We’ve had our Merry Thriftmas, now bring on the Happy Fru Year! All welcome as we Frugaleer our way into January 2018.

[Cagliostro]

A new thread in case we are too tipsy (or in my case, asleep on the sofa) to remember later.

This is a friendly group where we chat all things money related and all things everything else related. Everyone welcome so settle in and let’s make 2018 the year we save money!

Well my mind is officially blown. I had an organising type morning (while feeding baby. #mumskillz) and added up all my bills. I mean the ones that come from my account so not electric, rent etc which DH covers. I worked out average for plusnet and converted termly dance fees to monthly amounts to get it all into how much I'm spending on bills a month. It's not much at all and there should be a really huge amount left every month. A lot. But there isn't. Granted I haven't included supermarket weekly shop (it's my card saved on Tesco) and I know bus fares cost a lot. But clearly a fucking HUGE amount of money is being frittered.

I told DH the calculations too, and he is similarly shocked and motivated. Have explained to the Caglets about less trips to the shop etc.

I feel quite positive now. As I've seen how much the frittering is adding up to, I can see that we can definitely afford the home ed clubs/trips that I want to do, as long as the frittering is managed.

Frugal win, mum gave me some old clothes to try and a really nice pair of black jeans fits me perfectly yay! Not sure mum even ever wore them.

I though I was going to have my first NSD and then I had to pay for after school care for 4 days - £70!

But I did have lovely leftover paella for lunch, and the paella was mostly made up of store cupboard ingredients plus fresh veg on Sunday.

em I've probably got about £500 of toiletries crammed into the cupboard of doom .

I think it helps when you cut back something if you can put the money to one side or else it just gets absorbed by something else. If you've got something to show for your sacrifice then it makes it seem worthwhile. Obviously that doesn't work if you're down to your last penny...

Have had quite a few lsd or nsd since I started on here so really pleased about that, and still haven't even looked at the sales. The test for me will be the boots 70% off I am usually obsessed by that.

Caught up at last!

First I must say welcome back to Meadow! You were missed and it’s so good to hear that you are feeling a bit better. I imagine you’ll be a bit wiped out by going back to work but so much better mentally.

I can’t keep up at the mo so apologies to everyone. Highlights of my last day or so:

Spent £3 on coffee and £6 on a baby group for DD yesterday. And managed to cook 18 portions of bolognese for me and DH and a few for the kids (I separated theirs out early so no stock /salt for DD). Then out last night to the pub for our local knit night - a random get together of local knitters meets monthly here for knit and chat - had a G&T for £2.60 (thanks Weatherspoons!) (Laska I scooted there and back )

I also bought some yarn online from a naice yarn producer that’s closing down. Everything was half price. I can’t confess that though . I returned a posh slouchy cardigan bought with Christmas money and going to knit one instead though. And done bits for the kids /gifts.

Today was shaping up as an NSD except that I’ve finally cracked and engaged a sleep consultant to help me sort dd out. I think it’s feeding routine as much as sleep I need advice on as they are so dependent on each other. Nights are so terrible I am dreading going to bed every night. That has to stop as I fear I am being a rubbish parent during the day, as well as becoming a shrill fishwife bit miserable about life. That will be £160 for the consultation, sleep programme and then email /phone support while we reprogrammed her. I managed to sleep train DS myself after reading a couple of books so this does feel like a bit of an unnecessary spend but I’m finding it much harder this time round - no energy to research and much less confidence about feeding issues because of the reflux. This lady was recommended by a local ‘reflux mum’ so I’m optimistic. Maybe by the end of the month we’ll have her in her own room and some semblance of sleep /routines?!!

She’s just conked out on me and I’ll have to wake her up in 15 mins to go on the school run. She probably won’t go back to sleep. This is why routines are so hard to establish!

We’ve had a poke around in the loft and retrieved some of DS’s stuff for DD. I am now tripping over a Jumperoo and, once I’ve given them a clean, I’ll be endlessly picking up ball pit balls again. Fun times!

