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

[needastrongone]

New thread.

Glad to help Laska I too fancied something spicy but plain.
DH and DS are going to finish the leftovers .
Spam bol sounds like something my DM would have come up with in the 70s

Sorry to hear of your sisters troubles em
What a sh*t !
True to form a man usually only leaves when they have OW lined up

As if she wouldn't get a lawyer involved. Did he think she would just give in to her life being ripped up.

Chinese was not great. Time to knock them on the head.

Spam, spam, spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam monty python

Gws wreck. I AM going to sell my stuff and get rid. That's my only other income stream. No ideas sorry.

I don’t think he realised he’d have to continue to pay the mortgage even if he didn’t live there... I think he figured he’d just walk away.

I am typing over DD’s head with one thumb. This usually ends with me losing my post...

Anyway, DD hasn’t needed calpol /neurofen to control her fever this afternoon - so hopefully the end is in sight. She’s been ill for a week now but we’ve even seen signs of her old jolly self today. Big relief.

We went to a park about 20 mins away yesterday to road test DS’s new scooter (and mine!) as it was clear and sunny here. The park was a good choice, recommended on our local fb page, as it had a network of paths for scooting and a lovely lake, playground, cafe... I can’t believe I’d never been before! We bought two teas in the cafe so we could feed DS in the warm but otherwise LSD, just also needed Demerara sugar for baking.

Home today cleaning downstairs. The dust under my sofas was . It’s been really wet and yukky - no snow here but still not very appealing outside so we haven't bothered going out. I’ve made a chicken curry for dinner. It would have been NSD except I’ve ordered a big pack of cinnamon sticks online. I use them in curry but the supermarket teeny jars are a joke.

My parents and sisters are coming over tomorrow for our family Christmas lunch so I’ve been prepping veg etc for that. Really hoping I can do justice to the amazing rib of beef in my fridge right now! I should iron the fancy Christmas tablecloth etc which has been at the bottom of the ironing basket since last Christmas but I honestly don’t know whether I can be bothered . I’m a bit over Christmas now. I’d like to take the tree down but DH won’t hear of it.

I am loving all the resolutions for next year. I have to get seriously strict about extras, especially clothes for the dc, as they really have too much. I would also like to get a bit better with food spend, although it’s waste I want to eliminate really as I don’t begrudge the cost of decent meat and fish etc and am lucky we’ve been able to afford it. But I do get satisfaction from stretching it and from not wasting anything. With high-maintenance baby and DS we’ve been a bit slack recently on always using everything up.

I hope Meadow is okay, not heard from her recently?

Ha Em! Er, no. He obviously hadn’t done his homework, in spite of apparently having ages to think about it. It’s great that your sister can afford to take on the mortgage on her own but does she actually want to live there? Good for her anyway.

Just read back, em what a tool. Hope that solicitor is a killer.

No pet insurance, DH reckoned it was too expensive , and yes, he’s my great big cuddly German shepherd, hence the NN Teddy

LSD, we were bought lunch but stopped for coffee so spent £4.60

Fluffy Thanks, yes, dh swallowed the goose python-style. We had roast beef on Christmas day as we thought two geese in four days might be too much.

Em Relationship breakups really suck don't they? Glad you are helping your Dsis.

Oddly, banks don't lend shit loads of money without tying you into enforceable contracts.

My nsd's have come to an end! £88 in morrisons (used £5 voucher, got another at the till, and will get £6.50 added to my more card). £10 in the range on things for my mum/sister, and £10 in lidl on dog food and reduced christmas goodies. And tonight £11 in the coop on the things I forgot.

I helped my sister build the biggest ikea high bed sleeper, ever. It took us just over 2 hrs. But my older squinky nephew will love it. Her new house is beautiful and twice the size of mine

About £30 of my spends were for my mil though, off to see her tomorrow. And I got a very reduced pair of jersey pj's for me in morrisons, £6 I think. Everything else was needed.

