Remember remember it's frugal November

[LonelyOversharer]

Woo hoo! I've never done the new thread before!

Laska I'm sorry you're getting caught up in a family drama that's not of your making.

Cag sorry also that you're not feeling so good. Hormones can mess you up and I know you also have medical conditions.

Love sounds like you're going through a rough time of it too.

and to all.

Meadow good news on the sickness front. Hopefully it's the start of an easier time for you.

I've been doing a little financial planning (in my head). Once Christmas is out of the way, I'm planning to set money aside each month for things like DD's college fund, holidays, car maintenance, Christmas etc. How do I do it in practical terms? Do I have to set up four different savings accounts (incurring bank charges in each case) or can I set up multiple accounts within one overall account? I'm going to set up a Credit Union account for the college fund but I'm not sure what to do about the others. I could probably just ring my bank and ask, but I'm aware that they will be very keen to sell me all kinds of financial products and I don't want to sign up for something when it's not in my best interest.

mammy I usually just say "a friend of a friend"

tayto I use ynab to manage funds like this and put money that's not needed for a few months into a rabodirect savings account - I can withdraw from it on the day if I request it before 12pm or the following day if it's after 12pm. It helps keep me from impulse buying.

However I saw that an post's new smart account offers this service of various envelopes for different savings goals Smart Account Wallets

Another way is keeping track of it in a spreadsheet - and then checking your savings total maybe once a month to see if it tallies with what you think you should have there.

An post also do something where you save child benefit but I think that's possibly the full amount

Just thinking aren't you with ptsb? You can open an online savings account with them - a couple of them for no extra charge and just transfer as you require. I've a couple of these for short term savings

Thanks mammy. Yes, I'm with ptsb. All of those options sound good. I don't mind not having immediate access to the savings. I just don't want to commit to something whereby you have to put €500 away every month and then you can only access it after 10 years when there's a blue moon or whatever.

I do realize that I should have been doing this kind of financial planning from the day I started working. And not waited until I was 45 .

I've two extra with ptsb anyhow, but I love my rabodirect acc cos it's just that bit more difficult to get at. They also do a 30 day one. They're online only

£69 new car battery.

Much cheaper than a new car em

Absolutely mammy

We’re having a very lazy day here. Ds is napping. I’m trying to nap. Catface keeps jumping on me. Which is lovely. But annoying.

£6 today on salad stuff and some fish for the DC's dinner. Also £2.99 on a diary my mum wanted for Christmas.

Having a quick skim-read catch up of the thread. Looks like a few babies have arrived since I was last here! Congrats to you all and for Cag, I hope your GP is helpful.

Spent £10 on some Xmas presents and Harry Potter cards for secret Santa. Struggling for stocking fillers for dd. I would leave it but it's the first family Xmas with her here and new house and I've already done one for dp

How old missing?

Eugh I keep coughing. I’ve got an hour left of work and nothing to do. The person who I replaced was, umm, older and less tech savvy/more chatty so didn’t get things done as quickly as I can. I spend a lot of time being bored.

£5 wilko. Huge pack loo roll, 2 smart price bin liners & roasting bags.

@Wreck she will be six months at Xmas. I bought her three proper presents in the Argos 3 for 2 but just trying to think of some little things. Hope the next 45 minutes go quickly enough!

There's nothing worse wreck sure there isn't!

How about a toothbrush, some stacking cups and some bath toys? Oh have you seen the organix selection boxes?

Those are some good ideas @wreck, I guess I hadn't thought of them because she doesn't have teeth or eat yet. She does have some bath toys from gifts from friends but she doesn't have stacking cups

mo christmas socks and bibs? Always socks in stockings here whatever age!

Mums pressie came in, so had to dash to Debenhams, but I'm so pleased. It's right up her street, hope she likes it!

Dinner is sausages, mash, stuffing, veg and Yorkshire’s. Yum! All I’ve eaten today is some soup, carrot sticks and humous and cherry tomatoes so I’m starving!

I have never tried stuffing and Yorkshire’s with sausages. I must try it, it sounds good!

Sounds good wreck we're having sausage stew with some fab smoked paprika sausages that Mr Tesco brought last night!

I often do it love, usually with roast potatoes too....basically a sausage roast dinner.

I'd no tinned tomatoes when I got home so I've improvised my sausage Stew with chopped cherry tomatoes & tins of beans

Dc impressed annoyed me last night, they turned their noses up at a ready meal of cottage pie