First Frugalling month of 2018 almost done , so Forging forward into Feb we go

[Laska5772]

...and here we go !
Welcome all!

I meant to bake for work tomorrow. Cba so I think I will buy instead. It's scones. Means I won't eat as I don't like shop bought.
Also means I have too much ingredients but it will get used in sure.

Popped to town and ended up spending £33 in poundstretcher, bought a massive box of washing powder, other toiletries a few summer bulbs and some party bag fillers.

I think I need to join up! I'm not in the UK; so prices will vary, but today we've spent a fair bit on random shite. Which I'm stopping. Have a few of dhs random food impulse buys knocking about so I've done a strict meal plan for next week. Was pleased that it's come to $32 (at Coles) and $15 at the local market, haven't bought it yet but have ordered with Coles and paid for it and done a prepaid order for the market, I'll be collecting towards the end of next week.

I'm trying to do price comparisons for the electric because I'm not sure how much it actually is compared to other providers but there aren't many providers here and they don't seem to want to compete!

Have tried to cut down my internet package but don't think I can - I can only get "naked" ADSL and there are only two providers. One provides 500gb of internet (won't touch the sides) at $69.95 per month and the other provides a full tv package and some pretty quick unlimited data at $75 a month for the first 3 months and $100 a month thereafter. So I'm a bit stuck with that!

Car insurance is as cheap as it can be ($300 a year fully comp) cheaper than the UK as insurance is built into your car reg fees, any extra you choose to pay so they don't have you over as much as a barrel (ie they know you can just do without if it's too expensive!).
Going to sit down with DH and talk about his random expenditure. He doesn't take the car to work but will end up getting a cab to the nearest town to buy a "few bits" on his 3hr lunch break. This is costing us anywhere up to $150 a time!
Hopefully I can get him to knock it on the head!

Thanks for having me and may we have many NSDs!

Sorted my energy change. Allegedly saving £220 per year but that looks like it's based on STD tarrif

cag yes! I only need to oay £132 in voluntary class2 NI. I kniw I don't have to fo this, but will. I also have figures done up to december, so will try to do the next one in April too. Can we all remind each other??

It actually feels good to be back on the board, so to speak. No tax yet (only used 1/3 allowance) but will do all I can this year to do better!

No more spends today, nice tea at my sisters, and cake was good too. Sold a £55 helmet on ebay, every sale helps! I will spend an hour a day from now on listing ebay stuff. Boring, but I have to get all this stuff gone.

Crikey, didn't reread that. I cleary can't type tonight!

no spending here today but I haven't done much else but plop and read.I definitely have the grim cold.. ..

Actually that s not quite true i had to take DH to the ferry , the one furthest away as the trains are not running on the line he usually uses. so 40 mile round trip in that car .. he drove there though..

£10 to fix the fence, the gales have broken it.

It'll need new gate posts eventually.

Fence posts

€3.60 on paracetamol & chocolate
My appetite is awful at the moment

Doctor tomo morn going to take dd also, double appt €60 medicine ??

Read The Good Mother by Sinead Moriarty, dd read title and said but aren't all mothers good mothers, I didn't correct her. I'm not an emotional person but being ill and it being a sad book I shed a few tears

Fluffy £10! You are lucky - mine came down in the wind & it cost £75 to fix - fence post broke off &new one had to be concreted in!

Ours is a patch job, it needs a new post. Our gardens a bog down there & its rotted the wood. As Dh walked up the lawn it squelches.

I just fitted everything from today in the dishwasher. Can't usually do that when we've all been in all day. So satisfying dh would never have managed it

theoatmeal.com/comics/dishwasher

Woah this moves fast.

fluffy I’m still not au fait with matched betting. I always wuss out. But strangely do “normal” betting when I have one of those “hey you haven’t used betfair for a while here’s a free £2 bet” emails/offers. Then just bet the winnings if any and take the cash out ASAP.

