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

[Cagliostro]

Hello everyone! :)

Hi all not caught up on thread but did read up to Cag finishing your form! Well done that sounded ridiculously stressful and it makes me so cross that its made harder than it should be.

I have had a stupid busy day at work, lots of visits and lots of stressful visits! Not finished yet either as still got some work to do on the computer - ugh. Was a NSD though

Tomorrow I am off to the spa can not bloody wait!! Think have budgeted for it as kept bday money back, £130 covers the treatments (£65 for a facial, massage and body scrub) I owe £25 on the room and £30 food. Will need probably another £20 for teas and anything else, will take snacks with me though. Going with my two best buddies and so looking forward to it

That's the plan, fluffy. Pleased I've researched it as it looks like the finance co will be difficult about it and I feel more like I know what I'm talking about now. We might leave it a while longer as it might be helpful to have two cars for a bit while we adjust to life with twins, at least DH will be able to take DD to/from nursery and I'll still have a car to use too. Long term we can't afford to keep 2 cars and DH commutes by train so having two would be pointless but it might be helpful for a while if finances allow...

Thanks cag for your explanation, it's quite impressing to see how much different there is between the different countries, in everyday life I sometimes forget that other countries do things differently. We don't nessaserely do things better but defn differently. And thank you for always taking so much time explaining to me, that's kind of you hope both the forms gives you what you need and should be entitled to and especially also for your kids
max congrats
IdStillRatherBeKnitting im part Italian and part Danish and we are living in Denmark. Dh is Indonesien. And thank you for the compliment.
Norway is btw an awesome country to visit

Nsd, went to great grandparents for a visit today with baby dd and helped them with the their preliminary tax assignments.

Cath, so glad you sent the letter. Now, handbags..I have two. One my DS and DDiL gave me for Christmas last year ( an M&S one) and a small one I bought in Austria last year. You could fit all my toiletries in a small toiletry bag. My DD and DiL are both interested but I can think of nothing worse than shopping....well yes I can shopping for cars.
I try to look tidy and reasonably smartish but don't always manage it.
48p today because I ran out of milk.
Congratulations Max...enjoy driving.
Cag, well done on those bloody forms. You deserve to be successful just for completing them. Now, as the others say, list all the things you and the caglets are good at. I mean , you teach 3 different things. I could never do that.
Creme, good luck with your visit.

Thanks so much everyone. It's been a long but lovely day - taught two lovely pupils (maths x2 recorder x1), led a learning co-op session, played games etc.

Spends
£7ish Wilko - PVA and gluesticks and snacks/water - SOMEHOW I managed to resist the Dr Pepper - given how little sleep I got I think that may deserve a bigger medal than doing the form :o - I'm trying to cut down a lot on those drinks, haven't had any since leaving mum's on the 6th.
£1 massive bag of bird seed as I meant to take some with me (the learning session was on birds today) but forgot and so we got another one which I've left for them to use up.
£11.20 bus fares - this is because my friend's house is out of the bus pass area (well, I could have got a 'voyager' pass, but it's VASTLY more expensive and not worth it for how little we'd use it), so we needed single fares. However it occurred to me that she's really not that far from the station so in future we will get the train on those days if I'm up to it - looked it up and it would cost under a fiver for the three of us so adds up to a great saving twice a month.

And YIPPEEEEEE Max! Huge congrats!

You're only utilising their t&c though Snugg, you will need to take photos of every panel, window, windscreen, alloy & the interior incl the mileometer.

If the person who collects it doesn't have a working printer on board take photos of the report off the tablet screen so they can't change it later.

Thanks, fluffy, I'd already thought about taking photos of all the car with the date on that day's newspaper visible but I wouldn't have thought about the milo or the report. Good advice!

Martin Lewis just starting on ITV.

I've VT, and bought a car with the same company shortly after.

No other spends than planned today

Have a fabulous time away at the spa, Girlie. Hope it's going to be as rejuvenating and relaxing as it sounds.
Frazzled , £75-100 a week for the five of you sounds about right to me.

Just £1.90 bus fare back from Pilates. Had jackets with cheddar, pesto and rocket for dinner; yum! Working tomorrow and Wednesday.

Were they ok with that fluffy or did you have difficulties with them?
Our other idea is to see if we could upgrade to a bigger model but that depends on how much monthly payments would be and if we'd need any more deposit.

Enjoy your spa day, girlie.

God, you lot have been busy, I've only been gone a day...

Fluffy Thanks for the jam heads up, I'll stock up. He's having to have marmalade at present as I have run out of jam.....

Cath I'm amused by you 'marching' about in the rain this morning.

Girlie You SO deserve a spa day, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Creme Hope you have a good couple of days work.

Max Brillianrt news on the test, how fantastic is that? Well done indeed.

Cag Please remember that you ARE giving your DC everything they need in life. Our parents absolutely did not, you are. I got cross with you and your post last night!!

North Hey, how did it go then? Are you okay? Do you need ?

Em/Life I wore the new skirt today, with black tights and boot, baby pink jumper and electric blue scarf to work... yep shallow post...

