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.

Thanks fluffy have used the link to join, and will switch the elec using it, which should be £14 cashback, better than a poke in the eye. Feel stupid that I never looked into any of these sites before.

Spends...
£38 in pets at home, but have enough dog and cat fud for a month, plus bugs for the lizards.
£48.27 in Morrisons, groceries, would normaly be about 100.
£10 Asda on dulce gusto and the milk I forgot.

Have ds off for 2 days now as he randomly puked at nursery - he isn't poorly! But he was sick into the lego box uuugh! Will try to sort his 'room' (6' square taken from the biggest bedroom as a craft room for me before I had him) as it looks like one of those hoarding programmes in there, and he still cosleeps at 3.5, while we are confined.

Knitting I think you're the first person here who has had to list "bugs" as essential expenditure. Excellent. Glad you joined.

tayto I'm in London for the night. Flew in on the red eye from jersey this morning. Meetings all day. Have just got back to my hotel after the best dinner ever. And am curled up in bed. I have a whole king sized bed to myself. With about a million pillows (thanks premier inn and your pillow menu - I'm using them all!!!)

Black bean and plantain empanadas followed by perfectly cooked seared tuna with chorizo dressing butter bean purée and spinach. And Mexican churro donuts. Then jazz.

I had a mojito. And about 4 litres of water so hoping that although I have taken my antibiotics I've flushed the alcohol out sufficiently for them to a)still work and b) not give me a bad hangover.

Oh. And £12 at hotel bar for beer for boss, j20 for me and a bottle of water for bedtime.

Lots happening on this thread as usual!
fuzz fingers crossed for your DH! laska you sound like a lovely step MIL (did I get that right?) for giving them space while baby arrives. hope you have news soon. ipsos I agree on the play fighting front - there are so many good reasons for not allowing it at school - not least of which is that teachers need to call time on that behaviour so that the children don't have to when it gets out of hand or if they just aren't actually comfortable with it.
Can't sleep. My old friend Anxiety seems to have settled in for the night. Have made a milky drink and got out of bed. Not in that order, obvs. Will now try not to go shopping on Amazon. Bastard insomnia.
Lowish spending day today. Went to waitrose at lunchtime and got some rice cakes and nut butter to keep at work for lunches. DH pulled a face when I told him what I ate for lunch but I rather like it with a sliced banana on top. Made Nigella's minestrone for supper, making good use of otherwise languishing veg. And reminded myself what an excellent, cheap and fast snack home popped popcorn is. Frugal win! Will definitely try that Mary Berry recipe, need.

morning. Need milk and grapes today and stuff to prep the walls for decorating.
Hope you managed to get sleep. Slightly
Sounds like a great night em.

Are you sure you're on the right thread em? This is meant to be frugaleers, but many of your posts seem like reports from the department of revelry and excess.

Have we lost collie entirely? I don't seem to have heard from her for ages.

I just pm'd Collie to see if she's still around.

Pleased you've done that ipsos, I was wondering about collie too.
Going to buy new kitchen scales this morning, hoping Home Sense has some bargains. Also need milk as I used it all making pancakes last night.

In what way do em's posts come across as being about revelry and excess ipsos? I am interested to hear.

I'm aiming for an NSD today, tidying our garden up. It's such a state and I know it just wants effort to fix it, but it seems a real uphill struggle. I reckon I'm going to start small and work up. On thing at a time, so to speak. First - the shed!

Is Em not away with work Ipsos ? I'm assuming work is paying for everything while she's away.

Probably, yes. And that's lovely for Em that she has all these sources of money and fun and so on.

A lot of us here don't have that kind of thing though and come here for support in trying to make ends meet. A number of people are genuinely struggling to get out of debt, to feed their kids from one month to the next, or to deal with really troublesome long term health problems.

I just worry that Em reporting all the money and fun that gets chucked at her is a bit like someone stooging into an AA meeting and saying "Yay! I had a double whisky last night!". Lovely for them, but not so supportive of the rest of the group.

