Friendly Frugaleers chat their way into February...

[Ipsos]

Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

By popular request - copied from last year

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2209167-Slow-Cookers-are-shit

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2224969-saving-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2258202-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-6-start-the-new-year-with-a-clear-purpose-and-keep-moving-forwards-even-by-tiny-steps?

orchard.tesco.com/ Sign up to this.

www.topcashback.co.uk/home And this.

www.quidco.com/home/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ditto.

www.checkoutsmart.com/ Plus this.

www.hotukdeals.com/all/deals/new?page=3 Check this daily.

Girl Parkour is also known as freerunning. It's kind of like using the (urban) environment as an obstacle course - lots of jumping between railings, walls, buildings, lots of flips in between and that kind of thing. Basically what, IME, young kids do all the time (hence me thinking that they can start young!) but refined and actually incredible when you watch people who are really good at it.

S'ok Need there won't be a point where we have to take care of a horse/pony everyday :o

Booking a taxi for dancing this morning. Partly due to being disorganised, again... but more because of major symptom increase this morning (it's so weird - I sometimes dream my symptoms (I dream about collapsing) and when I do, it's always an awful day healthwise when I wake up. I'm in no way capable of the walk at the other end of the bus ride. My parents are visiting today though and they've agreed to meet us there after picking up the car seats (they have keys for our house) so I've sent them the postcode for google maps - also means they get to see DD dancing a bit if they arrive in time, which will make them very happy (my parents actually met at ballroom dancing lessons - as, it turns out, did my grandparents!) :)

Thanks all. Back from ooh with antibiotics. I have to say I can't fault the ooh care around here they've never been anything less than brilliant.

£7.24 in tesco on things I forgot in the food shopping!

Oh em I bet you'll get lots of 'knowing' looks I'm not much of a drinker anyway but some people really can't understand why you would go out and not drink unless you're pregnant!

Oh I wondered if that was what you meant fuzz yes my dd would love that as well but have never heard of any classes for it! Hope you feel a bit better as the day goes on.

Today will be spendy as I need to pay the balance on dds party which is £100 plus her lesson which is another £15. No other spends though....

Pleased you went to the OOH Spotty.
I just made Jamie Oliver's vegan gravy with veg stock that I made and it's delicious! Going to have it on my dinner tonight and tomorrow. Maybe enough to freeze a portion too.

Pleased you got sorted spotty and dspottyd.
£40 in tkmaxx, £32 in primark and could have spent more. £8 superdrug. Still need a female 18th pressie but a bit stuck £2 parking

Morning all! And hi to any new folk

Spotty I would def have taken your daughter to OOH cant be too careful with asthma!

Cant remember when I last posted but since last weekend we have had a lovely night in a local hotel (room upgraded to the presidential suite it was lovely!!) for our anniversary, a tough week a work and quite spendy (£80 on car repair but it got through its MOT today no problems thankfully) and today we are hosting a birthday party at softplay so who knows how much that will come to (its great value though and you just pay per child)

We will definitely be dipping into savings this month. Car insurance also due end of the month

girlie I hope you get a new wall soon theres nothing worse than upheaval! Fuzz take it easy

Right just finished cleaning the house, kids are bathed and fed, MOT done so I think that deserves a cuppa :)

£7 scooter coaching but DS loved it and can do a new trick.

My DH just spent over £100 on camera equipment so I'll need to be v frugal the rest of the month with meals etc. I like a challenge. Our food bill is our biggest expense after the mortgage so lots of possibility to shaving some off (hopefully).

Spends:
Wednesday:
£5.10 bus
£5.99 medicine
Thursday:
£8.60 bus
£10 lunch
£1.29 snacks
Friday:
£10.20 bus
£3 breakfast
£9.86 milkshakes from Shakeaway (had promised the DCs ages ago)

DD is really flourishing at her dance club :) it's lovely to watch. Unfortunately my parents got lost :o so they were too late to see any of the class but mum said they'll come up earlier another week, and take us as well as bring us back so they can watch too.

My parents want me to see a kinesiologist. I admit I'm quite skeptical but a friend of mine - who was also skeptical - has had massive improvement in his rheumatoid arthritis so it's worth a shot. It was mum's idea and she is paying (it sounds eyewateringly expensive :(). I'll go in with an open mind, anything's got to be better than what I'm feeling at the moment!

My mum is quite taken by my budget spreadsheet and she's going to start doing her own one. :)

fuzz I think if your mum is paying then there is no harm in trying. As long as you don't go with unrealistic expectations its good to try different things. Sometime just feeling like you are actively doing something, even if it doesn't make you better physically, can make a difference to how you feel mentally...if that makes any sense.

