Frugaleers Frolick Frugally through February

[Ipsomatic]

Just setting up the new thread for the chatty Frugaleers.

By popular request - copied from an old thread

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.

£59 lidl
£13 wilko including a birthday present for my friend.

Just waiting in the car waiting for my sugar level to go back up so I can legally drive will post my meal plan later. Thought of two things I forgot to get...

Actually the worst bathroom I ever saw had a mint green suite with black and pink tiles. It was in a ground floor flat I viewed. It also had a petrol station practically in the back garden so it was all you could see out of the windows and the whole flat was lit up yellow and red by the glow from its lighting.
I didn't buy it!

Ipso I'm a bit behind but I noticed you said about the gluten free hobnobs. Presumably they still have oats?! It's just that some people with gluten intolerance/coeliac CAN tolerate oats (when guaranteed uncontaminated) but plenty can't. DH tried some gluten free porridge but still got the symptoms because he is also sensitive to oat gluten. I just thought I'd mention it in case you're having oats as a gluten free alternative, but if you are also intolerant to oat gluten that may explain continuing pain etc?

My grandparents have an avocado bathroom suite

Right, meal plan

M: spaghetti carbonara
T: kievs and mash
W: beans on toast as in London for the day
T: home made ham, asparagus and feta pizza on a wrap so not really pizza
F: actual pizza as swimming although I think I'm out so maybe fish fingers for the dc and goujons for Dh then we can save the pizzas for next week
S: shepherds pie
S: pasta bol

Lunches are pitta, humous, crudités, crackers etc

Breakfasts are baked oats with blueberries, English muffins, scotch pancakes, toast

Also got ingredients to make carrot cake. Yum.

Cag thanks for the word about oats. I'm all up to speed on that stuff.

Just had a nice trip out to town and to my volunteer job. The weather is beautiful outside. Spent some money but only on essentials as usual.

Argh sent dd's passport on weds and it's was delivered thurs as have tracked it but online passport tracker is saying they haven't received it.

Ah fair enough ipso I take it you are able to have oats then, that's good :) DSD (also coeliac) can but DH can't, funny really.

Need the collective strength of the Frugaleers today. Going to the GP to collect my edited doctors letter. It better be right this time because I'm not sure I'm up to arguing again!

Going to try my stick out today too as it arrived. Which makes me want to cry TBH

House went under offer on Saturday 😭 Never mind.

I did get myself on the mailing list and have arranged for someone to come round to value our place. So not a totally wasted trip.

I could live with a coloured bathroom suite for a limited amount of time. But at some point it'd have to go.

Nsd so far. Leftover Thai curry for lunch.

cag look at it this way - if anything/one annoys you you can whack them with the stick.

Stay strong with the doctor, Cag and good luck with the stick, I like Em's suggestion!!

Bad luck about the house, Em, it wasn't meant to be.

Any ideas what we could get DD for her birthday? She'll be 3, I'm stumped!

Cag i'm on an entirely coeliac diet and ds is just on reduced wheat. it's only if he eats big chunks of wheat that he gets a reaction. i'm not sure if his tendency to viruses is to do with wheat but we have a new gp who i hope will help us find out. my shift key has given up bothering to do anything.

We bought our first house in 1995 and it had a chocolate brown bathroom suite!! I think it was a couple of years before we could afford to replace it.

Good luck Cag!

I'm still having a nightmare RE references. My manager texted me saying if I give HR her number she will speak to them but HR have said no it needs to be on a proper character reference form but I don't know if she will as work policy is that they won't do it

Quite warm here

My mum and dads house in the 90's had a mink downstairs loo (sort of purple brown) and an avocado suite upstairs, they never changed them!

I have made something properly useful today! A toy cage (dd3 has been warned...) there is no home for the seemingly millions of soft toys, and saw something a bit like it on pintrest. Cost £6.30 for the wooden uprights (the blokes in Travis Perkins recognise me now ), top and bottom is the top of an old chest of draws, and I had the parachute cord doesn't everybody?

Took 30 mins to make! Also spent £9 in the coop on milk and coffee and vianetta for tea. Yesterdays gammon tonight. Will don my raincoat and go and move some bricks in a bit.

18° wreck not fair! Pelting with rain here and 6°

Gosh Wreck that is warm. It's warm here too and I had to give up on wearing a coat outside and turn the heating off inside. I'd love to have it stay like this but we're due degree at the end of the week. I'm making the most of it now.

