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

[fuzzpig]

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

Blue I'm the same with slow cookers.

Oh I love my slow cooker. It has a timer too! It randomly broke and then fixed itself last month. Everything I cook has a lovely texture and thick sauce.

Sorry about your cat love Id be fitted if that happened to Colliecat.

We rarely get snow! I've never even seen enough snow to make a snow ball. I remember being in Exeter Schuh store once. And it started to snow heavily outside and a lady in her 40s screamed "OH MY GAWD, SNOOOOW!" And she ran out and danced in it. I'll never forget how her husband gave her the look. It didn't settle though poor lady was devastated.

Happy birthday baba

No snow here. We are off swimming today

Sun holidays are up. They had France and Spain etc at £15pp per night out of term time. I might look again next year as we can't afford it this year.

Meal plan for the week:

Mixed bean and beef chilli with rice
Shepherds pie with veg
Chicken goujons croquettes and veg
Gammon roast
Chicken quesadillas and salad
Pasta and sauce

Ipsos before I forget the gluten free orange cake recipe
Boil 2 small oranges for 1 hour, cut in half and take out pips. Blitz in food processor ( you could shove it through a seive but I would lose the will to live).
Heat oven to 180deg C, line a 23cm cake tin
whisk 5 eggs & 225g of sugar over a saucepan of simmering water - this takes a while but it is what give the cake its lift.
Mix together orange pulp, 285g ground almonds (lightly toasted gives a nuttier flavour to the cake) and 1 tsp of baking powder.
Mix a couple of large spoonfuls of the egg mixture in to slacken the orange mix and then fold in the remainder - it is important to do this quickly because the baking powder reacts quickly because of the acidity of the orange.
Put in the tin and cook for about an hour - it will feel firm to touch.

you can make a syrup with juice & zest of 4 oranges, juice of a lemon and 115g sugar and 150ml water - disolve sugar and bring to boil until syrupy. Pour over warm cake along with cream (whipped or runny) for a very sticky yummy colesterol forming desert.

Thanks unescorted.

Sorry about your cat knit. A wooden box in the garden sounds like a lovely thoughtful send off.

I use my slow cooker a lot for roasting. Just shove a chicken in with a smidge of oil and it is amazing. So moist! Hmmmm.....

Should be a nsd today. Dh's mum is taking us for lunch to celebrate her birthday. Dh got a present last week and dd made a card this morning.

You are welcome... I promised it ages ago and kept forgetting or not having time to dig it out. Sorry it took so long.

I have had a very unfrugal start to the month....I have bought the wood burner for the tipi. The bike race is next weekend so I had to do it. Frugal win is my Mum & Dad have been collecting wood from the local joiners so we don't have to buy any.
I have also replenished my food cupboards after 6 and a half years of living on basics..... the joy of buying smoked paprika and orzo because I can was amazing, but I will have to rein it in because my cupboards will not take it all. I still can't face spending £2 on a crap loaf of bread or £5 on an artisan loaf that is no better than our weekday bread.

Well yesterday I did spend a lot of money, but it was on a new car because ours had to be scrapped before Christmas, but we've bought it outright (with some lovely help from my wonderful dad) so at least there's no debt attached to it

I went into tx maxx...... And didn't spend a penny

Looked through the cupboards and did a top up shop (£40) for dinners this week;

Fish pie (will be enough for today & leftovers tomorrow)
Broccoli and Stilton soup with brown bread (using the last of the bloody christmas cheese!)
Chicken enchiladas
Sausage and mash

I've bought stuff to make all my lunches too, and I'm going to bake some granola/nuts/dried fruit bars today too - it's snowing and cold outside so it's a good excuse to potter round inside

Yesterday's spends £25 riding lesson and £3.98 in shop for milk, donuts, and haribo.

Helped my sister de clutter her wardrobe yesterday. 4 bags of stuff went to charity shop. 2 have come home with me for ebaying (she doesn't have an account and it was a faff to set one up for her). 50+ items listed this morning to finish next Sunday.

My items will finish this week. So far £15.

Nsd today. We are going for a walk and then sorting stuff out.

Collie if you hadn't said Exeter and 40's I'd have been worried that was me! I get over excited about snow.

Ds1 has gone to football but none of his friends are going so he'll be a bit sad I think. £60 for a term.

Snow here

I have a cold and sore throat as does the baby

Once guests go will sort some lunch am upstairs at no with baby asleep on me.

Today we have fish finger sandwiches for lunch and dh is cooking up a 4kg gammon so that's dinner tonight plus couple dinners in week and our sandwiches sorted.

As you can see we've got loads of snow. Made this ginormous snowman

Wow spotty he's amazing!!

We've got a fair bit of snow, buses hitting problems etc. I've had to phone work as I won't be able to get there by bus, and am slightly terrified of being stranded at work (12 miles from home) if buses stop, as taxis also refuse to pick up from certain roads in this weather :(

Not what I needed 4 shifts into the job :( but manager seemed OK. I'm just hoping that it's all gone by my next rota'd shift (Wednesday).

Ds1 wanted to go and clean up the snow! He was very excited by it all, I'm not sure he's seen this much before. It snowed the day he was born, in April.

I love your snowman spotty.
I am about to go through the freezer, fridge and cupboards and do a meal plan based on using stuff up. I've already planned "miscellaneous veg curry" for tomorrow but I might need to rebrand it so it sounds more appealing!

Aww, he's so sweet!
Love it when it snows, although the amount is a bit pathetic.
NSD.

Struggling to keep up. Sorry to hear of those having sad times at the moment
Going to my cousin's for lunch today so don't need to cook which is good. Then need to meal plan and stick to it. We've got a few weekends away coming up (staying with friends or family) and I'm trying to make a quilt in time for the arrival of our niece/nephew in a month's time so I feel very time poor at the moment. I think it will be best if I plan all meals including breakfasts & lunches.
Yesterday dh went watching rugby & I took dd out. We went for a walk in the snow & then had a cafe stop (£11). The pressure from school re SATs is unbelievable (Y6) so we're trying to plan nice distractions at the weekend.

I must not buy new furniture on my next account. I must not. I will not. My New Years resolution was not to buy anything on credit. I will save up. I will I will I will.

Holiday booked! 4 nights on the Isle of Wight for £130 including service charge. I've upgraded us to the most expensive accommodation. Staying at nodes point as it has beach access. Pleased with how it looks and it will be adventure for ds1 to stay in a caravan!

That sounds great what.
Just got a quote for some decorating. It is a lot more than we expected but desperately needs doing and we will never get around to it ourselves, plus it's the stairs which look like being complicated.
We have enough in savings but we were hoping to put that towards mat leave if we have another baby. Don't know what to do.
The reality of affording another child has started to sink in. Now thinking we'll wait until DD gets her free nursery hours but I'm worried I'm getting older.
Anyway, have set DH the task of getting a better broadband deal and I'm going to see if I can get my money back for being mis sold a packaged bank account, Martin Lewis was talking about it on Friday night and I reckon I fit the bill. No harm trying anyway.

No snow here thankfully, we had it thurs / fri!

5mins they were reshaped, my sapphire put back in and 3 of the tiny diamonds (sadly lost!) replaced, and then as they are white gold they were rhodiumed (?). Will be taking better care now!

Crap day here, I am in hosp with poor DH :(

Oh no blue I hope dh is ok