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Original poster

Fearless Frugaleers Finding Their Feet in February

999 replies

SpottyTeacakes · 10/02/2016 12:54

Smile I've got fruflu Sad

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Thread gallery
13
Ipsos · 10/02/2016 18:36

Fuzz if she wants proper wires then it might be good to go on to the raspberry pi if you can manage it. They do little kits.

thepihut.com/collections/raspberry-pi-kits-and-bundles

There are also Haynes kits like this:

www.amazon.co.uk/Haynes-Retro-Radio/dp/B00GHO0D4G

Ememem84 · 10/02/2016 18:40

So. I've caught up. It appears you've been busy while I've been living the "high life" stuck in cabbie strike in the city sort of high life and have missed my flight home high life

I'm not justifying myself again to anyone other than to say bore off will you, Ive worked hard for everything I have at considerable expense to myself to better my life (see update/rant on old thread).

needastrongone · 10/02/2016 18:42

Em I've replied to your rant! I will say it again here. It wasn't necessary to post anything in justification. I love your posts and keep posting. x

needastrongone · 10/02/2016 18:42

Hi vvv, welcome to the thread.

Ememem84 · 10/02/2016 18:44

need thanks X

spotty thanks for the new thread. It'll keep me entertained while I drink my free wine in the BA lounge at gatwick. Waiting for my not free but can be expensed back new flight home.

babsmam · 10/02/2016 18:47

Hey em. I replied to your rant too and I'm pleased you came over. I love hearing your updates too.

5minutestobed · 10/02/2016 18:54

Just checking in.
Having quite a crap day today and RRRREALLY want to get a take away for dinner, sensible DH says no though so that will stop me! Gah ah well.

Went to nosey though the window at our new flat (it's still being built so we haven't been in it) and it looks tiny, really worried about how we are going to fit everything in :-S

Sorry to hear you have the fruflu Spotty, it is nasty. Get well soon.

That rubbish you missed your flight Em, enjoy your free wine!

Fluffycloudland77 · 10/02/2016 18:57

Welcome vvviola. Where do you can make cut backs?.

colliepirate · 10/02/2016 18:59

Hi everyone,

It's been a busy few weeks here. Sorry that I didn't keep in touch with the thread.

Em I've caught up with the last few pages of the previous thread and I just want you to know that I love reading your posts.

Welcome all newbies!

I've been doing freelancing and DH has been doing overtime so we managed to put aside £400 into savings last month. Then DH started having wisdom tooth pain and my eye strain was getting much worse. My new glasses cost £180 and DHs dental treatment cost £180 too! He's having the wisdom tooth taken out and his first ever filling.

Anyway, that was the end of that money! Grin

Today was a LSD. £2 for the bus, £2 on sweets to break up bus change and £5 on hair dye.

DS has a horrible dry cough. So I'm very sleep deprived at the moment. He'll be seeing a doctor this week about possible asthma.

We've had a few frugal wins. Storm Imogen damage was paid for by the people who built our house (it would have cost hundreds!), was given a free brand new slow cooker as ours had broken, DH was given a newish laptop by a friend and DS had a free hair cut.

I'm feeling very grateful.

Tonight's job is Tesco shop! Smile

Ipsos · 10/02/2016 18:59

Welcome to the new thread Em. Hope the travel home goes well.

Original poster
SpottyTeacakes · 10/02/2016 19:04

Welcome back collie!

I'm sitting about to have my hair done.

£7.49 on calpol, ibuprofen and jelly babies (for when I have a hypo def essential).

I saw dh's emails. He's bought me a coat I was lusting over in oasis for Valentine's Day I assume Grin

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Original poster
SpottyTeacakes · 10/02/2016 19:05

Which airport are you at em? I love airports Blush

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blueteapot · 10/02/2016 19:06

Collie at least you had it set aside to use I guess - silver lining?

5 mins - time for a good declutter / ebay session?

Welcome to vvv and nice to see you Em, ipsos and everyone else :)

Whataboutnodetox · 10/02/2016 19:18

Today I've spent £7.99 on some socks for DH for Valentine's Day. I need to get something to go with them. He's bought me joules socks instead of flowers at my request.

vvviola · 10/02/2016 19:38

Lunches/coffees are a big one for me. Coffee and pastry before starting work, buy my lunch most days.... Doesn't help with the weight either. Although I'm restarting 5:2 next week so that should help a bit with that.

