Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Festive frugaleers saving through to the new year!

999 replies

SnugglySnerd · 11/12/2018 07:53

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
25
Wolfcub · 11/12/2018 21:38

Em I’m desperate to see Hamilton too. Some of the songs are fantastic

Wrote my commendation for the boss today. Very emotional writing it but it is done and big boss will sort it out.

ememem84 · 11/12/2018 21:43

Dh said re the opening number of Hamilton “its a bit 8 mile isn’t it?” Then they burst into full musical theatre wonderful ness. So it’s a must see for me. The mix of musical theatre and hip hop etc. Fab. U. Lous.

The last musical I saw was the Book of Mormon which was incredible. But not for the faint hearted or easily offended (do not you tube spooky Mormon hell dream....). I would not take Dm to see this. She would explode.

I took her to see Tim Minchin once. She didn’t really like some of the language. She told me off when he played the pope song....(I forgot it might be in the set....Oopsy). She most enjoyed we will rock you though.

LonelyOversharer · 11/12/2018 22:20

Firstly quite please don't disappear, your posts keep this thread very balanced ♥️

And second, if anyone should or possibly ever could be put out by her post, then it's me, because that is what I did, and I have lost all benefit from my career AND I AM NOT PUT OUT AT ALL

I became a sahp without thought, closed the lid on my fucking excellent job. No safety net, no pension, no NI contributions...no money, no food. Been there, done that.

In fact I second quite do not give up work completely if you have worked hard for your career, because you never know what is going to happen. Could I have foretold my ex would be living with another woman when I was newly pg with dd3? That I made the choice to keep her? That I had to sell my small holding and rehome my dog and move with a 3 day old baby?

For right now we have to cross everything that nothing happens to me, as we have no safety net . I am working on it.

Anyway...just little spends today. £6 in the co-op on snacks and milk (and used a 50p off coupon), and £24 on a pressie for my dad, will get £18 refunded from Amazon though, as they sent the wrong size twice so I ordered direct from the companies website instead. Funny joke present is now just annoying me!

Night all xxx Hope those babies sleep x

Bornlazy · 12/12/2018 00:08

Lsd today bought wrapping paper and some Christmas bags. Started on the wrapping presents tonight, but couldn’t be arsed having to get everything out of the hiding places so was a half hearted attempt.

Autumn your circumstance are very different and nobody is judging you for the choices that you’ve made. Your ds was quite a lot of work as a baby and it is completely understandable that you wouldn’t want to leave him to go to work especially if you had to travel to do your job. As I understand it you keep your hand in anyway with grants for various projects.

I think whatever works for you as a family is ok. I know some SAHP and they are happy enough with their situation ( both male and female)

Hope you all get a good nights sleep 😴

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/12/2018 06:28

Kit Your dh will help out though?.

Wolfcub · 12/12/2018 06:46

Happy frugal Wednesday everyone

northender · 12/12/2018 07:02

Good luck with the presentation today Christmas.
Nothing wrong in what Quite said & it was directed towards Em as had all our other comments, not to be taken personally by you Autumn.
Busy day ahead, need to get up & at 'em!

Wolfcub · 12/12/2018 07:10

Plusnet are really getting on my wick. I switched to them then cancelled the switch 24 hours later. They had taken an initial payment and assured me it would be refunded. I have now chased five or six times only to be sent a letter which says they can’t find a record of having taken a payment and I must send them my bank statement to prove it! Wankers

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/12/2018 07:13

Email the ceo. Their accounting isn’t up to much if they can’t find your payment.

LonelyOversharer · 12/12/2018 07:17

wolf what a pita. Guess they are covering themselves as lots of people must chance it. I could never switch to Plusnet, for the unbelievably obscure reason that the chap who does the adverts inexplicably makes my skin crawl!

I got woken up by dd3, who's garmin was showing the wrong time...um yes, it's probably still asleep! Have synced it and it's fine, but at 0620!!

I love coming downstairs to a festive living room! Counting the days now until the end of school/work and center parcs, still a secret

Quiteisnotinthedanceoff · 12/12/2018 07:41

Morning
Yes I was referring to em and her comments.

