Frugaleers Flying into the New Year All Welcome on the January Thread

[SpottyTeacakes]

New thread hopefully someone can add some old links?

I'm at work ipsos with the heating on and I'm still cold!

It's way colder today

It's less than 3 degrees here. I gave up being cold and put the heating on. I will switch it off when I go out at lunch and it won't go back on until after the school run. The weather really seems to have changed

I've been thinking about cashback since fluffy posted yesterday.
I'm planning a holiday using irishferries & using €60 worth of tesco vouchers which quadruple to help pay for it, just discovered they're on cashbackireland so I'll get 5% cashback getting us our ferries costing €380 for a net figure of €121 saving us €259. The tesco points have been saved for 2 years but we didn't even notice not getting the vouchers at Christmas time from them.

Thanks fluffy

If you want free kettle chips it's only in sainsburys now.

fluffy I want free kettle chips. I love kettle chips. No sainsburys here though.

Used my m&s voucher today and bought a new pair of gym pants.

Hi italian - yes four nights in Copenhagen. Our hotel (in vesterbro) includes breakfast and has a kitchenette so hopefully we can do lunch and snacks too. I'm considering Copenhagen cards just for 48 or 72 hours as entrance to lots of places (like the aquarium) is included, as is travel, but concerned that we get our money's worth. Other plans are bike hire and mooching and swimming at the massive pool near our hotel! If it was just me and dh we'd just walk/wander/see what takes our fancy but with DD (4 in March) feels like we need a bit more structure.

Quick drop in will catch up on thread this evening, NSD yesterday, LSD today mainly because my bank account is V. Low had a fab family Christmas so I am just going to suck it up, fruitcake 😊

sfa join the club with the low bank a/c balance

Thanks lilac, your solidarity is comforting, it will keep me warm when the heating runs out Me & the kids are going frugal the life out of this weekend....

Spendy day again

Here goes;

£2.70 parking
£18 on a prescription and 2 other medications needed for migraines (saw the Dr this morning and he has given me a few things to try so fingers crossed)

£5 passport photos - need to sort out a new passport now asap.
£5 half price James Bay album (have wanted it for ages!)

£4.99 in The Works, got 2 packs of nice cards and a calendar for this.
£13.50 in Wilkos got 7 separate items for this including 3 half price toys which I am going to put away for any kids birthdays that come up.

£19 in Boots on some posh face wash and mascara.
£7.70 lunch with a friend.

Gah!

Next week should be a non spend week to make up for this week!!

A few of the bits I have ordered for dds birthday have started to come through and so far i am really pleased with all of them

Oh and I have febreezed the hell out of dds mattress and I think the smell is much better!! Going to leave it without anything on to air over the wend and final verdict will be Sunday evening!!

I've had a bit of luck today. I'd almost given up hope of ever finding a way to get the right lenses for my photography project but then today a kind person rummaged in a drawer and lent me some. I think two out of three of them may be the right thing, so I am crossing my fingers and waiting to see what the clever people online say. Yay!

Haven't caught up yet but who was looking at sun holidays? Was it what? I have a priority code going begging!

But spendy here.

£20.50 in tesco on pizzas for dinner. Reduced sausages, yoghurts, birthday card and a massive gammon that was 2.2kg reduced to £5.

What can I do with it? Should I cook slice and freeze?

So far I can only think of roast gammon and pea and ham soup for meals so any ideas gratefully received!

Spotty I make a casserole with cooked gammon. It is chopped meat, onion and then any other vegetables chopped all cooked up with a stock cube and some gravy added it at the end. We have it with jacket potatoes and it is lovely.

NSD

nsd, total bad mood was feeling really good this morning then had to make a phone call to mental health team, have a telephone appointment with therapist booked for 25th and just the thought of it has sent my anxiety through the roof.

get paid monday but got hoardes of bills that have stacked up because i have been poorly and dropped the ball.

£1.74 in tesco for cucumber and mint.

Free bag of coffee from colleague who has started roasting it and wants testers. Yippee!

