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

989 replies

Cagliostro · 14/01/2017 23:22

Hello everyone! :)

OP posts:
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CathodeRayTube · 18/01/2017 09:25

Christmas I'm glad ds did not destroy you. I only know a small subset of people, so probably some people manage just fine. I hope so anyway. Smile

Has anybody managed to use the Amazon Prime photo storage thing? I tried to click through to it, but it took me to amazon.com where it said I didn't have amazon prime membership.

Tryingtosaveup · 18/01/2017 09:36

Morning all. NSD today as staying in helping with DS/DDiL's ironing. I don't have much ironing as I only iron outer clothes and I don't have that much.
But DS and DDiL and 2 small children. They have more clothes than Mothercare and they all need ironing.
They have gone to work and I have been round the house and turned off 1 television and 7 lights. They would have been on all day. Must explain about switches having an "off" setting.
They are puzzled as to why they are broke.😧😧

SnugglySnerd · 18/01/2017 09:53

I didn't know about Amazon Prime photo storage either! I've been meaning to back up all my photos. I'm clearly not getting the most out of my Prime membership!

WreckTangled · 18/01/2017 10:09

I think it's called Amazon cloud drive in the uk cath

ItalianWiking84 · 18/01/2017 11:12

snuggly didn't mean to make it round like bfing twins wouldn't be hard, if was just your post made me remember my friend who did. Sorry Sad

mammymammyIRL · 18/01/2017 11:49

Today I decided to check in with my Tesco Boost vouchers, we were keeping them to boost for a ferry to UK but seeing as we're not doing that this year they can be spent.

Inspired by all of you I've chosen National Geographic for Kids for €18.25 vs it's normal cost of €55.10, just waiting on dh to text me back to see if he agrees.

Kids took delivery of their Yes Bebe order yesterday and are thrilled with their toys, we allowed them to spend their Christmas money this year and there was 20% off £100 spend. Yes Bebe are a uk based ethical & fairtrade and wooden toys, organic clothes, cloth nappy company www.yesbebe.co.uk you can also join their facebook group and avail of 10% off that way too. I've been happy with their service so far bought a little green radicals dress for dd for christmas and a hape wooden cement lorry for ds and now this order. My friend bought most of Santa from there using Christmas club which gained her an extra £10 discount per £100 spent.

People talking about photo storage, google photos is a free service that I use.

need an explanation of those pics from nutritional therapist - all the underlined foods are those that convert to sugar in your body and the foods were examples that we gave of what we eat.

She mentioned that when doing overnight oats it's important to actually do them for 10 hours or so as there's something released -can't remember what- by raw oats which isn't good for us and it's not a danger after this timeframe. This was interesting to me as I often made them at 6.30am and ate them at 10am.

Add protein to all meals to provide satiety and reduce sugar cravings
Half plate veg/salad, quarter plate protein, quarter plate carbs - this is actually what Unislim recommend also.

Tannin in teas/coffees prevent us absorbing lots of nutrients so try to keep to a minimum and definitely not have with your healthy main meal
The diagrams are the liver and the intestinal system.
CalMg supplied by company Mag365 is something all of us women should take, a tsp mixed with water before bed aids restful sleep, in northern hemisphere we're short on magnesium in our diet and it helps our health no end to include it. It is also important to help liver function.

Avoid bile duct being removed in case of gallstones at all cost as it is the dumping ground for the body and if it's not there, waste and toxins have to go somewhere else

Tumeric is a good spice to include daily either as a drink or in your food, she says it's tasteless, I completely disagree with this Hmm
Our liver has 6 ducts which it's important to keep working well. Bitter leaves such as spinach, kale, watercress, rocket, dandelion are especially good as well as spices such as tumeric, ginseng and minerals such as magnesium.

When our liver isn't working well it affects our whole system so tiredness, illness and disease. It is possible to get a liver function test done which might be interesting for you cathode
Things that our liver struggles with include - virus/fungii/bacteria (we have no control really over them entering our system, they're in the air) medications, alcohol, tea and coffee, sugar, synthetic chemicals and plastic.

