The friendly frugaleers natter on through November...

[blueteapot]

Hope you dont mind me starting a shiny new thread

creme me and your ds would get along great except for fact my waistline wouldn't agree.

If he turns his nose up at something can it be reused for someone's lunch? Free dinners should be used though for sure.

need if muffins work out I'd love the recipe. Need to buy lentils for making soup.

Quick soup recipe involving tin of beans & passata-will check it out on PC in the morning.

lilac I do a Mexican bean soup - chop and fry an onion with cumin, coriander powder, cinnamon and chilli flakes (tsp of each but less chilli if you don't want it too hot).
Add drained beans and a carton of passata and a bit of veg stock. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 mins and blitz with stick blender. Add a squeeze of lime if lemon juice if you have any. We have it with tortilla chips to dip in.

That's a heavy week he's had isn't it need? I can see how a slow cooked beef would have been very welcome there. Glad he enjoyed the soup.

My ds had a good play in the playground after school again today. We're definitely getting our socialising points just now. Hope this mild weather holds.

I've been looking into cheap Christmas crackers and they seem to have nice ones at The Works. I think I will go there on Friday to find some. They seem to be £4 for 12, with nice child-friendly things in them.

Does anybody else find that they have a strong urge to buy all sorts of bizarre things in the weeks before Christmas and that that urge suddenly vapourises immediately after Christmas when all that same bizarre stuff is suddenly half price?

I'm really noticing it this year. I keep being really tempted by stupidly expensive Christmas crackers and I know for a fact that in January when they are half price I will think they are totally lame.

I think it's the way the shops present everything, not just at Xmas. I think a lot of things look better in the shop!

mostly it just makes me panicky. I do have that urge at other times of the year. Usually it subsides when I get it home or it arrives if I've bought it online.

Pointless yes I think you're right no you mention it. The displays in John Lewis are just lovely. I want to take ds to see them just for the christmassyness.

Rafa I have that all the time. I buy almost everything online now as it means I can return ==everything== anything that doesn't seem quite as rosy as it did in the advert.

Ooops. Strikethough fail.

I did remove a whole load of things from a book people basket last night and ended up buying nothing, because of this thread.

Although I may not have been on there if it hadn't been mentioned here

nsd today. And an hour of overtime. Should a few hours more OT tomorrow, Friday and one day next week. Could really do with a decision on what might happen with tax credits next year.

Today will be a bit spendy as going to town with a friend for Costa and need to get ds some new wellies. Going to have to use the more expensive car park as it takes cards as I have no change.

Nsd planned today as at work

Guess what dh just said to me? Yesterday I did all the washing emptied the wash baskets. He just got a load of clothes and said 'can you do some washing today?' I did it all yesterday, if you had put it in the basket then it would have been washed. 'Well if you could just put it on I will dry it later' er how about you just put it on now?? 'Oh yeah'

Ipsos, sadly no, that's very much a normal week for DH. It's Portugal next week, and also Germany and Dubai before Christmas, but he does a lot of UK miles too, he works about 70 hours a week. He seems to cope with a work load that others would collapse with! I think is 'high functioning bi-polar', although I know there is no such thing. He was up at 6.30 and has emptied the dishwasher, make me a pot of coffee and walked the dogs!

I get the same urge. I am checking the Amazon daily deals all the time at the minute and never do this mid-year!

I need to buy fruit and veg for a hamper we are donating for Children in Need today and Morrisons are delivering later.

Booked my weekend break for Stansted Radisson Blu in January - I'd the money saved yet it feels very wreckless to just spend €580 on flights & hotel when I know it could be spent elsewhere. €320 put in safe keeping for another rest of holiday!

I have been following the thread, just haven't posted for a few days.

