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

[fuzzpig]

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

Thanks all... She lost her little boy last year and just never saw the light again... Miss her already dearly, she was dds god mother and a friend for more than 25 years...

Collie hear hear know exactly how you feel

At least dh got a job this month so money wise we are good again...

Sorry for boring post, I've got a bit behind on tracking my spends on here but I know that if I miss a few days, I'll end up not bothering!

Tuesday:
£7 taxi
£4.05 bus
£3.87 food (ok... chocolate )
£2 shampoo/conditioner

Wednesday:
£7.58 top up shop, snacks etc
£36.50 Brownies - subs for a term, and a couple of trips in summer (they're very organised!)
£3 bus

Thursday:
£8.25 bus
£4.20 snack (we had no fruit at home so I relented and got pots of it in Boots)
£2.18 painkillers
£11.25 gym fees
£15.35 KFC which was really silly in hindsight as for DCs' friend's birthday we are going to McDonalds today.
£11.50 home ed supplies in The Works (all planned bar one science book which I couldn't resist. As my friend said, that shop is positively dangerous)
£40 Badgers uniform for both DCs
50p tuck money

Got two new pupils lined up. :) They will start off paying for fortnightly lessons but we may organise lesson swaps too at some point as both parents have some very appealing skills (sports etc). The family is absolutely lovely and I am hopeful that as well as learning together we will become friends too, as happened with another pupil. :)

Off to Brighton today, I am absolutely fucking knackered and in a fair amount of pain (although not as bad as earlier in the week) but so many of the birthday boy's friends have bailed on this gathering (travel/cost so soon after Christmas) that dammit we are going!

Oh Italian, I am so sorry for your loss. The poor DH of your friend, losing his wife and child. Much sympathy.

I am sorry that you are having such a tough time collie

Good that you are fine ipsos, I am too as it happens. I have had an extra day off this week, so I feel organised and up to date.

Hopefully a NSD today, although a plumber is due today to fit an outside tap down at the bottom of the garden.

I have the following due to eat this next 3 days, so I may spend tonight on the takeaway.

Pizza takeout.
Slow roasted lamb and roasted vegetables.
Chilli and wraps.

I made up a sauce last night for some pork chops, which we had with lots of veggies. Chicken stock, redcurrant jelly, red wine vinegar, chopped onion, 3 sliced apples from the freezer. Reduced till thickened. Yum.

I remember when that little baby died italian poor mum, can't imagine what it's like to lose a child you've gotten to know.

You lot are so lovely!

italian I remember that little boy passing away too. xxx

i have missed a lot, sorry to hear sad news.

finally starting to feel a bit less sore but didnt do the school run this morning due to it being slippy figured if i fell i would be right back to where i started. as it happens dp fell but says he is fine. he would say he was fine even if he wasnt so i shall be keeping a beady eye on him.

phone contract is up today, not a day too soon since the handset keeps draining battery within a couple of hours, not sure what to get and what best offer, i use it a lot as i do alot from home so want something good quality, dont really like iphones so preferably android.

nsd today for me but dp has drawn out cash for late night takeaway, we have been together 6 years today!

Oh Italian I wondered if it was that friend so tragic i can imagine the grief of losing a child would be overwhelming.

Collie sorry to hear your Jan has been so shitty so far, have some and from me. What did you decide about the move to the South West?

I have a day off, which has been busy so far! Had some people round to discuss getting a new bathroom, work might start in a couple of weeks which is amazing! I honestly can not wait to see the back of our current bathroom it is so dated and grotty looking, will make a massive difference having a shower as well.

Once bathroom is done will treat ourselves to some nice new bathroom bits as well.

Have done a fair amount of clearing up as well last night and this morning so feel slightly more on top of things. Need to do some filing and sorting of paperwork as well. If get chance might send of for my new passport later, not sure whether to do the check and send thing? Its an additional £10 but that does include postage via special delivery and they obviously check for any mistakes first.... dunno thoughts?

sorry to hear about your January too collie

girlfriend - I would go for the check and send. I've always done that, and touch wood nothing's ever gone wrong. We've had friends who used it and the post office checked for the photos etc, which was a good job as there were issues with them.

Sorry to hear about your friend Italian and your awful start to the year Collie.

Spent about £10 yesterday on parking/hot chocolates after our walk.
Need to get a top up shop today will try not to spend anything else. I really struggle to do free activities with ds in the winter and even just going for a walk involves paying for the bus/parking.
Have applied for three different housing association flats this week, fingers crossed we get something, would be nice to spend a bit less on rent!

Meal plan for the week -
Sausage and mash
Veggie burgers, salad and wedges
Quiche,veg and new potatoes
Veggie bolognaise
Bacon and spinach pasta x2 nights
Jacket potatoes with beans/cheese (cheap dinner night!)

I just heard back from WeBuyBooks.co.uk that they processed my books and that £96 is on its way. Excellent.

Thats brilliant ipsos

My fb sales are not going very well, am thinking no one is buying this time of year? Need to sort out paypal account as think may have more luck on the specific Boden buy and sell pages.

Well being at home all day is not good for my bank balance and I have dipped into Amazon again bought some more party bag fillers and some dvds that seemed very cheap. In all bought 13 items for £48, that includes 6 dvds some of which are for dd (bday presents) and a couple for me, some new gloves as fed up with cold hands and lots of other bits and pieces. Will not go near Amazon again before the end of the month!!

