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

[Cagliostro]

Hello everyone! :)

Thanks Fluffy. He likes to go out 'with the lads' at dinner and buy something. But has in the past taken a packed lunch and doesn't have a problem with the that bit, just missing out on the socialising of going elsewhere at dinner I guess.

I'm going to stick him some left over sausage casserole into a tub to take to work with him tomorrow. And thaw out some bread to go with it.
I love my slow cooker and bread maker. I find them easier, as I can often prepare stuff and go and rest and come back (or buy frozen prepared veg). Once it's all in, it can be left until it's ready.

Sorry, switched names somehow there... Either name will do!

Life I'm so sorry I don't know what made me think it was Mammy.

Money is like intelligence, you never have as much as you think you do.

Just popping on cath the hinge is attached with screws, vertically upwards

Need thanks for having my back. I accidentally knocked a wall capping off our wall. He had an extreme over reaction, took it out on me & the dc all afternoon. After such a long time of this not happening.
There will be words over this but not tonight as he cannot see reason when he's like this as he believes he's right & that's it. Slamming doors is ridiculous at 53 years!

They are lovely boots need I'm going to aspire to owning a pair of them for now.

Peach/Lemon great to see you here. First month is a shock to system but once you're both fully onboard you're in a great place.

mammy, I'm thinking you are right, not tonight. It's pointless and achieves nothing. You are right not to let it go, but also right to use your time wisely. Door slamming is indeed daft, but harmless too. xx

So today I feel a bit more control of my finances. Renewed car ins for nearly £300 less than my current insurers quoted. I'll also get a frozen meerkat and the cinema 2 for 1 aswell.
Switched my credit car to 0% till July 18 the deal was offered by one of my current cards so no applying for a new one.
Going to try and go In early tomorrow and do an hours overtime.

Nice dinner with parents. Have been given a ton of leftovers. So that will feed us for at least two meals

Dh booked our flights to Gatwick today for nz (easyJet with baggage £360) and then our internal flights from Auckland to queenstown (£300) eek.

Tomorrow I must must must go and pick up my dresses. So will have to drive into work. So will be paying for parking.

Need I bought those same boots this afternoon! Feel a bit guilty as bought a pair of boots last month, but hopefully they will see me through next winter too, and if I am very good with the food shop, I can reap back the £65 over the next few weeks. Apart from that I spent £35 on food, will just need to top up on bread, fruit and milk .
Meal plan-
Meatballs and mash
Prawn pasta dish
Chicken curry
Baked potatoes
Paella ( frozen ready meal)
Fish, new pots veg
Sausage and mash
The meals may be adapted slightly depending on how inspired I feel on the day.

Welcome, Peach/lemon.
You've all been busy chatting today, had a lit to catch up on!

I like some of the baby names. Being a teacher makes it hard I think, such a lot are vetoed!!
Had a lovely meal out, only £11 each! Tired now and off to bed.

Has anyone been reading the 'freezer game' thread. It's quite funny. I can't join in as my freezer's fairly empty atm and I'm quite good at labelling freezer items. I remember taking out some pork chops one time and they turned out to be a wad of rashers (that was DH's fault).

Oh mammy I'm sorry that's happened :( a shock after things had been improving so much.

Hi peamon (peach + lemon... I dunno it sounded better in my head 😂) welcome, don't worry about keeping up as this thread moves SO fast! I need to learn to love my slow cooker and find other ways of making food more easily. I have CFS, fibromyalgia and POTS. So muchos sympathy on having to rest lots during food prep.

I LOVE the name Felix, DH didn't. My DS shares his name with a certain scientist known for laws of motion. If DH had his way he would've shared a name with Tesla instead. :o

Love Cecily as well, so pretty. :)

Gah. Must stop. Broody 😱😳

We are clearing out the freezer too, not much in it anyway but there are a few bits that just aren't going to be used. Thing about the offer at DH's work, a £5 frozen deal for 5 items, is that it works out cheaper to buy them all than buying 2 or 3 of the items. Wonder if the neighbours want onion rings?

Anyway DH is taking the Caglets to Tesco tomorrow after their first lot of home ed stuff (getting into more of a routine lately), as we are running kind of low on stuff. I added twiglets to the list. If he forgets them he is in big trouble. Anyway then back to home ed stuff, prepping for their presentations midweek at a club. DS is learning about Galileo (possible baby name right there 😂) and DD has to put her Venice project together. DH was going to take them swimming as we found out HE discount card, but he's not feeling too nifty today.

