The friendly frugaleers natter on through November...

[blueteapot]

Hope you dont mind me starting a shiny new thread

Should be nsd here too sporty my alarm was 5.45 & tomorrow's will be earlier. Gotta get dc up at 6.30 to go to childminder not looking forward to that, au pair is on hols this week

I think it has been quite recently.

Lovely day yesterday and got another Christmas present as I was 5 mins away from the shop where it was a fiver cheaper. Laura ashley have 30% off everything and I could quite easily bankrupt myself.

Nsd planned today but need a thing for list which only appears to be instock at argos.
Nectar double up starts tomorrow

Just catching up! Not doing too badly with my frugal attempts. Had a couple of dangerous putting lovely things in online basket but then didn't buy anything. I read somewhere that if you think you want something you should wait 3 days. It's worked so far

I'm hoping for a quiet NSD today. No builders and just a man coming to quote for plastering. I'm knackered so I'm going to do a bit of rest and recuperation before the next things starts. Well that's the plan anyway.

We are on holidays. Yesterday was spendy. I had my haircut for the first time in 10 weeks, £56 I wonder if I should try and get it cheaper?

Home bargains £10 on swimming nappies, a book for ds1, a bottle brush, lint roller and some snacks.

99p store £10 on snacks and selection packs

Boots £7 on meds

Newsagent £11 on magazines for holiday.

I am trying hard not to spend now we are here. Though we left the milk at home so got to get some this morning.

What I gather it's cheaper to get your hair cut if you have someone come to the house. More like £15. That's what I'd like to do but I haven't found someone to do it yet. Is it you that's at Center Parcs? I've got a bit lost.

Yes it's me! We are in the forest. I have very short hair so I always worry that someone at home wouldn't be able to do it.

what enjoy holiday, I use a hairdresser who works from her own house, it is cheaper than a salon in town. I believe mobile hairdressers are cheaper in uk though
ipsos don't let the work on the house bring your health down - can dh help out with it, you take care of yourself

arsenic I'm a big fan of putting stuff in online baskets now since this thread & generally the want goes off me, and sometimes you get emailed a discount code too. I'm going on a day out with my cousin on Sat shopping, my plan is to browse in the morning and then go back to shops to purchase things I still want and can afford, this will also help with carrying stuff around too. I've paid for the bus so cousin owes me €40 already so that's a good start to the day.

That sounds lovely What. We went to a Center Parc a couple of times when I was a teenager and I always enjoyed the cycling. and the freedom to walk places.

Thanks lilac. I'm having a day off today and the dishwasher repair man is coming which will really help. The odd thing is that I'm really enjoying the company of having tradesmen in. I find being at home all the time kind of isolating so having people come and do work on the house is always nice.

I may be a bit late to the party with this but I know some of you are readers - free books on Kindle & other ereaders bookhub

You just reminded me I must check if someone can come look at our gas hob.

Enjoy What. Centre Parcs works well with young children. It's easy to keep the cost down by booking out of term time, using the free facilities and eating in the lodge. It's too expensive for us now, and the appeal has gone with teens, but we have had some lovely holidays there.

ipsos I know what you mean, I can work either at home or in the office, but I go to the office, as I enjoy the social interaction. And also enjoy the peace and solitude of my days off.

I did spend on line last night, but just on Christmas pressies. I was waiting until Body Shop had the spend £50, get £25 off offer (i.e half price) and got the stocking filler and smelly presents for DH and the DC. And a BB cream for me, which I love.

Today I have spend £38 on dog food and ordered a shop from Morrisons, plus I am having a hair cut later. All in the budget.

Our dishwasher repair man is here now and he says the machine has leaked through the door seal and blown all the heating unit. Yikes. Glad it's under warranty.

I'm being very good and having the morning off.

I now have 10 books waiting on my kindle for me! I will purchase one book alright the 10 day sugar detox. Giving WheatFree 3 months to see if it's effective for me but this might be a help too.

Lucky it's under warranty ipsos

I have been saving my tesco clubcard vouchers to pay for a trip to France maybe next year. Have €51 worth now, If I can bring that up to €60 worth before booking it'll be worth €240 off a sailing. Could go to UK either too.

