batch cook any more as we never wanted it from the freezer. I try to have a freezer well stocked with things I can throw in the slow cooker instead. I like the sound of the chicken and chorizo!

Amazon subscribe and save order today, £25 but all bits and bobs we needed.

It's certainly not cheap!
We stayed half board to (Dh is a great believer of a huge breakfast, a cake and coffee and lunch and then 3 courses in the evening!)
We went to a lovely cafe in sorrento...lots of stairs..the poor waiter!
We stayed at the alpha in Agnello so just out of sorrento but only a 5 min walk to the centre.
We did Capri (hated it) but anacapri is beautiful.
Pompeii is amazing and we also did a tour of amalfi and ravello...just stunning.
I would love to go back.

Do try the limoncello!

I'm the same need I have a lovely stocked freezer but I'm far too disorganised to actually use the stuff in any timely manner. So we still end up eating crap sometimes. Too often.

Thinking of investing in a load of decent tupperware or even pyrex as then I can just defrost in the microwave and they'd stack more neatly too - at the moment I use value food bags.

Spent £20.80 in Sainsbury's this morning, mostly on school stationary items for ds2 when he goes back next week, he isn't keen on school at all, not academic and really struggles so he's not looking forward to it.

Dd1's friends have been and gone, she had a lovely time as she hasn't seen any of them since end of term 6 weeks ago.

Tomorrow will be a spendy day as we are out for dinner at Zizzi and dd wants to go shopping with her birthday money, this could be dangerous if I'm not prepared

Oh Sorrento sounds gorgeous. I'd love to go to Italy but dh wont fly . Pictures please!.

I need to try some of this Chorizo, usually it has milk in it so I cant have it but I will look for one with no milk or lactose in it. It sounds fab.

I wonder if Thai green curry freezes well? that could be a nice change from beef based batch cooking.

NSD, cheque arrived from E2Save and LED Hut refunded my cancelled order.

A successful NSD today! And we have £140ish due back to us from Quidco in the next few weeks and have decided that this is our Christmas fund. So that's one less thing to worry about.

Can anyone tell me if the Tassimo caramel lattes are nice? They sound nice but I'm sceptical.

Also....I have a large thick / sturdy cardbox box ready to be recycled but I was thinking I could make a play washing machine or a castle. Is that silly? or perhaps a play cooker.

Collie definitely use the box if you can :-) I am thinking of mKing DS a shop out of some of mine.

I really must start using quidcon again, £140 is great! Nice to have a good amount ear nRked.

Technically nsd today. Had to post some of the eBay stuff but as if factored that into price it doesn't count.

eBay item with the bidding war went for £28 in the end!!! Really chuffed with that. Buyer has paid already so all money had been withdrawn from PayPal and has been applied against credit card.

Bought fruit in m&s but had a gift voucher I'd forgotten about.

Pack up lunch today. Noodle soup. And finally had a cuppa as had run out of teabags yesterday. No shopping until Tuesday next week. So will only be having herbal tea at home. This might also save us money on milk....

Dh is appalled I'm being so strict. But we must save!!!

I'll post pictures later from my phone. Thanks badders for the tips. I love Limoncello. I actually worked in Italy for a year (near Venice, so not familiar with where we are here) when I was younger, it's my spiritual home.

Chorizo is very cheap and versitile, if you can have it that is

Well the dancewear shop was great £43 in the end as the woman was fab and told me when she didn't think dd needed new, I took her old shoes with us. Love if you are in the north east I can pm you the details.

£7 on blurger king, £9 in lush and £43 in sainsbury. Need cheese though but will go tomorrow lunch as have a morrisons voucher.

Collie I'm sure Pinterest has some ideas.

Fluffy I'll go on holiday with you is your dh scared of flying? Or does he just not want to? Easy jet do fear of flying courses I think.

Oh and £8 in the entertainer on a party pressie

I do the freezer batch cooking too. I have also started making slow cooker dump bags. It's an idea j got from Pinterest - I chop veg, chicken, add the sauce and freeze. Take it out the night before and then just empty the contents in to the slow cooker. I have also done this with enchiladas. It all really helps on those busy days where if I don't do something early on I end up wanting a takeaway.

Spotty I think it's fear yes. His relative was commander of an international airport and some of the stories have not helped!.

I'm thinking of just booking something tbh. After I've paid for the christmas break.

My batch cooking speciality is just to roast a chicken and then put the legs and breast pieces in freezer bags in the freezer to microwave another day. They microwave in a couple of minutes which is great for a quick lunch or dinner for one. I have even done it with those pre-cooked ones that Tesco sell and it worked a treat.

I've flown lots and recently I have started getting jittery, tbh you just know too much as an adult! It won't stop me from flying though and hopefully your dh will come round.

We went through the jet stream on the way home from New York and it was awful, people were swearing and crying out but the pilot didn't say anything until we landed when he said 'I hope the turbulence didn't disturb you too much'

fluffy dp's brother got married in sorrento, his wife's parents wouldn't fly so they got the train there, and because on a train there's no baggage allowance they took all the suits and dresses with them. Said it was a wonderful journey.
Freezer tea week day 2 was a tuna pasta salad (can't eat anything too flavoury as it sets off the 'morning' sickness) for me and bbq chicken breast with friend rice and chopped veg, corn on cob and garlic bread for dp

Going by train sounds like a great idea! It was my first day back at work today and I'm feeling like a holiday already...feeling a little sorry for myself actually as I have a really painful ear. It was blocked a few weeks ago but no pain and now today it's not blocked but throbbing

Chorizo from Aldi is particularly good value! I make a Portuguese broth, Caldo Verde, which is very economical.

I popped into town after work as I didn't have the car so had to bus it. I spent £4 on bus fairs, £5.50 on two long sleeve tops in primark, £1.15 on a Gregg's cheese slice tbf I had resisted food but then took back a pair of £20 trousers which I couldn't exchange so felt like I was in profit! £9.35 up today!

Ooo FRIED rice, I do not cook friends with our side dishes.

How good it feels to have a NSD on the first of the month! Usually I am itching to spend, but I have an expensive couple of months ahead with DS1s 18th, a big family meal and then a trip to see family in Canada.

I love the idea of a slow cooker dump bag! Anyone got any good ideas for pork loins in the slow cooker- am out of inspiration?