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.

Sorry you feel rotten Cag, but your friend was good to take Caglets out to party for you. That's a real friend.
Have a good evening Wreck.
I am 5'2" and about size 12ish. Put on about a stone over the last year. Doing a lot of work for a charity and not going to the gym. Really no excuse for not going.
NSD
Want to get a greenhouse. Has anyone got a good greenhouse. Any recommendations?

trying I got one from the Greenhouse People a couple of years ago (8x10'), they have really great clearance sales, I went for a silver one (wanted green) and the money saved went on the toughened safety glass. They sent me a sheet of glass free, as I smashed one putting it up, which was really good of them - I'm still finding little cubes in the garden.

Great if you like flat pack (like me). I didn't get a special base for it, we concreted it down! I'd avoid an ebay 'buyer dismantles and collects' as they're hellish hard to rebuild once they're old and a bit warped!

We are within the 10km 'watch zone' for the latest outbreak of bird flu. Keeping my fingers crossed my chucks will be ok. They are in an enclosed pen (always have been). Lots of people round here still have them running loose in fields (the farm that was hit hadn't shut them in at all).

Lol thanks fluffy. We love a bit of nutella in this house. I've had to ration the DC to weekends only for the sake of their teeth! Same for puddings etc.

Oh no bird flu :( I hope it can be avoided.

I can't believe it either, 2 whole years! 😮

DD has made a tricky decision today. We got a letter about Brownies saying they are moving building AGAIN. New location and new time just make it pretty much impossible (well nothing is impossible just bloody hard work and stressful). However she has been wanting to start ballet for a long time and I found one recommended by a friend, in an incredibly easy location (15 mins one bus!) and on a day we have free. So if she stops Brownies (after camp which is when they're moving anyway) she can do that. I will have to start learning how to do a proper bun in her hair though! They do exams etc too. They've said that even if she does the trial session soon they will hold her place until she's able to start.

Well I couldn't go out for drinks as planned as my acid reflux flared up and the pain was too bad to do anything other than lay down. My stress levels are so awful at the moment just had another big cry and feeling suicidal . Luckily DH is here and took care of me and then got me berries and ice cream. On the plus side today has been NSD for me now (small comforts eh).

Caglio I love the idea of home ed but I definitely would never be so committed as you to it, don't think I am the right kind of person to be able to do it.

Cag, that's amazing 2 years. I bet they have learnt a lot over those two years and not just academically. Bet they have learnt resilient and managing learning, a lot of which you don't learn in school.
Thanks for the advice I'drather. I didn't know they sold them on eBay but I will have a look round and get a new one.
Have you got soil beds inside or do you use tubs or grow bags? I need to decide. Not doing it until bathrooms are finished.
Should have been this week but they sent the wrong stuff so probably the week after next.
Planting tomato and cucumber seeds next week. Potatoes are ready to go. Will put shallots and onions in as well.
What have you got in I'd.
Jealous of your chooks. I do have bees though. Swop you honey for eggs😀

That sounds horrible Meadow. I have acid reflux at the moment (pregnancy) - am on the gaviscon every night and it is really unpleasant. But for me it should stop after DD is born, I would not be happy with this torture indefinitely.

2 years Cag, you must have seen some changes in the kids in that time! Read the blog post today, vg btw.

Someone asked about a dehumidifier? We have one, we spent a reasonable amount on it and run it a lot. We got it because we seemed to have a condensation problem in the loft a couple of winters ago, with water staining coming through the upstairs ceiling, and I wanted to try to put less water into the atmosphere. We tumble dry most things but I do hang up nice tops etc that I don't trust to the dryer, Usually on a rack in the spare room so that's where we put the dehumidifier. It's really good - that and air bricks in the loft seem to have stopped the condensation problem. My advice is to get one with a sensible sized reservoir or you'll be forever emptying it. In my view it's definitely worth it if you have a mould problem as that is really bad for the respiratory system. Although really, the landlord ought to sort the damp and ventilation out!

Took DS to Tesco today. This is a major big deal for him as he hates the noise and crowds and doesn't understand queuing. We didn't have a massive list so I didn't push my luck and he was an angel. I told him so too. I was very proud.

No comment on my weight. I am in denial

Come back Need we miss you!

Awesome seacow well done to your DS! And thanks re: my post :)

Meadow you're not on Sertraline are you, for the depression/anxiety? I got terrible reflux with that sometimes.

Morning! I can't sleep which is rather annoying. No idea how much I spent last night. I think I have the taxi drive £20 and I paid for part of our tab on my card was fun. I danced and drank about ten cocktails. My hangover cure has worked yet again although it's possible I'm still drunk. Need to get Ds' hair cut today otherwise not much planned.

Ah meadow sorry to hear that. No matter what you illness makes you think the world would not be better with out you.

Pleased you had a good time wreck.

Shopping today, aldi and sainsburys. Will meal plan soon.

Have you tried beetroot I'd. That's super easy to grow.

Riding today £25. And dinner out with the family later.

Apart from that no spends.

Saw something on fb earlier from the Salvation Army. During lent to get rid of 40 items in your house. Interesting. I think you're meant to donate to them though not sell. But it's a nice idea.

Morning all,ystd turned out to be crazy busy work was manic and I didn't finish until 6, DD then had her clarinet lesson and I got ready to go out as it was a works colleague leaving for mat leave do! It's the colleague I got all the baby stuff for and she was really pleased so that was all good.