Xylitol & stevia were the sugar substitutes from plant sources she recommended as they have no effect on blood sugar levels.

I must have missed one page of notes because she spoke about SunWarrier protein powder as being good for children who refuse breakfast or indeed adults to get something into their system and for those who would normally be recommended Complan as a meal replacement such as the elderly.

What I took away from it is that I need to purchase Mag365 CalMag for sure, and that most of what I'm doing with my diet currently is spot on anyhow thanks to my 5 years as a Unislim leader.

trying might be worth showing your ds & ddil comparisons where people have changed to led's and saved money, or the estimated cost of appliances. You're a good dm & mil to do this for them. My mil is deceased since early in our relationship and my dm, lovely as she is, is inherently lazy in regard to domestic chores, actually worse than I amGrin Although in her defence, she's obsessed with finding a way to keep my toilets limescale free, but we have now achieved this feat in 2 of the 3 toilets and the remaining one is our ensuite and doesn't bother me so much as it's not in public viewBlush

cag I'm another one recommending slow cooker, you or dh can prep it the evening before/in the morning and make use of prechopped veg where you can and get butcher to slice/dice meat. Today I browned a lb of mince, and added frozen chopped onion, quarter of a green pepper that was left in drawer, grated a carrot and added a tin of tomato and herb pasta sauce to frying pan and then dumped the lot in the slow cooker to cook for the day, this will feed us all tonight with possibly some leftovers for tomorrow. Some websites advocate batch prepping, this could be done with assistance of your dh and dc, and use freeze bags to portion off raw ingredients, they're called dump bags and all you need to do is take them out day before and dump into slow cooker in the morning.

Our slow cooker enables us to eat much healthier in my opinion, I bought it when pregnant with dd in 2009 and have invested in a bigger one for doing christmas ham or when we've a crowd to feed, but the 2009 one is still going strong.

Not fully caught up with you guys but as good as I can do for now!

CathodeRayTube · 18/01/2017 11:55

Gosh! Mammy What a mine of information! What was that about oats being poisonous? I feed them by the ton to ds and cook flapjacks and stick them in the fridge for a week. I also struggle with calcium and magnsium. So much in that presentation is interesting. Gosh gosh gosh!

ItalianWiking84 · 18/01/2017 12:00

We only stock up when going to the border but we do that a couple of times a year and then take a trailer with us Grin
monkey sorry to hear about dd nursery, ain't all of them same price? I actually thought you should be offered one in your neighborhood?

Been to the mall with dh, bought some clothes for the girls, spent 45£ on that, then 30£ in the pharmacy on bits and bobs abs 30£ in the bookstore, got 2 books about kindergarten for dd1 who is starting in may, 2 baby books for baby dd and 2 books for me.

confusedandemployed · 18/01/2017 12:18

Afternoon all, may I join? I was a regular a couple of years ago but since then i had a large inheritance which I have now mostly spent (££££ on house and a fair bit just living too extravagantly!).

I've decided I need to rein things in this year and keep what's left of the inheritance as far as possible, after a holiday with DD this half term coming. We've just (nearly) paid off the mortgage so this should be much easier now.

I've just done a freezer audit, we have enough in there for at least 3 weeks worth of dinners plus lots for DD - she's nearly 4 but I still batch cook for her and freeze, plus portioning off a bit of DH and my dinner for her. Makes life much easier to feed her healthily - she gets plenty of crap so I try to make her dinner a good one.

My salary will now cover all our bills (downsized job massively recently and only currently work 20 hours) but I expect to be earning more than double before the end of the year so that should in theory be all extra.

I've sold a fair bit on eBay recently and plan to do more. I also have about £200 in JL vouchers (earmarked for a sewing machine), £35 in Debenhams vouchers from Christmas and over £50 in my Save the Change account.

I'm going to aim for at least 3 NSDs each week and today will be one of them!

