Festive Frugaleers - Chatting and saving through Christmas.

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Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

By popular request - copied from an old thread grin

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.

Oh Snuggly me too! It's so tedious. I actually feel much better in the day because i take paracetamol and I can breathe most of the time when I am upright but the minute I lie down I am completely bunged up... grr. With that and night time loo trips I am only getting about 4 hrs sleep a night. No wonder I feel wrecked! I am not working though, can't imagine how you manage that on top.

Well done wreck, my mil got zilch when she complained to them.

Seacow it's horrible isn't it? I'm only working 3 days a week. I'm actually finding it harder at home with DD because of all the bending/lifting/clearing up etc. My back is killing me.
Made some very frugal soup using leftover cooked broccoli, broccoli stalk and celery plus a potato and a tiny bit of grated cheese that was in the fridge. It was really tasty!

Need Just in case it helps your DN - One of my friends is regularly on the committees that choose the students and one time I met her at the end of the interview week and she has been in tears because she really had no way to choose between the students. She said they were all wonderful and she was terribly worried because she knew how important their applications were to them all. However, she literally could find no difference between them, mainly because the A level doesn't differentiate at the top end. I just wanted to mention, because I think that students would be glad to know that it doesn't just all hinge entirely on their specific wonderfulness. To some extent the oxbridge interview is just luck for both the interviewers and the kids. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your lad. I bet he was fab.

Thank you Cath That's really interesting. I did wonder, given you are essentially looking at a whole host of students that are all going to effectively get A*'s at A Level. I also wonder if the fact he's from a bog standard comp might count in his favour as they are trying to be diverse and less exclusive, or so I hear. He's got offers from 3 other excellent Uni's anyway, so he will be sorted academically.

All M&S Christmas cards and wrapping paper is now half price, for those that might want to get next years. I picked up my cards for next year today and will pop back for wrapping tomorrow I think.

Hi all, sorry to hear some of you are still feeling proper poorly are you taking your vitamins? I have added a garlic supplement in with my multivitamin and it does seem to have helped with avoiding the coughs and colds that are about.

I was back to work today, busy as usual and lots of change afoot, its hard to keep up with it all really!

Cheques are a PITA, I hate writing them as you never really know when they will go out but do always try and bank them asap.

Cag our girls sound so similar! Is your dd still collecting coins? Mine is, she has such a random collection but its kept her interest for over a year now. Tbh the sensory side of things is so much better now, she really struggled a couple of years ago which is when I spoke to the school and they got her assessed. The OT was brilliant and it helped so much with my understanding if the issues. These days though dd is generally better at managing it and i am def better at understanding it!

Last night I filled the car up with petrol, quite dismayed at how much fuel has gone up by, that was £47.

Dd won two trophies at football so was very pleased and i was proud mum! She has kept going and its really helped her confidence.

Today has been a NSD, going out to watch dd in a carol concert in a bit.

£9 something on a car wash and bread and chocolate

Dd got the schools outstanding reader award again this term

need I read in the FT that the colleges are now applying statistical adjustments to accommodate for the difference between students from comprehensives and poorer areas, so if he's from a comp in a place that sends very few kids to oxbridge then he would be put up a notch automatically.

The other thing that occurred to me to mention is that among my University friends (this is career researchers rather than undergraduates) it is a much loved standing joke that we are all a bit ASD. I don't know anyone who is actually diagnosed and it is just a joke, but we all slightly wonder whether the fact that we spent our childhood and teenage years immersed in our special interests and having less commitment to our social lives is an ASD trait. There are posters all over the University listing the traits of ASD people just in case any of us are and haven't spotted so they must be thinking the same thing.

ASD is a huge thing at the university generally though. I also heard two undergraduates discussing how excited they were to have an "Autistic mathmo" for a friend so it's clearly very acceptable amongst the undergraduates. A student Councillor friend of mine once mentioned how hard a time he was having explaining to a lecturer why an autistic student couldn't write essays. He was trying very hard to advocate for the student though. The weird thing was that it was a maths subject so why he needed to write essays was beyond the councillor to figure out.

Anyway, what I mean is that your ASD DN will be very welcome if he does decide to hear to oxbridge circles.

Thanks Cath. It's kind of never occurred to me that DN wouldn't fit right in. Actually, that environment (full of learning, academics, brilliant learners, access to so much resource) would suit him perfectly.

I know what you mean, DS is every bit as bright, but lacks that 'focus' that DN has. So, he will study for a couple of hours, then go off and do something else, DN is doing 5 A Levels, DS is like 'wtf do that?'.

Anyway, we don't know for some time, but I shall inform the thread the outcome. Great that he got so far anyway.

Here's the dress I settled on. Reduced, but still more than I normally pay. I have so struggled to find something to fit my new shape.

www.coast-stores.com/p/lori-lee-cluster-short-dress/1518480?locale=en

Need Yes that's exactly what I mean. It's the focus that drives people to become so specialist and means they end up here. You'd be amazed at the places that that focus will take people.