That's really weird that your job don't give proper references. That most unsportsmanlike of them.

Blocked nose driving me potty. I think it winds me up so much because of my sensory issues. Think it is time for another decongestant.

I'm definitely starting to feel bit better in myself though as I cleaned the bathroom.

Good luck with the docs Cag I know that feeling! And just think the stick is hopefully to improve your quality of life so should be a positive thing?
Sorry about the house Em .

I just did a horrible sniffley snort and one of the DGuineaPigs turned around from his lay down and gave me such a look of disdain!

I e-mailed my MP the other day about my PIP refusal just on the off chance he could do/suggest anything, and I already received an e-mail back from his secretary asking me for my address, which I assume is to check the electoral role to ensure I am actually a real constituent of his. He is a good MP so fingers crossed. I have heard stories about MPs calling up DWP about cases and then decisions have magically changed around, "lost" paperwork has magically been found etc hence why I thought it was worth sending him an e-mail (as awful as that is !).

Oh and I've just realised I broke my NSD streak as I spent like £72 on our return train tickets to London for when we go in April. But it would have been a lot more if I'd just left it and bought it on the day of travel so really a frugal win despite it seeming a large sum of money. £7 of it was an upgrade to first class for the return journey - we are travelling at dinner time so I figured that wasn't unreasonable accounting for having our dinner on the train. I'm not going to tell DH though, it will be a surprise as he's never travelled first class on the train before.

What about a balance bike, Snuggly?

Looks fab, Knitting. I wish I were talented at making things.

Good luck, Cag. If you don't feel up to tackling them over any possible mistakes today, could you leave it and do it with your DH on his next day off?

Feeling a lot better in myself now, although my throat is still dreadful. As there's no sign of infection, I'm monitoring it myself for now. I have been out today, to have a smear test and to buy vitamins, throat spray and Ibuprofen from the pharmacy. Strangely with this illness, I've discovered that if I take 2 tablets instead of the 1 I usually do (as I'm a bit paranoid about taking too many painkillers and try to struggle on, on minimum dosage), I am only getting a small amount of heartburn. Weird.

Anyway, still not up to proper housework, like dusting, vacuuming and cleaning, but I have done 8 loads of laundry since Saturday, including infrequent items such as coats, school and lunch bags, and I made a delicious spinach, broccoli and potato soup for lunch. I'm going to wash up now and then have a nap, as I can feel the fatigue catching up.

It's like that here too knitting and is blowing a gale.

Peaceful day in today as the dc have gone back to school. Don't think either took coats this morning so they'll be drowned rats walking home!

Felt lousy this morning as i finished the 7 days of progesterone on Friday & the bleeding started again yesterday, heavier than ever (sorry if tmi). All my blood results were fine which is good but I just want it to stop! I've got a telephone GP appointment tomorrow morning so will wait and see what they say.

Feeling more energetic this afternoon so I've listed a couple of items on ebay, got some shoes that don't fit ready to return, unloaded the dishwasher and updated our budget spreadsheet. I'm about to mix a bleach and bicarb paste to put on the grouting and sealant in the shower. I've still got to make today and tomorrow's teas and do some vacuuming.

I'm social secretary at our cricket club and my latest venture is to set up a book group. I've had quite a bit of interest which is encouraging and I've just registered it with the library service which runs a free loan scheme for book groups. I'm just waiting for them to send me the list of book titles available but it's a pretty extensive list so shouldn't be stuck for choice.

Forgot to say, good luck with your GP Cag

Spends: £8.13 at the pharmacy.

God for you,Meadow. That's ultimately what our MPs should be there for, to help their constituents.

That's brilliant, Knitting, wish I could make stuff.

Balance bike is the good idea, I was thinking some outdoor toys might go down well.

Oh Cag . Hope the letter is what you need.

£6.49 on a huge tray of strawberries (needs to last at least 3 days for DS!) and £2.75 on a loaf of multi seed bread from the local bakery (worth it!). That's all today.

It's so warm here - I went to the park with DS in my winter coat and nearly expired!

Oops, didn't refresh so missed a load of posts!

Sorry about the house Em, there will be others.

Love the toy jail Knitting.

Sorry to hear so many are under the weather Creme, Meadow and North.