Frugaleers, keeping their frugal resolutions in the new year. Keep on, erm, resoluting!?

[Cagliostro]

Hello everyone! :)

[TheMonkeysOnTheTable]

Thanks. I'll pop back to the old thread and have a look at the links.

I've just done a menu plan for the week. We've got enough meat/mains in the freezer but I'll need to top up on fresh fruit and veg - as well as a few basics. I'll write a list and stick to it this time.

I'm going to set myself a spending limit for this week.

£30 today's veg top-up shop.

£40 reading books for dd.

£35 day trip with dd and a friend. (We are meeting half way between our cities so will end up being pricy)

£30 travel to work plus the odd coffee.

So £135 for the week. Not an especially cheap week but I should be able to stick to it. The day trip has been planned for ages, and the books are a one off.

[lifelongfrugaleer]

Hi newbies.
£3.80 body pump, it's gonna hurt later £23.87 petrol, £51 sainsburys of which £30 were clothes

[northender]

stumbly our money is divided into different pots. One is the fixed monthly outgoings like mortgage, utilities etc. another is a fixed monthly amount to cover things like holidays, car expenses, birthdays, Christmas etc which I calculate for a year and divide into 12 monthly amounts. I keep track of it all via my spreadsheet. The next pot is another fixed amount which covers food, socialising, diesel, basically anything not covered in 1 & 2! In pot 2 we also allow for concerts and football/cricket watching as those are our particular [expensive] interests. Pot 4 is then anything left over after the other 3 pots have been taken out which would be savings. I say would be as it hasn't quite happened yet due to paying off credit cards & having a loft conversion. It will happen one day though!
All our finances are joint though and we aren't precious about having our own individual budgets so that makes life easier.

[ChristmasSeacow]

Morning! I've had the best sleep ever (in the spare room) so am raring to go today.

wilderness I am on it - bought some G for grapes yesterday . Not sure he will fall for it but worth a try!

Going to try and have an NSD, unless we take DS out somewhere. i was going to get some fresh coriander for the curry tonight but since BIL and SIL aren't coming I won't make the effort just for DH

Going to enjoy all the posh fruit DH bought yesterday. I haven't asked what he spent but he got ripe mangoes, blueberries, kiwis and pomegranates. I am thinking of making hazelnut meringues.

Welcome new people, this thread is getting busier but it's good to be inspired!

[IdStillRatherBeKnitting]

life huh? body pump on a sunday... I'm still sitting in bed looking on pintrest for quilt ideas!

Will be a nsd, got laundry to do, meal plan to sort and generally dull sunday jobs to do today; hence the hanging on in bed for as long as I can (albeit with a bouncy 4 yr old and cbeebies to keep me company).

I can't sort money into different pots - wish I could, it would be easier. Dp and I get paid weekly, tax credits 4 weekly, and ex pays when he fancies, so nothing is ever on the same day. So I am just checking daily. First job is to get out of, and stay out of my (1.5k) overdraft. It is a steep hill.

[lifelongfrugaleer]

I know I'd. Was supposed to be meeting a friend but she didn't come.
I have similar issues with my pay and dh pay and CB being all at different times. Frankly I'm shit at budgeting and usually just wing it most months. More by good luck than good management we are in the black.

[Tryingtosaveup]

Welcome newbies, everyone welcome.
Cath, I was thinking perhaps emailing the dietician herself and complaining and asking for a re fund as it was not as expected. And/ or writing to her professional body to complain. That was a lot of money you paid out for crap or non existent advice. I think. The worst part was that she didn't seem to listen to you and respond to you as an individual. Don't mean to interfere. Just ignore me. Sorry.
Where's Collie and Italian?

[ememem84]

Tax form done. Yay.

Another load of washing done and have spent the last hour being followed about by catface. She sits and watches. Probably supervising what I'm doing never helps though

Toast and leftover Dahl for lunch.

[Needastrongone]

She needs to pull her weight more Em, even my dogs can work the washing machine.....

at knitting and the recorder comment.

Good for you Life for the class today.

The fresh fruit sounds absolutely lovely Christmas. It's so nutritious and you need the vitamins I reckon.

Hotel was wonderful thank you all, as was the wine and the food. I think we spent £7 over the pre-paid cost, so I think that counts as a LSD.

Today is LSD, I've sent DS to the garden centre to get meal worm for the chickens, but that's it.

Menu planned.
Sunday - Roast chicken dinner (stock and sandwiches for the remainder).
Monday - Jamie Oliver fish bake.
Tuesday - sweet potato fish cakes, veggies.
Wednesday - carrot and orange soup, crusty bread.
Thursday - Bacon and egg (busy night for all).
Friday - Chilli and rice.(I quite like a bit of red meat as running drops the iron levels and I'm giving blood the following Monday).
Saturday. Jamie Oliver proper chicken nuggets, sweet potato wedges, veggies.
Sunday - Cottage pie and lots of veg.

[lean17]

stumbly I've started using an app called HomeBudget (available for Android and IOS). We chose this one because we can have it syncing to DH and my phone, and the iPad too. We pool our money (or more accurate to say, as SAHM, I spend his!). I used to use it a couple of years ago but things fell to pieces when new baby came along. We each update it every time we spend money and it syncs across all devices. The expense section links to a budget section where you can set spending limits. I haven't yet allocated funds, but I've split the expense categories quite finely so I can see at a glance where our money is going and hopefully identify where we can make savings and how to budget properly. This is balanced against all our income too, so we can see if we're overspending. For example, I know that we have spent (since 1Jan) exactly £26.85 on coffees and cakes; £3.85 on kids toys; £27 on shoes for DD. It's sobering stuff, actually. But I can see it will force us to be genuinely realistic about our habits. I recommend it.

