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.

Fuzz I can't believe it's been a year. I know someone at work who home ed's. I hated school, neither of us had a good education experience.

Audit Two weeks? I think you need to see a gp. Try Led hut for bulbs, you get a little packet of haribo in each order and cashback. You can order on the trade site too. I think they use dpd couriers on the trade site too.

girlie I hope your dd has a good birthday tea tonight.

Knitting I have pm'd you a ref link. I will not sulk if you dont use it.

Valentines Dh has said not to buy him a card but I will. He works with women who really push the boat on every birthday, anniversary and Christmas . I don't do any of that. He lives a pretty pampered life once he gets home so I don't feel guilty.

£4.33 in aldi. £1.25 much needed beer, £1.09 on sandwich ham, £1.99 on day cream for my neck. Tried to make pita breads but of course the site wouldn't load so I'll do kebabs tomorrow instead. I found a recipe using plain flour not strong flour so it should be really cheap when I can get it to load.

I don't like gnocchi.

I can't believe it either, a whole year.

We will be doing more cooking/baking now that we finally have a sodding oven, lilac :o I think our home ed 'vice' is craft - we do a lot of arty/buildy things that relate to our topics.

Girl thanks for the update on your DD's presents! I've got that excavation kit on my wishlist. :) Hope she's had an awesome birthday mmm Subway.

Managed ok so far considering we didn't meal plan - we had roast chicken thighs and HM potato salad yesterday, corned beef hash today. Usual Wednesday thing tomorrow - eggs for DD before Brownies etc. Got pizza in the freezer... need to think about after that!

Lilac it won't let me log into clubcard without my clubcard number so I can't actually get in we did coincidentally get an envelope from them today with £17.50 vouchers so presumably that is the rough total?

aw shame spotty! :(

Oh and the interview was ok. DH is cautiously optimistic, I'd say. He should find out within 7 days - I really hope he does though, as some other interviews recently he's just not heard back at all, which is frustrating, demoralising... and rather rude of them, no? Anyway, the job sounds good, much better wages/location etc. Will be on the edge of our seats all week, and frankly gutted if it's a no, but really can't expect it to be a yes, there may be lots of other candidates, internal recruitment etc.

Big meeting with his boss is on Thursday. I really don't know what DH will do if they tell him he's failed. There is nothing left he can do, they just don't get it.

I had a weirdly expensive day, doing almost nothing. £8.50 on a prescription, £8 on a tiny top up shop and £15 on a bulk delivery of rice. How does so little cost so much? Oh well.

Ds was in difficulty in the playground today. Three boys taking it in turns to fight him, over and over again for half an hour, and he had no idea how to stop it. He gave one of them a very dramatic cut lip, but really an exit strategy would be more useful. The problem, I think, is that he looks as if he's enjoying it so no one ever intervenes, even me. It's only afterwards we realise he was in difficulties.

Ipsos I'm very surprised that kind of thing is allowed to continue in the playground. We have a very strict no play fighting policy because while some kids think it's fun not all of them do plus the risk of an accident.
fuzz pleased the interview went well. In teacher interviews we find out on the same day, I always find it really strange that most people have to wait a week!
Going out to buy new kitchen scales tomorrow, I've had enough of mine which are still wildly inaccurate even after 2 new sets of batteries. I'm wondering whether the old-fashioned non-electrical type might be better??

Oh Ipsos that sounds horrible. :( Lots of children will appear just fine, or get all 'rabbit in headlights' in that sort of situation, the school should crack down on it happening because of that.

I am rather biased, as I got so frustrated and angry with DD's school failing to do a bloody thing about the fact she was getting kicked, strangled, pushed, having her hair pulled etc... no, they couldn't possibly do anything unless DD actually went to tell a teacher right then. Because yes, a 7yo will find that so easy when she's being threatened with more pain if she tells.

Not that I'm bitter or anything. Ahem.

I agree the school should have stepped in much, much sooner. After 5 minutes at the very most, I would have been over there, finding out what was what, if I were on playground duty. I think you need to raise it with the teacher tomorrow, ipsos, as it really isn't good enough!