I really want the HFW more veg book. Might request it for my birthday next month.

Cag So basically you're minted? .

The thing that annoys me about toiletries is that it's the same few ingredients mixed in varying amounts to make different products & they charge a fecking fortune for them. While the things that actually work like sunblock for aging, bar soap for the shower, hydrogen peroxide for mouthwash cost buttons. It just doesn't make sense.

Yesterday;
£8 Aldi top up shop but it was mostly hand creams (I have a tube everywhere) dw tabs. The food cost £2.30
£1.73 two tins marrowfat peas (Dh won't eat the dried ones I make) and loaf tin liners.
£2 morrisons soya milk

Today £1.60 pitta & bread.

£20 on ovulation and pregnancy tests, will return the ovulation ones if AF never turns up. nausea and sore boobs today...
Have spinning later but that’s free with gym membership so hopefully no more spends today.
Tried to return some trainers but the “free returns” was via a my Hermes label and there’s nowhere within walking distance

Well I should be fluffy :o but for some reason I'm not. And that reason is blowing money on crap.

I actually think my single biggest outgoing is being disorganised

Seacow you were Scooting Under the Influence :o

Cagletini has napped for an hour today. She's grumpy. As a result, so am I!

I think it helps when you cut back something if you can put the money to one side or else it just gets absorbed by something else
^
This
But I’m so bad at it!

Seacow Sleep deprivation is the worst, I was a total witch to DH, bumbling and incompetent and easily frustrated and my MH was teetering all for want of sleep. I think if you can get it sorted that’s an excellent investment. I remember trying to read a map and it was utterly incomprehensible. It really brought home to me how much my brain capacity was affected by sleep.

Fluffy that’s so true about toiletries. Besides a pharmacologist I know pointed out that once an ingredient is shown to actually do something it’s graded as pharmaceutical rather than cosmetic. So basically if you can buy it in a face cream it’s not going to be at a concentration significant enough to do anything.

Afternoon.

Feel better soon mammy.

The 'annualising' of small costs is something I've done for a long time, as it shocks you out of thinking it's 'just' a tenner etc. It's a great tip.

seacow I think you might find it's money well spent re the DD sleep thing. It honestly do think it needs cracking now, before you do. The HFW book is actually a thing of beauty, right up your street for sure. Very readable, and his take of cooking standard vegetables is food for thought.

The addition of the star anise in the sweet potato and orange soup was indeed a magical ingredient, my whole house smelt like Christmas em

A NSD in terms of change out of my purse but I needed to renew DD's membership of her pony related association. We only have the left now in terms of kids clubs cost though, £77. This includes public liability insurance though.

Fingers crossed MissA

Same here re hand cream fluffy, and lip balm....

£8.75 on a sandwich at a pub for lunch
£22 post on eBay stuff
£1.20 coffee macdonalds have been in my car all afternoon and was gasping.

£115 travelodge two nights in bath in the summer holidays

Just totted up our Christmas spends and I'm missing a few receipts so have added rough costings in for them. We had no Christmas food shop as we weren't at home but we paid for a meal out for dss and family to compensate for this, there were also two other meals out, trip to Santa and trip to see Annie - an eye watering €2600 - this was Santa for two and gifts for approx 40 people/households. I struggle to see who we can eliminate from the list having eliminated quite a few already & I also did some regifting also.

Have set up a standing order for €50 for Christmas, €40 for wood pellets and €20 for our summer holiday spending money. Flights are paid for from a Christmas Gift & Savings from sharing Au pair are covering the accommodation costs. This standing order is €10 more than weekly standing order last year so is definitely feasible.

Tonight I'm filling a travel mug with hot lemon & honey to soothe my throat during the night, water didn't cut it last night.

€24 school related activities, looking back at accounts turns out I haven't paid tin whistle since end Oct new activity is €1 per week so going to pay it upfront and €10 for Christmas Concert DVD.

