We are Resolutely Frugal! Frugaleers continuing their new frugal year. All welcome!

[fuzzpig]

Hello! I hope nobody minds me starting the new thread :o

I'm not sure I deserve a well done but thank you! I'm only really crashing now because I did too much over the last couple of days I think. Not that it seemed like too much at the time but it never does does it! :o

Pointless I'm always doing that & then disgusted that I got so little done when ds is asleep

I'm going to a convention on Sat, not staying overnight at cost of €85, not going out drinking with my colleagues €50, and not buying a new outfit €50-€100 so I'm going to get a wash & blowdry done & get sleep in rollers put in the night before at a cost of €15 and will be giving diesel money to my colleague who's driving €40 saving myself up to €150 and yet getting my hair done feels like an unnecessary expense

Well done Fanta.

I tried leaving the housework the last few days and just having a rest and then suddenly all at once we all ran out of clothes and crockery and the house was a mess and the tesco man came and I had a lot of batch cooking to do. Oddly, it worked quite well to just do it all in one day though. I just kept moving washings around and running the dishwasher over and over while endless things cooked in the oven. The house is still quite warm from it.

I'm not sure it's a great idea to live on the edge like that though. Maybe somewhere in between.

Lilac you're a true Frugaleer.

I think with house work you have to do a bit every day and then somedays go on a mission! Every day I try and keep the kitchen tidy, dishwasher emptied and reloaded, washing on and hung out, washing from day before folded and put away, most days run the hoover around as well as making pack lunches and dinner.

It sounds a lot but probably only looking at an hour or two of my evening, if I left it even for a day it gets out of hand very quickly!!

On a mission days include cleaning the bathroom etc.

Have had a nice day off, saw friend this morning for coffee and catch up and my dad this afternoon for the same! Feeling tired now though so having quick rest before school run at 3pm. Dd has swimming tonight which could do without really but hey ho.

Aww ipsos you say the nicest things

Ipsos if I ever find the right balance, I'll be a very happy fuzzpig and write a bestselling self help book - it's so hard isn't it. Our house is chaos, and I really think it causes so many other problems - expense because we are so disorganised and lose things, stress and extra pain because of always having to move stuff and search for things, etc. But it's hard to tackle of course due to being ill. So on it goes! :o

Managing to do tiny bursts of tidying in the living room in preparation for pupil (not til 7.30 - I've got another one at 4.15 who I had to move from tomorrow, TBH I don't really feel up to either but need the money! And I do really enjoy it so I think it will cheer me on, and energise me in its own way IYSWIM) - rewarding myself with the chocolate I bought yesterday... it was one of those bags of broken bits in Thorntons, thought we could make cornflake cakes but DH had finished the cornflakes so I'm eating it instead! :o

Girlie I feel it helps me psychologically to have a day or two a week that I do nothing in the line of housework, obviously dishwasher etc but yesterday I didn't put on a wash, or do anything with laundry and I felt my day was a lot less stressed. I'm up for an hour in the morning before going out the door to work & home for anything from 1-4 hours in the evening after work before bed.

You've all made me feel much better about my lazing! I did clean the windows this morning but mainly as a "fun activity" for DD, she loves to clean the windows. Luckily this makes up for the fact it's always her sticky little hand prints on them!

Now cleaning the windows is one of those big jobs I never get around to. Still haven't done it since moving here in June. I haven't cleaned the cupboards since either, or the oven, which was new in June, yet. I am however very good at keeping on top of the daily and weekly stuff, and as my house is always tidy, it means I get away with a lot in terms of cleaning. Anyway, today was an NSD, and I went for a walk, which was good, but very muddy. I wore my wellies, but realised one has a leak when I got home. I was wondering why one of my feet felt so cold, when I was wading through almost knee-high icy puddles! Brr!

Ipsos, some lovely memories of the Haven at Berwick. You should take your DS at some point.

Haven't done a Haven Holiday but have done a few Park Dean ones, I have always found them to be good value and ideal for kids. We tend to go with a friend and her kids at Easter time as is slightly cheaper and can split the cost!! The challaborough bay one is my favourite so far as you are completely cut off from the outside world for a few days - bliss!

creme clean the oven?? I have a man coming to do mine in a few weeks, its 7 years old and has been half heartedly cleaned by myself once

Ha, maybe I'll leave mine for another few years then, Girlie. In my last house, the oven was a complete state when I moved in, and I spent about 2 days on it, to get it up to scratch. Yuk! Apart from the odd wipe, I didn't clean it again until I moved out 2 years later, and it only took about 45 minutes, which goes to show how bad it was the first time!

Ah girls not doing so good on the frugal front😳 Too long to go into!
I have so many spends this month that are necessary & I knew already that it just depresses/scares me to think of!

So that I feel that I have some control, I am going to stick to my €600 per month on food & school dinners! I have €180 left till 5th Feb! School dinners paid up till then too. I can do this!!