At the extreme end, one of my friends here is entirely non-verbal at the age of 40+ and has a brilliant job as a specialist computer programmer.

Having said all that, btw, I went to an entirely different Russell Group University and had a wonderful time and was so well taught. I kind of stuck out a specialist as soon as I arrive so the resident professor took me under his specific supervision and made sure I was given all the opportunities. So if your DN goes elsewhere, or if he feels that a non-oxbridge place would suit him best then I would embrace that. It worked for me and with hindsight I wouldn't change it. I also chose non-oxbridge at PhD level and that was definitely the right decision. It depends what people want and where they're trying to get to in the long run.

need great dress! So cute!!

Training this morning. No sandwiches. Booo so £3.80 on lunch.

The Christmas gifts have started arrriving into work. I'm allowed to keep them providing i declare anything worth over £250.

Today's gifts included:

• 2017 diary x3 (all with bank logos on them so will hand out to family)
• engraved pencils (with my initials)
• a leather bound handbag sized notebook
• a massive bottle of champagne and a bottle of Jura whiskey - instructions to share with my family (client is from the Scottish islands).
• box of Amaretti biscuits from Italian client

Dh was when I clinked up to his work earlier. Happy happy.

All with cards saying thank you. Which makes it all worth it.

Yes she is still collecting coins! Our neighbour is bringing some back for her from South Africa this week so she is very excited. The reason we got into the conversation was that he mentioned his stamp collection so we are going to have a look at them at some point. :)

She also collects precious stones and hopes to collect fossils as well. Can't complain really considering my friend just spent nearly a tenner on one little figure from the set her DC is collecting 😱

Annoyed as a taxi to collect DD from her Brownies Christmas meal was £11. Just too knackered to walk today.

Those gifts sound lovely, Em, enjoy!
I should be marking exams but have no energy left so watching tv and eating lebkuchen instead!

£10 deep conditioner
£66 vet bill

Dh paid half and gave me restorative whisky.

Em sounds fab. Booze gifts are the best.

I still haven't had lebkuchen this year!! Must buy some.

Just had a bath. Been in there for an hour. Door locked. No phone. No tv. No books. Just let my mind wander. Only came out because I started to feel sleepy.

Bought myself some flasks today too. One handbag sized enough for one cup of tea after riding. And the other is slightly bigger and will do for winter picnics/summer as to keep ice Icey.

With the gifts I think I love the fact people took the time to actually say thank you for the hard work. That means so much.

That dress is gorgeous Need my Christmas work do dress was a similar style actually, we obviously have great taste

Carol concert was nice but went on for agggggges am very tired though, just counting down for my week off next week.

Oh dear whats up with puss Wreck?

I am at those gifts Em we tend to get lots of chocolates and biscuits at this time of year which is nice, although not so great for the waist line we are not allowed to accept anything that costs more than £5!

It's me with poorly puss girlie, he's beaten up ndn cat and has a uti.

Fucking prove it, that's my opinion.

Lovely gifts Em, good for you. And the thank you notes make it worth it.

Cath My own DS definitely wants RG, but not necessarily Oxbridge. I think RG would suit him better, for a variety of reasons. He's keen to push for the grades to get RG, so we will see, his call entirely at this age. But not so sure about the pressure of Oxbridge. Time will tell. We will see, he got the grades at GCSE, but A Level is another step up.

I think our taste is excellent Girlie.

Hope the puss is ok Fluffy. x

DH is also on the road this week distributing whiskey. And beanie hats to the lads that actually work the machines that get bought. And who actually have more influence than folk think, hence the hats!

Fab dress, Need.

Lucky you, Em. I was touched to get a few cards and gifts from chikdren/parents at the school I work regularly at 1 day a week today. Considering it's a deprived area and I teach very young children only one day a week, I was so pleased to be well thought of.

Our local rg uni was way better than my poly turned uni.

Just caught up with the thread as been frantically busy for the last few days.
Love the nails and the trees.
I now have 1 cloakroom finished, but still needs decorating.
I bathroom finished ..... Well very nearly...but needs decorating
En suite is completely ripped out today and plumber/ builder coming again tomorrow.
House is thick with dust. Really very thick dust. No point in dusting as will be as bad tomorrow.

Sexy dress need
I have gone through bank account and if we can get through to Wed, which is when dh gets paid, on £20 then we will only have gone by £25 in total. That's living very frugally at Xmas and on one wage. I have been very good although I have been eating mainly dust for lunch!!!

I'm definitely with your ds need. Good luck to him. Fluffy yes I can imagine that.

Hope your cat feels better soon.

I had one minor frugal win. I had a necklace to send to a relative and by taking it out of the box and putting it in a card I saved £13 postage (switched from parcel to large letter size.)

Mostly here I'm just trying to accrue vitamin D. Spending time reading in the open French windows with my coat to try and be a bit more sparkling by Christmas. The weather is really quite reasonable here at the moment, though likely to turn colder.

Will be nsd.

My horrible dc got up at 4:30 this morning and wouldn't go back to sleep