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.

What survey site are you using please?

I'm such a muppet, forgot I'd need cash today AGAIN so need to either walk down to the shops or get a taxi. TBH I'd rather stay home but the DCs are super excited about the meet up today.

Happy birthday need

thanks for starting new thread ipsos

will read on.

Magic beans are gift vouchers/cards slightly
fuzz I use Irish Opinions survey site, there's probably a UK equivilant.

Someone here uses google surveys and gets points towards apps or magazines
Walk fuzz if it's not far you'll feel better for it

I need to get back into doing surveys.
Just spent £4.66 on things I forgot in supermarket yesterday. Went into our local, very small Morrissons, it was like stepping back in time!

I do lots of surveys and use yougov,toluna,my survey,valued opinions, pinecone,ipsos,populuslive

i also use the google opinon rewards app towards games for the dc since we all use the same email address. takes a while to build up but have had £26 since starting so worthwhile even if you leave it to build up

NSD planned here. I've just moved my weekly money into my pound a week account, £250 in there now! I'm also still doing the penny challenge and that's ticking up nicely.

Hello Frugaleers! May I join you? Dh is about to quit his job (due to stress) and move to one which pays about half his current salary. I'm looking for a job too (only work a few hours a week atm). But one way and another we need to get seriously frugal.
Will check out all your lovely links at the top of the thread in a bit. Hoping to find some good tips!

Sorting out my house insurance zzzzzzzzz

All done. I could have got a bit of cash back if I had changed provider but my current one undercut them by a fiver and it saves the hassle of changing. They took over £50 off the original renewal price too.

welcome merciful of course you can join us.

Thanks lilacclery. I already converted to shopping at Aldi about 6 months ago and am astonished by how much cheaper it is. I've always been a meal planner, so that helps. What I don't do so much is shop around for good bargains - must get better at that. Am a big fan of charity shops for clothes bargains though.

I have had enough of surveys. I feel uneasy with the amount of personal and household information you have to provide for every single one of them; I hate how they clutter up my inbox and make me feel overwhelmed, which sometimes increases my fatigue; and most of all, I hate how they screen you our, when you're half way through the blasted, tedious thing. Last week, panel base screened me out at 97%.

Welcome merciful!
I fell out with Panelbase when they wouldn't let me change my email creme. I keep meaning to do the Nectar points one though, I can't remember what it's called.
Right, I need to stop procrastinating and mark some exam papers while DD is asleep!

Thanks lilac am checking it out now.

I wear a step tracker wristband too so could be onto a winner there!!

Ridiculous, Pointless. Now get on with your marking; think of the lovely extra cash.

Hope you had a lovely birthday need

I gave up on surveys a while ago for that reason creme

I'm off work this week so am trying to up my frugal game! Yesterday I emptied the chest freezer to find out exactly what's in it, which was a revelation, now we have enough meat & frozen batch cooked meals (including 4 packs of fish fingers to feed us through February and a bit beyond. Dh & I have developed a taste for oat & berry smoothies & there is enough fruit in there to keep us in breakfasts for a good while too! During February I'm going to be working significantly more hours than my usual 20 so I'm using this week to get more organised so that we don't fritter away any of the extra money I earn in takeaways etc. It will only be for a month (I don't want that sort of increase in hours long term) but the money will all go into the loft conversion fund.

I went to the gym yesterday with dh which is my first time in soooo long. It's probably my biggest frugal sin, keeping my membership going while not using it (£22 a month). It's since all my health problems started that I've not been much but when I'm well (which is the majority of the time) then there is no reason for me not to go. So, I went yesterday and again today and spoke to an instructor who has set a programme for me. I feel so much better for going and feel better about the money too.

I've started making a quilt for our new nephew. I bought the fabrics before Christmas so there's no cost attached, just the time pressure of wanting to have it finished in 3 weeks' time when we go to visit. It's a simple pattern so hopefully will be okay and my mum has offered to help if I'm struggling with it.

