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

[needastrongone]

New thread.

Sea, it doesn't matter about the house. It will look like a bomb site pretty quick tomorrow with toys and wrap. Pleased you are home but totally understand your worry with dd.

Sorry to hear of poorly people and DC.

The Christmas budget was totally blown this year, way way blown.
2018 is the year of the pay cut so must rein it in.

Happy Christmas Eve my lovelies

It’s going to be a busy day here.

Fil is supposed to be coming round at 1030. But based on past visits he’ll be here an hour early. And then will moan that we’re not ready.

One of us (probably me) needs to take dsis and bils presents to dparents for tomorrow and I’ll also take ds’ carry cot (from the pram) there too. Just so we have something for him to nap in. He must nap!!!

Ds is 3 months old today. I need to switch his clothes over. Trousers especially. His 0-3 are getting a bit snug. So will do this today

I’ve asked dh to Skype bils and mil this evening or tomorrow morning if we can. Just so when we get back from dparents tomorrow we can have some time just us. Which we rarely get now.

Should be nsd though.

For me 2018 is the year of reigning in the spends. We’ll have more expenses with Nursery and are going to try again to buy a house.

I’m going to sit down on Wednesday and work out a budget and then implement from jan 1.

Glad you got home last night seacow your poor little girl. It might have been brewing for a while, making her feel extra ick. Our viral things just won't go away completely this year.

Hope your boy's temp comes down too wreck.

I'm not planning on leaving the house today, so a nsd I hope. I want this to become the norm. Blowing a gale here. Not even the dogs are keen to go out.

Keep safe and have a good day everyone xx

It's Christmas Eve!!!!!!

Lounging for a few minutes before I get stuck into some last minute cleaning and present wrapping. Did lots of wrapping yesterday so I think I've just four presents left.

Very spendy day yesterday because I got tickets to Matilda for DD, me and my DSis. I'm going to put the ticket in the bottom of DD's stocking. Can't wait to see her face .

That’s one of the things they told us to look out for Wreck. We are 👀. Hope your DS feels better soon too.

Em you are like me with autumn baby DS - one Christmas, not even pregnant (well, not quite ) and the next Christmas you’re swapping over to 3-6m clothes. A lot can happen in a year!

I thought we’d manage an NSD today but I need baby neurofen and think I will get some nice flowers for MIL. I offered to take some food /drink but they said no need, I don’t like to go empty handed though.

Our Christmas has been quite cheap, except that we spent £3k on having a tooth out two weeks ago. Budget definitely blown there, and then some. Ah well. It's another thing done at least. Much tooth brushing going on here now. I had never realised that toothbrushing was frugal.

Tayto Matilda is awesome!

Glad you're home sea I would say trust your instincts with dd and go back if something doesn't seem right. It took a gp and 2 ambulances before anyone realised how ill dd was a couple of yrs back (ended up in itu with breathing difficulties )

Happy Christmas eve everyone.

I've woken up with a really sore throat which is annoying , don't want to be ill!

Might need to get paracetamol but otherwise should be a Nsd.

Tayto I would love to see Matilda!

Pleased you are home Seacow. Hope she gets better quickly and Wreck's ds.

Good that you are home seacow

I cant stand Mrs browns Boys eitther..Sexist s**t IMHO>>
anyway .

i must get putting up the decs! DS will be here later and this house doesnt even start to loook like Christmas.. ..

sadly there seems to be (another) domestic happening at my parents house.. ive had two calls already ths morning

they are as bad as each other but its my Dad mainly.. he just cannot cope with the fact that my mum 92 is just old and doesnt want to do much.. She is also depressed.. but quite frankly i would be living with my my dad and bro and they are not helping.. Its very sad , really and one reason that I am determined that we will continue to do as much stuff as we can as we get older and downsize before the house gets too much for us .

One advantage though of being on the island is that I am not expected to turn up all the time to sort it out. (which i cant of course)

.. This probably makes me sound callous.. but although I feel dreadful for my mum,and my dads ability to emotionally cope with it really they are not doing anything to help themselves ( mum is a stubborn M... also)..

I hate both Miranda and Mrs brown boys.

Not a lot you can do laska except let them crack on. Easier said than done sometimes.

Nsd going well today so far

Ah laska that's tough. I guess Christmas flares these things up even more. I don't think you're callous BTW it's not your job to sort your parents out!