Need - yep we've booked a few activities but mainly swimming with our two year old. It's a cheap break for us as its 15 miles from home and out of season. I have brought all our meals with us, but being lazy we are havjng home pride jars for dinner! They were on offer and it meant I could just bring the meat and accompaniments. The meat is muscle food meat from the freezer so it's been quite good. We have beef and ale stew tonight. Served with chips from the supermarket fresh section! Tomorrow is chicken surpreme with rice. Thursday Tuna pasta bake. On Friday we have to be out by 10 so I'm trying to work out how to make lunch so we don't have to buy it but I think we might just have to suck that one up unless we go home early.

Good luck there Lilac. Sounds like a good plan. Do you feel like scientist, with all this experimentation you're doing? All the best science happens this way.

The dishwasher man says that he's coming back with lots of parts to repair the dishwasher. That's good. For a minute there I thought I was doing to have to wait a week. I have another plasterer coming to quote later too and he seems a better bet than the last man. Fingers crossed.

Just trying to catch up again after couple busy days
Hope everyone is feeling better and not too stressed

Enjoy your holiday what I would love to go to Center Parc again, went there 7 years ago while I was pregnant with little dd, dc had a great time in the pool and enjoyed the bike ride because dh and dss did all the hard work by pulling the trailers

£11 at Aldi this morning which included 2 pairs of slipper socks for £2.99 for ds and stolen bites and £42 for Sainsbury's delivery
It's very wet and super windy down here, the chicken run looks like a mud bath even after I put down some wood chippings

I've got a scheme worked out for remembering what I spend when I'm out. At first I thought it would be really hard as I don't have the internet on my phone to use the YNAB app. However, I have discovered that it's just as easy to stick all the receipts in my trouser pocket and then get them out when I am next sitting at my computer. So that saved the cost of a new phone handset the the monthly charges on internet contract.

Hurrah for paper receipts! Frugal win.

ipsos I feel like a failure that 2 years after the birth of my baby I haven't lost my baby weight, because I'm a weight loss leader! I'm waiting for that 'da da' moment when it just starts to fall off.

If I could exercise at all it would be a help. Dh should be off on Sundays for the rest of the winter so I intend to make us of that!

Whatabout your dinners sound lovely and very frugal. Maybe Friday lunch could be your treat for doing so well on your hols? Cold pasta salad with chicken is also an option.

Have a touch of a cold, using stuff in the presses rather than buying cold remedy so had a punch made with honey, lemons, orange & ginger last night & this morning. Taking vitamin c and a bottle called 'Kilkof' that I bought from chemistdirect earlier in the year, it's horrible!

electro I'm right with you there. I couldn't get on with YNAB either but I have a nice spreadsheet in excel which is working out really well for me. Brilliant that the weather is working out well for you too.

lilac I'm so sorry to hear you're stuggling with weight loss. Metabolism is a weird thing isn't it? I think it probably a good thing to be up front with your class and just say that you are finding it really hard too. In their shoes, I would find that far more valuable then having a thin person stand up front and telling me to try harder.

Another paper fan here too! I always feel
More in control with a pen and piece of paper. I found some heavily reduced notepads in tesco and they are quite pretty so they made me happy! I also have a magnet notepad on the cooker for writing things down that I'd otherwise forget.

I've done most of my Christmas shopping but me and aDH haven't discussed what we are doing. I'm going to say £25 each on a stoking that must contain 6 items (he needs rules!) we will buy the "from DS1 / ds2 for mummy / daddy" presents for each other with a £15 limit and then have £50 each for buying stuff in the sales or whatever. I always like bits from the boots sales. We don't really need anything and I'd rather we had the money in the bank.

luxy how many do you need? I've got 29 going spare. I won't even charge you

electro I'm the same. Stress and overwork always makes me get far too thin and that's where I am just now. Oddly, I used to have back trouble it vanished completely as soon as I became slim. Lilac could I have about 17 of your lbs? I will take good care of them.