Christmas DD will try anything if she believes she's cooked it herself. She doesn't necessarily sustain it. But I've bought her all her own bikes etc and we watch icancook together on CBeebies. She's getting more and more interested in wanting to try different things.

em has just reminded me I need to do my tax return, and that reminds me I haven't added NI to my expenses. Bugger.

need I'm intrigued by the sound of sweet potato fish cakes. Do you have a recipe you can share?

I want to start ebaying stuff this week, and get to a point where I can see some money coming in from my side...!

NSD today.

[lean17]

*bowls, not bikes!

[ememem84]

I hate tax return. I have until the last Friday in May to get mine in. Our tax system here is different to yours - I am currently this month until they look at my tax form paying 21% tax Eek.

Last year I was dropped down to 10%. I'm hoping it'll drop down to that again this year as they have to factor in personal pension payments which I didn't have last year.

If I get it in early I can reap the most of any reduced rate. Last year I filled it in and submitted by the third week of Jan. Dh however didn't do his until the last possible day. Because last year he out my figures on his form too they looked at them together. This year we've signed paperwork to be treated as two separate people (previously although I filled in my own form I was treated as dh's property and couldn't discuss my own tax without him bejng present. Obviously my fluff girl brain couldn't cope with it....).

Been to the shop for parents. It's freezing outside. So cold. Dh is making soup. Catface is supervising. I am on the couch drinking tea. No supervision required for that. I'm trusted to do it myself it seems

[SnugglySnerd]

Welcome newcomers and thanks for the new thread, Cag.
Very wet and miserable here today so took DD to soft play, bought a couple of drinks and then had an impromptu lunch in nearby pub, not a massive meal just sandwiches and chips. Spent about £25 in total so it wasn't quite the NSD I hoped for but we never just do something like that as a bit of a treat and we all enjoyed it.

[Needastrongone]

Lean. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe. It's in his new cookbook, so not online yet. I did a quick search though, and found this, which I thought sounded just as lovely, if not more so and I might change what I cook.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/asian-salmon-sweet-potato-traybake/

[CathodeRayTube]

Welcome velocitygir1 !

Wreck Do you fancy making a fitted cover for the sofa? I did that with ours and then destroyed in the tumble dryer

Welcome TheMonkeysOnTheTable!

Northender Thanks so much for looking that up. Would it be possible for you to tell me where you found that page? I see my new GP on Thursday so I could ask.

Trying I think you're absolutely right about complaining to the dietician. I'm going to do it, and am just getting straight in my head what it is that I thought she did wrong. Good idea. Thanks so much for that.

[lifelongfrugaleer]

Shatteted. Decluttering the garage. £44 scanned for ziffit, music magie site crashed but a bit more from them, pile for the charity shop, pile to have one go at selling then charity

[WreckTangled]

Haha no way Cath! I want a corner sofa plus the cushions on ours are out of shape and stained beneath the covers!

[frazzled74]

Hi everybody, welcome velocity, I've managed a nsw thanks to hopping over to the nsw thread! This has boosted my finances a little and got rid of some of the Christmas leftovers! I have £50 to spend on myself courtesy of dm, I was hoping for a bargain sale dress but haven't come across any, so am thinking of buying the hush skirt and a new Jamie Oliver book! I love the sound of the fish bake and am just going to meal plan so thank you for the idea.

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

£11 on fruit
£8.65 on pasta, veg and soya milk

That's all the grocery spend for this week which I am happy with.

Meal plan:
Sunday - veg meatballs, tomato and veg sauce, spaghetti, leftover carrot and beetroot salad
Mon - veg burgers, peas, carrots, new potatoes
Tues - veg and red lentil curry with rice
Weds - mushroom soup with crudités and hummus
Thurs: curried cauliflower soup with bread
Friday: curried Cauli soup with crudités
Sat: out for friend's birthday
Sun: homemade pizza and salad

Can you tell I'm using up frozen batch cooking or what?!

[Wildernesstips]

Monkeys are they specific reading books for your DD? Have you looked to see if you can download free Ebooks from your library? Ours is done through OneClick Digital. Not a huge array of choice but free (and free audiobooks).

I don't set a weekly spending budget outside of necessities. I take packed lunch to work and try not to go near the shops - best way I have found of stopping me frittering it away!

[Maxwellthecat]

peonies
Are you vegan? Do you make your veg meatballs from scratch or if not where do you buy them?

[CathodeRayTube]

See what you mean wreck That would be very hard.

Trying I just sent my complaint letter to the dietitian asking for a reduction in fee of more than 50%. Fingers crossed now. Dh says I'm going to get a filthy-angry letter back from her, but if I don't mind that then it's worth a try.

We went for a long walk in the grey and rain today but had a nice lunch out. I'm finding that even a walk in the grey weather really perks me up this winter. We've started using the ice cream parlour in town as the impetus to get out of the house, and it does seem to work. Lunch cost a bit but was worth it.

[Maxwellthecat]

Our spends for the day

Petrol £20
Popcorn for cinema £1 (brought our own from Tesco)
Cinema tickets were free as we had tokens from our bank account (went to see a monster calls and sobbed ALL the way through)

[SnugglySnerd]

frazzled Asda had the new Jamie Oliver book for £7 a couple of weeks ago, not sure if it's still that price but worth a look. I have it and it's excellent. Making the spinach canneloni for tea!

[PeoniesforMissAnnersley]

maxwell no we aren't vegan on purpose, I eat meat but DH is veggie and I'm lactose intolerant so we are meat and dairy free at home, I do eat a meat lunch most work days though.
I use a couple of different recipes for the meatballs - the tempeh meatballs from website "one green planet" are nice with Italian food and easily made.