Festive frugaleers saving through to the new year!

[SnugglySnerd]

New thread! Tried to post on the old one and it was full. Newcomers welcome!

Spends today £7 Waterstones on books for ds. And £45 white stuff on a jumper for Dm. It’s not a colour she would usually go for. But I think she’ll like it.

Hope you're all well. I'm feeling more festive today although I have one more day of work tomorrow before a few weeks of holiday (during which I'll be running after ds on my own every day while his childminder has a rest!).

Meal plan for this week:
Yesterday: Ratatouille with rice
Today: Leftover Thai curry and dahl with rice
Tomorrow: Indian curry (DH will cook!)
Thursday: Mexican refried beans tortillas
Friday: aubergine pesto & cannelini bean pasta
Saturday: DH to cook stir fry with fancy tofu
Sunday: Rice veg butter bean casserole

Really must go to sleep now! Sweet dreams all.

so much money spent. Another bloody visitor from overseas. I can’t face totting up what’s been spent. I’m going to make 2019 a NSY.

Spent nearly £7 at work on food today despite bringing coffee and some rice cakes from home. My excuse is that I need to eat more/more often than I plan sometimes because I'm still breastfeeding regularly.

Yes cag, it is! You went very flat for a while there, you sound more back to your normal posting style, which is great xx

That’s my excuse too moi :o

What books did you get em? I’ve got a few That’s Not My books, including squirrel because she’s obsessed with the one in our garden! Some other usborne stuff with moving parts etc (friend sells them cheaply), and some Sandra Boynton books that we used to have when the others were tiny. One I had to get used from USA but still only a fiver and I am so excited :o

Aww thank you lonely 💐

Back to my orders. A reminder that Amazon isn’t always best, I just found the same book on there for £20 and on eBay for £7.40 I must remember always to check!

Morning all. Happy frugal Wednesday. I am soooo tired, last day of work though so just need to push on through

Morning everyone laska thanks I love my username too

I'm still tired from my night out sat night & work is busy can't wait for Friday
Fell asleep last night with my jumper from the day still on, so cosy but now I'll need to find something else for work today

H text me on Monday that we just talk about the dc presents, i exploded a week before Christmas! A flurry of texts have been exchanged regarding money now & solicitors & selling the house.
This is not how I wanted to discuss it but he caught me on a low ebb on mon still suffering from sat night, my hangover decided to wait until mon to appear.
I told him I cut back on groceries to fund Santa which is not entirely honest I didn't buy groceries one week because we had plenty & then used that money

Yesterday was a NSD, today will be too.

Happier I think what you said was accurate. You spent less than you would normally have done and paid for presents 🎁

cag he’s got that’s not my monkey, an usborne farm lift the flap touchy feely book and a noisy zoo one. Yay. And a wooden farm. Haven’t bought him anything else because I just didn’t know what to get and he doesn’t need anything. And he has so much already.

Quick check of bank account and have moved money back to savings. It’s payday on Friday. Yay. So can cope with £10 in my account until then.

People at work were kicking off yesterday that we haven’t been paid early. I prefer not being paid early if I’m honest. In my old job we usually got paid on 26th of the month. In December we got paid two weeks early. WHich meant a very long wait until January payday!

Now it’s the 21st. So still before Christmas. I’m pretty sure that last a couple of years ago we were paid a couple of days early but that really makes no difference.

Lonely Don't worry, m'dear, lovely dGP has this in hand. He's a clever chap, and clever enough even to fix eccentric inventors.

However, I would like to have more light in my inventing room. There's almost no light in here just now and it's like a cave. I wonder if some of my frugaleered money could get me a new window so I don't get year-round-SAD from inventing?

Em they're people that don't budget or else are living very much paycheck to paycheck.

H wanted to pay me back in a gift card he received from work bonus. I've done a bit of research & dds Communion dress could be bought with it so that would free up funds to pay for her communion day so might suggest that.

I don't want to get up but need to as no lunches packed & need to get gym bag organised too, might swim though so will pack for both. It's raining again ☔️ 🌧 ☔️

That chicken recipe sounds lovely girlie. I'd certainly do that for the DH and DS.

cag - please be you, don't change. I like that you are you.

Hey laska, good to see you post. It all seems entirely normal emotion to me. Are you still Hushing? I haven't for ages, I've seriously cut back on clothes in general.

tayto Sainsbury's gave me a candle!

lonely you and me both.....

Fabulous news q, that's just the best timing before Christmas too.

Last day at work today, like you wolf. I'm knackered too.

Will be a LSD.

Financial aims for 2019.

Short term
Get back into the habit of recording spends as they happen, these last two months I've done it weekly and I prefer the former.
Drop 2/3 direct debits that DH set up as he can't resist a charity worker in a shopping centre...
Probably sell a few bits.
Not forget TBC et al.
Shop around more - time constraints are costing.
Overall direct debits and contracts in general.
Downsize the car therefore associated costs.