Oh no spotty! I had someone suggest frying it today which sounds lovely.

Glad the interview went well fuzz. It's hell waiting. I do hope your dh gets it just so he can tell his current boss where to stuff his stupid targets.

We have our first date anniversary the friday before valentines so ignore valentines day and go out for dinner on the friday instead. We're going for sushi this year. Yum!

Just spent £4.99 on a big tub of peanut butter today. No other spends.

I have my first dietician appointment tomorrow. Not expecting much but it would be nice just to have a chat with some one who knows what I'm talking about. I'll probably treat myself to lunch at work afterwards.

Still no baby news! .. DH said he'd call as soon as he knew (and I know he will, - he works away in the town DSD and her partner live.. I do hope all is ok..she was taken in sunday with waters broke and the baby will be only 34 weeks ,, ) they said they would induce her today , if nothing happening .. Am trying not to worry , but am not going to phone yet I expect they have too much worry about without the SMIL on the phone.. ..(she may be my DSD but i have known her since she was 5 and we have always got on brilliantly )

£8 in Boots today..

We had pancake wraps for dinner in honour of pancake day. Just roasted a chicken in the slow cooker while at work then knocked up pancakes when I got home. Served with carrot cucumber and pepper sticks and choice of chutney or Mayo so everyone could make their own wraps. Was super yum and a big hit with dd. Think I might do it again

Laska they'll be giving steroids and maybe antibiotics. I doubt they'll rush the induction as a vaginal delivery is much better for a prem baby.

Ipsos I agree that's awful!

I've got £17.50 in clubcard points which I'm surprised about as I've been going to lidl a lot recently. I'm going to ignore it though and save it for Christmas because every year I say I'll do that then I forget! Luckily my best friend just reminded me

Thanks Spotty I dont know anything about this , I only had the one child and it was all over fairly quick ..

Proud owner of two pre term inductions here

Ta da!

Jeepers, do you have specific dietary needs? Should be an interesting chat with the dietician.

Laska AAArgh keeping you hanging on.

Sorry to hear your DS is having playground troubles Ipsos.

Made a Mary Berry recipe tonight, nobody fancied pancakes. Malayan fried rice. Rice, chicken, red and yellow peppers, peas, red onion, onion, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, honey, garam masala, chilli powder. With a fried egg on top. Would be easy to do with sausage or as a vegetarian dish and very easy. Was definitely a hit, very cheap to make, and one I will make again.

I'm taking partial credit for that bill spotty. Bloody well done you.

need I have IBS and have been having a really bad flare up of fructose malabsorption (think that's the right term) since last summer. I'm on a strict low FODMAP diet which is a bit crazy, but I've sort of got the hang of it now and it is better then agonising stomach pain. It's taken about 6 months to get the referral to the dietician.

Strangely there seen to be quite a few people on here with troublesome dietary restrictions. I feel quite at home

thanks fluffy!

Crikey Jeepers, that's a long time to be suffering, I am sorry about that. Yes, there does seem to be the case on here. We seem to be lucky in this household, no one suffers from anything other than faddiness (DD, looking at you).

Do make yourself at home Jeepers. A lot of us do seem to have funny diets. I think they can be quite pricey, which is why some of us are here.

Thanks for the thoughts on the playground problems. The weird thing is that I and the other parents were all watching while all this was going on, but they genuinely looked as though they were having fun, just like kittens wrestling. I think the teachers think the same when it happens in school time. I need to convince them somehow that it is not as fun as it looks.

Right hope I don't miss anything
Fingers crossed about dh job
I don't like gnocchi either
Pleased you are getting some where with your diet jeepers.
We don't do valentines, hallmark holiday

Mightly pissed off that I'm not going to be able to do my fitness for a bit, need to see a physio and not sure whether to go for NHS or a private one. Probably NHS as have a specific issue, unless anyone on here is a physio?

Play fighting is not allowed in our yard either

Thanks babs that's good to know. It definitely is in our school because every time I look through the fence there is one or another boy being wrestled to the ground. Hum.