Festive frugaleering - Merry Christmas, and a happy 2019 to you all.

[AutumnLeaves12]

Welcome to the new thread!

Have had a lovely last day with dd1 before she goes to back to Edinburgh.
She treated us to pizza, love my girl x
I had to buy milk today £1.10

Morning, hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I was working Christmas Day and still have this terrible cough so it’s been a bit of a wash out for me, but the ds have enjoyed it and loved all their presents so I’m not too bothered.

I am on the fence with the stockpiling. I think it’s sensible to have some extra of the essentials put away but where do you draw the line? I think I would end up sharing my stash as I know I couldn’t sit with months of food whilst someone else I knew was going hungry... so I’d need to convince everyone I know to do the same in order for it to work for me 🤔

Frugal plans for next year are to tighten up on the food shopping by making sure I use up what we already have and meal planning strictly again. Also would like to try and decrease our energy bills as they are through the roof...

Top frugal tip for me is always using cash back sites. I am amazed at how few people I know in real life do this. I have earned over £150 since last December with very little effort.

Cag we have Amazon unlimited music at £14.99 a month for the family subscription I think it’s worth it and both my ds love their Echo/Dots.

Actually if you pay for tha Amazon music yearly it’s £149.99 so you save almost £30. I have no idea why I don’t just do this - might wait until February as think January is going to be a tight month.

I agree re bar soap. It does last ages and the dcs can't waste it or make a mess with it like liquid soap.
Also washing powder instead of liquid. A big box of supermarket own brand lasts a few months and we do a load a day. Although Brum has very soft water so we don't need much at a time either. I'm planning to experiment with dishwasher powder instead of tablets as I hate that they are individually wrapped in plastic. Might also be cheaper. Would we need to buy all those extras like rinse aid though?

That's exactly why I got bar soap here snuggly as ds used a whole bottle of soap one day. Haven't switched to it in the shower yet though.

I recently switched in the shower too. Current bar of soap has been going for ages. I've switched to shampoo bars too.

Well done for working Christmas born. Your patients must appreciate you so much.

Getty offered me a contract to sell my images through them, but it would only be 25% royalites which seems an awfully small number.

WFH this morning, DC seeing pals then national trust this afternoon. Dh wants tea out so probably £40 there

25% of how much though autumn?
What figure were you hoping for?

We don't really speak of Brexit much at work. I like the debates.

Frugal tip, get a good travel mug for tea on the move.

Ooh yes must get DH another contigo. He left his at another store when covering there and it never got returned. Thought it too expensive to replace straight away but it would’ve paid for itself several times already.

I’d probably go with 25% being better than nothing for the picture.

We’ve switched back to powder in the washing machine as I read it’s better for the pipes.

Also sometimes use soap bars, mum got me a couple of handmade ones from a friend - one was a jelly one. They are amazing, and I’m pondering learning to make them myself with the Caglets at some point. I like the idea of shampoo bars, however we all use Vosene in the interest of lice prevention (there’s an issue with a friend who never sorts her kids... sigh) so I’m reluctant to give that up. If that specific one came in bar form I’d use it for sure.

Won’t be NSD, DH is taking DS to see Bumblebee, DSS is joining them (he has an unlimited card) for a boy’s day ❤️ and DD is going swimming with a friend. I’m having a couple of friends over so we might get a takeaway or something.

Cold here this morning. 3 degrees. Brrrrr

I bought contigo mugs for me and dh. They are amazing. 😀

That’s my frugal tip I think, try and book advance for as much as you can. Things like cinema tickets are often cheaper if you sign up online, even with booking fees, and the odd quid here and there adds up. I have all my DSCs’ unlimited cards stored on there too, so when they are joining us it’s easy to still book seats together.

Definitely agree with cashback, even for things like takeaways it might be a quid or so but again, better than nothing

life tbh I think my images are so specialist that I'd be better selling them myself directly. I'll just stick with doing that.

DH has a Costa mug, it's actually excellent!

Aldi do non wrapped dishwasher tablets snuggly, I break mine in half too (tip from fluffy). They are cheap as chips anyway. We have soft water and I use no salt or rinse aids at all.

