Oh come all ye frugalers, joyful in December, oh come ye, oh come yea and chat

[babsmam]

New Fred, hope I've done it right I've never done one before.

Rice sounds good spotty!

girlie at your DD! same here with the next payday & January. Sucks doesn't it.

need I feel miffed for you.

Need you can phone them and amend your order. Then you can use your vouchers on other stuff.

Oh no girlie I can see dd saying the same thing when she's a bit older.

Nice big hallway ipsos

My friends dh has just given her a ted baker advent calendar. I'm not jealous at all. Nope. Not even a little bit. It's not like dh has never bought me an advent calendar, even a pound shop one. Oh wait...

Back to work proper today. All my Amazon parcels arrived at work. Hooray. Then I had to carry them to the car. Heavy!!!!!

But I made it.

Spent £15 on books for Bil for his birthday big his gift what I'd ordered weeks ago and figured wasn't arriving arrived. Sod's law. But at least he can now have the books for Christmas.

Feeling a bit strange. Very bloated and a bit sicky. Feel very full. Don't want to eat anything as although j am starving feel like I couldn't fit it in. Have snuggled up in bed with a milk thistle and a peppermint tea. Dh is making pad Thai (veggie) so there should be some left for me later if I fancy it.

I guess it's just a bit of over indulgence and post exam stress.

The island is out of advent calendars. Fact. So spotty I feel your jealousy. knew I should have bought one in August

Oooo Spotty I just looked up that ted baker advent calendar. That is absolutely the first time I've ever felt envious or feminine pink tat. What a very unique feeling.

www.tedbaker.com/uk/Mens/Gifts/Gifts-for-Her/HANSELE-Wish-advent-calendar-White/p/125535-99-WHITE

I am rationalising it with the phrases "Tin alloy, zinc alloy and glass" which are written in the small print at the bottom right.

I'm going to go and polish my wrench set and wellies now.

Blimey that is a posh advent calendar!

I showed dd the play mobil one I had got her at the wend, she was suitably impressed she does come out with some ridiculous things at times but is quite funny its true

The hamster has a dodgy eye, I have been hoping it will magically improve but it hasn't so am thinking will have to take it to the vets. Annoying as a trip to the vets will cost about 4 times more than the hamster did

£53 shopping, had to send back the milk as they send semi instead of whole milk so £1 but I'll need to buy some milk.

£3.50 parking at the hospital for Gabriel's hip scan. A medic in the lift said "wow, that's your baby wheezing!" It was so loud. Bronchiolitis sucks, but he's doing ok

£3 for DH's computer game, rest spend using nectar vouchers

£60 for next term of swimming lessons. Priceless.

DH has cashed in a share save so there is £2.5k sloshing in our bank account. Need to move it or I'll spend it! He did it so he can join the 2015 scheme where the shares are £6 cheaper for the next three years. I think it makes sense, the money will go into a decent savings account.

Dinner was toad in the hole, I used out of date eggs, I put them in water and they sank so in they went! The sausages I bought with a voucher so we're free. Super chuffed.

Em I've had that before, literally felt full to the brim and couldn't fit any food into my stomach despite not having eaten, then I got flu type symptoms

Hall looks good ipsos

Hope Gabriel gets better quickly, very cute pic a few pages back.

NSD today, shopping arriving tomorrow -£78 but that includes a bottle of champagne for Christmas. I got a £2 off voucher for Nexium off their web site, had to sign up to get it though, will see if I can get to Tesco tomorrow for ther voucher. Also DD1's present is ready for collection so I'll be buying DD2's present while I'm in town.

NSD today. Dd had Cubs try out so I didn't get to my fitness class.
If I ever win the lotto I'm rebuilding the scout hut with insulation and the best heating ever. It's brass monkeys.

Loving the hallway Ipsos. Hope the smell was ok for you.
Em tuck up and hope it's nothing.
Need that is annoying but there will be time to amend the order.

Thanks all. I've eaten - cucumber carrot sticks and some cheese wraps. Had a multi vitamin and a proper tea. And am tucked up in bed. Starting to feel less bloated. But more coldy and more eye watery.

Hopefully I'll be ok tomorrow. I'm a brave soldier.

Aiming for nsd off to work in a minute.

Happy December everyone [santa] I need to check the bank balance which is never fun on 1st of the month...

Ikwym spotty. Most of the d debits come out today. Ugh.
Work today do another nsd planned
Oh hang on need to drive to Smyth toys.

