Keeping our Fru Year Resolutions! Frugal January thread two (already) - all welcome!

[Cagliostro]

Eeek so the other thread filled up fast. January 10th must be some kind of record!

snuggly it is such a slog until the 30 free hours kick in at three years old. And with twins i’m not surprised you are looking at the figures like that.

I’ve found working less, but enough to earn something was my happy (ish) solution from the finance point of view

On the plus side, when they do turn three, you will feel like you have won the lottery!

Omelettes are a good idea for using up odds and ends. I'm going to try that too. Excellent for non-wheat people. Thanks!

On the meal planning/using things up point of view, I still struggle to see such an empty fridge before shopping day. But that means the planning is working... unless you run out of chips 😂

Guys think of us in ROI no free hours of childcare!! Ok that's a white lie they get about 12 months of 3 hours of preschool/day for free!

bacon dh would see it like that too but I've come around to we have potatoes and can make chips out of them

The delivery didn't include ketchup last week on Monday, dh couldn't get how we would manage without it, and kept saying to ds at dinner time oh ds there's no ketchup ds hadn't even looked for it, I wanted to wait until we were grocery shopping again but eventually on Thursday I gave in and bought some because of the way dh portrayed it to ds, that I was depriving him of ketchup.

I just want to get groceries once a week and manage our grocery budget like that

We missed out on the 30 free hours childcare. So annoying. We were paying £800 a month and I was earning £850 a month. Better now they're at school but we still have to pay £10 per day for an hour after school. So annoying.

Successful nsd!

I'm desperately trying to catch up as I only posted once on the last thread and not at all on this one but it's moving so fast now! I've been stating frugal though and just thought I'd sneak onto the end of this thread before it's full up! Hope everyone is OK x

waves at hugh<

Dinner is lamb meatballs with flatbreads, couscous, salad and mint raita

BEEN TO view 3 places today.

Place 1 £549k advertised as 3 bed. 2 small doubles and a box. Nice downstairs. Woodburner. Paved garden. Garage for 6 cars. Smelled of dog.

Place 2 £529k. 4 bed marketed as 3 plus box/study. 1960’s house. Wraparound garden part paved. Part grass. Easy to maintain. Big double rooms. Laundry room. Parking for 3. Plus a garage.

Place 3. £625k. Three doubles. Two bathroom. Country cottage style. Seperate garage with utility. Garage could fit 2 big cars and had a loft. Absolute dump. Because of the clutter. So much clutter. And also smelled like dog. And next to a site which will be a supermarket next year. Downsizing my arse. They’re moving because of the impending building work.

Why do houses smell like dog. We had a dog when I was younger. Our house didn’t smell like dog. I have friends with dogs. Their places don’t smell doggy.

I’m paranoid now our house smells like cat.

Taking dh to see house 2 again tomorrow. They’ve lived there for 30 years. They foster children. They want a family to move in. They will accept something beginning with a 5.

We have 6 viewings on ours this evening. And 4 on Thursday. I’m waiting for the agent to arrive so I can do the final bits of paperwork and hand over the keys.

mummycatface sounds like house2 is definitely worth a second viewing. I don't have our dogs indoors but know people that do and their houses don't smell like dog

Can’t keep up.

Love the combo need tres elegant 😁

Catface I would never chose a place next to a supermarket. Sounds like the second one is best of those 3.

Grocery delivery today, £84-ish. DH birthday this weekend so I used Nectar points for Champagne. Will do a roast at home, so trip to the butchers needed on Friday. He got dog food today, think it’s about £40, lasts about 3 weeks so not too bad.

I’ll need to buy clothes next month. A rellie of DH’s is not likely to survive the rest of the week. Also, MIL’s cancer has returned and appears to be wide spread this time. She’s due a scan this week. Neither myself nor the DDs have any suitable attire. I wasn’t planning buying any clothes this year, but needs must.

If their old they probably don't open the windows much for ventilation, I noticed it a lot when I did NHS home visits. The air was solid.

100 Don't worry about keeping up, we only chat because we've been here years, I for one am always up for a frugal question or 10. Just keep posting & having loads of frugal days.

Going out to buy Dh wine, he is out of funds till payday. I can't get fibre broadband so I'm going to buy myself a Sauvignon blanc.

Apparently my area is all out of fibre bastard neighbours probably got in first. I could have had broadband yesterday when I checked but swapping then meant paying BT £66 cancellation charges.