Spends.
£70 renewal of membership of DD's association.
£300 accountant fees.
£150 excess on PMI.

That said, January has been a good month so far, with only a week to go we are hoping to save, I'll be able to work out the exact amount next week.

Frugal win - the hotel didn't charge us for our wine at dinner, which was a £30 bottle of red...... I couldn't figure why the surcharge was so little until I scrutinised the bill which DH put in his wallet.

Aww need! Thank you I do get what you mean. It's just I'm so frustrated and sad about the situation we are in y'know? I am trying though, and part of that is trying not to feel guilty about what I can't control. And recognise that I am tackling it by doing the forms etc. :)

You love them and think they are the best thing ever, they never doubt your love and you protect them from everything and they can always come to you. We didn't have that. Despite physical limitations, remember that.

Wow I can hardly keep up. I had a success today I only had to pay the basic NHS dentist charge for my tooth 😀. He filled it with a white filling. I didn't have an injection he only drilled a little bit. Only took 20 minutes. So today's spends
60p coffee at work
£1.80 lunch
19.70 for dentist
Not a bad day

Snuggly It's the t&c they set out so they have to be ok with it.

need It's only valid in sains or waitrose for green jinn.

Good news on the filling Brighter.

Cheers Fluffy, I'm near Sainsbo in the morning, I'll pop in. They do lots of the little 'posh cooking' pots of pastes and spices I like anyway and I need shampoo too.

Skirt update. Still not arrived.

I've done bugger all tonight. We went to Waitrose in the way home £15 on apples frozen fruit and pasta sauce.

Dm gifted me a bake in the oven tiger bread.

I've done one load of washing fed catface played with catface and watched university challenge. No tanning. No lists. No outfit combos. Tomorrow.

I must go to the gym once this week.

Thank you I think I will budget £100. Congratulations max! Girlie, have a great spa day, very envious!

Thanks, fluffy will dig the paperwork out and scrutinize it!
The reality of how frugal the next few years will have to be is starting to sink in. Last time round I was working full time in a management position earning more than twice what I earn now so mat leave wasn't too bad money-wise.
Now I am earning a lot less so mat pay won't be much at all. Even when I'm back at work we'll be spending a fortune on childcare for 3 kids so it won't make much difference. We really want to move house too, ours is a bit small for 5! That might be a dream until they are all at school.
I found the water and heating bills went up a lot on mat leave last time due to extra washing and being home more. Also DD was breastfed which obviously didn't cost anything. I can't imagine feeding 2 and looking after a toddler so had planned to use formula this time but I dread to think how much formula and nappies for 2 babies will cost.
Have really stressed myself out thinking about all this this evening. Hopefully I'm overthinking it and/or we'll win the lottery (we wont, we don't do the lottery!)

😀😀 at Snuggly and the lottery. I hope to win it too, but don't do it.
Girlie enjoy the spa day. It looks amazing.
Fluffy, what's VT mean please? Am I being thick?
Birthday tomorrow!

Congrats max - passing your driving test is such a rite of passage, I still remember Mine vividly!

cag you are such a great mum, you shouldn't beat yourself up about anything- caglets are v lucky to have you

Had one of those walk in appointments with a random GP today and she was so lovely and helpful and reassuring, one of those moments you feel so so lucky to have the NHS. I have bronchitis (viral) and have also pulled a big muscle in my shoulder/neck during circuits the day before virus started ... no NY exercise for a while until it all heals.

Spends
£2.50 on posh hot Choc on way back to work from
Doctors

Happy birthday trying.
Well done max
Snuggly bf twins is possible but hard ikwym about the cost of formula and nappies. Deep breath, you will cope we've got you. Apparently tamba were good when my friend had twins as babies 3&4 was a few years ago though.
Cag, you are a fab mother. You are doing your best and you can do no more than that.
No skirt here yet.
Girlie have a lovely spa day.

I've got £160 dance fees to pay and I need to move some savings money back as I was a little too ambitious. NSD planned but might need fruit.

Nsd planned. My dad is taken dd to gymnastics in the afternoon so planning to stay home with baby dd. Need to go trough dd1 clothes so might do that today as well as cleaning the bathroom.
Dhs colleague got s baby girl yesterday so they are collecting money and have ssked me if I can go and buy a gift. Told dh to just get money collected and then I add too what is missing

Have s great spa girlie
need nothing beats a frugal win
Oh snuggly remember all to well all those thought sbout costs and how to manage but I'm sure you will manage fine and even if money is a bit tight as long as there is love all will be fine. My friend bf twins, she said it was hard but manageable and our neighbor had triplets and bf all of them because she was advised from the hospital due to giving them as many nutrients as possible. She also lived a whole year in s bathrobe lol

Dh plays lottery once in a while, he finds the days were he can dream about the money exciting, I don't mind as long as it's just a couple of pounds. We did win in the new year lottery here about 1000£ which is defn not bad. Been added to saving account to be used on replacing a window and making up baby dds room, yep living the dream life of a millionaire ha ha