Hi everyone,
just caught up with you all.
Cag sorry to hear your Dad's had to give up driving but it must be re-assuring to know that there's no risk of him having an accident. I had to laugh when I read about the Hotel Chocolat store opening up near you. You may leave the frugaleers thread now 
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em very happy to hear you're off to NZ in 2017 and it's a good idea to do a far flung trip like that BC (Before Children). Sorry to hear you've been having housework issues with your DH. I'm glad you've made up with him and he's making an effort but I hope he keeps it up now and doesn't let things slide again.
allthebest it's probably a little early to tell if your budget is working. Maybe try it for three or four months. If you're managing to live within your buget and pay off debt then it sounds good. You can always review it after a few months.
Collie carpet in a bathroom doesn't sound too appealing but I think you've gone off that house anyway.
Girlie your day out in London sounds fab
mammy the cinema pass was a nice win
Cathode I think I've figured you out. Are you into science and do you have a DS?
north enjoy your break in Wales
Wheely good luck with your assignment
Welcome to the new frugaleers.
I haven't seen Lilac lately but maybe she's namechanged?
I'm keeping well, just had a very busy time of it since September. The first two months of term have flown by.
Hallowe'en was expensive what with buying a costume, buying face paint and of course, goodies for the Trick or Treaters.
It's mid term break week here. We caught up with some friends at the weekend and DD went Trick or Treating last night. She's had some cold symptoms since the weekend so we're spending a quiet day at home today. I got some DVDs from Amazon ('13 going on 30' and 'Practical Magic') so we're going to have a few movie nights at home. She also has a birthday party sleepover on Thursday night. BC (Before Children) I never anticipated how much of my disposable income would be spent on birthday presents!
It's been a particularly nice October in Ireland this year (lots of crisp sunny days) and every day I find myself awestruck at the beautiful autumn colours all around me. Thanks to Mother Nature for the free displays .
I'm loving all the cat photos and winter boots photos. I'd love to buy a new pair (boots, not cats) but can't really justify the expense at such an expensive time of year so I've been looking wistfully in shop windows and walking away 
. I'll get another year out of my current boots.
I've been thinking ahead to Christmas and we got our Santa presents at the weekend. We saved €15 on a Lego Friends toy. I'm very mindful that Christmas is an expensive time and I don't want to fritter away money on unnecessary presents or luxury grocery items that will end up in the food waste bin in January because we never got around to eating them. So this thread will be more important than ever over the next 8 weeks or so.
Sorry for the essay!