€26.50 for cleaner - must do a list for her & remove suitcases from hallway
€20 second half of registration fee for Ladybirds

need dd would love to do horse riding, and I think she'd enjoy it. Where do you recommend starting out? Pony Club? Will wait for spring so that myself and ds can go for a walk rather than sit in the car while she's there.

seacow think sleep consultant will be money well spent

Fingers crossed indeed MissA

If the sleep lady helps it will defo be a good investment. If only for DH. I wouldn’t want to be married to me at the moment

I’ve got the first HFW veg book Need and it’s brilliant. However, I am supposed to be decluttering cook books and NOT adding to them but, y’know...

Poor little DD has just started finding her big brother fascinating. She coos and yodels at him and always wants to touch him. Sadly he’s not keen at all (his usual response to seeing DD, especially now weaning has started, is ‘clean it’ ). So much unrequited love... ❤️

mammy, I hate to not answer but I don't know! DD just was always around ponies as her best friend in the village family have a farm. So they were always clambering on and off the shetlands and climbing up into the barn egg collecting etc, it was just natural. She even used to come home on a pony and trap as that's how her friend often got collected and we only live 2 minutes away from them. I probably sound like a country bumpkin... I think we started pony club though when she was about 8 but she could ride before then in a fashion. Or maybe a riding school? I think pony club have facilities now to provide the ponies too in certain areas.

DS has come home from school and there's now no soup left.

God, auto correct on the IPad, sorry for the typos....

need it's funny that you didn't have a proper answer because I asked my friend who's big into horses on Fri night and she didn't know either. She said her eldest who's a year or so older than my dd was mad for horses and then when she went to pony club she didn't have any interest, was probably just she wanted to do what her dm was doing.

Will ask around locally about pony clubs and stables and see what I find out

Hello all, came home from work to find dd feeling unwell, said had a bad stomach all day and now has stomach ache. Annoying as she has her drama group tonight which at £7.50 a go I hate her missing!! She does look a bit peaky... at least I am day off tomos if she is ill.

Managed another NSD.

Looking at train fairs as want to go to my Great Aunts funeral which is in a couple of weeks near London, even with my rail card its going to be quite pricey, oh well I want to go so will work something out.

Would coach travel be an option girlie sorry to hear of your great aunts passing
Is dds illness related to her worries about school do you think?

Hope dh is feeling generous regarding me having another early night? Left work 20 mins early as it was really quiet. They're paying me for my visit to work over the holidays too

Went to asda today, £86, but the breakdown was £45 food £26 laundry powder, bulk loo rolls etc etc, and £15 on a new tefal wok pan, simply my favourite pan. Dp left my old (but good) one in with the chickens. As you do. Didn't want to cook off a chicken poo pan. No matter how clean I got it.

£25 fuel for little car (will last about a week), and £55 on a brake pipe and brake fluid. Dp has bought the rest, and will fix the back brakes once it all arrives.

Slept very badly last night, and feel wiped out today. Might toddle off for a nap...

£9 something in Aldi topping up fruit bread and milk.

£16.50 fish and chips as I couldn't be bothered to cook is beyond else's fish and chips so expensive?!

£1.60 hours hospital parking.

Girlie poor dd hope a sleep sorts her out.

MissA fingers crossed for you!

Mammy. Disclaimer I started riding 40 years ago. But pony club - you often need your own. Find a small stables where she can help out in return for a free ride - this way you learn loads about horses and looking after them ( in case you are ever stupid enough like me....) but also do a lot more rough ( for want of a better word ) riding - means you can stay on anything! - I have seen loads of riders who have had 1000 lessons book a hack/trailride/ African safari who fall off in the 1st 10 min. To find such a stables book a lesson and see if kids are helping out

£4.40 Morrison's on vitc &zinc, wraps and tissues.

I have a phobia of coaches mammy I think dd is just really over tired, I've told her she is having an early night tonight no arguments! !

Yes wreck i thought that when we got fish n chips on Sunday!