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.

Oh Mammy that book looks so good I want to eat the book. I have ordered the proper paperback copy. ds loves cooking so we will give it a go.

We already make cakes with almond flour and an amazing chocolate roulade that has nuts instead of flour, which dh calls a daqurois or something like that, but more recipes would be great.

Oh wreck that's hilarious!! At least it wasn't about leaving and inadvertently texting him your notice!!

creme I've still one more load to fold, just couldn't be bothered last night.

Also Zoflora from Amazon. Best Thing Ever. Just used the last mopping downstairs.

Stuffed peppers with bolognese and halloumi, plus salad.

mammy yes it was totes le yum! I demolished it in about 2 minutes.

need I'd been told that - to be concerned if I didn't feel sick at all. So far back to "normal" today. Sickness feeling on and off. Not all the goddamm day. Makes it much easier to concentrate on clients phone calls without worrying I'm going to spew.

wreck oh god!! I've done that before. was it good gossip??

Well I had been called into his office (so I thought I was in trouble) but he just wanted to say that he's heard I'm thinking about leaving and that he hopes I've considered my position and that I take time to think about it, thar they'll be sorry to see me to go and hope they've done everything possible to retain me....so I was telling my colleague that

I had a healthy dinner. I really need to lose some weight

em With ds I just felt both hungry and too full all the time, so I spent the whole 9 months eating very slowly, which is a pretty good way to spend time. He seemed to work out okay, but every single person told me that I must be expecting a boy. They were right, and I did find some research in the medical literature that backed up their assertion. Maybe you will be having a girl, if they are right. Or maybe it's all a load of bunk, which was what I always assumed.

I just did an online shop with ocado and at the end it asked if I wanted to swap some of my things for lower calorie alternatives. Dh says "cheeky blighters", but I was just bit perplexed at the inherent assumption that I must be overweight. That's odd isn't it?

It's the nanny mentality ipso

At least you weren't calling him a cunt wreck. He won't be too surprised to get a reference request by the sound of it.

There's a reasonable offer on Jacobs creek Merlot on shopmium, a bottle for £3.50. It's a midweek kind of wine. It's £5+ in sains, morrisons, asda & waitrose.

Creme I can't wait to have a tumble dryer, my life will be 50% better without airers, it hurts my back to reach across them. Plus it'll get all the flipping fluff off stuff.

ipso we're convinced its a girl.

Despite agreeing no valentines presents dh has bought me a new notebook. And a pen. To record details of being pregnant/thoughts etc. So when baby arrives we have something to remember this time by. soppy bugger

I caved and have bought him....a takeaway pizza and some garlic bread. £12.99. Haha! He's gone to collect it.

need we have some ex-bats (sorry barn hens, don't know if there is a difference, they had no feathers when we got them), they are bullies! I had to seperate my chucks into delicates and robust ones after they had enough feathers to join the group. Lay tonnes of huge eggs mind. Have had 18 rescues over the years. We have a devoted localish lady who rescues.

Lazy day as I have pulled a muscle on the back of my thigh digging - ouch! Aldi was £60 all food, tesco £36 branded things, vitamins (3 for 2) and dry cat food (go-cat tender and crisp on offer).

Home to find my marshalls order here, potatoes set to chit. Also the living willow I sort of ordered the other night when I was daydreaming about a beautiful garden would post a pic of my post apocalyptic garden but too ashamed its for a hedge and an archway, have always wanted to grow some.

NSD today.

wreck I am envious of your dinner. Looks very healthy.

mammy I like the look of that book, although non of us need it here.

That made me laugh about everything getting "done", mammy!

Oops, Wreck! It could have been a log worse though.

Ipso I have the simultaneous feeling hungry and full thing in pregnancy. I have to eat something small about every 2 hours. Today I was just getting out some delicious malt loaf and offered some to DD who said "No, let's share an apple". She's a good influence on me!!

I've just read a thread about being home in the school hols with a preschooler and a baby and it's dawned on me that I will be home for 6 weeks with a preschooler and two babies. Think I'm going to start a holiday activities fund and possibly a second fund for all the alcohol I will be consuming once they are in bed!!

Will catch up on a bit but have a money dilemma.

Perfect house is going to be sold this year. We could most likely do a private sale as we know the couple. Forever house, well looked after but a bit dated.

However it would be £100k -£120k increase in mortgage. Double our term to 15 years and double our payments so no savings. Extension of the term might be doable but not by much as we are in our 40s?

Or stay here for a bit longer and be mortgage free in 7 years in a house that might be too small for us by the time DC are teenagers.

We were planning on moving in 4 years but not such a big jump

Wwyd frugaleers??

life difficult situation.

My aim is to be mortgage free by the time I'm 45. If we work hard we can do it.

If we sell this year and buy a house house the forever home we're looking at potentially doubling our existing mortgage. Jump from flat worth £300k to house of about £550k. (No boasting that's how it is here).

Personally I'd do it. Over pay as much as you can afford. And go for it. Especially if it's the dream home.

I have sinned, £20 in Holland and Barratt.

Oops wreck. At least he wasn't being a dick with you.

I know zip all about mortgages but dream home... I'd say go for it. Especially as you know the folk selling

I can't say, Life, as I have no experience of mortgages or owning a home. Maybe try the Properties forum on here to see what they think?

I tried the jackets in the microwave tip for the first time and it worked really well. 10 minutes in the microwave plus 15 minutes in a hot oven is SO much easier than 1 hour 45 minutes- 2 hours in the oven. This is life-changing!

Life I would do it. We stuck over £100k on the mortgage to move here and used most of our savings to design it exactly how we would want it in a perfect scenario. So a risk indeed. But worth it. I'm sat in my dream home, there's nothing I don't love about this home. FWIW DH was 48/49. He will be potentially nearly 70 when we pay off the mortgage (but won't be, as we are chucking money at it). We had to show adequate pension provision to potentially pay the mortgage in retirement. And didn't switch providers to minimise the chances of being rejected. Now, we have a mortgage of circe 150k and a house worth circa 600k. The chances of the previous house uplifting in value by that much would have been slim.

Not everyone will have the same view though, just my opinion.

life I think I would do it too. We have added to our original mortgage to extend it. I can't explain it very well, but it now feels the right size for us and into the future. If it's manageable then go for it, bearing in mind the potential for interest rate rises

life I'm another vote for go for it. If its the house you really want, and can afford it, why not?

I own my house outright, but don't have enough income to extend or move, probably ever. We outgrew this house about two years ago - house prices are low here, but we have an open cast mine in the village (yes, aren't we lucky!) so my house is worth roughly half what I bought it for

Here's my nod to valentines...

I would for it to get my dream home Life

Good grief those biscuits look good, my baking looks awful.

Fab, Knitting.

Those look amazing, Knitting!