Today has been a nsd. We went for lunch with fil and gf. It was nice lunch. But man she’s hard work. Not as hard work as mil. Mil is sneaky and vindictive. Dh and I got to the hotel first (it’s somewhere I wanted to try as they do “slunch” (long leisurely Sunday lunches) and so I booked it and suggested the place) we sat in the bar with ds and ordered drinks. It’s a 30 minute walk from our place so we walked with ds in the pushchair. Dh has said he was paying for lunch. I ordered a nice glass of champagne. Dh and I had words this morning about my stress levels and I agreed that maybe I’m drinking too much - not alcoholic level- but more than I’d usually do. A g&t or a wine every night this week. Not good for me and probably isn’t helping me sleep. Starting tomorrow no booze for a month. And I’m going to the gym. Need to work out my head and I do this best by working out.

Gf clocks my champagne and wanted to know what we were celebrating. I said nothing I just fancied it. She made sure to make sure that I hadn’t put it on the table bill. Ffs. I hadn’t. And am more than happy to pay for my own drinks. But you don’t need to make it awkward.

Anyway. Fil asked how the house was going. Dh told him we’d acceoted an offer. Fil said that he wanted to know whether we’d be interested in buying his house. In 2 years time. He’d then live with gf in her house and they’d give bils a chunk of cash. Fil would sell to us for a set price. Dh said thank you. But we’d acveoted an offer already.

Fil said that in that case when he sells he’ll keep half the sales proceeds. And will divide the remainder into 3 to give to bils and “you” I knew he meant dh. But gf made it very clear that it was just to go to dh. Not dh and me. Keep the inheritance in the family.

I know she’s been divorced and I know fil has as well and they’ve both been fleeced by ex partners. So I know why she said it. But ffs. No need to. Fil looked awkward.

All in all. Nice lunch.

Now in bed watching stranger things.

None of my eBay things sold. Sigh.

Tomorrow will be spent sorting stuff. And trying to get ds to day nap.

fluffy loading the dw is dh's job but he fell asleep putting dd to bed so I thought I would do that and let him clear up all of ds' toy vehicles/roadworks from the kitchen floor!

Oh well that sounds fun catface people are so weird.

catface I like the sound of slunch and champagne, I am not so keen on the sound of the girlfriend, unnecessarily rude and unpleasant from your description.

Game playing afternoon and trip to Lidl where the shelves were bare and we somehow managed to spend £30 on nothing, I really should not take dh and ds with me.

Brinner for dinner. The mushrooms were past it so I found a recipe for New York hash which had the advantage of using up my sad potatoes and one of my sad courgettes. It was very tasty.

NSD. DH and I are going to attempt to stick to a groceries budget each month. We're not including nappies or formula as they are non-negotiable. We're not starting this month. We're going to track what we spend for a month (we do this anyway but we're going to subtract nappies, formula and also things like dishwasher tablets and tampons) then set ourselves a realistic weekly budget for the main shopping plus a little extra for top-ups.

NSD

That sounded like a fun lunch catface. Why people choose to have such conversations like that at nice occasions is beyond me

cag DD keeps asking what day the jojo bows are being delivered. She is quite excited. I think I may have to embrace them

Hope you feel better soon laska and sunny and mammy and everyone else who is sick

On day 12 of my cold now. Very fed up and my ears hurt and feel all blocked, probably from having this cold for so long.

My now tv got cut off mid programme. And because of auto renewal or something that didn’t really make sense, it will take two hours to allow me to add on a new voucher

merry welcome. I can still smell Coles from when I was a kid. Posher than Franklins, it had a really serene feel to it.
Get your tax returns done! Otherwise you will end up with a higher tax bill than Amazon.
Cag thanks. This year is so shit so far. It can only improve.

I keep reading jojo bows as blow jobs at first glance think I need to go to bed

Wreck 😱😂

Three NSDs this end, sorry for not posting sooner, RL stuff going on, great but very busy, will read thread fully on my day off tomorrow.

Just had to do a Google search to discover what jojo bows are Hope my DD doesn't take a liking to them as they're awful!