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.

Thanks creme sent in the €3 to school for ds , have decided today will be my first no spend day .... it'll be easy cos I've only €1 left til payday tomorrow 😂! ....bit of a cop out but a start !
Loving all the tips here.... might get that credit card / loans paid off yet if I'm half as didciplined as u lot....lots of inspiration here....feeling empowered today 🤗

furgallerring this morning

Home insurance 80 cheaper than the renewal and a £50 co-op food voucher. found the receipt for my duplicate waterproof trousers for can take them back £10, need to take some tights back to sainsburys £10. Can add some more cash into savings (trying to live on what we would have if we move so can see how that goes). Someone is coming to buy a marble run today £5.

Have a few things for ebay which will not be much but all goes in the pot so will do that tonight. Bag for the chazzer of stuff that hasn't sold. The declutter goes on.

I have had a frugal fail as i shopped as normal last week but DH is away so have a bit of wastage which i am cross about but it means my food bill for next week will reduce.

cag I read your post, very honest. I wanted to leave a reply but it asked me to log in and i didn't have my log in details so couldn't.

Good going, Life.

I didn't post on the Batshit Rules thread, as I agreed with more than not!

Off to Richmond for the day. We love it there.

I Just spent a week working up my courage to go and have a filling at the dentist and when I got there he said I've to come back in two weeks to have it done. Ratso.

Pricy morning today. I had the dentist bill and then a trip to waitrose. Oh well, lots of food in the house at least.

Hi all, welcome to newbies.

Today is an NSD as been feeling exhausted and grim so not going to pole fitness like I usually do on Wednesdays.

Received the Capita assessor's report the other day, was awful, full of inconsistencies, some of which really support my claim for benefit but she just kept contradicting herself. E.g. in one place she wrote that I get suicidal thoughts and then later she wrote that I didn't; in one place she wrote that I can't get the bus or a taxi alone due to anxiety, and then later wrote because I go to uni (which is a 15 min walk from my house), I am able to go out and about anywhere no problem without any help. Then this morning we received a letter from DWP saying they've rejected my mandatory reconsideration, even though we have a recorded telephone call in which they told DH that they weren't allowed to talk to him about it only me and so they had to send me a form for me to say in writing why I wanted a mandatory reconsideration, which they didn't do, so they have broken their own policies on confidentiality and also lied to us. It is looking like we will therefore need to skip straight to lodging an an appeal with the tribunals service . DH is contacting a charity to ask for their advice first as he is going to try and ring DWP first to tell them and ask for the MR to be done again properly but I doubt they will do it, we will probably have to just bring it up at the tribunal. They are awful lying gets .

Cag I will read your blog sometime soon. It is brave of you to post it.

Meadow that's awful. I'm wondering if anyone can help you with what to try next? Citizens' Advice Bureau??

Your blog post is very honest and very well-written, Cag.

It's another wet day here. Hard to think of free entertainment for DD that isn't too far to travel for me and that won't be rammed as it's half term week here.

I think it's time to email your MP Meadow, that's an unacceptable number of errors without the breaking of the data protection act.

Brilliant savings there Life.

That sounds an almighty nuisance Meadow. Can you manage without the payment? It seems as though the system is geared at the moment to say no to as many people as possible. The town where I grew up is riddled with poverty but when I look at the conservative party website it is all fired up about what a good job it's doing of getting people off benefits there. I bet it's not because the people magically now don't need the benefits.

Our cubs group did the green Howard's museum a few weeks ago crème and apparently it's really worth a look. DD wants us all to go there.

£3.50 skate park and £4 snacks. So much for a nsd

Meadow, I know it's a chew but you should keep on with the process. Defo get proper advice if you can. Write down dates and times of calls and the agent you spoke to. Ah for the last call to be listened to if they record them (most do these days). Keep a chronology of everything. Put everything in writing to them too. Emails with read receipt if you can or recorded delivery if you can afford it

It certainly is, Life. We've just been. It's only £4.50 adult entry, which is free for return visits for a year, and free for under-16s, so you can't beat thar for good value.

meadow thats grim. You can ask for a transcript of your dh's call, if it completely contradicts the (awful) letter then they won't have a leg to stand on surley? How is this in any way meant to help your anxiety??