Bornlazy forgot to say a big yes please if that's OK with the snowsuit, please let me know how much Inc postage! Also was I supposed to Pm you snuggly about girl clothes, I swear my brain evaporated several years ago when the baby was born.

Happy 3 month old day C ♥️ Cagletini is 2 months tomorrow. DD1 is exactly 10 and a half today

Hope all the poorly frugaleers and mini frugaleers rally.

DS forgot to switch the dryer on so we are behind on the laundry. Honestly you can't get the staff these days.

Those who do surveys how much time do you spend? I want to make more of an effort with it. I also want to do the cash back apps like shopmium. What I really need to do in the longer term - not sure I'm quite organized enough yet - is go back to using my credit card and paying it off in order to increase rating. It's currently totally unused as is DH's (under £3k on separate 0%)

I am re-watching Miranda at the mo since it's on iPlayer, I quite like it still but not as much as I did the first time. I love Sarah Hadland though, she's in horrible histories. Absolutely hate Mrs browns boys with a passion, also never liked stuff like little Britain. I prefer comedies like black books and spaced, plus classics like Fawlty towers!

I should really get dressed but I have a tiny person on me

DS was rather fond of Miranda age 10 or so and its pretty harmless.
Loathe MBB tho .
Had mega lie in plus
Just pottering now -waiting for Christmas !

Wreck all toys were tidied up for bed & he went to spill out a box of plastic balls & bricks and a pack of cards and three of us said don't simultaneously! So he purposely emptied out the cards anyhow and as dm went to pick it them up he scattered them all over the place and then wouldn't help or apologise either, he just went mute and defiant. No amount of cajoling or threats changed this so I put him to bed without a story as punishment. This morning he went mute again when I wanted to discuss it.

Laska you're not callous at all you didn't create the drama so why be summoned to sort it out

Oops not a nsd £48 at butchers. This is why my budget is out of control

I unfrugally and accidentally smashed my mother's crib this morning and the ceramic figures were fixed so everyone of them broke will replace

I can't stand Mrs Brown's Boys either it's awful. Have never seen Miranda though.

Cag she's still wearing them! If you would like them when she's finished with them I'm still happy to pass stuff on.

The turkey is sorted, legs and the backbone bit to the legs are in the slow cooker. It's begenning to smell a lot like Christmas...

Lounge tidied (I found the wrapper to ds' lunchbag from september as an indicator for how often the corners get done), just the table and top of fish tank to go.

The norwegian cake thing is baking, just a yule log to go. Dp has to go out to get the rest of the presents, but is waiting for a call from a customer, she has her kids bike in our shop being built/stored, but didn't leave her number! He's put a message out on fb, and he'll go for the pressies at 4 either way, but aah!

Another 2018 goal: unclutter this house! I have filled 2 binbags this morning. And two from dd1's bedroom last night (she lost her phone, it was in the bathroom).

Lonely I've been decluttering for a good few years now & am getting there slowly we can encourage each other

Need to google Miranda

Only September lonely? I'd say you're doing well by my standards :o I need to continue decluttering too, we've done quite well over the last two years but we have a way to go yet and I want as much as possible done by the time we move, whenever that is. We are left with all the tricky bits and pieces that don't belong anywhere IYSWIM.

On way to friends' and while the Caglets got in the car I quickly set up the jammies etc on the stairs. The elves have been! :) Normally DH would sneak outside and put them by the door but he's working till 9.

£2 turkey crown (I had nectar points) Kerry bronze free range.

£2.25 organic orange juice.

We have had our Christmas row too so that's nice

Didn't buy jeggings.

Lonely . We’ve got a little study that is so full of junk I can’t see the floor. Must get to grips with that next year. I’d just got it under control when DH moved his stuff in to free up a room for the baby. Now it is hopeless again.

We’ve finally managed to leave home and are en route to PILs. I think they will be a bit alarmed when we unload the car - it looks as though we are moving in! We have so much stuff, especially for DD (travel cot and mattress, seat thingy for the bath, bumbo for eating, steriliser... the list goes on!). And two big crates of presents. And DS’s new scooter. I can’t imagine that we will get it all home again without forgetting something.

I was so looking forward to a nice glass of champagne tonight but might hold off drinking until tomorrow as DD is still a bit up and down. Fondue tonight it is - the 1970s are alive and well.

We’ve got carols from Kings on in the car. Lovely!

at Christmas row fluffy. I have pmt and have been very stressed by DS’s stress and associated behaviour recently... poor DH is keeping his head down.