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

[fuzzpig]

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

Need you are absolutely right about my supermarket bills. Unfortunately I am time poor so tend to do an online shop rather than Lidl or Aldi and then topping up with the things I can't buy there. DH is very food oriented and very resistant to all my attempts to lower the costs. I am buying a lot less ready meals since on Slimming world, and trying to use frozen berries as fresh are so expensive at the moment.

A meal plan would be ignored here, as DH isn't built that way. DH us around this week, away the following week, so I may try a plan the week he is away.

What check Tesco, I'm sure I saw an advert this week (may have been on hot deals Uk) for about £10.

Thursday £60 for DD1's Spanish lessons for this half term, plus £40 for archery club. Not sure if she'll get a place or not, last time (fencing) was oversubscribed.

Need to go and get keys cut (DH locked himself out and the spares from the shed are no longer there, I think the builder had them and didn't return them) plus a present for a party next week the girls are going to. Will go to TK MAXX fit the present as have a gift card to use (I think it has a high balance >£100?)

Also need to get descaler for the iron.

Tesco gave a 3l slow cooker for £10, a crock pot one is £17.50

What I have a slow cooker with a timer and it is amazing. If you can find one for a reasonable price it really is worth the extra pennies in my view.

We're having a nsd today. It is 1yr since my mum died so have gone to where she is buried with my dad and he bought us lunch. Will be a film with popcorn this afternoon I think.

So sorry Jeepers I hope you can have a peaceful day remembering your mum

Spendy day today. Ended up with taxis today due to being disorganised. I dread to think how much more we've spent (than would've been spent on just buses).

Discovered a charity shop by DD's dance club so I wandered in. Must avoid in future, it's dangerous! Got a few useful home ed things for our next main topic (space), an Ancient Egypt jigsaw book and a DVD that I know my niece has been looking for.

Yesterday wasn't as spendy as I thought - train fare was slightly cheaper than advertised online, and we ended up back at the birthday boy's house after for lunch instead of going out, and my friend refused any money for the takeaway we had. The only problem is that now DD is hooked on ice skating, she loved it! And did really well considering she'd never been (she has roller blades so I guess that was good preparation). Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately! £££) there's nowhere nearby to do it throughout the year.

Bollocks. Missed our chance with the Escher exhibition. We are all absolutely gutted. :( Just trying to see the positive as it would've been an expensive day.

Oh no fuzz.

£50 on diesel

I'm also a bit miffed because the person I spoke to to try and clarify was really rude. I wrote a message to their Facebook page (not on the public bit, that seemed a bit unfair) which I don't normally do but I'm trying to get a bit more assertive.

Anyway, it's a fair bit of money saved, with train fare, gallery entry and most likely gift shop! And the DCs have been really enjoying the work we've done about Escher so we'll carry on with that. We are still going to mum's tonight so we'll have a nice evening and do something tomorrow.

You know that penny challenge thing, I was thinking we could use it to go away somewhere abroad in 2017 (I'm not using it as a Christmas fund, because shopping throughout the year works better for us). We've not been abroad in 5 years and now of course we can go in term time to save some money. I was pondering Disneyland Paris, as we definitely want to take the DCs someday, but I'm now really seriously thinking we should just use it to go to Amsterdam. We've been wanting to do that for a couple of years, there's the Van Gogh stuff (he's DD's favourite), lots of other great museums etc there apparently, and then we'd go to the Hague for the Escher gallery. Fuck it. We should do this, right?

Managed to get ds2 a next snowsuit for £5 on Facebook selling page his other was getting tight we only use for going to swings as not safe to wear in car seat.

Got in-law side of family coming overnight not my idea of fun may use my slight cold as an excuse to stay upstairs after feeding baby to sleep!

Have made a sausage pasta bake for dinner using pack 8 reduced sausages (50p in co op mths ago) 1/2 a red n yellow pepper, 1/2 tinsweetcorn an onion n 250gms pasta n a jar sauce so £1.50 max for that some grated cheese to go table (50p) and twin pk garluce breads (75p) so def less than £3 to feed 4adults and 2 children

I e gone for a sear and stew with a timer and it's 6.5 litres. Thanks for your advice! Husband was a bit suspect at the price, but it's something I use three times a week minimum so it's worth it.