Fluffy that's interesting that that's a general thing. I know someone who won't open the windows because of spiders and I don't know how the haven't asphyxiated. How can that work with a gas cooker?

Ouch Adora that doesn’t sound good. How is DH taking it?

Glad things look hopeful for now Love, one step at a time is all you can do.

Lots of viewings on your place sounds hopeful Catface.

It’s been a funny day. The first day I have actually bothered to give DD 3 proper meals and it feels constant! I also have to cook her a different dinner to DS otherwise she’ll grow up only eating pasta as well (logistically easiest but definitely not desirable!). Weaning is quite fun but on the other hand I can see it is going to be a definite treadmill cooking three usually separate dinners every day. Plus the other meals. Plus the bibs, floor cleaning, pans everywhere... I don’t remember it being this bad with DS but then I suppose I only had one child’s dinner to do. I just wish they could eat the same thing more of the time . At least DD is appreciative!

Anyway, spent 4.60 in greengrocers on blueberries and chia seeds for some breakfast bars for the kids, plus some nectarines. Still haven’t made the bars as dd only had a short nap.

I’ve hidden the iPad from DS and also, apparently, from myself...

I realised I forgot the most expensive thing yesterday -new iron, £130 including 3 year extended warranty. I wanted a steam generator with descaler system that isn't cartridges, and this was what I found.

Today £5.50 lunch

£21.99 on printer cartridges !

I ha ve been meaning to get some for ages but usually use work's one .. have returned to the correct ones as fed up with refills that dont work properly..

Audit £130 for a Iron ?? ..

Seacow that sounds a lot of faffing, but worth it if you have the time. Maybe give yourself a couple of easy days each week’s by doing pasta for everyone. Hope you find your iPad.

DH is mega stressed, and exhausted. Between trips to see his Uncle and mum last week, and driving to meetings he’s driven 1,000 miles in 8 days. He saw his Uncle again today, and will see his mum at the end of the week.

My parents never had windows open, and PIL don’t often open them. I know my father was always concerned about drafts.

Hope that Sauvignon is good fluffy . I’m on the port tonight 👍

Dh always shuts the windows because he's scared of spiders

It's not bad adora, can't grumble for £4.50.

Poor spiders.

TWO offers. Agent had asked for best and final by 10am tomorrow. Then we make a decision.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.

Dh has persuaded me (reluctantly) to set a completion date and sell. Potentially havin nothing to go to.

We can ether find something in this time. Or stay with family/rent etc. Then be in the bestest position to move forwards.

The mammoth preparing for everything to go into storage declutter starts tomorrow.

Went to Morrison's at lunch and total frugal fail. ,£30 stopping that again now.

Love that sounds positive about your dad.
Sorry things are not so well Adora.
Defo house 2 catface. Good luck with your viewings.
Don't worry about keeping up, just post.
Do you need to cook more? Can dd just not have what you have?
I'm sure I've missed loads, soz

Evening all.

NSD yesterday and £24 today on a bottle of wine out and some nibbles with a friend. Not very frugal but felt very good for the soul.

Frugal win in that I should have 6 months worth of back pay due to me next month. My car allowance hasn't been paid to me correctly by my work since I joined. It's taken forever to sort out. Should be over £1k due back to me after tax so that will definitely wipe out a good chunk of debt.

eBay items netted £160 ish after all fees and postage charges which I'm delighted about.

On the train home now. Knackered.

Wow catface that’s so exciting!
Sorry adora about the bad news 💐

Spends
£1.40 orange juice to make change for weight machine
50p weight machine. I have somehow maintained since before Christmas, I was convinced I’d put on loads (no willpower whatsoever around Christmas chocolate etc) so I’m pleased.
£13.98 more underwear/bra tops for DD as the other ones fit.
£10.50 lunch, stupid. Such a waste, food was good but really didn’t need drinks, that’s a habit I need to break on the occasions we do end up needing food out.

DH spent almost £40 on black trousers/jacket for a funeral tomorrow (exMIL, he is going to support DSCs) and black socks for DD for tap class.

DS loved his trial tap class, teacher said he did brilliantly, proud mummy moment :o

Also got Cagletini weighed and she’s now 12lb 14oz, she is following her centile (slightly under 50th) perfectly yay!

That's brilliant Shoop. It'll be lovely to pay a £1000 off debt do early in the year.