Spends today will be
£60 Sainsbury's (including milk for work next week, claiming back).
£18 nails
££££ meal out with friends tonight but one owes me some money from a refund.

Going back early Curvy your Dd?

My new thing recently looking at DP, when buying a bargain off amazon set the delivery date to the following weekend. You then have time to cancel the order and decide if you really need the "bargain"

Also keep the tags on and receipts for new clothes. If you haven't worn them within 2/3 weeks, you obviously don't like/need them. So return them!

I should do that with books Love. I buy books that seem like a good idea and then lie unused for months.

Which ones in Aldi have no wrappers Jam? The ones I normally get in there do. I've been using Ecover ones lately in a bid to be a bit more environmentally friendly but they are all wrapped. Also 7 quid for all very small box!

Morning. happier we built him a bed which goes wall to wall, it fits a (very good) shorty matress, so 5'9" only! We figure it will last him until some of the dd's move out (he is 9.5 yrs younger than dd1) then he can move rooms for a bigger bed (if he gets that tall!). Will tag a snap of bed with current grubby wall. The wee monkey is currently asleep in my space, in my bed!

unescorted I think it's because my lot were roadies. We ran pretty much all the British Cycling road races around our area in 2916 and 17. I was always the one doing the signing on and making teas.

I never check out an amazon basket on impulse anymore! I leave it a few days. I do pay for amazon prime, more for the tv than the delivery now, and must cancel audio, as I don't use it so much anymore, but it is good if you do.

Right, sorting to do today.

Dh thinks the Getty library may be a good idea, but I need to read 13 pages of terms and conditions to sign up. That's really a lot, and unfortunately it does matter. 13 pages is more than I am built to read. Hmmm.

I only use Johnson's baby shampoo because when my hair had red colour through it anything else would strip the colour, even shampoo for coloured hair I do buy when it's reduced though so shampoo bars not really an option I think.

My water is so hard I still need salt & rinse aid with the tablet in dishwasher, the daisy powder did work well though bring it back Tesco

Autumn if you can sell your images yourself for more obviously do that but otherwise 25% is better than zero

Sounds like a lovely day cag
My dm said I always came back from a particular friend's house with head lice, they had 7 dc and ran a pub maybe didn't have time for checking for head lice
At least you've something to look forward to at end of the day life
Dsis suggested takeaway to me last night but I was in the middle of round 2 of Christmas dinner at the time so declined, my waistline & budget will thank me for it

Lonely bed looks great, I only ask as I'll be buying a smaller house than this and will need ideas I'm sure.

Pisses me right off TBH life it’s a right PITA to have to check so often because they can’t be bothered to 🙄 I am very paranoid about them as my hair is super thick.

I love my speaker 😍 I’m listening to Anthony Hopkins’ album which is amazing. He’s autistic too, only diagnosed as an adult. Love him!

I’m feeling proper floopy. Forgot my tablet yesterday and had one whole can of premixed archers and lemonade. All 250ml of it. I am a lightweight. 😳😳😳

Sorry I meant happier

Morning all. Some great tips so far. Definitely agree with the Contigo, mine cost £14 and must easily have saved me £50 between drinks when I’m at ds’s activities and working away. I could save more if I took it more often so there’s something to think about.
Definitely not payday today so will have to limp along until Monday. Need £3 today for parkin g at the rspb if I can convince ds to get dressed. He flat refused yesterday and it looks like today is going the same way, the fact there’s a walk in it is not helping! Also need bread or baps for sandwiches

I never use the recommended amount of washing liquid. I’d love to get behind the soap one but I’ve never found a bar soap that doesn’t aggravate my exzema

The room is the 4th, in a 3bed! The "master" ran front to back and we took a bit for a craft room for me! It is squeeny, but has a v big window.

I just checked out my amazon basket...piping bags, wall stickers and a new hard drive for dp. £106, so I checked PayPal, v pleased to find £670 in there sofa sofa sofa so transferred £150, and paid £110 off cc to offset the amazon order. If I do this every time I will not incure new debt on cc.

And voilà, now my cookie pop up adverts are colourful underwater sticker decals!