On the up side I have Friday & Saturday night to look forward to as DS's away! I am going with DH to a comedienne Saturday night it was his Xmas present😉 So already paid for!

I also got a great deal on an overnight stay last Saturday in Jan €69 for double room, late check out & 2 free cocktails on arrival. (I ll bring own breakfast as I am gluten free & that saving €10-15 on cooked breakfast!). First night away with DH in two yrs on our own! Going to friends birthday party!! So they are having a sit down meal!

Lilac enjoy your night away & sure u will look lovely!

I do wonder if you are actually me girlie, I do exactly the same stuff every day here. Dishwasher, cooking, washing, floors.

I also write a list of any 'other' things that I can feasibly achieve each week, i.e clearing out a specific part of the house, doing the car, specific paperwork etc.

Spends today was £25 at Aldi, but a lot of that was tea and coffee for work.

Hey fuzz

We also have an excess to pay of £150 for DH's medical insurance. I've done really well this month financially, I suspect this will get eaten up.

Frugal fail!! Got an ironing service to collect my ironing. They charge by weight. £30!!! In fairness, that's 2 and half weeks worth and the cleaner isn't here this week, so I only 'cost' myself an extra tenner, but I will be doing my own ironing from now on.

My NYR was to find the money for an ironing service, but that's too much to justify.

Horrendous two days at work, nevermind. LSD though been to busy luckily, will catch up on thread later. Need coffee and a clean house first....😊

Oven Pride for ovens. £3 usually. So so easy to use. Stick everything in the bag for a few hours, smear the rest in the oven, comes out clean!

I've somehow wasted an entire afternoon doing nothing .

I had Snapfish credit for 50 free photos and free delivery. So have ordered photos of Christmas. Some for various grandparents! Can't wait to get them. Spent £0 as it was all free.

One lesson down, one to go! First lesson was at pupil's house so got a bit of a walk in. Now need to carry on tidying up. AAAAAAARGH

Having that tortellini for dinner. DS is having regular pasta and DD had scrambled eggs before dinner. Separate meals all round isn't ideal but it's the only way we are going to use up the food this week TBH.

Two NSDs in a row. Almost bought a load of random crap on Amazon last night but stopped myself just in time!

We just had left over roast chicken and stuffing with rice and peas. Yum.

Dh has annoyed me because I've been saying for over a month he needs to phone his credit card provider and change the direct debit date as currently it's due the day before he gets paid. But he hasn't bothered to do it so now, yet again, we are going to struggle.

Rushed home from work as was convinced I didn't switch on the slow cooker even though I'd gotten up early this morning to put spag Bol in.

Turns out I'd remembered to switch it on. House smells lush!

Today's spends - £4.22 on the market for fruit. Loads of satsumas and apples and bananas. And a giant orange for colleague as she has a cold. She gave me a fiver and asked for the biggest one I could find. No joke it was as big as my face. And only cost £1.70. Her face when I presented it was worth it.

Also £5.29 on Amazon for skirt hangers. After organising wardrobe I noted I had not enough hangers for my skirts. Some are double hung. So it'll help with my organising. Annoyed that I couldn't just have the hangers (2 shops said no j had to buy something....)

Also have trapped a spider. In a pint glass. I came home and it was sat on the steps. So I've out a glass over it to wait for dh. I think hope it's the same one that was in the bathroom a while ago. If not have got two huge bastards in the house.

If dh doesn't come home soon to send spider on his way I might have to burn the flat down. brave me

Tonight's chores. Bag up charity shop clothes. And take cardboard to recycling place.

And make lunch for tomorrow.

Felt a bit stupid this afternoon. Bought a voucher for now tv on 1 January so we can watch sky movies. Amazon said it should have arrived on 8 Jan. It hasn't arrived. So at lunchtime I called them and got a bit funny with them. Only at the end of the call did j see that on my order it said that the voucher was online only. And wouldn't be posted....... Oopsy.

Walking challenge is going well. Have walked 34km this year so far.

Glad you are feeling more positive Fuzz

Spotty nag until he sorts it. And you've reminded me I need to call my mobile provider, they are charging me twice for insurance, thanks

Spendy day here, Christmas present to go in the box and a lipstick I fancied , both reduced off t'internet, £25 total.

£9.20 in Body Shop, I had vouchers and they had 40% off second item, so I got lots of lovely shower gels

£1 on GF biscuits for DH
£7 on lunch. I'm finding when I stay home I don't bother eat

Only 1 square of chocolate today, it was in the draw, and I didn't buy any.

This will be our last move. If DH wants to move again he can move on his own.

:o at the image of a gigantic orange!

Good to have perspective on the house keeping. A could of days of only dishwasher did me a lot of good this week. You sound in the same boat as me Fuzz. Thanks all for the encouragement.

fuzz It was immense. I only hope it cured her cold.