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

[SpottyTeacakes]

New thread hopefully someone can add some old links?

[Oh2beatsea]

I would like to join you - I need to get a grip of our finances this year. No major debts but no real savings either - just seem to live close to the wire each month.
Goals for 2016:
Regularly save £100 per month for a summer holiday
Save £1 & £2 coins in one of those tins you cut open for Christmas 2016.
Work out a 2-4 week meal plan.
Work out if an Internet weekly shop (maybe at Asda but would like it to be at Waitrose ) is worth it to reduce costs and waste (or is it cheaper to shop at Aldi as n when needed?
Put some (? how much I can afford) money aside each month for a car fund.
I am hoping all this is manageable!!!

[Iamnotanugget]

I would like to return if you'll have me No idea how long I've been gone, maybe 6 months? It's great to recognise so many of you, like lots of people I'm finishing the year with pence in the account but no debt so that's good but I want to do better this year.

I've drawn up a budget using the 'good budget' app that I will stick to and so will dh. I want to put aside £75 per month to create a little cushion.

Whoever wanted dinner, this www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/creamy-mushroom-tagliatelle is gorgeous and cheap!

As for potty training, I had a couple of half hearted, failed attempts with ds but at 3.7 he said 'I don't want to wear nappies' and that was it. No potty straight to using the toilet and about a week later he was dry at night. I agree with spotty, it's much easier to wait.

I can't trawl back through all the threads so I'm just reading this one. Adora where are you living now?

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas.

[SpottyTeacakes]

Em that's amazing!

What my ds used to get awful nappy rash sometimes when teething I think. It looked like burns all over his bum. Metanium was the best for us with a barrier cream over the top.

I was going to ask where you were audit, assumed your dc had lots of performances to keep you busy

Working today so should be a nsd. Will be super busy as we've been closed for four days and only have four doctors in

Just got some bolognese out of the freezer for dinner there's only a small amount but I think I'll add a tin of tomatoes and some more lentils and it'll do all of us

[Ipsos]

LOL! Sorry Blue. I forgot that you are a GP. D'oh! Good luck with the potty training. I do still privately wonder whether terry nappies are the answer to potty training as we were all out of nappies so fast in the 1970s.

I've been thinking more about saving money on food again. I'm wondering whether I ought to try harder on my batch-cooking-meat idea and do two chickens at a time, or buy a larger number of pork chops in the butcher and cook a whole bunch at once. That might be quite a lot cheaper. I did try buying a box of 8 once from tesco but when I opened the box they'd gone off, which put me off a bit. I must go back to buying big bags of rice too. That was a good scheme.

[Ipsos]

Nope, I just checked online and buying pork chops at the butcher counter is not any cheaper, and if I buy a box of four instead of a box of two they are actually more expensive for the same weight, as the chops are cut thinner. Weird.

[babsmam]

Welcome back audit and ima and hello oh2.

Oh2 go on my supermarket web site and put in your usual shop. It will tell you how much it is in each supermarket to give you an idea.

NSD planned but driving to see relatives so will need deisel after that.

[Ememem84]

oh2 I would say that an Internet shop is always cheaper. I can't do it here for supermarkets.

But can do a boots shop online. Doing this every month/6 weeks has saved me a fortune. I'm like a magpie and even with a list I browse offers and end up spending a fortune.

Yesterday's shop for example in the coop , I had a list but we still went over by £30. It is all stuff which we will use and will keep so I'm not too worried. But if I'd done the shop online I'd have saved £30.

Awful weather here. Was going to walk in and save myself £6 parking. But forgot I have to pick up my veg box at lunchtime. Do not fancy carrying that home.

[Ursulatodd]

Morning all! I'm becoming so lazy over the holidays...set an alarm and had to drag myself out of bed at 8am I get up at 6.15am for work!

On a different angle to others with potty training, we started when DD turned 2 and it took about 6 weeks for her to be accident free. The first two weeks were tough, she showed no signs of being ready and refused bribery! Nursery were great and didn't bat an eyelid at changing her a few times a day. This probably all sounds crazy but DD had the worst nappy rash ever and we had tried every cream going (some made it much, much worse) so we trained out of desperation! I think my point is, we would have waited if there weren't extenuating circumstances but if you choose to stick with it, it may be successful.

[Ipsos]

Ursula that technique was what I was told would work too, and it did. We just stopped putting ds in nappies and let him wet his trousers for a few days until he figured out what to do. It seems as having disposable nappies on stops the child from feeling wet so they don't realise. The good thing is that it's only the trousers that get wet, and not the carpet as long there is a towel put down in the places where they usually sit.

