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.

We have been to Es Caa in Ibiza and had booked to go back there again this year in July, but due to my health and now lack of job I have had to cancel the holiday - but no refund on the flights...so if you want flights I have the to sell, it costs £100 to name change.
Anyway beautiful and easy holiday venue.

I did budget overview for last month and we over spent by £100 which I think is good considering.

I still need to buy stocking fillers, will hopefully get the in the sales.

Sorry about your poor dogs and Teddy.

Ok I've got to start posting here& keeping up with you all again.

Updated & reconciled ynab this morning,joins account looking very depleted. I'm going to sub it again tomorrow as I'm getting Christmas money from contractors at work, this was intended to clear off more from my cc.

Yesterday spent €122 in Aldi & €83 on Tesco delivery due tonight. Only thing left is turkey then dh will collect it.

Today's personal spends €7 eyebrows & €4 lunch, received gifts of 5 bottles wine and a box of chocolates at work & €240 cash. So I'm definitely in credit today!

Joint account is due refunds of €55 + €75.99 + €54.93 overcoming weeks and my own account is due €159 from Littlewoods returns so I'm pleased with all that.
Tomorrow I'll chase eMobile who've been overcharging me since may.

Seacow laughing at your dh mine doesn't even know what mumsnet is I think he thinks I'm on Facebook all the time

Em I love that you can get a booze delivery, was it much extra on to what you ordered?

Snuggly I think I've got Amazon credit, how do I check that? Must check out that book. I'm aiming for 12 books next year. It's not a lot but it's more than this year.

I got a free pass for cinema with purchase of a gift voucher, I'm going to use it on my first half day for myself next year.

Cag my dh is buying the turkey & a bike gift bag that's sum total of his input to the Christmas buying he did accompany us purchasing presents on Sunday but that wasn't his intention!

For those of you wanting to increase your reading, I find Goodreads good, as it keeps a record of all your books and you can set targets, as well as seeing what your friends are reading and their reviews. My target for this year was 25 books, but I'm just about finished book no.33. It's taken 14 years to get back to this level of reading though! Most years since DS was born have been 12-18 books (yes, I make lists every year of how many books I've read. Now Goodreads does it for me!).

mammy 6 extra bottles of red white and sparkly. So not a huge amount.

creme I said I'd read 24 books this year. I think I've read 15. But all ones I've read before. Must must fix this.

Creme I must do that!!

I've bought girl on a train & gone girl on kindle & haven't even started. Am reading reconstructing Amelia at the moment. Hoping having kindle fire will help me to read more.

Still a bonus em

I've just paid the plumber for all the bathroom and en suite fittings ( not the plumbing work itself) and have £15.30 left in my current account until 1st Jan. I was tempted to say "I've got £15.30 to last me til next year"
Still got savings though.
I've put all the Christmas presents and the tiles on my cc because it's cash back but it's a scary amount. Will pay it all off out of my savings.
We have a local wine merchant who delivers but I haven't bought any yet.

I have bath envy Trying. Imagine having a lovely long soak with an ice bucket of cava to the side of you.

£72 extending ladders so I can paint the hallway Dh gave me £20.
£3 snacks for tonight as we had guests.

I had to pay for the steps with my cashback that was destined for my robo vacuum.

Creme that book record sounds excellent. I'm hooked on newspapers at the moment. I have a week long stack saved to keep me busy over the Christmas week when there will be several days without any published.

£16 on cat food on Amazon. Otherwise should be a nsd.

Should be nsd today. I'm supposed to be out for lunch with work but am ridiculously busy so may not make it. Or may make it but have to go back.

In work now to see if I can make up some time.

Dh was supposed to pick up a gift for our friends but didn't do in sending him to a shop today. Also forgot cranberry sauce on my order.
Out for lunch. No other spends planned

Spends today:

€50 cleaner (including Xmas tip)
€170 childcare

Also just realised I forgot to bring lunch to work with me so will have to buy something - frugal fail.

I read a lot, I should go through my Kindle and tot up how many books I have read this year; probably not as many as previous years as I had a few months of broken sleep/v early mornings with DS over the summer so I was too tired in the evenings to concentrate on a book.

I'm old fashioned in my reading. I almost always read physical books and mostly in bed at night. I used to love newspapers and quality magazines too, but I've found them too stimulating for the past few years.

Spends today will include dentist, think I've lost a filling

I used to read kindle a lot too but since having ds three years ago I haven't used it much, this is a goal for 2017.

Going to purchase Irish Get Up & Go Diary today and register for a half marathon in June locally while it's got €10 off.

Oh dear, Mammy, hope you get it sorted today.

Sainsburys order of Christmas food is now here, so that will be £95.67 out of my account tomorrow. They had everything I wanted, apart from gravy granules. It will be another NSD, as I have no money until my maintenance and wages tomorrow. I have 5 pence in coppers in my purse!

I tried the Kindle but I've gone back to real books too Creme, and my goal is to read more next year too, even if it's books about training/running.

£15 session with my personal trainer. I am getting abs of steel. Never thought a woman in her 40's could have abs such as this. Proud post.

Or sad post, depending on your preference!

Sounds fab, Need. One of my goals for next year is to get a flatter stomach, although I don't think I'll ever have abs of steel. Even when I was under 9 stone (before I had DS), I always had a bit of a pot belly!

Definitely proud post need I intend getting back my slim body too next year.

Isn't this just great service? I paid €3 for delivery

Thanks, it was fun. I love pushing myself a bit further than I think I can go. The body is an amazing thing, capable of so much. Our minds inhibit us often. Some of the ultra runners I read about are amazing. I work far harder with the PT than I would on my own. He had me doing sit ups holding big cartons full of water today. I didn't die!!

Get that half marathon booked Mammy Great service too there.

You CAN have abs of steel Creme. I think my statement might have been an stretch to be fair, but I'm getting there!

Definitely a proud post need! Well done you.

Updated spends:
€7 health food shop on my favourite herbal tea, it's cheaper than in the supermarket so I bought two boxes.

Refund in Pennys (Primark) €57, but then I spent €28 . I expect some of that to be returned and refunded at a later stage though, or if not, I've gotten a few nice bits for that.

Bertie are you a bring home and try on person for Penneys?

I made myself try on two knit dresses on Tues night, glad I did the dresses were lovely but my current shape wasn't lovely in them so they stayed there.

€80 on a filling, which dentist wasn't sure I needed but was only thing worth trying! Fingers crossed it worked.

I am at abs of steel Need my new years resolutions are to do more exercise and read more!!

I have spent the last hour looking for the charm bracelet thats lost and have had no luck, have prayed to st Anthony and everything oh well will keep on looking.

Spends today £36 in Morrisons on Christmas bits, I had a £5 off voucher so that was good.

I'd like to read more too but I'm always too tired by the time I've finished watching tv in the evening I use the library a lot though so it's free.
I don't know how to check credit on Amazon I'm afraid, Mammy they just emailed to say they were giving me a quid!
NSD. Just had a scan, babies doing well.