Mum, dd and I are going for our annual girls' weekend away, this weekend to York which I'm looking forward to. We're staying in a house that we've been to before, it's lovely, 10 minutes walk from the centre, has offroad parking and is £220 for the 3 of us for 2 nights, so cheaper than any hotel we could find. We're taking food for tea on Friday when we arrive and food for our breakfasts. Saturday will be an Indian takeaway for tea and we're taking games and dvds for evening entertainment. So, the only spending should be on cafe stops in York on Saturday & Sunday.

No extra cash unfortunately creme, just mock papers. I don't think I have the stamina for external exam marking! Finished now anyway, I must have done more than I thought on Monday.

You have all welcomed the other newbies so beautifully I'm throwing my hat in the ring to join you all too. This thread does move fast for me so I may not keep up on everything.

I'm not based in the uk so can't take advantage of some of the offers you share but I can take the ideas and see what is available where I am.

Having read some past threads I have put in place some of your suggestions like moving insurance companies and saving lots on doing this and so on. I only just started meal planning late last year and was a bit haphazard with it. When I did it it definitely worked so I am more committed this year.

I want a year of wellness for myself and my two sons so less takeaway and crap meals is on the cards. I also need to only buy what I want at the shops and not the impulse buys so will try to focus on that. I also have just downloaded an app which tracks my spending from my bank accounts and this is a huge wake up call for me. I'm grossly overspent each fortnight. Other than being a single mum I have 24/7 custody of the kids so some days I'm too exhausted hence I think as many plans I can put in place the better I will be at managing money.

One final point. I'm going to undertake a course this year which will provide me with a second income stream outside of my job so hope that helps ease the financial pressure I'm under. Oh yeah, I don't get any financial support from ex-h so it's just my income to rely on.

£44 in tkmaxx but only £10 was cash. Couldn't decide in house of Fraser so left it, ditto primark. I need a personal shopper I think. £23 in boots on birthday gift.

Welcome merciful

Welcome too mojito. Being tired and time short plays havoc with my frugalness.

Pity it's not extra cash, Pointless , but well done for cracking on and getting it finished.

Welcome to Merciful and Mojito.

The quilt sounds fab, north. It will be a gift he can keep forever.

Welcome mojito 😊

Welcome mojita and merciful :)

Living on OHs wage this month isnt going to happen I dont think as hes randomly about 300 less than normal - will try with what's left but I cant see it working out unless we buy no groceries! Have put the money into savings anyhow (now 41% to freedom fund target!) and will see how we go - will prob have to take some out.

£3.75 on softplay for the DC this morning, they do a fab offer with unlimited coffee and juice / snacks for the DC :)

Will need bread / milk later but will nip out after DH comes home

I dont do surveys - takes too long to be worth the time I feel. Get the odd voucher from o2 rewards, and use their priority app for free coffees and that. Things like using shopitize / checkoutsmart add up quicker lol.

Welcome Merciful and Mojito! :)

I didn't need to walk in the end, as I discovered I had just enough change (including a sneaky 5p from the change pot) to get the short hop fare to the station, where I could get cash out. So not ideal but cheaper than a taxi.

In the old days I would've walked down to the shops, but it was a no-go today - there's a long walk at the other end of the bus journey and there's no way I could've managed both :( TBH we nearly stayed home anyway but the DCs were looking forward to it. Home early for a hot bath before DD goes to Brownies, the DCs are so muddy. :o

While the DCs are splashing I'm going to investigate the bus website. We really can't go on depending on cash for bus fares, now that we need so many bus rides each week. It was fine when I had my iPod because I could use the m-ticket app, but it died! Anyway, I'm going to make some notes on prices because there are lots of different price structures now, there's an Oyster-style card as well as paper ones etc. I also need to sort out an ID card for DS to get quarter fares instead of half, it's £50 (DD's was free as we were on FSM at the time) for 3 years. I've been putting it off but I really need to do it!

I've booked a hair appt to two weeks time. Dh got me a £40 voucher for Christmas so I could have it cut and coloured (he doesn't realise the cost). I booked the cheapest person and it's over £100. I figure I have saved that by not having my hair cut for two years