Countdown to a Frugal Christmas, The Friendly Frugaleers still knitting,nattering and money saving!

[QuiteFabULousDahling]

New Fred

Hello!

Been to PILs today for lunch - it’s a phone- free zone unless showing photos to MIL so I’ve just caught up. Was out last night too.

Jam that was a lovely post about your DS. Your groundwork paid off and now he has to fend for himself he has all the resources he needs. It must be wonderful to see your kids soar. Great job you’ve done there! He sounds lovely.

I am sure I was going to comment on some other posts but my brain has gone blank .

My cold is fairly ghastly so I am in a bit of a fog. I went to the pub last night in spite of feeling awful as I didn’t want to cancel on my friend. It was a laugh so I’m glad I did. We both have ASD boys who are tricky so are a real support to one another. About £20 for 2 rounds.

This morning was rough - DS freaked out when he saw us loading the car to go to PILs (long story) but the end result was that we left an hour late, at 11.30am, after a couple of hours of screaming from the dc in relay, and with me not having managed breakfast or even a cup of tea 😬. Hey ho, that’s how it goes sometimes. MIL did a lovely lunch (complete with half avocados in the proper 1970s cut glass avocado dishes ). It was great but I couldn’t help noticing how much closer she is to my nephew than my dcs (DNephew and DD are just a few months apart). She looks after him occasionally but never my dc, so it will inevitably turn out like that, but I felt a bit of a twinge .

Just watching the Strictly results show. I didn’t get to see all of the dances last night but did see Ashley’s amazing jive. (Lonely, I agree about Charles btw!)

I need an early night but also need to email my accountant, tidy the shambles of ahouse for the Cleaner tomorrow and I may well get sucked in to another episode of Killing Eve

Ooh, sold a few bits on fb yesterday for £20, assuming they are collected tomorrow. Every little helps.

Oh and finally I bought a coat today for DS from Boden. A couple of weeks ago, when DH took him to a fireworks display, the zip on his winter coat (which was a bit dodgy) got completely stuck and DS was freaking out so we had to cut him out of it. It was on its 3rd winter anyway but I realised yesterday that it’s about to turn much colder and he doesn’t have a proper warm coat (I bought one from Sainsbury’s which was v nice quality but much too big so has gone back). Thanks to lovely Life for the £10 voucher, with a 20% off code as well that was £34, not too bad.

Cag, how are you doing these days? Thinking of you x

Fuuuuck. The washing machine just died on my watch. It was bought the same year as the dishwasher, so 8 or so. We recon it averages as a load a day.

So, through topcashback, via the co-op, Zannusi 10kg a+++ £299 - £17 on my co-op reward card, £2.1% cashback tracked, and fingers crossed for the 5% which may or may not go back on the co-op card (unsure). Will pay off over next 3 weeks £95 to credit card (as I'm paid weekly).

Will have a very stern word with the tumbler, which has been making an ominous grating noise for some time, that it can bloody well hang on until the new year!

Other than that huge white good mess up, it had been a nsd. Sigh.

Have been looking up natural ways to heal gastritis and stomach ulcers, cabbage juice is apparently the best thing 😒 just what I want for my bday week!! Also no sugar and no caffeine 😭😭😭 this will be a great way to lose weight though....

Weirdly some of the things I've been naturally drawn to are the right things like quinoa, broccoli, salmon chamomile tea so my body does know what's what it seems!

Girlie that's really interesting about the cabbage juice, because I get on like a house on fire with spring greens, which are just very young cabbages. They taste nice and sweet and I really do enjoy them. I just boil them and eat them.

How did you find the list of helpful foods? I'd be interested to read that too.

I haven't had sugar or caffeine for more than four years either. It's nice to know that I'm doing the right thing.

Has anybody heard from Wreck at all? It's really not like her to disappear like this.

Aargh I'm awake for past hour good thing I woke I guess I'd no alarms set.

My rewards on my ptsb card has tracked for Dunnes Stores so €10 coming back from just doing my grocery shop

Been shopping on newbridge jewellery site, chain my sis gave me for my 30th broke so I've ordered replacement, chain for DD's Communion & a engraved set of cutlery for dniece for Christmas, signed up for newsletter to get 10% off & it hasn't arrived yet so not checking out

Iceland have emailed 2x €5 off €20 spends for bonus club customers to mark their no palm oil campaign, I need steamfresh veg from there anyhow €1 dearer in Dunnes so not paying that so I'll spend at least one of the vouchers on thurs probably

Yesterday €8.60 in Lidl - doughnut each for dc & 28 cans of their red bull equivalent for my Christmas party night

€11.50 on takeaway for dd & I, ds slept the entire 3.5 hour car journey home. Noted that portions are so big that one portion will suffice for both dc next time too.

€6.35 on ice cream & choc for my brothers house, they made us Sunday roast dinner le yum

What's on your mind mammy.
Think I've seen wreck on the Christmas thread so she will be ok I'm sure.
Pleased the voucher was useful sea.

Very tired today. Seen to live in a permeant tired fog.
Nsd planned today (aren't they all) however never finished the food shop at Sainsbury's. Might get it delivered and just pay the charge

Happy Monday!

I’m awake. Nice and early. Ds woke up at 4...but dh managed to get him back to sleep.

This morning dparents are coming to pick up ds and they’re also dropping me into work so dh can have the car to get on with diy jobs. He’s off this week.

So I need to be ready by 730.

Should be nsd. Bank account is at £12. Payday on Wednesday.