Just read a funny/tragic/trolly thread about an op who can only shop in waitrose and boden, and her dh has lost his job, and she feels sick at the prospect of cheap food, was - she got a bit of a mauling.

Am meant to be painting/knitting but cba. Sitting doing nothing, waiting to go home at 3. Pouring with yet more rain (sounds like hail on the courregated roof), will have to re-spin and tumble the sad washing I left on the line.

£18 in lidl on mostly bakery for lunch, and £19 in wcf on chicken fud and horse bedding (as the chicken enclosure is muddy again after all this rain). Poor souls, they've just started laying me eggs again too.

We have fantastic rain here too. It's huge drops falling very slowly. It's quite mesmerizing to watch.

Oh the rain is heading our way tonight id. Hope my fence stays up.
Dropped dh waterproofs off at lunch as his residential is only 20 mins drive away. DC loved seeing him, surprises all round

life clarks boots that you know you will wear are a frugal buy as should last well

Sorry to hear about all your trouble with the benefits people meadow. It sounds like you will have a good case though but frustrating to have to keep on at it

Lunch was genuinely disappointing . But my course was really useful and on an early train home so will see DC before bedtime

Bottle of water and minstrels for the journey home £1.50

Anybody got the link to the batshit thread? Can't find it

Agree re the clarks boots, I got a pair from their Unstructured range a few years ago as I needed something comfy for work. Spent £80something which is the most I've ever spent on footwear by a long way but SO glad I did, they've lasted really well and are super supportive.

Aaaargh meadow what utter lying bastards. So angry for you 😡 I agree MP time soon.

Thanks so much for the kind thoughts re my blog post. :)

Where's need by the way?

I'm just sitting at the bus stop by mum's flat, the Caglets have taken our stuff up to leave there (kids are useful 😂) and then once DD's changed into her dress they'll all come down so we can head to town, dad said he is taking us for dinner before the ballet. Yay! ❤️

I already e-mailed my MP, and his caseworker e-mailed me back saying that MPs can't help with benefit appeals, and clearly didn't even read my initial e-mail properly as I specifically stated that I don't feel comfortable going to my local Citizens Advice as I know a fair few people who work or volunteer there, and they just advised me to go to Citizens Advice . Very upset about that as well! DH contacted a charity called Fightback that seem very good with this sort of thing so waiting to hear back from them to figure out what to do next.

Ipso Not sure about whether we can manage without the money or not. At the moment we are managing, but we do owe my parents a grand which I have no idea when we will be able to repay. And the scary thing is that I'm due to graduate this summer and I doubt I will be well enough to work full-time after graduation, and if I'm only able to work part-time, and I might have a period of unemployment between uni ending and me finding a job, and we are planning to relocate so DH also may have a brief period of unemployment etc and then all moving costs again...like our finances are very uncertain so the benefit would be super useful. DH is back in his overdraft again this month after paying this month's rent. Our finances are best described as fragile I think.

Gosh that's tricky then. Sorry to hear it.

I wonder if MPs have been told to back off while the changes are going through?.

Need will be around.

Sorry to hear that, Meadow and sorry for my unhelpful suggestion earlier too!

Welcome Newbies, this thread is always great. Very supportive.
Cag, just read some of your blog and it's a really interesting read. All's is also ....must go and re read that. Does it help if more people read them? Do you get more adverts or some thing . I'm sure we could all help if that is the case.
Meadow. I am absolutely appalled and struggle to know what to say. I think firstly I would complain about your MP. They are supposed to represent you. I would complain to the local Party Chair. Then try and find the energy to be very angry with the DWP. If necessary contact a consumer programme or a newspaper. Even if the DWP are refusing your application they shouldn't lie or write contradictions get statements. It leaves you with no confidence in the bloody system which is supposed to help not hinder people.
Lovely day here. Been playing with my raised beds. Getting them ready.
Knitting my bike is also inside the house because apart from the house and car it is the most expensive thing I own.
Frugal fail. Bought chocolate on the motorway because I was starving. Twice!

The bathroom people have sent the wrong stuff. Wrong wash hand basin, wrong cupboard and wrong radiator. I despair as I thought they would be finished this week but the correct bits will take at least a week to arrive as they need to be ordered. 😡😡