We're also really bad (but getting better) at not cooking things that are in the fridge or making too many leftovers and then ending up throwing them away.

DH is a nightmare for "oh let's just get a takeaway", so he needs to work on that.

We're hopeless cases really.

babsmam · 10/02/2016 19:45

Hellloooo collie welcome back.
Spotty happy new hair cut and get week soon.
Hey blue.
Vvv sounds like you have a lot of scope to save. Have you tried writing down everything you spend for a month. Martin money saving expert website (mse) has a demotivateor where you put in these small spends and it totals it up for you in the year. Eek

Original poster
SpottyTeacakes · 10/02/2016 19:47

Right vvviola I think one step at a time and first you should meal plan your evening meal and lunches. Would you consider batch cooking? A take away isn't as appealing when you know there's a home made lasagne in the fridge that just needs heating up Smile

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Fluffycloudland77 · 10/02/2016 19:52

No you're not hopeless at all.

What you need then is a travel mug, you'll still need that caffeine kick. Do you have a coffee machine or cafetière lurking anywhere at the back of the cupboard?.

Packed lunch is easy, sandwich, yoghurts, vegan brownies (sound vile, taste fab) are all cheap. Do it the night before, it's much easier than the morning. You can make up batches of sandwiches and freeze them. Ham, cheese, sliced meat all freeze well with pickle. Not sure about Mayo.

Meal planning will help with evenings, and buying in cheap frozen veg as its all pre prepared it saves time. Iceland do a good range. Frozen rice is good too.

Hello collie

Bracknellshockatabag · 10/02/2016 19:55

Hello frugaleers, hope it's ok to make the leap from lurker to poster. Currently making the leap from renter to first time house owner! Should be moving in the next few weeks and with a four month old baby in tow it's looking like an expensive year but am going to try to maximise the nsd and utilise the yellow stickered items.

needastrongone · 10/02/2016 19:55

Nope, not hopeless cases vvviola. Lots of scope! Can you take a coffee with you to work, even 3 days a week. DH does this now, he was in an awful habit of calling in for a Costa every day.

If you get up 5 minutes earlier, you can make a sandwich. Save buying lunch for a treat on Fridays? Menu plan, even in a general sense. I have say, a list of 10 meals I want to make with what's in the house, even if 2 of those things are a freezer pizza or omelette and chips. I will swap about if things come up, so have some flexibility this way.

vvviola · 10/02/2016 19:57

That's the embarrassing part Spotty, I do already meal plan because I have to prepare DC's food in advance for the childminder. It's that the food that reheats well and is child friendly (especially with DD2's food allergies) doesn't always appeal, and DH is very good at calling me on the way home from work to suggest I pick up a curry when I get off the train. Blush

Maybe I need to double meal plan - one for DC and one for us, at least sometimes.

But will definitely plan and pack lunches for work.

I bought instant coffee and some of those UHT milk portions today for my desk (because you don't want to go near our work fridge). Hopefully that will prevent the coffee shop stop every morning.

It really is a case of having someone keep me on the straight and narrow!

needastrongone · 10/02/2016 19:59

Collie! Fancy seeing you here Grin

Lord, I know what you mean about having a buffer and then, er, not having a buffer. I was having a brilliant month in January money-wise, then had to spend on 2 specific things and, bang - gone!

Hi bracknell Congratulations on the baby. Busy year you will have. We moved with 2 small children, it's fine, promise.

babsmam · 10/02/2016 20:02

A lot of us were feeling usless back in the day. You will get there. Do you have a slow cooker to make curry in?

Hi bracknell. Congratulations on the house and baby

Pointlessfan · 10/02/2016 20:02

Sorry fuzz! My head of dept at work actually won't allow me to look as the ESPO catalogue any more because I get carried away with stationery!
Welcome newcomers and welcome back Collie, great to have you back!
Hope you get a flight back soon Em, I enjoy your posts too.
Tomorrow should be NSD, going for a quick drink after work on Friday and haven't planned beyond that yet but we're hoping to have a day out over half term and we need to go to Ikea to replace the drawers in the wardrobe which have fallen apart. Hoping for a fairly low spend week though.

Original poster
SpottyTeacakes · 10/02/2016 20:03

Is dh on board? It'll be hard to resist the take aways if he's always suggesting/getting them. I know I wouldn't be able to say no Smile dh is the strong one in our relationship! If it was up to me we would be even poorer Grin

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