Morning all. Rubbish sleep again, bloody hip. Hoping for a nsd

Happy frugal Monday everyone

What's the issue with your hip wolf? I keep getting a pain in my left hip but with everything else going on am trying not to worry about it too much!!

autumn I just googled natural ways to heal stomach ulcers and a few useful YouTube videos came up.

Last day at work today for nearly a week, thank goodness.

I miss wreck as well...

life I've written out a suggested calendar of weekend overnights for H until end of dc Christmas holidays as he's not responding at all to texts/solicitors letter suggesting setting structure to it so this probably has a bearing, plus I knew I'd to look at the boiler again this morning - success it's working but I'd lit a fire anyhow just in case. Cold dc can be managed but a cold au pair is a different story

life for energy to get out of that permanent fog I found siberian ginseng was fantastic two years ago after flu and last year I added revive active(they've 25% off for black friday if you wanted to try it) but siberian ginseng is a much cheaper option about €8 for a months supply in supermarket, beeline healthcare is the brand I use, it's in a red box.

I miss lots of regular posters

ThanksGirlie.

Hang in there life, I know you’ve got a lot of shit going down there at work etc. Worth taking an iron supplement? Which reminds me.....

seacow, do you mind if I ask if your PIL are less close to your DC due to simply not seeing so much of them, or due to your DS’s SEN? Either way, it gives you that tinge of disappointment every time you notice it, I know this too. Smiled at the avocado, they are probably retro chic though these days!

I’m really pleased about the Iceland no palm oil policy mammy.

quite reckon the right person was voted off last night?

unescorted, it’s perfect running weather isn’t it? I actually prefer the colder weather than the heat of summer.

Does the hip often give you pain often wolf?

Hoping for an NSD today and I’ve a busy week coming up.

I signed up for newbridge silverware newsletter to avail of 10% off my first order. Got dnieces personalised cutlery for Christmas - they're engraved niece's fork, niece's spoon etc and dd a communion pendant, didn't like the one watch they had so didn't purchase that and a replacement chain for myself - bill after discount €47.25.

Morning,

life I got really run down a few years ago and my gp recommended a really good quality multivit to help. The sales person at Holland and Barrett said that the best type to get are the ones formulated for the ahem ‘older’ customer. Simply because they have more of certain things in them like iron. Worth a shot?

Cashed in my Nectar points this weekend as it was their double up event. Got 4 bottles of Prosecco and only paid £2! V pleased.

life I'd second the supplement advice & just trying to get some fresh air & exercise each day if you can. I find even just a short walk helps.
Christmas hope you're feeling better.
Mammy hope you managed to get back to sleep, I hate those middle of the night wakings.
Busy day of organising planned but will be good if I get everything done. Just found out I passed the exams I sat 2 weeks ago . So relieved, hopefully that will give me the boost I need to keep going with the rest of it. Jam thanks for asking, had a more productive day yesterday, but I've decided I'm going to try to do at least an hour a night so that I don't need to do so much at the weekends. I felt like I wasted a weekend of beautiful weather.

That's brilliant north! Well done.

Mammy I might give the ginseng a go myself. I’m already on the multivitamins and top up with vit d and magnesium

Jam and Girlie the hip is arthritic (not the only bit of me that is), it’s currently niggling quite a bit at night. It will pass

As well as Wreck has anyone see Laska?

North well done that’s fab news

I must get some vitamin d spray, I've not taken it in months. I take magnesium sporadically, must be more consistent with it as it really helps my sleep but so does my pillow spray, when I thought of it at 4.15am I was asleep in no time at all!

Well done north

Great bargain curly
Good work on your machine too lonely and fantastic planning on repaying it.

My cuz has transferred her cost of our trip away at weekend so that's going into cc repayment fund, it was charged to cc initially anyhow.

CC2 only one with interest now statement came through at weekend - interest was over €50 a month, this month it was almost halved and next month should be even less again. Determined to get credit card debt free by the time interest free period ends on CC1.

Spends today - £55 on duncles Christmas present. Ordered online from M&S. Haven’t done much today. All senior staff are in meeting all morning. So have taken a break to do it. Via top cashback too.

Lovely colleague is having a birthday tomorrow so she just popped out for pastries. I was tempted by a danish the size of my face.

I’m struggling to keep up with housework at present. Am trying to get a half hour a day plus a load of washing done but am falling behind. Turns out toddlers are messy....

Dh does take ds to fils for a couple of hours every Sunday now which is nice. I use the excuse of cleaning to get out of going. Fil isnt bad it’s just he doesn’t do conversation well....

Wolf if it's arthritic have you tried glucosamine?
Curls great frugal win on the prosecco.
lonely at least you're in a much better position to manage the washing machine expense now. Still crap when it happens though.

Day off today, no study being done. Small freezer in kitchen being defrosted, to be followed by chest freezer in garage & big list of all contents to be made. Fridge also needs a clean & sorting through. Meeting dh this afternoon for a spot of Christmas shopping.

Am going to M&S at lunchtime and am buying cushions for bedroom. Lovely blush pink cushions. Dh May or may not like them. But meh. Also need another grey king size base sheet for our bed.

Just seen that local dept store has an offer on with Bobbi Brown. It’s yheir 5 year anniversary being in said store. So if you go in and spend £50 you get a goody bag worth £75. Grrrrrr. Want. But don’t need. Not even a little bit.

Grrr... I keep forgetting to use Quidco or Topcashback in my rush to purchase bargains. Just bought some Converse for £14.99 (4 pairs obviously to get free delivery) now who can I give them to 🙈. Everyone likes Converse - right? 😜