For a bit of extra income I sell my tiny knitted toys. Etsy is the best site for this. Plus I have a wonderful lady in Fowey who has a shop and sells anything I send to her. I'm going to try to send her a lot more stuff in 2018.

Spends today £1.50 on ribena, DS1 had to go to a&e this morning after throwing up blood. They let us go after four hours, but we may have to take him back to be admitted and for a drip. He's had a tummy bug for a few days but struggles with his weight so is now terribly thin and they are worried. All our Christmas plans have been scuppered, but it is saving me money!

Oh no fridge! I'm really sorry you've missed the panto but more importantly I hope ds gets better soon

Em that's fast work by that lawyer, how's your sister doing emotionally seems like ye have the practical side of things well covered.

Ds has come down with chicken pox, discovered just after coming home from visiting a three week old baby & being in contact with three other babies in as many days, having to cancel meeting dsil tomo too as she's pregnant

Dparents gone out have their house to myself & dc going to bed soon so will see what sky has to offer
Or will I use laptop & tot up Christmas spends ???

Wheelycote surveys & shop and scan are other income streams, rewards from your bank/topcashback are another couple

Em he thought bank wouldn't want him to pay mortgage because he decided his relationship was over

Oh fridge your poor ds

Oh no mammy. The babies have mums immunity for two weeks but more if breastfeeding I think?!

Dsis is doing fine. She’s upset obviously but is channeling the upset into anger into practical things.

She’ll be absolutely fine.

Ya she's breastfeeding & I was breastfeeding ds when dd got chickenpox and he never got it as a result

Em good for her.

Just came off phone from db and he's disappointed about not being able to meet up tomo but understanding nonetheless

Exhausted after our day shopping. DD used up her Penneys voucher and spent some of her birthday money on new curtains for her bedroom. She decided she's a bit grown up for her Tatty Teddy curtains . I couldn't believe how busy it was but I guess a lot of people were using up vouchers too.

My spends

McDonalds - €13.90
Easons (plastic folders for paper work) - €5
Boots - €10.68

I've ordered a Tesco delivery for tomorrow for €64.61 + €1 delivery charge.

Fridge sorry to hear about your A&E trip. Hope DS improves soon.

Slips quietly back onto the bench.

How is everyone? Cag congratulations on the new one. & Seacow you appear to have a larger family too....
Em I have keys to an empty warehouse.... Your dsis just needs to bring rusty nails and a hammer.
Spending has been creeping up again, but dh has had significant amounts of paid work and ds gets most of his bike things through sponsorship so that kind of offsets dd's eyewateringly expensive art supplies.

Bollocks! Just did a long post and it has gone into the ether....
Congratulations cag & seacow both of you appear to have more children than last time.
Em ,I have the keys to an empty warehouse. Your dsis just has to bring nails and hammer.

Oh no it didn't.....

:o welcome back unescorted

Lovely to see you unescorted

Glad poorly babies and children are starting to feel better.

I have managed another Nsd which is 5 in a row

Do need food so aldi is on the cards for tomos, need to have a look at my account and do some serious budgeting for the month.

Now dd is heading towards being a 12 yo her room needs updating, my plan is to sell her midi bed, paint the walls and work with dd to sort through her mountains of stuff. Will then look at getting her a new bed and desk, also want to paint her current furniture. ... will be on a v tight budget!!!!

I succumbed to the sales and got a pair of curtains. £38
Also a kebab for our child free night £22 , plus rented a video on Amazon £2.50.
My YNAB is screaming at me as all these things turned my budget red Roll on Monday for a fresh new month to bugger up.

Sorry to hear about your DS Fridge.

Hope DS is better soon Fridge

Welcome back Unescorted. Good to see you!

That sounds awful for DS Fridge. Hope he is better soon.

Still haven't done January budget spreadsheet. I keep intending to but all the Line of Duty series are on iplayer...

Sending healing vibes to your ds fridge.

Hey unescorted.

Going to take the Christmas decorations down today. I won't be going out as pil are snowed in. Dh will be though.
No other spends planned today.