Turned out to be a spendy day tho, £12 on a subway for me ,my student and a colleague decided to treat them as they deserved it. £25 on the night out ,had a good time and enjoyed the meal (had £20 stashed away for this night out for ages!) Also £20 to the window cleaner as owed him for 2 lots.

Today DD has riding which is paid for and we are meeting some friends at their holiday cottage this afternoon which should be lovely😃 hopefully not too spendy.

Meadow sorry to hear you felt like that,i hope today is a better day for you 💟💟💟🌸💮🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷💐🌾💖💖💖

Torrential rain. Boiler has blown out, carbon monoxide alarm woke us. The joys. Will leave it off today, we're out soon anyway, and the house can air out a bit. Rescued and span the clothes from the line before it keeled over (this is the free bribantia one from the last time it happened, laundry is not my forte).

Will have to top up shop today, hopefully not too much. Must also meal plan as it keeps me on track.

trying we poured a concrete plinth for the greenhouses, as the soil is waterlogged heavy clay with ground elder and nettles. So I grow in tubs and pots on staging (rickety homemade).

Beets grow well here (in the raised beds), but wierdly radish alwats shoot straight to seed for me. Am going all out this year, turning the whole back garden over to growing. If this fecking rain ever stops.

Off to the cinema today to see Sing I had a 2 41 voucher. Also discovered £25 sitting in our PayPal acct and if you read The Times they are doing Lego land for £10 for 2 people so have got that offer too.

If you live in the midland or up north....can anyone tell me when your Easter hols are?

Caglio No, my antidepressant is venlafaxine, but the acid reflux isn't related as I've had it since before I went on antidepressants . I take omeprazole for it, it used to be way worse and I had to take two tablets a day for years but it's a lot better now and I tend to only take a tablet every other day plus more when it flares up. I get so sick of the amount of medication I take so I really try not to take more than I need to. I think the acid reflux is related to my anxiety as when I'm more stressed I get more flare-ups, but also genetic predisposition as my brother and dad both have problems with it.

Seacow Thanks for the dehumidifer info, I think we might go for it in that case. We tumble dry most of our stuff but I do have some things I can't tumble dry that need to air dry as well as DH's work uniform. We have told lettings agent but they aren't even doing anything about the awful rising damp in a portion of our bedroom that was here before we moved in and are claiming we caused it via condensation when it's clearly years worth of mould so scientifically impossible for us to have caused it in a few months . The council have wrote to them but still not heard anything from the lettings agent, council said if we've heard nothing after two weeks to ring them back to proceed. Also, made me smile to hear about DS in Tesco. I hate going to busy supermarkets as well and can't go alone and have even had panic attacks before even with DH, blergh, so I know how difficult it probably was for him, well done Seacow's DS .

Thanks for all the well wishes guys.

Wreck Glad you had a good night out, yum cocktails . I'm jealous!

All DH and I went to see Sing for Valentines' day . It was great, we both enjoyed it.

all Cumbria is off from the 7th April until the 24th. Wow that's a short half term we have coming up.

North East 8 April for 2 weeks for Easter

£90 in sainsburys, £27 Iceland, £28 aldi, £6.78 butchers, £9 football as owed for a session.

£42 in Tesco for the weekly shop

(South east here, Easter holiday is 1-18th April)

Our Easter hols is from the 7th too. We're south east.

Think I spent £40 last night including the taxi (which btw was £60 for 7 miles).

Meadow hope you're ok.

I discovered espresso martinis last night and had cosmos, mojitos, something else with amaretto in and gin and tonic oh and prosecco

Just getting Ds' hair cut. So glad Dh isn't working today.

Ooo knitting my step brother teaches in Cumbria. We have the same hols as you this year.

It should have been an NSD but I fell madly in love with a top in the window of my local boutique and put a deposit down on it. So I've to go in and pay the balance. It's a really horrible day (again!) so I'm waiting for the rain to ease off before I venture out.

Memo to self: stop looking in shop windows!

Omg wreck espresso martinis. Yummmm

I am a fan of french martinis (I think these have cassis/chambourd them). And peartinis (taste like pear drops). A bar here does lovely lemon and basil martinis. So. Good.

Riding done. Lovely to be outside its sunny cold and crisp. Came home and dh has made bacon and scrambled egg sandwiches. Did I ever mention he's a legend??

Picked up the nutella freebie as we were out getting DS some new school trousers (£18) and vests (£4). He grows so fast its unbelievable! Spent total of £5.80 in tescos but will get £4.50 of that back through cashback apps, so not too bad.

I see there will be a free choc bar or coke on o2 priority on monday if thats helps anyone. I also have an offer on my boots app for 50 points when you buy a healthcare product... their paracetamol is 49p so I will be getting that too at some point lol. Lots of freebies about at the min :)

About to make a quiche and 1 (maybe 2) minced steak pies from stuff we had in. Will post a meal plan when i get round to it

Enjoy your saturday everyone, its miserable here so we may just light the fire and sit in for the rest of the day!

meadow x

The film Sing was very good. Am pleased with myself as I've opened up a Stocks and Share SIPP as I'm not working at the moment so wanted a pension still. Only £100 each month, but every little helps.