Longer.
Chuck more at the mortgage, we've paid an impressive amount down in 7 years by prioritising this goal.
Chuck more at the pension but that's slightly covered by work.
Find a savings plan with good returns but not an ISA, my shares investment is being hammered at present because of the global uncertainty. I need a place for future possible savings.

That's fancy nursery food Em! Ours get shepherds pie or fishcakes.

Last nights offerings

They're amazing lonely

That's lovely lonely.

btw, thanks for the encouragement to set boundaries with my blokes 'n' all. I am paying closer attention to it esp ds. I'm also learning to set boundaries on here though, so am doing that by zipping it.

That’s the weirdest food he’s had at nursery. To be fair it wasn’t the Penang curry that I found wierd. Octopus yes.

Today he’s having chicken Alfredo pasta and yummy veggies. Then watermelon. Then tuna wraps for tea.

They send the menu out every week and I didn’t spot seafood curry. Fish curry I wouldn’t have batted an eye at. I’m just amazed he ate it. He is a good eater but this is one of the weirdest things he’s eaten. Apparently he picked up the baby octopus and pulled its legs off.

20% off studio ghibli films on amazon today Cag

😁 at DS pulling legs of octopus em

I have read back, but forgotten everything. Super tired as homeward journey from day out in London yesterday went wrong.

for all.

Ooh evil temptress wolf! Mind you I think I heard some DVD boxes (you know that rattly plastic sound) in my present bag, so I’d best not :o

I’ve been disappointed in the lack of board game offers. I’m in a couple of US based game groups and they seem to be getting tons of amazing deals on Amazon US since Black Friday. 😡

I’m also annoyed as Organ Attack became available at a decent price, and I didn’t get it, and now it’s gone again. Such a fun game and would be great as an add on to our massive human biology project.

Yeah I’m definitely sounding more like me aren’t I... games again... 😳😂

You do sound more yourself cag. Hope you have a happy Christmas in your new home

Hope all you workers who are almost finished get to relax and get your Christmas groove on soon! It’s my last working day today but I’ve only got about half a day to do, then a few Christmas cards and other bits of admin to fit round it. I am hiding away from Clingy DD in Costa today as she’s home with DM.

LSD yesterday - just £3 on coffee with a friend.

Tired as I’ve had 3 lots of people round for meals in 4 days and now fancy a rest! But am gearing up for Christmas, must meal Plan the whole week and update the Ocado shop because it’s only really Christmas Eve and day stuff and already over £200 The very good news is that the spare part for my oven has arrived and they are coming to fix it tonight (fingers firmly crossed that it works!) . I’ve not really been able to plan food without knowing whether I’d have an oven

Just spent £62 in the Mothercare sale for DD. Bought staples like cardigans, socks and PJs in bigger sizes to stash, mostly around 50% off. Quite pleased with that. I’ll keep an eye out for stuff for DS too. There’s some lovely JL trousers he has that I’m hoping will go into the sale so I can stash some bigger ones. Much of the DCs clothes are Sainsbury’s but I buy some nicer bits in the sales when the opportunity arises. I am being sorely tempted right now by Frugi...

Now, I am fed up of spending money on Christmas crackers only for no one to want the gift, however posh or otherwise. Do you lot buy crackers? I’m thinking of buying the £4 pack from Tesco’s and will squeeze a choc and maybe lottery ticket in each one for the adults. Much better I think. Though I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in years, I’m not even sure what to ask for!

Ive been such an advocate of YNAB for tracking spending , haven't I ? but due to the stress of the last few months I've realised that i haven't actually made any entries since October!!and have just spent willy nilly, not really taking any notice of it all. Had a bit of a shock yesterday looking at it (4 new tyres didnt help as )I tried to pay another bill and it would have put me overdrawn.. ..

But am waiting for an incoming cheque to clear to its all ok but its made me realise that I need to try and get back to some normality/normal life even if its just doing the bank accounts .

so Ive just spent a ( not very happy ) hour reconciling one account .. I now have the house account to do , which is going to take longer I reckon..

Just Hi there ! (I still want to all you by your old name) , I hope you and yours are well.. I have been on the Hush thread , but not really buying.. I needed a new coat for the funeral ( as nothing suitable) , but that came from elsewhere .otherwise , no.. Ive been spending most of my money on travel/ staying over while DM was ill, and also helping out my DS , who had finished on temp contract and then got another , which didn't quite pay the bills.. He has another one now ( which hopefully will turn into something permanent at last , which will do so once he gets paid.... Its been so difficult , as pretty much every job it seems advertised is only offered temporary..

Does anybody know what to do with the two weird looking shirts that come with the one nice one in a Next packet of three? I just bought two sets for dh and now have four shirts that are bright enough to cause seizures.

Do you think Ebay?