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've suddenly got £81 pending out of my personal account and I don't know why. I'm going to have to phone them. I haven't used the card since Saturday and that was £15 petrol which has come out already. Anyway should be nsd.

I use soap and glory hand cream. The molton brown stuff is nice if you can get an offer (or someone to buy it for you).

Well done on swapping the games fuzz. Always worth an ask I think.

£8 for two swims is a little on the expensive side IMO but sounds totally worth it ipsos.

I don't use the library as much as we should as one likes it and one doesn't which is hard on my own. Will do some bribing and maybe go Saturday.

Work today so nsd planned except for body pump

I thought it was quite pricey too babs but it's a nice pool. I found out that if I spend £20 on a card for the year then I can get a third off, but I also found out that it's £1 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (when it's presumably very busy) and that the pool is normally shut on Tuesday and Thursday. We got lucky last week and went on Thursday when it was very quiet. Pricing is so complicated.

tbh I'd rather pay more to go when it's quiet.

Very quiet and unusually open, I mean.

Husband has gone to London to do a training course till Friday so it's just me and the boys. Ds2 has a hospital appointment at 9 so I'm dreading managing that. Ds2 was awake for about an hour in the night, he didn't need intervention but was crashing about a bit and sucking his fingers loudly and trying to clear his nose. He dropped off as I was going to get up. So that and husband getting up at 5 mean I am knackered already today. Spends will be car parking and hopefully nothing else.

I pay €8 just over £6 every Saturday to go swimming, dd is covered as she has lessons €65/8 weeks I think it used to be 10 weeks last year and ds is free so far, he's only 2. It's well worth it though it's a life skill. And I can't go any other day due to work.

We love the library but the children would spend all day in there, and after spending the entire Sat morning getting ready for swimming and swimming I don't relish a few hours in the library in the afternoon. This is something I plan on au-pair doing as an activity,on a fri afternoon when there's no homework, once the weather improves

Agree. Swimming is a life skill. I never had lessons (and it's something I'm thinking about now) but can swim. Was taught to swim in the sea. great parenting

Should be nsd today. Two more eBay items to post. But payment for that's covered.

Still waiting for two things I've bought online to arrive. So will have to follow that up with post office. And have to submit my tax form today.

Swimming is £15 here for a family. We have haven't taken ds yet, none of us own swimming stuff either so it would be a bit of a big spend. Should still go at some point I suppose!
We always drive to the nice library in the posh part of town, they have better books and toys.

Ememem I'm not over confident swimming in the sea as I learned in a pool, now live in a seaside place and anyone that learned there can swim in sea/pool so don't knock it

5minutes Sportsdirect or Decalthon online would be a good place to source cheap swimwear.

Ipsos thanks for letting me know about UpWork! I'm booked up for the month doing RoR stuff but could do with more work in Feb. Sounds fab!

Our plans to relocate have been scuppered because we will probably have to sell this house and rent again for a bit. I really don't want to rent. :(

NSD!

Any time collie. I just suddenly realised that the way I heard about UpWork was an article in the national press saying that some people were earning a full time living doing web design in remote locations and getting all the work through upwork. I looked and there are a lot of good jobs on there, and well paid. Might be fun. I have applied for one of the short ones.

Despite planning to use stuff up this week I somehow still managed to spend £54 in the supermarket. Bit cross as DH added several things to the list ge said we'd run out of and when I was putting the shopping away I found we had them already. Luckily nothing that will go off though.
Noticed Nutrogena hand cream currently on offer in Asda if anyone is interested.

Great to read about Upwork, thank you. I've got a lot to do for this author (and yesterday she said she is insisting on paying me a bit more too!) but once this project is done, I'll investigate properly :)

Shouldn't need any spends today other than bus passes, and DD's new creative writing home ed group (£30 for 12 weeks, but we can do PAYG).

Will need to order a Tesco delivery as well, just enough to get through til Monday. Must get the last, erm, mystery thing out of the freezer for dinner!

Waiting in for new phone they messed up and activated the new sim card too soon so I'm without a phone for the day not helping the anxiety as ds really isn't himself but wanted to go to school so I've had to give them dad's number as mine isn't working. They've knocked ten pound off the first bill as a gesture but it's not helping me relax having a rough few days with chest pain and stomach issues.

Nsd as not leaving the house and I'm a tenner up next month thanks to ee (y)

lilac wasn't knocking it! I'm a strong and fast swimmer. But just have no style. You know those dogs you see splashing about in the water...? I swim like that.

Splashy. Fast. Loads of fun.

We have a swimmathon coming up. Work have entered a team. I'm taking part and am hoping to splash the others out of the pool.

Swimming here is £3.80-5.50 per person under 5 are free so ds1 who is 5 is still sneaked in :)

We did baby swimming lessons with ds1 they were £10 a session on a sun and people thought expensive til I reminded them for us both to take him to a local pool it was £8-11 depending where we went

Off work today feeling grot went back to bed after dh took the boys and only got upat 1!

After a very stressful morning I spent £20 in sainsvury. I got a sleeping bad for ds2 for next winter in the sale, some waterproof winter gloves for ds1, a Thomas t shirt for ds1 and some kitchen towel. Oh and a giant pig biscuit for ds1.

I just phoned up the swimming pool and it seems that they're just opening on Thursdays after school for a trial run to see if anybody comes. That must be why it was so quiet. Bonus! We must do that again.

Another nsd here feeling very proud of myself too!

I'm also suffering badly with my hands, I work in a kitchen so spend loads of time with them in the sink, the washing up liquid is very strong and gives me a bad rash right up my arms, I've found the best thing so far is E45 cream applied over and over again.

Camden you just reminded me that we loved Camden last time we were in London must check it out again when over in a couple of weeks. I loved the street food.

I also have very sensitive hands. I couldn't even contemplate the smallest amount of washing up without my trusty rubber gloves, and this time of the year, I wash them very thoroughly, but as little as possible. Unlike most of you, I don't like swimming. It's mostly a sensory issue; I can't bear walking on wet tiles. Give me a very warm pool, space to leave my flip flops on the edge of it, and a hot, powerful shower, and I don't mind it!
Today's spends:
£4.20 café.
£2.90 Co-op (rocket, carrots, banana bread and biscuits).
£1 thermal gloves, as I lost my old pair yesterday.

I also stopped by my local library and got a couple of books. For the last two or three years, I've made a point of borrowing most of my books, rather than buying them. Our village is rather deprived, so we're very lucky to still have a library service 2 days a week and Saturday mornings.

I remember when ds was in nicu and obviously you have to wash your hands all the time. My hands were bleeding halfway through our stay it was awful!

Nsd here. My garden is still covered in frost from this morning. I don't feel like I've thawed out either!

£52 supermarket delivery.

We exchanged contracts today

Will catch up a bit later.

I won a book on mumsnet! I had promised myself not to buy any books for three months(have way too many to read & use library!).

Keeping in budget (fingers crossed) with groceries so far have €180 for two weeks! Eating out of larder today!

Need to out €50 per week away till 7th April to pay balance off holiday.

Lilac - Camden is where I grew up and one of my favourite places ever. I spent my teenage years (mid 90's) hanging around Camden lock and the market, buying joss sticks, ethnic jewellery and second hand Levi's When I lived there I really didn't appreciate it, now I'm living out of town in the suburbs I miss it so much, my children are at the thought of living within walking distance to Oxford St and Regent's Park. Certainly not a frugal place to live though!