Frugaleers chatting and saving into August...

[ipsogenix]

Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

Useful links 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.

Nsd!!!! Yay!! Spent the day watching cross country and diving. And went for a walk. Day one of holidays done.

Eugh. I've been awake since three. Am off to work in a minute. Will be buying lunch so lsd. Think my parents are taking the dc crabbing.

Hate that wreck. I was awake for 15 mins before alarm & dh was snoring beside me, that makes me feel more tired than if i had gotten up
Are you still shredding?

I've got a 10k in 11 days I'm in no way ready for it

Managed to lodge €30 into an account that's been closed for years on sat must chase up with bank, they're saying it needs to be sorted by post office i lodged it with

We're officially going camping sat night. Will have one gas ring but access to a kitchen also.

Today will be a NSD.

Hate that wreck. I was awake for 15 mins before alarm & dh was snoring beside me, that makes me feel more tired than if i had gotten up
Are you still shredding?

I've got a 10k in 11 days I'm in no way ready for it

Managed to lodge €30 into an account that's been closed for years on sat must chase up with bank, they're saying it needs to be sorted by post office i lodged it with

We're officially going camping sat night. Will have one gas ring but access to a kitchen also.

Today will be a NSD.

My chest infection is back and in full shwing. Shwing shwing. Waynes World jokes aside I feel like crap and I promised DS (hes 3) a trip into town today.
We can't go because I have shitty asthma and when it's coupled with a chest infection - scary asthma attacks occur. Blerghhhh.

My air purifier is on! So I guess it's a NSD here. Poor DS stuck at home on another sunny day

Oh no, Collie, hope you feel better soon.
I watched the x country too, Em, gutted for WFP, especially after coming back from that awful accident he had.
Off to the supermarket in a bit with slow cooker risotto on my meal plan! Aiming for a cheap shop then no spending for the rest of the day.

Sorry to hear about the sleep wreck and the breathing collie. I hope the day is kind to you both.

Hope you feel better soon. Collie
Italian, the room looks lovely. I'm going to start properly on next pay day and get out cash put in big envelope and on them write down what's been spent.
I'll go through last months to see where I'm over spending, I know what I do, but I'm scared at how bad it will be written down.
Off to google slow cooker...

Morning! Wreck I was awake at 5 and couldn't get back to sleep, made a cuppa then got told off by DH who had fallen asleep on the sofa last night for disturbing him
Sort of a no spend day today except I've got to pay the garage bill (£108!). No frittering though so a 'No Fritter Day'.
Stacks to do, take DS to library and to bank to open his own bank account with withdrawal card. Then he has a physio apt. Need to pick up script from chemist, walk dog and attempt some housework. Dinner with neighbours tonight though so at least I don't have to cook!

snuggly I felt so sorry for him. But he did so well. Was amazing to watch Dh enjoyed the crashing astounded to think mark Todd is in his 60's now! He rode amazingly! As did team gb.

We watched the diving last night. Insane! (Although did enjoy all the ripped muscly bodies!)

Take it easy collie. Hope you feel better soon. wreck being awake like that is so annoying.

Stuck in again a bit today as they're still working on our garden. Shed has gone up today. Just new path and turf to be done so hopefully be finished by end of tomorrow. Will pop out for DC1's swimming lesson but that's it so hopefully NSD.

I don't know how it is actually possible to do the synchronized diving, Em! Love the Olympics, I always get interested in some random sport I've never watched before. It's been fencing this time!
£56 on weekly shop. A bit more than expected but not a disaster and I completely stuck to my list. Frugal chick pea and veg casserole in slow cooker and the potatoes in the garden are ready to have with it.

Reconciled my bank accounts and YNAB and paid off my next bill from the sale. No plans to spend any money today.

Collie My dn is ill with their asthma too, I think the air quality must be pretty bad at the moment. Does your GP let you have a spare prescription for antibiotics? Dhs old GP used to & it was really useful just to go and get them.

Thanks everyone :) hope you're OK wreck

fluffy yes he does! He's such a lovely GP. I have an air purifier too and it helps so much. I highly recommend them to anyone who has allergies or asthma. They eliminate stuff like pollution, dander, pollen, dust and viruses.

I love the Olympics too! I love the indoor track cycling the most. They always look like theyll crash but they rarely do! Also the floor looks like it would take all your skin off. Eeek.

It looks like my electricity usage has shot up. I blame the air purifier & our huge beefy microwave which we don't need. It's a gigantic convection oven & microwave. We never ever use the oven option as we only use it to heat beans, sweet potato or peas. Wondering if getting a standard microwave would be worth it or not. Also our hoover has broken - it still sucks so I haven't replaced it yet.

We have a small microwave Collie, we don't use it much except to make porridge and defrost things but at the weekend I bought microwave rice and the pouch was too tall for the microwave and wouldn't rotate properly!
Frugal win - just cleared out a kitchen cupboard and found a fiver in there!

I will look into them when we have more funds, Dh is allergic to our cat.

Microwaves use teeny amounts of electric, I don't think it I'll be that.

If the readings accurate it's more likely to be immersion being switched on by accident or the fridge/freezer being on too high and needing a defrost.

High consumers;

Convection ovens
Toasters
Hair dryers
Kettles
Immersions
Electric hobs
High temp washing
Tumble dryers
Irons
Vacuum cleaners although the eu changed that last year and they use less now.
Steam cleaners
Plasma TVs
De humidifiers
Freezers clogged up with frost.

We have no immersion. It's a gas hob and we have a frost free fridge/freezer.

Our vacuum cleaner is old & powerful and I have been using it a lot more due to the house being for sale. But we have also been using the lawn mower & strimmer frequently since May as the grass grows so quickly! I wonder if it could be that too?

We also have a new steam cleaner which we've used a few times. Was so flipping noisy though!

Then there's the air purifier.

So... Vacuum cleaner, steam cleaner & the air purifer. And possibly the lawn mower & strimmer.

Keeping the house presentable is not frugal winning!

I need to defrost our freezer bit of the fridge freezer. I don't know how to do it! Do I just take everything out and out in in a cool bag and scrape and hope?

Lawn mower! Yep forgot that because we have a petrol one. Bet that's it.

what

Look in the bottom of the freezer, if there's a little slim tray you can empty everything out into a cool bag, take the drawers out and prop the door wide open.

All the water will melt into the slim tray & you can empty it out. No scraping, puncturing the element is not frugal.

If there's no tray then old towels work well.

So I turn it off and leave the fridge closed?

Yes, you can put the frozen stuff in the fridge if there's room.

Last Olympics it was gymnastic trampoline that hooked me in.

Just back from beauticians. Eyebrow wax bikini wax gel nails and gel pedicure for holidays £108. All budgeted for. I now have neon pink toes.

Also £9 on Hawaiian tropic sunscreen factor 40 and £7 on a new razor from boots.

Eme love the colour they look fab, are you off somewhere not nice?
Am having a friend round for lunch today...but she's running late and I'm starving.

Lovely nails, Em, but shocked at prices. I pay £29 for a bikini wax and gel polish on nails and toes! The gel polish is brilliant for toes though, as it lasts months.

Collie, hope you feel better soon.