Marvellous Frugaleers - Chatting and saving through November, and into December.

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Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

By popular request - copied from an old thread

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.

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Wreck: I would see if you get a new one on a sale and perhaps sell the old one? Here you can often sell it for a bit to ppl who are good at fixing them up
Nsd, my parents have dd with them for Christmas party at my dads work and then they are going here for pork belly with all the trimmings yeah for Christmas

Been sorting the house to get ahead as dh away with work.
Started wrapping Christmas presents too.
Wanted to go to a Christmas fayre thing but the dc refuse to get dressed.

cag make a paste of bleach and bicarb. Apply a layer to the sealant and leave for an hour or two then wash off. It's like magic! Dh thought I had re applied the sealant it was so good. I got the tip from a mN thread

Panic over washing machine working again

Cag I use our old toothbrushes for scrubbing - I save a couple of demoted Ines when we get new ones for that sort of job. Do any of yours need replacing?

Will try the bleach and bicarbonate trick, that sounds good.

Rubbish timing for the washing machine Wreck.

I have been baking today - my local autism support group has a little fair every 3 months and I made a big lemon drizzle cake (16 pieces) and 22 cheese and chive scones for the cake stall. I was really pleased that they sold them all at £1 each, so for a modest outlay for me and a fair bit of washing up for DH they made £38 from my contribution. DH was a bit miffed that I didn't save him any but made him go and pay for a bit of lemon drizzle but that seemed fair enough to me!

Quite tired now, still have the tree to decorate after a bit of sitting around to recover!

My tree and living room decorated. Now I have to make Sunday dinner.

NSD.

Ta da!

Looking good. Will do ours next weekend

Awww loving the christmas trees! Doing ours next weekend too as we have people viewing the house this week

Needed sudafed and period stuff today. I am completely irregular after being seriously ill back in October so I was caught out. Never mind.

Going to try and do the weekly shop for £50 online tonight as we have done a few minor top up shops recently. Trying to get back on track!!

Roast chicken traybake for tea tonight.

Need to think about DHs Christmas but men are really tricky.

Ooh I think we have some bicarb. Need to use that on washing machine seal too.

Can't use toothbrushes we already have as they're electric :o but value range ones are crazy cheap so not fussed about buying them :)

Beautiful decorations guys!!!

£35 on lunch. Bottle of prosecco and two shows to chambord to pop into the glasses, fishy pie and crusty bread (absolutely to die for) and a hot chicokate brownie and icecream. Friend had chicken risotto. Delish. Lovely lunch lovely friend lovely time.

Now home contemplating cheese on toast for "supper" later.

Your trees look lovely.

NSD.

We just got back from the village Christmas petty the dc enjoyed it but came home with loads of sweets. I will get rid eat of them later when they're in bed.

Biscuit isn't fazed by the tree. I've noticed he's started going to bed with ds though, he comes in as I'm reading his story and sleeps on their bedroom floor

Ooh cheese on toast I love that

I had cheese on toast with hm tomato soup.

Bloody edf took a £323 dd as apparently my account was £800 in debit. Submitted a metre reading and it's £376 in credit. I know my £84 a month is right fgs.
Had to ask 4 times for a refund as they wanted me to wait until my annual review in April. Er try no and we won't be customers then as dh did a switch on Friday. The operator was great but clearly following some protocol.
Money on its way back to me anyway.

Loving the Christmas trees. Ours will go up next weekend. I have been baking DS2's birthday cake for tomorrow - always make him a Yule log.

£35 on automatic pet feeder - went for a 4 meal one, so plenty of options for an overnight stay.

Bloody hell Lifelong that's insane re: EDF. Glad you are getting your money back.
Wreck your cat has such beautiful colouring.

Which Christmas log recipe do you use wilderness. I was looking to do one as apparently the Christmas cake was lush. I usually use queen Mary or queen Delia?

Thankfully, will see when it hits the bank, cos £250 more than you were expecting coming out of the bank in December is marvellous.

I had trouble with EDF 5 or 6 years ago, Life. Basically, they didn't take my direct debit for gas for about 8 months, despite my ringing up to query this several times, and then they took £600 at once, despite verbally agreeing an installments plan on the phone. This is why I have since refused to be on direct debit with any utilities company, as I just couldn't risk this happening again.

Your tree is lovely, Wreck and the Yule Log looks delicious, Wilderness.

I'm on the sofa for the night, with lots of fairy lights, my lava lamp and candles. Bliss!

Lovely tree and Yule log pics. We're doing our tree next weekend.
The bleach/bicarb trick works brilliantly on sealant and grouting, leave it on overnight.
NSD here, my dad took us all out for lunch which was lovely and we went to see the Xmas lights in his town.
Cards just about written but feel like it hasn't taken as long as usual possibly because I'm not glugging mulled wine while writing them
Starting to feel very festive!

£35 on a Christmas tree, we go to a farm and choose fresh from the field. It's lovely.

Hi all, loving the Christmas pics, glad the washing machine is working again Wreck if it happens again might be worth getting someone out to see if its fixable. I wouldn't want to get one on the never never, you will end up paying 3 times or more what its worth.

I have a busy wend working, but thats it for wends working till after christmas now

Had a not very nice experience earlier, popped home for lunch and found a dead cat by my house it must have been hit by a car but I reckon only within an hour or so of me finding it. Knocked on a few doors but no one knew who it belonged to so ended up taking it to a local vet, no microchip sadly but they will keep hold of the poor thing for 7 days. Hopefully an owner will come forward.

NSD today.

This year I used a Mary Berry recipe from Red Magazine, but I usually use the Nigella one which is really good but a real faff.

I like the nigella one, i might try Mary berry's this year, as yoU say nigella is a faff!!