Now looking forward to a long weekend. No work until Wednesday. Yay!

Spotty we cook a large gammon have for dinner that night often have another couple dinners during the coming week and use for sandwiches for lunch and any scrag ends go in a soup or pie. Dh loves gammon!!

First week working 4days wasn't too bad finish early today got ds1 from school went to nursery to get ds2 and they had gone for walk round village so he booked in til 6 so dh will get him at 5.45 as its a car journey and saves me going back out so have sorted dinner, hoovered house, washed up, emptied the bins and had 2 cups tea all in just over an hr!!

Enjoy the long break Em, hoping to get an extra day off next week too, I didn't manage before Christmas.

Fingers crossed for the mattress Girlie. My cleaner uses Shake and Vac, which I know only masks smells, but it occurred to me just now as an option?

spotty Sandwich fillings, wraps, ham and leek risotto?

lila at extreme couponing. I love fluffy's posts too. General feeling here was that the carrot, orange and fennel soup, but the chorizo and chickpea was nice too, and has been used for lunches today. Frugal wins both.

You ok super?

Good news on the lens if it works ipsos, nothing to lose for trying anyway!

Bit of a spendy day, but doing ok in general this month. I've already factored in next weeks food shopping and petrol and cash withdrawal, so have a good amount left too.

£45 farrier, paid in cash.
£20 Hay, paid in cash.
£40 Amazon (this is for something that DS wanted with Christmas money, but will go on my card, he gave me the cash)
£5 DS karate.

Feeling somewhat brighter, but made a real effort to keep sitting down today too.

Thanks everyone!

Super when I had my first phone call with MH I was lying on the floor behind the sofa that whole time I was talking to them. Sounds strange but it helped

I'm pretty excited dh isn't working tomorrow as it means I can go food shopping on my own. Will go to lidl.

Spendy day but nice one.
Started off with estate agent coming round for valuation. Rather positive.

Then went to town for my much awaited facial at Clarins - birthday present from dh. Then bought some bras £68 2 of which were half price and one was full! Omg. Then bought some half price trousers from Hobbs as I'm a size up now. try as I do to eat less I believe it's the middle age spread. £39.

£5 on a gift for ds' friend's birthday. £7 on soup and hot choc. £6 at tescos.

Lasagne for dinner.

Happy weekend guys!!

Do phone calls make your anxiety worse, super? If so, can the therapist contact you in any other way? I hate speaking on the phone, apart from very simple, quick calls, such as ordering takeaway or making a dental appointment.

I have had a good first week at my new job and have worked the equivalent of three days instead of the one and a half I'm supposed to. Absolutely shattered now though and my back is playing up too. I've made tea, washed up and wiped down the surfaces straight away, so I can relax now for the night.
Spends today: £3.18, chocolate washing up liquid and STs.

Happy frugal weekend everyone .

£14.47 in Tesco. Had to sub it from next week's food budget but it will do cover several meals for next week and what's left in the cupboard will do a few more. Penny challenge proving a bit trickier than I thought at the moment.

Have signed up for CheckoutSmart and sorted out my topcashback account though. Might go to big tesco for the free turkey slices tomorrow and then lidl for some fruit/veg/lunch stuff.

quite clearly thought you had bought chocolate washing up liquid then i was amazed....

as for the phone call i dont know if they can do it another way it wasnt offered and in my haste to get off the phone i didnt think to ask. dp will be asleep as he will be on nights and the kids will be at school so even if i have to do it upside down with my feet against the wall i wont look a tool which is nice!
And i just received an email from MN to say ive won a copy of ruby waxs mindfulness for the frazzled so im looking forward to reading that and getting some tips.

on a positive note the kids are being really helpful and going out of there way to check if i need anything which i am pretty ashamed to say was virtually unheard of before so i know they are really trying.

some of the things you are spending on sound cool , i am living through you guys since i cant go out!

cashed out £10 argos voucher on toluna so spending that on two new pillows as most of ours are distinctly not pillow shaped anymore

I hope it made you , super.