I am trying to meal plan for next week. I used to do it but fell of the wagon when my stomach troubles kicked off. It just depresses me having to actually write out on paper what I can eat, but I know that it will make life easier if I do it.

Also I am in a big strop with dh. Last month we agreed to budget this month to buy tickets to a show in April. Now he has decided he wants to go to something else instead. We have only budgeted for one thing and I would rather go to the one we first agreed to. He has said he's going to go to the other thing even if I don't want to and I can go to the original choice if I want to. Solves the budget problem but its not the point! It was supposed to be a night out together that we would both enjoy. Also he has a friend who is going to the new thing, but I don't have anyone I could go with so would be going on my own.

I am being unseasonably upset about it. Not only that he doesn't seem to care about going out with me, but that basically he just doesn't see why we can't just do both. It doesn't seem like that much money on the face of it but it all makes a diffence and he just isn't getting it. I feel like I am always the one who has to monitor money and then I am being unreasonable when I point out we can't do everything!

Sorry for the rant. Think I should probably go have a lie down and calm myself

Welcome soap! You are in good company on this thread.

Meal plan:

Minced lamb with jacket potatoes
Beef stir fry
Gnocchi (tomato and mozzarella)
Pilaf (cauliflower and spinach)
Pizza (one homemade one in freezer with dough balls)
Caesar salad
Pasta and sauce

Welcome Soap😀

Ok so I need to start saving €100 extra per week to pay the balance on our holiday in April. Just got the balance on the credit card and its eye watering😳 Knew it would be! Will need to take some out of savings but I already knew this.
So glad you brought dd to Dr Spotty! We got a text from ds's school to say they have a case of swine flu, which is worrying but at least we know...

Riding lesson done. Dentist done £97 !!!! To be told my teeth are fine. fuming and £4.99 at chemists for athletes foot stuff for dh.

I think I can reclaim my dentist from work.

Was nice to be outside in the rain fresh air while riding seeing as I've been cooped up the last 2 days.

spotty yes. It's the looks I'm dreading. It's always the same. When dh and I go anywhere and I drive. I get asked especially with his family why I'm not drinking. And they just know I'm pregnant. They just know. Someone congratulated me once. And told me it was ok. I didn't have to make an announcement if I didn't want to.

At least this time I'll be around strangers. So it won't be too bad. Might tell them I'm in a program or something. Ha!

Can you not just tell them you're on antibiotics and save yourself a whole ton of drama?

Creme - My pacing fun is proving to be really useful. I've changed from rushing around all the time to being really quite relaxed and have gained 8lbs in weight which is really amazing. This is a good scheme. Thanks for telling me about it.

I've saved a bunch of money too, as I'm not constantly trying to do things and spending money on getting them done. Yay!

Ipsos it's when you say that you're on antibiotics people go 'oh yeah wink wink'

Jeepers rant away! My DH is similar - I find little point in saying 'we have x amount to spend on going out next month' as each thing that crops up becomes more of a priority than the next. I manage money as we go which works ok atm but I'd like to drop my hours at work from September and that will mean (both of us) setting and sticking to a budget. I think your DH needs to go with you to the thing you've agreed to do together and then work out how to cobble the money together so he can do his thing too - a little off the food budget, something sold on eBay, an hour or two overtime?

No more spends today. Having a bash at éclairs which is good cod I don't like them.
Home made burger and wedges for tea, gammon tomorrow, carbonara Monday, roast beef Tuesday, lasagna wed, chilli Thursday using up left over beef and bolognaise. Or curry e whichever. Pizza Friday.

Welcome new folk. Rant away jeepers

Just checking in!

Today we've had a trip to sealife centre, we were very good and took a picnic however i forgot drinks so me and DS shared a hot chocolate.

We then played adventure mini golf and went to the arcades where we spent 1.70 in 2ps lol. Also had a quick wander on the beach for twenty mins or so.

This year I've invested in a merlin annual pass for me and DS, more so for where we live we have 3/4 attractions down the road so even doing just them would be worth it numerous times within the year. It will fill up lots of time in school holidays and weekends.

I also bought an annual pass for our local theme park which opens soon. That's a 5/10 minute walk away.

It's initial outlay seems a lot however I'm positive we will make this worth it and have less spendy days for the rest of the year :)

Also got on the bus today to and from our destination - 5.35 in total. However I just could not be bothered driving and paying for parking.

Total spends-

1.50 Hot chocolate
1.70 Arcades
5.35 bus fair.

Total: 8.55

This isn't too bad for me!!!