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.

Girlie There was a MN Webchat with Dr Mosley (the trust me I'm a Doctor guy) yesterday.

And heres a link to the 'official Blood sugar diet website

and a MN support thread

I'm all keen!

daffodil we are using money dashboard. Not entirely sure how you set it up as DH did it. But it is basically an online thingy with an associated app. You get more functionality logging into the desktop site but the app is great for on the go.
spotty I am budgeting for hair appointment in feb as well. I will never forget the time I tried to save time and money by dying my hair at home two days before an important business trip. It went orange. I spent a fortune in boots trying to correct it, and then a fortune with my hairdresser actually correcting it. And it was still orange in the right light for quite some time.
jeepers

Jeepers is there anything on your mn local. Do you have a local running club, ramblers etc. The wi. I'm thinking something around a topic so you have a conversation point.

Feeling tired today DS up at 3am with a nose bleed. Nsd planned

lilac I registered for the step app. Now have 60 points. I think I need 2000 to start making money but should do that easily today.

. The reviews are good. People getting £5 vouchers here and there so I'll see how it goes. Annoying that it is optional premium charge though. Pay more to increase points and vouchers. But I don't need to.

Have to return things to Amazon today. Right pain this has turned out to be. They don't send post labels as standard anymore. I've had to beg for three of them. Apparently they arrange courier collection which isn't available here nice Amazon man sent me one label. So I'm copying the address and hoofing my three parcels (two of which were free because duplicates were sent) back to them.

Girlie that's annoying that's a lot of money not to get!

Jeepers I don't know what to suggest really but lots of us here suffer with anxiety.

Today will be spendy:
£2 toddler group
£7? Aloe Vera gel
£25.50 wax

I've run out of test strips and my surgery won't take an urgent order over the phone. It's in the opposite direction to toddler group and dd's swimming lessons so not much I can do. Luckily my mum has the same ones so I can get some more tomorrow and I have a spare meter I can use. Still annoying though!

Thanks for the input everyone! :) I didn't get to talk about it last night as DH went to bed ill. But will discuss it today.

Tuesday:
NSD!
Wednesday:
£11.40 bus fares
£5 meet up contribution

Jeepers sorry you are struggling with social life stuff. I empathise - I find all that very tricky (I have AS). I agree that hobbies are a good way of making friends because you have something specific to focus on and make small talk with.

Liking the idea of the meetup website. I would like to set up a board game club at some point.

babs My DS used to get really regular nose bleeds, which he eventually grew out of.

Jeepers Sorry you are having a hard time, I agree a specific group with a focal point does provide at least a conversation topic.

Girlie Not great about the payment. Our guys are straight upstairs if they think I've missed even an hour of overtime off their pay. I never have been wrong (as I check payroll obsessively), but it doesn't stop them querying every single month

I must admit to being hugely sceptical of any diet. I am a bit of a 'calories in/calories out' thinker, although I can 'get' emotional eating totally. I must read about the whole low carbing thing though.

Fluffy Right, I'm on board with the coffee machine. I was a bit 'meh' when DH gave me it (awful, I know), but I actually love it now. It's Nespresso. Any specific advice re buying the pods?

Have a new cleaner starting today. I now realise what amazing value my £20 cleaner was (she's pregnant and exhausted). Will miss her, I trusted her completely.

Meal tonight will be pasta as I have parents evening for DS.

Other than the cleaner, should be NSD.

Well I didn't pay parking when I went to town as their pay by phone wasn't working. Luckily I didn't get a ticket, if I had I would have appealed.

£5.40 aloe Vera gel
£2 toddler group.

I've had a nice morning out today. I went to the library so got lots of books for ds with no cost. I bought some beads to make him a sort of first clock, but that was all. Cost £4.50.

It's a beautiful day here. Blue sky and very cold.

Need to book ferry for islay and Isle of Wight today and pop to Aldi baby event. Got an exciting email from insight panel yesterday, hoping it wasn't a mistake or something but I'll hopefully be testing something very exciting soon!