We've had a good day. We went to the library again and got a load of books, which ds is excited about. Nice lunch out and back home again. :-) Yay!

Yes fuzz do it.
Happy new slow cooker what. I find the metal bowl cooks a bit quicker

Sounds lovely what. The timer will transform your slow cooking life!

Almost a NSD but had to make hot chocolate to warm up from a walk earlier which used up all the milk so DH has just gone to buy some!

Hope you are ok jeepers

Yes, I didn't think to mention, the metal bowl does cook more quickly, babs is correct to highlight this. It's not an issue, you just learn to adjust your timings.

Glad you have had a nice day ipsos

fuzz Berlin is another city to consider. DS is going in Feb, and the information we have been given looks great.

Audit Yes, I totally get being time poor, 95% of my shop is delivered. I am ok at this time of year, but the season will kick off again soon, and then we are away every weekend and it's harder to plan as I am so busy keeping up. That said, I try to buy stuff that is flexible enough to cover different types of meal, dependent on what else I have in (mince, braising steak, chicken) and have a few cheaper but still tasty meals each week that don't take long to cook such as one pasta dish, risotto, frittata, sausage and chips (rotated, we don't eat these every week). And I don't buy things like fajita kits unless they are half price!! Morrisons also have a 'flash sale' page, just after 'checkout', and I add these to my basket as there are some super bargains.

£29 on line at the Body shop, but used topcashback and a £10 off code too. All on hand cream, both my hands and DD's are struggling with the pony stuff and the cold.

90p at M&S and used a voucher from Christmas and this was my overspend

Hankering after a 6.5l Sear and Stew with a timer now....

I think I need a slow cooker timer in my life too..

I wonder if more of us should be using muscle foods?. Meats the expensive bit after all. I keep meaning to be brave and then bottling it. I have a teeny freezer though and no room for anything bigger.

Buy a digital timer for your sc need, instant sc with timer.

£23 Aldi
£4.80 morrisons. £40 total food spend for the week.

£1.80 homebargains.
£1.40 b&m
£1 sainsburys.

£30 petrol.

Getting an Indian takeaway. Should be £15 but we pay half each, I've already got veg samosa from aldi and reduced rice for me. House will reek of it later.

Muscle food is brilliant, if you have space! I've been impressed.

I keep looking at muscle food then bottling it too fluff. It's a lot of meat to not like

Fluffy my pork loin joint from tesco worked well the other day. I'm wondering about just buying bigger cuts of meat from the supermarket and cooking them at home. It heat the house up nicely too. Last monday's epic cooking extravaganza kept us warm until Wednesday.

You have all just made me think I am always stressing about the slow cooker being on too long or wanting to put it on halfway through the day and going on about how good an idea it would be I've got a samsung smart things set up that I won through the insiders so I could use the plug from that and turn it on and off whenever!good plan.

Still not decided on a phone flicking between wanting to save money per month and wanting a shiny new toy what have you all got/do you think?

Babs we weren't sure about the chicken sausages and meatballs but loved them when we tried them. The mince is lovely and the chicken breasts are massive and good quality.

I have an iPhone 6. I begrudge paying for it but I love it.

Mmmmmm, what time for the Indian, Fluffy? Or shall I just make do with my freezer pizza?

I had a lovely afternoon out with a friend. We had lunch at Costa and visited a museum she hadn't been to before afterwards. Spent about £12 in total, so pleased with that.

Fuzz, Amsterdam sounds like a great plan. Did you have a thread about visiting before? Try to get your tickets online in advance for the big museums and Anne Frank house, and if you go when the weather is warmer, maybe you could stay at one of the Centerparcs near enough, as the Dutch pars are far cheaper? In fact, I might just do the same!

I've got a £9.97 samsung. It's great.

www.samsung.com/uk/support/model/GT-E1080ZKIXEU

Ocado sells them.