Phew that was an essay. Good to get it all down though.

Looking forward to chatting with you all.

mammymammyIRL · 18/01/2017 12:57

cathode sorry to alarm you, raw oats release some kind of gas, cooked oats are fine or ones that have been soaked overnight!

Oats are fabulous, I love porridge, porridge scones, overnight oats etc etc
I really enjoyed the presentation and it was the first of four nights and it's not set topics she's willing to be led by what the group want to talk about. This week she's cooking breads and soups for us.

confused welcome back, intrigued to know if I was here when you were here before I was lilac

CathodeRayTube · 18/01/2017 13:28

Mammy That's quite weird about the oats. Does that mean that if we microwave them with milk they are okay?

confusedandemployed That sounds like a lovely situation to be in. I have a bit of money in savings too and am trying to learn about investing in stocks and shares. I'd be interested to hear about the choices that you make with your money. I think that downsizing work is a wonderful thing to do, if you have the option.

IdStillRatherBeKnitting · 18/01/2017 13:31

What kind of gas? eek. My go to is jumbo oats, coconut milk and frozen blueberries - I only leave them about 2 hours. Is this why I felt really crap and bloaty last night? Refuse to doctor google, so will try to be more organised and make them the night before. Great info mammy

Dp just had his gallbladder out, plus all ducts, he was really very poorly so it was necessary; so where do his toxins now go? We have a good diet, but so far (too many) nuts and bread has not gone down well (he ate far too much bread anyway). We are trying little and often with his food, guess it's trial and error.

Hoping for a nsd. Will have a good look at more subscribe and save stuff (Clive cats food arrived already), I hold out hope for a trip to Costco, but we have to troop to Newcastle in the big car (mucho thirsty diesel), and never spend under £200, so we haven't been able to go for a while. I do like buying in bulk, but with 6 of us it never lasts long!

frazzled74 · 18/01/2017 14:14

Dd now off school sick, so we are all under the weather! I've just ordered an Iceland shop £35, lots of smoothie mixes , frozen fish and freezer snacks. I thought we could all do with a lazy style vitamin boost . I'm just debating whether I have enough energy to get the sewing machine out and make new curtains for the sitting room. I've got some lovely checked fabric and lining material so they would be warmer than the flimsy ones we have now, and nicer to look at.

WreckTangled · 18/01/2017 14:16

Welcome back confused. I remember you I was formerly spotty.

I've seen a really lovely sofa second hand. It's perfect. It's £350 though and we have no money HmmGrin

CathodeRayTube · 18/01/2017 14:30

Sofas are so weirdly expensive aren't they Spotty? We debated for years what to do with ours, and finally had it recovered by an upholsterer. It still cost and arm and leg though. We only did it because we discovered that modern sofas are huge and we couldn't find a new one that would fit in the space. There are often new sofas reduced in the Next sale, but I think they're still about £350.

confusedandemployed · 18/01/2017 14:33

Thanks all. mammy and Wreck yes I remember you both.

I am indeed in a lucky position but I'm spendthrift by nature so I really need to take a hold of myself.

Off to collect DD in a bit and we're going to make raspberry muffins with stuff already in and some frozen raspberries I found earlier during my freezer audit.

CathodeRayTube · 18/01/2017 14:53

My energy company just asked if I want to sign up for a smart meter.

Fluffy what do you think? I already have this loop thing that tells me where all the money is going.

mammymammyIRL · 18/01/2017 15:27

Yes fine microwaved with milk
Grabbed this online Smile
^*Here’s a little snippet from my bible, Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions, to explain why:

All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects. Soaking allows enzyme, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.*^

knitting I think it's his stools that are mostly affected, but not certain on that.

Needastrongone · 18/01/2017 15:34

I bet it's been nice to relax a little with money though isn't it confused, for a short time anyway. Welcome back.