Happy December! Have my Xmas star earrings out and about to give DD her Xmas socks. Going to Xmas market this afternoon.
I don't have an advent calendar either, first time in my whole life my mum hasn't bought me one. Am quite disappointed. Might get myself one from pound shop!

Cannot believe it's December!!!!

Hoping for nsd today.

Feeling a bit better (less bloated) today. Yay.

ds is very excited about December starting today. I'm very excited about it still being warm, in spite of it being December.

Happy December [santa]. How do we make the thread title Christmassy?

Pointless I'm so envious of your Christmassy themed day.

Here is my advent / christmas bucket list. Last year we picked 25 and wrote them on tiny notes. And put them in tiny envelopes and hung them up on Christmassy twine. It was our advent calender. It was really nice as I still had a bit of PND & it meant I could have a gentle Christmassy Christmas.

Watch a classic christmas TV special
Watch Snowman and the snowdog
Make a tree decoration with DC
Decorate house and tree
bake Christmas cookies
Bake mince pies
Watch Elf
Night time stroll to enjoy local lights
Winter walk with mince pies & a flask
Watch Love Actually (or any other Christmas film)
Watch Father Christmas with Gran
Soak up the late night shopping atmosphere without shopping
Listen to Christmas music
Eggnog and a film with DH or friends
Visit a Christmas Light display
Watch the Snowman
Read a Christmas story to DC
Listen to carols at Kings
Celebrate Winter Solstice
Sing jolly Christmas Carols with DC for Grandparents (or someone else)
Read another Christmas story (Jesus' birthday is a fab book)
Read Twas the Night Before Christmas
Visit local Christmas markets
Visit local church or cathedral
National Trust Christmas reindeers and Carols
Make some Christmas cards with DC
Visit Father Christmas
Donate food or children's toys for Christmas

Another friend of mine has got one of these freakishly expensive advent calendars. Her is a Boots No. 7 one. It doesn't seem quite spirit-of-Christmas to me. More spirit-of-the-roaring-20s.

Ooh Collie I love your lists, always inspire me to make my own. Will have a think and maybe post it later.
I have come up with another free toddler activity: Last night I went through the Xmas decorations and chose the safest ones e.g. small cuddly snow man, jingle bells, small felt stocking and glittery stars. I put them all in a Xmas gift bag and left it partially hidden for DD to find. She enjoyed emptying it, then refilling it, then emptying it again and is now running around jingling the bells! She loves unpacking bags, simple things!

Happy December 1st! I'm jumping back in now to try to get a grip before the dreaded January black-hole

Collie I love the bucket list. We're doing something similar for advent. Dds task today is to write a letter to Santa which we're going to send to the Royal Mail reply service.

£1.65 on baking supplies for school (I could claim back but hardly seems worth it, especially as I think I can use half the pastry to make mince pies - another of our advent activities!)

I love that list, might pick a few things from there. I also have the advent book that was suggested on the previous thread and Geraldine mcaughran's 'jesse tree', which I meant to read last year but didn't get round to.

lsd yesterday £4.85 on dinner at work.

Decided to go for a run before work yesterday. For the first time in about 3 years. legs are killing me this morning.

I had a small ynab success too.

Had an unexpected council tax reminder yesterday. Rather than panicking slightly after I opened it. I knew immediately that it had been paid and that the money had cleared my account so it was a mistake. It was easily sorted with no anxiety at all on my part.

Hi all, can I join please? I've been lurking on this thread for months and thought it was time I joined in. collie your list has inspired me to do an activity advent for my 11yo dd who is home educated. I'm excited to do this now I'm hoping for a low spend day today, I need to buy a secret Santa gift (£5 ish) and a couple of kids birthday cards and that's it

Loving the list collie, I like a good list

I am telling myself I don't need an expensive and completely commercial Yankee Candle advent calender!! I have plugged in an Air Wick instead

I am definitely going to try and amend the M&S order if I can, otherwise I guess I can freeze the excess turkey.

£20 on Amazon last night on stocking filler pressies and also one main present.

Feeling proud of myself, the new router and associated wires arrived for our super fast broadband changeover, which is today. DH is away. I figured it all out, Skybox, internet and Sonos system and it's super fast and cool. Bare in mind we had 2mb of broadband speed, it's exciting to actually have internet speed of any worth.

Now on with domestic chores.