Festive Frugaleers gather round the (best value and carefully researched) Christmas Tree for support, advice and chat. All welcome.

[needastrongone]

New thread.

Cag
I knew which side was next by the size

DS seems fine now. Noisy and snuffly snorey but fine in himself. He’s had all his bottles today (maybe left 30ml in each but that seems to be normal for him) has napped (hooray!) And was full of smiles.

His smile is great for compliments. Today I felt I looked a bit minging. So I looked at him and said “smile if you’ve got a pretty Mummy” smiled. I win. Ha! It also works for “nice Mummy/lovely Mummy/funny Mummy/silly Mummy” this is one from a few weeks ago. “Smile if you look like ET!”

I wouldn’t be surprised if he does have tonsil issues. Both dh and I did. So will absolutely keep an eye on things.

Went to a meeting with dh this evening re our building. Things to do tomorrow - call insurance people and also dig out mortgage documents. Apparently some mortgages require you to tell them if any changes have been made to the property. Or it’s rules etc. If ours is one then we’d be in default if we didn’t tell them about the no kids no pets thing. If it goes through. Which it won’t. Because the majority of people at said meeting were against it. Much to the shock of our manager.

El spendo day .. not having started christmas meant that I went utterly mad to day.. but I now have (nice I think) presents for everyone.
£77.83 in Waterstones on 'real' books.. several fantasy ones for DS and a couple of poetry ones for DH (he likes a poetry book at this time of year ) , plus wrapping paper and tags. (I could have got those cheaper elsewhere i know but I do like to buy from our Waterstones its pretty much the only non-secondhand book shop we have here on the island so dont want to lose it )..

£54.98 in Currys on some headphones for DH and a CD DVD re-writer for me
£15 .80 in hardware place on stuff we needed plus a nice big ball of string ( ill wrap this up as a joke for DH )and some thermal gardening gloves for him also

then £178 in Sainsburys food and stuff but also inc christmas food. And also £90 of that was practical presents for DS . jeans , socks, boxers and a Pac-man ChristmasTshirt that I couldn't resist and that he will probably hate . oh, and some Star Wars lego

Hes so cute em

Aww, melt! He is so precious.

fluffy what is the hamper like? . I once came home to find a huge one delivered from M&S , not won but a gift from DH boss (he was feeling extra generous that year but never did it again though sadly) .. It was lovely but I did end up giving some of it away as we already had things like cake and pudding

oh and £74 on DHs walkman..

.. I also already had a few things id forgotten about (so the christmas planning wasn't as bad as i thought) for both DH and DS .. like posh tea, and a couple of Boden t shirts for DH and some from Red Molotov for DS .

We have already given the DGCs their presents and DD always gets money, books and PJs .. (Its what she likes ). Plus of course, socks for all .. (its not Christmas chez Laska without socks!) ..

We dont buy for anyone else in the family by mutual consent . (except the cat .. He will get some Dreamies and a catnip mouse again no doubt)

Beautiful picture em. He is super cute, with such a lovely smile.

Spent a fortune on all my special cards today. What's the betting I've forgotten someone...

That is a super cute picture Em.

Hopefully today will be an NSD.

Laska It's really good actually. Lots of luxury crisps,Choc, biscuits, cakes, nibbly pastry things, fudges, chutneys, Xmas pudding. Bottle of prosecco we had a few weeks ago & really liked. Basket for the cat to play with. 👍

Em What a super smile. He's very cute.

Just signed up to iTunes family for dh's Christmas present & got 3 months for free need to get something for him to open from me & dc.
Going to drop him to work at 5am & be on the road early sat morn

There's free milk on checkout smart, it's 4 pints of that vitamin infused stuff. I'll get two, Dh gets through loads of milk when he's off.

Result then fluff and well done fluffDh.
After totting up yesterday Im hoping for a low spend day but thats probably not going to happen .. going to see star wars with Ds and people from work this evening and i expect we will be going on for pizza after .. then have to buy stuff for work bring and eat lunch tomorrow ..

