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.

Just remember I've booked my car in for valeting on Sat as a birthday treat to myself, will borrow this from car tax savings as my mother will give me cash for my birthday anyhow and I can replace it with that

Overcooked my cakes. I'm so annoyed with myself what a waste.

Are they past saving Wreck? (even warm with ice cream /dollop of sauce)?

wreck how annoying. Is there anything to do? Bit of trimming and some buttercream or ganache? At least my total loss cakes can go in the chickens.

10 eggs today, thats 2 days worth (dp feeds but doesn't collect). Have split the bale of bedding into the mud, and given them all new bedding in the coops. Hopefully this will cheer them up. No wind at all, and huge raindrops you can almost dodge, like you had yesterspday ipso

Oh I'll still eat it but I wanted to take one into work and now I can't. I'll smother them in cream cheese frosting but they're like biscuits

It sounds as though our house is about to blow away in the wind, and we're not due to peak until 3pm, when I'm meant to drive ds to the hearing test. Yikes! Might have to put him on reins in case he blows away.

ipsos thanks for the link I'll take a proper look later. X

christmas eugh it's a pain. Then I was thirsty...go figure.

Felt sicky this morning. Went to seminar and scoffed an enormous bacon roll. Cured the sicky. Once again the healing powers of bacon have come though. All hail bacon. 🥓🥓🐖🐖🥐🥐

Been given some stuff from primark today. Sister went to the uk and brought me some tops and pjs. And she's also decluttered so I've also got some new in box make up she was gifted but didn't want. Score!

I bought her some stuff from the shop but we figured the primarni stuff cancelled out the food. So we're calling it an nsd.

Em I didn't know you have a sister (not that it's any of my business!)

Hello all,

I've lurked a few times on the frugal threads but would like to join properly, if you'll have me!
We rent and had a voicemail from the agent wanting to discuss our tenancy when we got back from half term...so I spent the weekend panicking that we can't afford to move with all the fees and that the very few available properties in our area are way out of reach - helped focus my mind that we really need to build up some savings as well as actually start trying to build up a house deposit. (Luckily the agent was just checking we want to stay!)

DH gets his bonus tomorrow and it's going straight into a savings account to get us started.

stitchosaurus of course we'll have you, we welcome everyone here!
We've all got a common goal, reduce debt/unnecessary expenditure/increase savings or all three!

Welcome Stitch!

NSD. My dad came round and bought a lovely rustic French stick, nice pregnancy-friendly cheese and some big meringues with strawberries and cream. I am stuffed and have spag bol in the sc for tea! At least that will freeze if I can't manage much.

Wind has been bad here all day. Next door's bin blew over and their rubbish is flying everywhere!

We had flying bin lids this morning, on the upside I have an extra bin lid now. Some lowlife nicked one of mine ages ago. Tut tut.

£40 food shop
£10 petrol

Freebies today, Choco Leibniz biscuits on shopmium & aunt Bessie knickerbocker glory on checkout smart 😋 £7.34 coming back into my account because I claimed last weeks mikado biscuits.

Welcome Stitch.

Welcome stitch

£55 on child care. Would have been no other spends but DD invited last minute to a half term panto so will give her a tenner spends. Mum concerned doesn't want ticket money. Will get DS a treat for about the same.

Rain and cold winds here.

Welcome Stitch.

Well that was awkward, my card stopped working in Ikea! My friend paid bless her and I sent her the amount by paypal straight away. Had to do the same for our train ticket home. So strange as I'd used my card less than an hour earlier in the cafe and that was fine, and on the trams/buses in the morning, but it had to give up the ghost sometime I guess. It's been split for a while and I already have the replacement waiting in the wings so I'll have to get that activated.

Spent £30.60 in Ikea by the way so considering the gym mat I was planning to get was £25 of that, I didn't do too badly really! Got some straws for crafting with, a couple of scented candles and a whiteboard marker/rubber set thing which will be helpful as I always need them for HE and tutoring. £12 in the cafe for lunch, refused to get drinks as we already had water which was a small frugal success. Meatballs were yummy.

Absolutely shattered now though!