Actually Im glad it has triggered debate on this issue.
The irony is I was more or less a SAHP when mine were little as I only worked once a week(gradually increased) and DH was at home on that day.
Bit like Sea sometimes I had to burn the midnight oil and it was hard 😪
He negotiated this at work and it was unheard of for a man to make a request like this at the time .
Lonely actually I was happily blindly skipping along until a relative took me aside at a family event and asked me rather bluntly what I was doing about my pension and told me how I would lose out.
He pointed out what I needed to do(AVC) and so I did when youngest was 1.
And crap it was hard at times !
But Im so so glad and grateful to him for spelling it out to me and actually pointing out the issue.
He dropped dead in front of his wife a few years later Sad
What she discovered then was that he had set things up so that she would never worry about money -he protected her completely .
So grateful to him .
Lonely you are awesome Flowers
You have been through so much and look at where you are now !
And you knit camels Grin
So yeah I think this is an issue that needs to be discussed-read the pensions thread if you get a minute .
Lots of women who have been shafted by circumstances and a whole generation who overnight had their state pension age changed.
Wont be a NSD as I need fruit and petrol .
Have a good one !

AutumnLeaves12 · 12/12/2018 07:53

Thanks born, I really appreciate your comments. You seem to get where I am. I'm grateful for that. Flowers

i'm having the shittest of all shit weeks, and all the kind of real special stuff that can't be said on MN.

AutumnLeaves12 · 12/12/2018 08:03

I hear you on the pension and life insurance. I will look into it.

SneakyGremlinsBrokeTheSleigh · 12/12/2018 09:19

Morning all!

Aldi today. Could be spendy. And a takeaway later but that's only £6!

AutumnLeaves12 · 12/12/2018 09:27

I'm on Christmas card and school-teacher-present-buying duty today. Must actually do that.

Happierwithouthim · 12/12/2018 09:36

First Christmas Tip today - €50 - it'll pay for my car valet tomo Grin

Girliefriendlikesflowers · 12/12/2018 09:38

Morning all, bit of a crap night here as dds cough kept her (and me!) awake a lot, have had to keep her off school again which i really didn't want to do but she's not well enough to go in. The pediatrician did listen to her chest ystd and said it's upper respiratory but I'm wondering if I should take her back to the dr anyway. Kids are such a worry!!

Anyway I was meant to do some training at work which I'll have to cancel, would have been extra money so a shame.

Thatsnotmybaby · 12/12/2018 10:37

Updated spends from yesterday:
£68 DH Christmas gift

I've worked part time since having DC and I feel so lucky that I can do that; I think I would really struggle with having to work full time and really really struggle with being a SAHP Grin.
Everyone's situation is so different though; we all tend to compare ourselves with others, particularly others who are at similar life stages to us, but in reality I don't know any one person whose circumstances are exactly the same as mine and I think that's true of most people.

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/12/2018 11:22

Sea Noooo, in a how did no one see you when your doing that right next to a house with paper thin walls and a policeman passing by every 15 mins 🤔

I have broken even on my matched betting. So, no money lost & lesson learned. I was going to buy an acrylic stag decoration we both like in John Lewis with the money if I’d done it properly. It’s £25 and never comes up in the sales.

£12.50 nectar points released for dhs card. I am still 100 nectar points away on my account from £27.50. Grrr.

SnugglySnerd · 12/12/2018 12:21

Another night disturbed by endless coughing here too. I don't think I have ever been so tired as this week.

OP posts:
ememem84 · 12/12/2018 13:01

Spends £23 in oasis sale on a skirt and a top for Christmas party on Saturday. The skirt is a full on sequin fest. And is stretchy. Knee length. Top is black tie neck silk.

Have told the two directors I work most closely with my news. And my counterpart here. Feeling a bit lightheaded here today so figured best let them know. Plus I have a midwife appointment next week I’ll need time off for. And would otherwise have to make the time up. But now I don’t. Yay.

Bornlazy · 12/12/2018 13:10

snuggly you are having a really tough time of it. Could you maybe take turns of wearing earplugs and sleeping in a different room/ couch at the weekend so you are getting at least one full nights sleep?

Wrongwayup · 12/12/2018 13:38

found you all

NursieBernard · 12/12/2018 13:47

Still reading but finding time to post is difficult.

em Congratulations on your news. My eldest Ds's are 360 days apart!

£50 from Santander in response to my email to the CEO Grin

Picking up a late shift as overtime so must dash.

SneakyGremlinsBrokeTheSleigh · 12/12/2018 13:48

Today's spend!

Festive frugaleers saving through to the new year!