I'm not keep up really but glad DS is okay em. You definitely get a feel after a while of what is normal for your child and not. DS was always croup-like and chesty as a baby, DD every sickness bug going. Then it becomes less worrying. But not at first. He's cute.

Lovely to have you back laska, love your cheerful posts! Glad you enjoyed Florence.

Just a heads up the the Next VIP sale slots have literally just come out. This is usually their big sale.

DH left me this note today, bless him. I've been with DH for more than half my life

Oh and I've cancelled my Ocado Christmas delivery as they have the cheek to charge £9.99 and have a minimum order of £90. Got a slot dead easy from Sainsbury's.

Lastly, seacow and cag, there's a wonderful phone in on five live at the minute about autism and Christmas. I bet it's on a pod cast. It's fantastic. X

NSD yesterday and planning one today.

Today appears to be the pre-Christmas wash of clothes. I keep finding stuff that DP hides in places and needs washing. Wouldn’t be so annoying if it was his clothes (as I would just leave them), but it is the DDs stuff

Trying not to twitch. DD1 seems to have had a growth spurt and needs trousers and pjs and ideally a coat too. Will wait to see if she gets any clothes for Christmas now though. PIL may buy her some clothes.

Glad you had a lovely time laska

Hope everyone has a frugal(ish) run up to Christmas ☃️🎄

I'm just also having a periodic moan too about the appetite of DS (18)?

He costs me a fortune at the minute!!

Yesterday
4 Weetabix for breakfast and an apple.
Lunch - 2 sandwiches, 2 satsumas, another apple, a cereal bar, mini cheddars.
Home from school - another sandwich, a banana, a piece of cake, a huge pile of nuts, another apple, 2 whole peppers chopped up and some wasabi peas.
Dinner - veggie enchildas and salad.
Supper - 4 weetabix and another apple.

He's a 28 inch waist and tall and gangly so hasn't started filling out yet.

Give me strength....

I've spent two days trying to find something to twitch on and have finally settled on selling stuff on ebay instead. I'm giving myself the gift of desk space.

Finally (I'm avoiding the ironing...) the horse box MOT was £600. Pleased with that as it's nearly £200 for a HGV test and that included its annual service. That gets budgeted for too.

I've got to make videos for my new science grant thing, and it's a whole different business from what I'm used to. I've been used to doing a lot of teaching with powerpoint and still images, but video is a whole other thing. Fun though. I'm trying very very hard to get all the equipment together without spending any money and so far it is going quite well.

Crikey Need! I'm dreading when we have 3 teenagers to feed. It'll cost a fortune!

I am trying to get through all the washing before Christmas too. I don't want the drier on all through Xmas dinner and then everything hanging up to air. We're on bedding today.

I've had a lovely four hours, sitting on my bottom on my new/old sofa, finishing the blanket for ds' teacher, and making this little lot, my last lot of etsy stuff to go before Christmas.

Also got an order for 6 camels yesterday $100. Bloody brilliant, and she doesn't need them before Christmas either, they're going to the states so it's just as well!

I've nearly finished wrapping up, and haven't twitched yet. I will get my 2 big girls a new pair of jeans each, masquerading as presents, they actually both need them.

Ha! Christmas work lunch food contribution sorted with my first ever visit to Iceland ...
we will have seal blubber!! ....
No, just kidding ..the shop not the county of course .. (perhaps you now think I am a total food snob?) .. Anyway contribution is sorted with 5 packs of frozen pigs in blankets that ill cook tonight_.£2 a packet!! Ill also do make coleslaw and take chutneys
Hope the pigs are ok (says the food snob...)

£20 in Boots on various toileteries plus some 'anti cold' germ' nasal spray .. im feeling like i may be getting the office cold thats going around ..
£5.99 WHsmith on christmas ribbon for presents and some sticky tape refills for my wrist tape dispenser.. less frugal but essential for present wrapping sanity and to ensure I dont have a 'throwing it out of the window' meltdown
Work collegue given me his Meerkat movies 2 for 1 cinema ticket code for tonight so Star Wars will be a bit cheaper..