Need I just mean when she lists expensive handbags that she wants to buy, or parties that she's been to and so on. If you don't agree then please do say so. I was just putting my thoughts forward. Happy to be told otherwise.

ipsos em is hoping to have a baby at some point in the future and is looking to get her 'financial' house in order. She's lucky to have a good job where things are flashy and expenses aren't spared.

I recently spoke about my holiday to London which I have saved up for and shoes I had bought in a recent sale. I don't think these things cause offence to anyone at all.

This thread has always been open to people coming from all walks of life who want to do things cheaply or get the best value for their money.

After just fifteen days it looks like this thread will be full, will it be 3 thread month?

Oh dear. I really don't want to see us fall out.

Thank you for using my link Knitted. I've only ever linked mil before and she joined on her own.

£836.40 accountant bill. Ouch.

Well dd woke up today unable to weight bear on her foot. After some ibuprofen she can just about walk on her toes on that foot. She's at school so hoping it sorts itself out. Might call her physio as our gp is behind shit (asked if my genetic condition which dd also has was caused by my diabetes duh!).

Anyway think I'll have a coffee and a bit of a tidy up. Won't be a nsd as I'm getting my hair done tonight! So excited it's been over two years! I'm going to show you all before and after shots (without my face in )

Enjoy the luxury of getting your hair done spotty is it very long now?

I don't really mind reading about other people's spends - even though most things are way beyond us, things like having building work done, or car issues, or pet supplies - we're all in the same boat, trying to manage better with the money we have. Doesn't matter that some of us have more than others. I do see what Ipsos means but just saying it doesn't bother me personally, IYSWIM :)

On a less positive note, I missed my GP appt. Struggled downstairs (took me an hour just to sit up let alone anything else - bad, bad day) to look in diary - I was going to request that the lovely doctor phoned me instead of me going down there (I don't need examining or anything), but it was yesterday. SHIT. :( :( Will have to ring and rearrange.

Oh well it does mean NSD for me - it's a meetup at the adventure playground today which we would've gone to after the doctors, but there's no way I could manage that anyway. Quiet day at home, got a few ideas for quiet and easy activities that will not require me to move or even think much! And therefore can resist sticking a DVD on instead (though we may watch a documentary later).

I really wish DH could come home though :(

Not really lila, it gets to the length it is now (boob length) and doesn't seem to grow anymore!

Fuzz sorry you're feeling so crappy I hope you feel better after a restful day

Dh and I want a crepe maker. They have really go reviews and cost £22. Crepes would be a good frugal meal wouldn't they? And good for breakfast etc. Might consider it if we went halves it's not going to break the bank. Or I could use my Easter money (yes at 28 I still get Easter money from my family )

Oh fuzzpig it sounds like your day has got off to a rubbish start. You seem brilliant with structuring your days when you're not feeling well. I did that twice with ds' pre-school immunisations. Missed one by a day, the next I was an hour late. I think I have a marker on my notes now. They used to send me a text to remind me of appointments, but the system has changed.

The pets (many) are a throwback from better times. Five years ago I was debt free. What the hell have I spent 17 grand on in five years??? It makes me so sad. And why has it taken so long for me to start to fix it?

I was thinking last night that this group is like a broad section of our society, we're all from different walks of life. I live in the back of beyond, it's 6 miles to the nearest shop for me...I do envy you guys who have museums, activities...how I long for an ice rink, hell, a swimming pool would do! But I do enjoy reading about it!

I have no wish to fall out with anyone, but neither will I see Em singled out either. I love reading her posts, they cheer me up and she is a different stage of her life than I am.

The point of this thread, for me at least, is that we are all looking to get the best value we can for the money that have. To take an extreme example, I suspect Martin Lewis does not need to be as frugal as he is these days. But he would be welcome on the thread if he fancied it!

We all choose to spend our money in different ways. That could be handbags and glad rags, equestrian stuff like us, or specific dietary items. Your money, your life, your choice.

Or do we all have to be on the breadline to contribute? I hadn't thought that was the case.

I'll get my coat then if we do

And collie is fine, which I hope she doesn't mind me posting.