Springing into the New Year with the 2017 Frugaleers

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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.

Bil is unexpectedly coming to dinner which is fine as I thought he might. Having kievs mash and veg.

£5.33, on kitchen roll, juice, cheese, biscuits and some packed lunch stuff. Annoyingly, I had to pay on my card, as the cash machine wasn't working.

I am counting down the hours until DS goes back to school tomorrow. I've had enough of him alternating between lazing in bed all day and causing mess every time he uses the kitchen or bathroom.

All that food looks lovely MissA. I'm about to do a meal plan for the week, we still have quite a lot of stuff to use up from Xmas!
Yes, Need, I was pleased with that for the Xmas shopping. Only things it doesn't include are a few stocking fillers I bought for DD earlier in the year, a couple of last minute gifts but they were tins of biscuits etc so inexpensive and the big food shop which was about £150 but not exclusively for Xmas as it included cat litter, loo roll etc and we paid for nearly half of it with vouchers. I think that still brings the big total to about £360. Not too bad but I think we could do better.

Well worth doing online surveys to save up the vouchers, it made Christmas a lot less painful on the purse. I'll be doing more this year.

Hope everyone back at work tomorrow has a good day.

Spendy day as I knew it would be. £6 parking, £30 skating and drinks, £24 lunch, £30 build a bear, £19 footy boots,

£698 on clothes last year. And £478 on toiletries. A definite reduction on last year.

Pretty sure I spent almost £1200 on clothes in 2015 and £800 on toiletries.

em have you seen the jaeger outlet site? Most of it is far too old for you but the basics like white shirts, woolen coats, blazers etc would do for work & when they have their flash 40% off sale price you can pick up £400 coats for under a £100. Dh got a cashmere jumper for £35 delivered.

It'll last you years too.

£60 indemnity insurance. Better than the £400 the society wanted.

I'm doing dry January now. I couldn't last night or the prosecco would have gone flat.

Happy New year to you all - we went out with friends to a local pub. We used to host the NYE party fo all of our mates - but when we didn't it kind of fell by the wayside.
That is a good reduction em - I should put our spends into catagories.
Operation where have my Abs waist gone has got off to a good start - running yesterday, a walk today, reduced calorie intake significantly.

fluffy I love the jaeger sale. Have always managed to pick up a bargain. I bought a blue shirt last year. Reduced to £20 from 120. It fits like a glove.

I also like tommy hillfiger. They usually knock about 80% off. So can usually snap up some nice tops/dresses for cheapy.

Oven is clean. So shiny. I threw my baking tray (which was filthy and burnt on) in the bag with the oven trays and the oven pride magic stuff. It looks brand new. Silver instead of black and crispy.

Best £5 ever on the oven pride.

Mammy hope you and DS feel better soon.

£30 on two dresses for work in the Debenhams sale. I love dresses, you dont need to think, just chuck it on and youre good to go . £27 to DS1 for some jeans he needed.

We have had a lovely day at Lyme Regis with my mum and nephew, he is 7yo and gets on well with my dd. Have spent £15 ish on food and drinks mostly, not too bad for a day out really.

We are still working our way through the Christmas chocolate but once its gone I am going on a chocolate detox! I have put on about 5lbs over Christmas seriously need to sort that out!!

Dd back to school tomorrow and back to the normal manic work/school/club run

I love Lyme Regis, Girlie, I bet it was cold today! The ice didn't completely clear from our road today.

Em well done on your reduced spends on clothing & toiletries.

Dd now sick also I got up today to look after them for a bit & dh took it as his cue to go off doing stuff outdoors, he came in an hour ago & I hotfooted it to bed. I feel worse again as a result

We watched Peter Pan goes Wrong on 1Channel app today, it aired on BBC a few nights ago. Dh & I saw this in West End last January brilliant show

NSD today.

Lovely food missa - makes me feel healthy just looking at it.

I desperately need to get a pair of work trousers as I have put on weight and the trousers that I do have don't fit me anymore but I find it so difficult because I'm essentially very short and fat and nothing seems to fit right.