[MrsSimonNeil]

what my Ds used to get terrible nappy rash and out of desperation we tried an old wives tale that MiL kept mentioning to us. It was using whisked up egg whites on his bum, when it dries it forms a barrier. Any way not sure of it helps or not but thought I'd mention it

[lilacclery]

Hi all!! Welcome to newbies, lurkers coming out of closet, returnees & hi to regulars!
Have been good with spends but checked my cash & bank account balances yesterday & they were a lot healthier than usual but lower than I would like. I spied some great bargains for kids in shop across the way from hotel & even dh is twitching so we'll see. This would be out of joint account so I'd be no worse off

Thanks to this thread I'm in credit with my electricity for next two bimonthly bills. This will allow us to build up a fund to buy wood pellets in new year.

Regarding potty training my ds was in cloth nappies and trained at 23 months, dd wasn't & was over 4 when she finally clicked
Curious why does it have to be this week? I know busy with work & stuff but could you wait for a bank holiday weekend when he is showing signs of training?

[Ipsos]

I just got the world's largest ever credit card bill as the payments for the work on our hallway became due. Definitely joining the frugaleers has led to me spending more money rather than less as I've realised where constant scrimping has been hurting our family life. No idea what I'm meant to think or do about that. At least I know where the money went, and why.

[Pointlessfan]

Hi to newcomers and returners - good to see you back!
I just did my weekly shop for £36, I think that's my personal best! It helped that we didn't need nappies or washing powder etc. I even managed to get DD some leggings in the sale for £1, she'll need more though.
Working on setting up a proper budget for 2016 to try and meet all my saving targets. I think January will be a lean month in the Pointless house.

[Ursulatodd]

Meant to say welcome back nugget! Do I remember you having a liking for proper coffee or am I thinking of someone else?

[t875]

Great thread!!
Is there a thread for dinner ideas too? x

[Pointlessfan]

Not as such, t875 but we often post meal plans and recipes on here.

[t875]

Ok thanks I'll be keeping an eye anyway it seems a great thread x

[northender]

This thread is about YNAB moving to a monthly subscription model from tomorrow. I know quite a few of you use it, thought it might be helpful?

[Ememem84]

Disappointment here. Veg box not arrived. The lady in the shop was rude. But have called the main farm shop and arranged delivery to my house for free. Just have to hope it arrives.....

[Ememem84]

Oops posted too soon. Saved myself £4.99 delivery. But spent £6 on parking in town for work because I was going to collect the box.

Had a wonder round the sales. Nothing much I want or in my size so saved money I suppose....!

[Mummystar123]

Following as I neeeeeed to save money!

[Mummystar123]

Has anyone on here followed the envelopes method for budgeting or subscribed to YNAB

[needastrongone]

Welcome Mummystar.

£6 parking getting the phone fixed. Apple replaced for free, just like that, awesome

Spent £35 at the farm shop on meat. I got 4lbs of mince (3/4 portions), 3 extra large chickens, a shoulder of lamb, 2 packs of ribs and some pigs liver. Brilliant value. So, that's us stocked up for ages for meat.

Roast ham for tea. With wraps I think and roasted peppers, for a change.

I've text all my party folk, all bringing something for NYE. All very generous and offering to bring far far more than we need. I do think folk love to help and contribute. So, the food won't cost us too much and whatever booze we buy doesn't exactly go off

[needastrongone]

Pleased to confirm that I chased up my final energy bill from EE. I was impressed with the speed of answer of the call, and the service I was given from the call handler. However, the final meter readings were provided by my current provider on 2 November and nothing had happened until I chased. Well outside the suggested 3 week time frame by anyone's standards.

Anyway, there is a refund coming to me of £140, so that's great. Not so great is that it is taking 6 weeks to process Good job I am not in poverty eh?

In addition, Green Star Energy were excellent re customer service, speed of answering the phone and their easy to negotiate website. These are a new company, so I thought I would just say this, as I suspect they haven't had chance to develop a reputation, good or bad.

[Lovetoknit]

Hello to newcomers and returners
NSD today
Little dd was easiest to potty train at 2.5 but she was in the washable nappies and she wanted to wear pretty knickers like her friend at the nursery. Ds was 3.5 when he was finally ready but within 2 weeks he was dry day and night. Every child is different but I think the nappies don't help since they make them more absorbent so they don't feel wet.

Tacos or chilli and rice tonight
I haven't made a meal plan this week, instead I am letting dc picked their favourite meals around the meat in the freezer - little dd picked homemade lasagne yesterday and today is ds choice

Can I par boil/steam a cauliflower and keep it in the fridge till Saturday or do I need to freeze it?