I also added "posh cottage cheese" to the shopping list, like the one you get in a spud-u-like jacket potato, really thick and squidgy and chivey and LE YUM. I keep trying various types of regular Tesco cottage cheese but it's just not the same. Unless anyone knows if you can get this in other supermarkets?! I love it so much I would actually make the trip just for that.

Thanks for the support guys. I debated sleeping in spare room but I never do that but went to bed at same time as kids & he must have known as he never came to our bed last night.

Cag you can offer a piano lesson & some free onion rings to next client

Tayto I've been reading freezer game thread. Last thurs I took out beef stew & although not labelled I was right I added another lb of stewing beef, carrots & tinned potatoes & cooked it in slow cooker. Hardly anyone ate it & it can't be refrozen so it's going to be dog food for next few days

Brighter great savings!

Oh mammy sorry you're having a bad time.

It's a good name isn't it Cag?! Named after the CIA agent in James Bond 😆

Right food shopping today. Will buy a chicken that will do two meals. Have mince in the freezer so that's three. Jackets and beans. Maybe get another mince and do chilli x2.

Sorry mammy, missed your bad day yesterday. Hope today is better.

Welcome peach or lemon.

No worries fluff

Frazzled That's a good idea re the boots. I like your thinking.

Ooh I've been reading the freezer game thread. I quite like it. Although dh is so unbelievable organised he marks what things are boring and when they were frozen boring

Our freezer is practically empty at present. We're trying to run it down before defrosting and then restocking. Off the top of my head we have two loaves of bread, some bolognaise two scones a bag of peas frozen corns on the cobs frozen spinach some sausages and two curries. And a load of newspaper (I read somewheee that the freezer needs to be full to work properly so putting balls of paper in there tricks it).

Must must go and collect my dresses today.

Also have to book tickets to see oddsocks do the jungle book later this week. Yippee

Morning.

Mammy sorry things are strained at home. My DH can be a moody git so I can empathise.

Today should have been an LSD (Just dog food) but as DD is home with the pox we'll probably need a few things to make cakes. I feel the tablet will be well used today.

Two NSDs Saturday and Sunday although I actually meant to pick up some bread and chicken slices for DD's lunch today. But she says she's happy to have a bagel and ham. Today won't be an NSD as I've to buy some groceries.

Mammy hope the talk later goes well.

Sorry to hear things are tricky Mammy. I know someone who flies off the handle like that and it really is tricky. Do you just keep quiet for a few days and wait for the storm to pass? I always find it tempting to shout back but then it just escalates, which doesn't seem to help that much.

£52 lidl. £14 wilkos. Not too bad. Just waiting for a friend at a NT place. It's allied frensham pond and is lovely.

I've just been to the library and got the Lego Movie out for £2. I've never tried getting films out before. Seems handy, and also cheap.

Also a funny conversation that I think you might enjoy from the other night here. Ds woke from a bad nightmare and there was much frazzlement and lights on and so on. Settling down to sleep again, this:

dm: Lets think of something nice to dream about when we go to sleep.
ds: I'm going to dream about battling an evil swamp alien and I will win the battle by cutting his head off.
dm: Gosh! Is that a nice dream?
ds: Yes because I will win.
dm: Oh! Well good luck then.
ds: I won't need luck.

How is it that 1970s teachers thought boys and girls were the same?

I used to cathode but I stand firm now and ask him to calm down in front of the dc & take up the discussion again at a later date. Staying quiet for a few days & then him apologising & us both brushing it under the carpet was only giving him permission to treat us like that repeatedly. I'm upset today so I can imagine how the dc feel. We're paying for dd to go to Relax Kids & then he flies off the handle

Great bargain on renting the movie

Left work to attend a burial, collleague covering for me & his wife is due on Sunday, so kept my phone on me, how this is frugal related is instead of me being down 1 hr 15 mins pay I'm now only down 40 mins as he called me to come back

mammy hope you're doing ok x

Frugal not frugal day today.

Have booked tickets for oddsocks £72 (but dm will give me half back)

Spent £160 in m&s on two pairs of gym trousers, a gym top, thermal leggings (#sexy), a two pack of thermal vests (#doublesexy) some real coloured skinnies and a new black super boobalicious bikini (halter tie push up top...). Used the reminder of my Christmas gift card from work to pay for it though so am not out of pocket.

Also £6 on a sesame chicken flatbread, popcorn and Diet Coke for lunch (also used a gift card). Flatbread while super dipper tasty proved difficult to eat (sesame chicken humous tomato carrot leaves and cucumber - it was a bit drippy and fally ally over the placey)

Walked 2.3km at lunchtime and am walking home