Have you primark nearby fool? Black trousers only €6 there ideal for work and come in short leg

I agree, buy the best you can afford of the classics if you can.

Roast chicken was lovely, but small, not a MN chicken at all. I'll get stock from it, but that's all.

Reading The Power, by Naomi Alderman. What happens when women take over the world. Enthralling and gripping indeed.

I agree, buy the best you can afford of the classics if you can.

Roast chicken was lovely, but small, not a MN chicken at all. I'll get stock from it, but that's all.

Reading The Power, by Naomi Alderman. What happens when women take over the world. Enthralling and gripping indeed.

Need to work out how to reset ynab and do another fresh start. Coffers are pretty empty right now. We've got about £250 / £300 to last till the end of the month. Dh has all his travel already paid for, all the bills are covered. We just need to buy two tanks of fuel (£100 I think) and four loads of shopping. If I can be super careful I can do that for £35 a week so £140. I'll be going through the freezer and cupboards and working out what I can meal plan from what we have. It would be good to make it through the month without going over budget. We've got cash from Christmas we were gifted so that helps for the day to day bits so I think we can do it.

Sounds do-able, Mummyreindeer. Getting 2017 off to a frugal start.

Can I join, please? I need motivation to stop spending on 'stuff' that I really don't need ....

Welcome newbies, everyone welcome here

Dd randomly started crying about a painful shoulder think it may have something to do with going back to school tomorrow...

Will be paying for dds clubs tomorrow, just the drama group and football so £40, no more swimming so a saving in theory of £64 or thereabouts. Also need to pay the childminder for last month £30.

Planning on a NS rest of the week....

have successfully decluttered and organised my dressing table. Smug.

Outfit is ready for work tomorrow, gym bag packed. Have a whole heap of stuff to take to work tomorrow.

Have also just had a Facebook declutter. Ditched everyone who I wouldn't stop and talk to in the street.

Plan tomorrow is to get up at 6am "cat feeding time" feed cat then NOT go back to bed. I will stay up. I will have a nice cup of tea. Will have breakfast. I may pack up some eBay things. I may listen to the radio. I'm trying to gain an hour a day. If I can be productive between 6-7 am I am hoping I will have less to do when I get home.

welcome newbies.
Wreck, how is the application going?
Em, you have halved your spending on clothes and toiletries. That's amazing and I bet you haven't missed the stuff you didn't buy.
Oh dear Mammy, you don't seem to be able to shake it off, do you. Tell DH you need bed rest.

Well done, Em, I'm decluttering too. Got a whole bin bag of rubbish from the kitchen cupboard of doom!
Welcome moggie.

Spends today:
€2 supermarket.

Also meal planned for the week and realised I don't need to do a full grocery shop this week which is great; four grocery shops this month instead of 5 will definitely help the budget.

Well done on the reduced spends em,
I've only been tracking my spends properly for about 6 months but I should definitely think about reducing my total spend on clothes this year.

I've decided I will try to record all my spends again but I'm not going to get caught up in the detail/what DH spends because I so often find that I forget to ask DH his, or spend ages finding out exactly to the penny etc and end up losing motivation. So I'm just going to stick to mine or stuff we do jointly like the Caglets' trainers etc. TBF DH really only spends at the Coop where he works and it's generally stuff that's reduced or on deals + staff discount so that works well in reducing the grocery delivery spends anyway. But basically I want to make sure I put what I spend every day because that is what I need to see!

So -
Jan 1
NSD!
Jan 2
£17ish train fares - staying at mum's and got singles for today and journey home as it worked out cheapest. Under 2hrs door to door which was great! And the Caglets were much happier than being stuck in a car on the motorway.
£5.40 hot choc on freezing platform, and water
£5.40 bus/tram fares

Tomorrow I have to take out £85 cash as that is what we were given for the Caglets' Christmas money plus what they're owed in pocket money (DS hasn't spent any for a while so he has £5 more). We have the panto which dad booked for us and then we are staying in town so the kids can do their shopping (DD is going to build a bear for the first time). I may also use the £20 I have left on H&M gift card as the sale is on and lots of the kids clothes I like are in it!