Have just ordered a small oil filled radiator for my bedroom, they were recommended to me as being very cost effective and it was £15 off. Will cost £24.99 and hopefully warm my bedroom up a bit!!

Found out that apparently there is asbestos in my bathroom which will delay them being able to start work on it the soonest they can come and sort it out is in 2 weeks and it maybe another 2 weeks after that until they can start with ripping it out.

good to hear that ipsos! how did you decide what to get rid?! I'm so attached to them!

Struggling to keep up with the thread this week, moving too fast for me

Sorry about your loss Italian
Sorry about the job and a crappy start of the new year collie big hug on the way, hope it gets better soon

The builder has nearly finished building the new wardrobes for dh and I, but we needed some baskets for socks and underwear since they only going to have shelves and rails. Ended up going to Trago but got 6 baskets for £20 plus we found the lino for the bathroom for £63 in the remnant section. And have to go back on Sunday to pick it up since we only went in the little car today.

The plasterer was supposed to come in on Monday but haven't seen him all week so we can't finish the bathroom, sometimes I wish we haven't started
On the plus side little dd has moved up a class at ballet and she has a first wobbly tooth she is very excited because all her friends already lost teeth and had a visit from tooth fairy; someday I wish I could be six again

girlie asbestos is so dangerous, great that it was spotted.

ipsos wow that's a great payout for your books
I sent a phone off to environfone.ie this morning, when they receive it and check it I'll get €46.54 into my account.

My reeps app balance is up to €1 now after a week!

Collie sorry you're having such a shitty time

Girlie we always do check and sent too.

Wow ipsos great amount for the books!

Well some good news in the pipeline for me. I told my manager if there was any admin going during school hours I would like to do it and today the head nurse came and talked to me about taking over the admin for the patients with chronic health conditions. I don't know how many hours it would be but at least an extra 5.5 a week and hopefully I'll be able to negotiate some more money for it too. Who knows where it'll lead, I'm secretly working my way up to take my managers job

Nsd.

Brilliant spotty!

£57 on a tank of fuel. We didn't buy any petrol in December for the golf so it does us a while. I have a car too and a fuel card that is running up a bill while I'm off work.

Italian so sorry to hear such sad news

collie sorry about your tough start to the year

Spotty good news on your increased hours

NSD here but just delaying it until tomorrow when I will have to get food and petrol.

That's great news about your hours spotty, brilliant, well done

Fab amount for books in the attic ipsos, Cash in the Attic in reality

love, we have loads of old phones hanging around, I might try that. Do you need chargers or do they need to be in good condition?

I have honestly never stopped today, until now. I have sat down, with a glass of wine, first all week. NYR was to just to drink wine at the weekend. It tastes good. I have gutted 2 bedrooms, cleaned 2 bathrooms, vacuumed the house, mopped downstairs, walked the dogs twice, cleaned out both chicken coops, made a chilli, stripped three beds, washed the linen and remade, and answered a load of work emails. The weekend is ALL MINE

I forgot spends of £5 in karate fees for DS.

collie sorry for your sad news. Hope you're ok. X

Today's spends have been minimal.

After a fuss with dh about whether to walk to work or drive I walked. He followed. So £7 saved on parking. Although I have just had to quick foot it home dodging rain and hail.

£3.90 on a Mexican chicken and cheese toasted wrap at lunchtime. The most delicious thing ever. Made fresh. Yum. Yum. Yum.

£1.85 on a chai latte. (Which after the wrap made me feel a bit sick. But still delicious)

And £4.99 on a pair of ballet flats from new look. My old ones have seen better days.

Boss is convinced I'm cheating re our step challenge. I've walked 8.5km today. And have done over 11,000 steps. I wear a tracker. And had to walk to the other end of town today (and around the shops) to go get my tax stuff sorted out. They'd got me down as self employed and sent me a shitty letter stating I hadn't paid my self employed tax stuff. Which I hadn't. Because I'm not self employed.

Anyway. It's all sorted. I even got an apology from them....!!!

Italian, I remember her too, what tragic loss

NSD - 3 this week, just need another one on Sunday to match last week!

I did check and send for my last passport. The lady in the PO said she was reluctant to send it as I 'looked like I was smirking' (said with disapproving shake of the head). It went through and will make me smirk smile for the next 10 years!

Only spent £1.60 on a bus today. Had a nsd yesterday.

I have had a frugal win. Started making my own cat food and cut costs by over half! We used to spend an astonishing amount on cat food as they are somewhat spoiled and had really expensive food, so we have saved a really significant amount.

Plus the cats ate it all up and seemed thrilled. Double win

£17 on fish and £10 on petrol. :)

£11 on two pairs of trainers and one pair of wellies for ds1. Parked for free and shared a free cookie from Millie's for a treat. Pretty pleased with that!

I have never done check and send, and all my passports have come back fine. I would save the money.

Good result, Ipsos. I told you they were a good company to deal with. Remember as well it's always worth checking back, if you have more books to get rid of, as they've taken some of mine that they've previously rejected.

Collie, sorry January has been such a rubbish month. I like your idea of a January blues fund for next year though. I might do the same.

Great news on the extra hours, Spotty.

£7 travel to work and £4.43 on my card on a top-up shop in the Co-op, mostly for packed lunch stuff for next week. Should only need milk and bread between now and Thursday. I'm going out for the day with a friend tomorrow, but Sunday should be an NSD. I hope everyone has a nice weekend .

Need, you don't need chargers for most companies that take old mobiles. Some even take completely broken ones, although they pay less for those.