Interesting what....And intriguing..!

Lovely here too ipsos. Is DS back at school now?

New cleaners are here. Marginally embarrassed, as they can't understand why they are here as it's so clean

I will also need to spend £40 on Parent To Pay on revision material guides for DS.

what we were only given a voucher code to get to the IOW from Southampton which is crap so I think we're going to have to pay full whack to go from Portsmouth

Used a voucher from Surveys to buy ds friend present £10, swapped ds slippers that don't fit for new shoes for him and £10 Wilkos for mop/bucket which was necessary.

More surveys to do and update blog so lots to get on with

Back again, thank you for the new thread, hopefully can catch up later
It's been really busy here. Plasterer did the bathroom ceiling on Saturday and big dd had Duchy ballet on Saturday and Sunday plus the usual homework and housework.
Since Monday dh and I have been painting the bathroom but hopefully the ceiling had the final coat this morning so as long as I can manage to varnish the new airing cupboard, the old unit, fireplace surround and the new cover around the stink pipe we can have the vinyl put down and after lot of cleaning have bathroom back to normal.
£15 at Lidl this morning plus £8.23 for little dd who is going on a school trip to Eden project.
Ds really likes his new school but already managed to loose his PE top after only one lesson and he didn't even use it because they played rugby
Sunny down here as well so I have put the washing out
jeepers sorry you are having a hard time our local library does free colouring sessions for adults and a local craft store offers lot of different classes where you might find it easier to talk to like minded people; perhaps you can check online what is available near you

Glad the weather's good there too need. Yes ds is back at school now.

Lunchtime was quite eventful. He cycled really hard into a fence face-first, then in the house he ran right into the edge of the door. He had two egg-shaped bumps on on his head going back to school.

He says he was attacked by deadly potatoes at morning break, but fortunately a teacher rescued him. Life is pretty exciting for five year olds.

What happened to your last cleaner? I remember you liked her.

what I just got an insight email too. Not allowed to talk about it. yum. Wonder if it's the same one.

at your son, poor thing!

The cleaner is pregnant and feeling exhausted, so has given up. I like the new ones also, two girls running a business. Used only ecological products and whizzed round the house. Even more thorough than the last cleaner, but more expensive at £30 for the house.

Ho hum, keeps my life in order and I'm saving tons in shopping bills by meal planning and shopping well too.

That's great that you found good new cleaners. Fantastic that they had eco products. I'm increasingly cleaning entirely with vinegar and soap.

Your son sounds adorable Ipsos :o deadly potatoes :o

Well, I'm a tenner 'down' today as I've cancelled my pupil. Full of cold since this morning. I can teach when it's 'just' (!) the usual CFS symptoms, but if I get anything else on top of that it is too much to walk there, teach and walk back.

In other news, I talked to DH about the bus fare spend and he was as shocked as I was! Perhaps more as he has rarely been getting the bus himself. He agreed it must be a priority to sort the passes out.

So I spoke to mum, she was just as surprised (she uses the bus a lot but now has a freedom pass :o) and was happy to lend me the £148 to get my pass ASAP.

And then said she doesn't want it back I had made it very clear it would only be a loan but she is insisting. :)

That's great fuzz!

Ds mortified me at swimming by saying 'that ladies fat' in a very matter of fact way luckily it's loud in the changing rooms and he's not three so doesn't speak particularly clearly so hopefully she didn't notice.

Lady's**

Spotty mine is a non edible thing, it doesn't say I'm not allowed to talk about this one, but I'm never sure if it's allowed! I'm apparently only one of five to do this. I'm on the chocolate company panel but haven't been offered anything.

Two skirts bought today in sale £22. Both completely unnecessary. But. I'm off to London soon to meet clients and they make me look v smart. And important. which obvs I am

Walked to and from work. Another 6k down on my 1000k in 2016!!

Oh what that sounds exciting!