Our sofa was the first and best investment piece that we ever bought. A triumph of quality being a long term financially efficient use of money. It was £2700, 14 years ago. Plain leather and in a plain style. German. 15 year (yes 15!!) guarantee. We bought it on interest free credit over 5 years as we didn't £2.7k in the bank at that time. It looks completely and utterly new. Never dates. Still look at it and love it. I don't doubt it will last another 14 years.

mammy Thank you so much for the explanation. Nutrition fascinates me, I would love to do a course or qualification given the time. I once had my diet analysed by the nutritionist for the Olympic athletics team and was fascinated by the results.

Hope your DP is okay knitting

Can I qualify the oats thing based on a little knowledge, mammy already has but just to reiterate? Uncooked oats are fine to eat, with liquid. On their own, no. With liquid safe. Jamie Oliver has breakfast smoothies in his latest book and magazine with raw oats. I very much doubt he would expose himself to the risk of adverse publicity publishing recipes that were dangerous. But actually, my knowledge is from what I know about horse feed!!!

Spends - £20 Aldi.

Just going to have another moan about teenage male eating habits. DS came home yesterday and his post school snack was - tuna and cheese wrap, apple, orange, banana, half a bowl of cashew nuts, 3 falafels. He had risotto for tea and 4 weetabix half and hour later. Went to the gym. Came home and had 4 more weetabix. My shopping bill is huge at present!!!

confusedandemployed · 18/01/2017 15:48

Needastrongeone yes it has been very nice, although going from knowing to the last penny what goes out of my account to not really having a clue what I'm spending has been quite disconcerting and I'm glad to be getting back in the saddle.

Wow, that is a lot of food!! My wallet is dreading the teenage years.

Cagliostro · 18/01/2017 15:55

Still catching up on thread. Snuggly just wanted to say no reason you can't BF and FF too, maybe you could mostly BF but DH could give bottles in the evening or something. Obviously no experience with twins but I should imagine trying to make bottles up while juggling two hungry little ones would be a PITA. Whipping a boob out (or both) seems a little less involved :o

Lovely morning here, met a new home ed mum with her DD, and taught my friend's DD as well. Brownies pick up later and will need to pop to co-op for a few things.

OP posts:
IdStillRatherBeKnitting · 18/01/2017 16:05

Dp is 98% better than he was need , still a bit sore from the op (on 30/12), but not in pain from that anymore. He was up to his eyeballs in tramadol and oromorph on the bad days before, hideous. He's thinking about getting out on his bike again, a definate imptovement. Shop was only closed for one extra day, as it was over new year!

Painted some of the stairs turquoise this morning, dropped off/picked up work, and knitted.

Will soak my oats a bit longer from now on. Its only laziness and impatience that means I eat them quickly. Both things I am working on!

WreckTangled · 18/01/2017 16:25

Oh wow need I'm not sure I can afford to keep my ds Grin

My mum is a twin and when they were born my nan was told to breast feed one one day and the other the next whilst giving the other a bottle of formula Grin

Sausages for dinner.

ItalianWiking84 · 18/01/2017 16:26

Dropped by the cemetery with some flowers while baby dd was sleeping, met my friends mom who also were there doing the grave a bit up so invited her for a cuppa and a chat, haven't seen her for a while so nice to chat, cost about 7£ for 2 coffees.
Now ready for handball go Denmark

mammymammyIRL · 18/01/2017 16:37

wreck that's so funny

When my nan was in maternity ward a tray went around at feeding time to collect any milk the mothers could express after feeding their own baby, this was then given to hungry babiesGrin guess a milk bank of the time.

I think snuggly having bf dd for 12 weeks not exclusively and ds for 9months almost exclusively(I couldn't express enough so he had bottles of formula when I wasn't there) that do as much or as little bf as you are able to without you or dd suffering, the twins won't remember this time but you will.

need that's some appetite. My dss wasn't bad as a teen but ate dinners same size as his dad from age 11 or so, and frightened my df with the amount of mashed potato he would have with his dinner, will be interesting in 10+ years time to see how ds is, I'll probably still be on this thread if mn is still a thing thenGrin