Welcome stitch. Lots of advice, support & encouragement here.
Busy week here but pretty frugal so far. Will catch up properly later, need to go & decide what we're going to have for tea.

Hi stitch, welcome. I know how you feel about moving, DH and I have have lived in so many different places over the last few years and whilst part of me does enjoy moving about it is very expensive!

Still been feeling grim got all disorganised so missed my first class this morning but then I managed to go in a bit later for my other classes. Exhausted but DH and I are going to town in an hour or so, we are going to have a cheeky Burger King tea and then go to this film screening about prison abolition with discussions after with ex-prisoners and stuff which I've been looking forward to for weeks as I'm such a criminal justice nerd. So just had a coffee to try and perk me up!

Ooh and my new printer arrived from Disabled Students' Allowances ! It is fancy compared to my old 4yr old one. I'm so happy to finally have a working printer as it's been really hard having to organise myself to do my printing in the library and also more expensive.

We've had a bit of fantastic news here. I did some frugaleer affirmative action and took ds for a private hearing test and it turns out that his glue ear is completely and utterly gone.

I went there expecting to come home with the choice of hearing aids, or dairy-free diet (again) or surgery (again) and in fact his hearing is perfect. Soooo relieved. Phew!

Quite tired from relief oddly. I hadn't realised how stressed I was about all the pressure we've been under to have surgery for him. Best £50 I've spent in a long time.

Brilliant ipso

Welcome stitch

Yummy dinner here. Dd, fussiest child in the world, ate all of her sprouts cauliflower and broccoli. Excuse the mint sauce I love it

Bit spendy, £33 in asda, got 5 bunches (?) of broccoli for 10p each, already chopped blanched and in the freezer! And 4 packets of tuc crackers as they were on 50p too. Avoided all the kids isles, which is unheard of as had the 3 littlest with me!

Then £6 in greggs on sausage rolls and cake for the dc (they consider this a treat!)

Amazon are not doing the cat food I'd subscribed to anymore; which is wierd, so have joined zooplus, ordered the same for less, and signed up to get 5% off all year: £3.99, and got £1.80 discount on the order, seemed like a good deal. Plus a joining 5% off next order, so will get the sacks of dog food delivered next. So £31, but all but £7 was out of paypal, which is my knitting money, ie free.

cag it is impossible to spend so little in ikea. Did you not need an odd shaped bath mat, 3000 tea lights, some twigs, wrapping paper, an unusual some soft toy, fabric you'll never use and some chopping boards? Good job I hardly ever go... not to mention mini diam bars

We missed all the weather, hope you have all kept safe.

FAB news ipso such a relief. Dd2's glue ear went at 8, luckily no surgery for us. Unfortunately now though, you know they are in fact ignoring you, rather than not hearing you

That's great news, Ipso!

I'm in awe of anyone who can spend under £200 on an Ikea trip, Cag! I generally only go if we need furniture though as it's a long way from us although a new click and collect one with just the market place and cafe has opened in Birmingham city centre. I haven't been yet, I don't trust myself!

Great news ipso

Knitting How did you know!? He is totally ignoring everything I say and I've been carefully repeating and repeating and asking and asking and it turns out that he could hear me all along. D'oh!

Can't believe you didn't succumb to a kitchen utensil Cag! I bought that folding gym mat a few weeks ago. It's a great design but I have had to put it out of sight because DS kept leaning it up against the side of the sofa and trying to slide down it. Standing up 🙄

ipso great result on the hearing test. And thanks for the suggestion of the belt thing. I had physio for SPD in my last pregnancy and they didn't recommend those (not sure why?) but loads of people do. I might give it a go. It's not going to get any better, especially as I can't avoid physical work like lifting DS.

Just £3 parking at SN playgroup today, though I am about to order a maternity raincoat thing - my heavy wool coat is going to kill me in the spring weather!

2 big banana loaves made - took one to the SN group and the other will get scoffed by myself, DS and DH if they are quick enough

Welcome Stitch

They start young these days ipso. It sounds a great trick to play on mum.

You all need to take my Dh with you to ikea. There is no browsing & no last minute purchases.

I should hire him out. "Do you want to go to ikea & only make pre planned purchases & be back in the car in 20 minutes?". I've yet to make it to the cafe.