Lilac it's my ds with the chest braces, thanks for asking and he's doing great, I'm really proud of him. The clinic are amazed with his progress as they usually get people referred at a later stage when things are much harder to correct. I think it's lucky that I'm a physio and so knew what it was when it started so got in there early. A lot of money but well worth it

Another hard week at work here and I've not been handling the stress very well. In defence of dh's, I have to say dh has been fab, keeping on top of the housework while I've been busy with other stuff.

We're going to York for the weekend which I'm really looking forward to. We're meeting dh's sister & her hubby. On Owners Direct I managed to find a detached house, 10 mins walk from the city centre that sleeps 6 £220 for 2 nights for 6 of us which compared to hotel prices is a massive bargain. I've written a list and so am now packing a big box of groceries to save us spending once we're there.

Sounds like a lovely weekend north we're also heading away.
My sis is taking part in a charity fight night tomo night & dss's wife is looking after the two then we'll spend sat night with them & go see my sis play in county final on Sunday afternoon

Just booked a holiday in the welsh mountains for next May. It was very good value & we've stayed there before.

I paid the deposit today & in the coming months I'll have enough to pay the remainding balance. All budgeted for & its lovely to have something to look forward to.

No more spends today. Next month we'll try withdrawing ALL cash for spends. December can be rather spendalicious and I won't be getting caught out by beautiful decorations, emergency gifts & pretty socks.

But we still have £75 M&S vouchers, £26 on Nectar, £25 Next gift card and £25 in PayPal. So this'll do for our food shop, wrapping paper etc & remainder gifts. And yummy treats! [santa]

Forgive me frugaleers for I have sinned. I got a 50% off voucher in jojo maman Bebe. I wanted everything but came out with wellies, tights (both needed), two jumpers and a top for ds and a necklace for dd's stocking. £46.

Spent £4 on parking £10.50 in Costa and £7 in m&s.

Frugal win: I've got my sewing machine out and have been doing some mending. May have a go at starting my Christmas bunting and table runner later.

Frugal mini fail: I've wanted a tallish snowman ornament (think 70-90cm ish so not huge) to stand in the hall at Christmas for years now. Found 3 online , took a family vote on which one to get & ordered it last night. Paid on paypal and found there was £12 already in there which I'd forgotten about so I only had to pay £8 extra.

NSD today
creme maybe your ds can swap his free school meal with somebody who brings in packed lunch and who would enjoy the hot meal; he could also cook dinner so you could have a break if he is competent enough so you don't end up wasting more food
I usually buy my crackers in the sale for next year
I have decided to hide the presents in full view and so far it's working and luckily dc haven't asked yet about all the new packages around my offce
Burritos or chilli and rice tonight, it's going to be a late dinner since after ballet and piano we have to go back to school for parents evening for little dd
had no water all morning because they are changing pipes and our road will be closed as well for the whole month

Argh I've done something stupid! I signed up for a free trial of the loop and have asked not to continue and they want it all back, which is fine, but in the original packaging which I don't have anymore

collie pretty socks made me laugh because in the queue in penneys last sat I debated Christmas cosy socks & then left them after me after thinking of confessing here.

Got an email from a Irish parenting forum site today - there's a new board game it's Irish €15 which is reasonable, emailed to find out what age it's suitable for 5+ dd is almost 6 & it's educational. Will run it past dh might be a Christmas present from us. We're having Christmas at my parents so lots to play it with her.
There was a also a handmade 'Santa stop here sign' on another site I only put that into the basket didn't check it out.

Technically a nsd. I bought 10 packs of canderal stevia 100s. They cost 94p each but clicksnap is doing £1 cb per pack on them, you can redeem this 5 times so I split them into two lots seeing as dh has a quidco account too. So I will get my money back, hopefully next week.

Hopefully the loop people will be kind to you spotty. We have the "it wont get washed if you leave it on the chair" convo here too.

I've decided I am not buying any xmas pudding until it's in the sale, then I'm buying two. Possibly 3.

NSD as I have a stonking cold / wondering will it develop into flu with the chills /aches etc :( luckily DH off today but he's working tomorrow and all weekend argh :(