New year frugalling commences. Save those pennies for January

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New Fred.

em I can hardly believe that you are going back to work already.. Seems only a short while since I read that you were expecting again..

Welcome @pemberleypearl @TheresNeverEnoughCheese @isitpossibleto @marblesgoing @BuddhaAtSea

Laneboy hi 

Em I'm also keeping self care - hair/beautican & Spotify is something I'm now including too, I like music, dc like music, it's €2.50 a week 

Been frugally splitting timber into kindling for the fire. I now have enough for a few weeks done. And have emptied one of the wheelie bins which had timber in so all is in one bin now. Think I've enough for this season there & will worry about next winter when it's September/October

Dd & dm are idling in bed, ds has a Nutella covered face in sitting room.
I didn't get up until 12 but have a wash on, two more washes sorted, kitchen bin emptied & sorted, turf for tonight's fire in. Stopping for brunch now & then want to go into wood pellet silo, empty ashes, put away laundry around the place, and generally tidy up. Play room needs tackling, think I'll leave that until tomo.

Em take the pressure off with mortgage for a while. I checked out the interest difference paying mortgage over 30 years vs 20 years €20k  I'm hoping I can save the difference in a fund so that I can pay off earlier but it's there if there's a family related emergency, and if my finances change that I'm not under pressure.

I currently pay €1600 monthly into joint account. If I continue to do this - well into a bills account €600/€450 for mortgage, life insurance €15 house insurance €30 my half of au pair money €250 critical illness cover €52, internet €25 tv license 13.33, Netflix €12 Spotify €10 school bus €70(my share) au pair car insurance €30(my half) au pair fuel €20 au pair car tax €30 leaving approx €600 for food & clothing for dc & not accounting for maintenance or child benefit.
I should be ok

HNY - ya all. I have a heavy hangover. My NY resolution is to get out of bed before it gets dark.

It is fab to see so many new faces @pemberleypearl @TheresNeverEnoughCheese @isitpossibleto @marblesgoing @BuddhaAtSea and the return of Laska.

The links

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/1324074-For-those-who-cant-afford-to-use-central-heating-this-year-How-are-you-going-to-cope

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1543785-your-top-tips-for-money-saving-and-a-more-frugal-life

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1600030-Small-money-saving-habits-petty-even

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/1628874-Gas-Elec-Bills-monthly-and-SKY-so-angry

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1911061-NO-MORE-COLD-MUMSNETTERS

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2209167-Slow-Cookers-are-shit

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2224969-saving-money

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2258202-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-6-start-the-new-year-with-a-clear-purpose-and-keep-moving-forwards-even-by-tiny-steps?

orchard.tesco.com/ Sign up to this.

www.topcashback.co.uk/home And this.

www.quidco.com/home/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/ And this

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ditto.

www.checkoutsmart.com/ Plus this.

www.hotukdeals.com/all/deals/new?page=3 Check this daily.

yesterday the only spend was £5.99 postage for the free photo tile. hadn't done one in ages but took an amazing photo of DH and the girls at christmas they are all smiling, it makes my heart flutter a bit each time I look at it so want it on the wall 😁

also spent mine and DH Christmas money on a much needed new bed/mattress. £268 from beds.co.uk it's ottoman style which works so much better in our tiny room. hopefully will help dh sleep better. rest of Christmas pennies was spent on a toilet brush £5, ceramic toothbrush holders £10, basket for bathroom £2.50. £9 on a soap and glory set for me and DH bought a pouch of tobacco. now it's all gone so no looking in the sales. dd1 is saving hers towards a big Lego set and dd2 I've convinced to wait to spend hers.

should be a nsd today as sorting and tidying up.

my new years resolutions - cut down on spending, lose a stone, get fitter, keep on top of the housework/admin things. and more experiences and making memories rather than buying stuff that clutters the house.

@Laska2Meryls I know!!! Where’s all that time gone?!?! Ds is 2 now. And is moving to pre-achool group st nursery soon xx

Hello everyone , l hope you don't mind me joining you , l need to be more financially focused. I spend money on presents for others in the sales and then end up being silly and giving them too much, both moneywise and present wise, despite me buying the presents in the sales . I have the house full to bursting with presents all the year around, the dining room is in a mess all the year round and it is this year when l really want to curb it .

Thanks for posting all the links again Unescorted, hope you are feeling better and have made it out of bed by now.

We've been out all afternoon and dd2 was accident-free. Toilet accident at least, she managed to fall in a lot of mud! Nsd.

I want to move to giving money instead of presents this year and l want to save this money instead of buying the blinking presents . I will have to do some sort of savings plan for it .

£17.70 entry to place - converting this to annual membership with a £29 payment next month which means we can go again at feb half term and in summer. Took a picnic so lunch was free.

I'm going to look through the rest of my recipe books and add to my "meals we like" list

Welcome new people we are very friendly and there are no rules. Laska glad to see you back

I also need to lose the Christmas lard but I need to stop the Christmas drinking first so this is a job for next week

mrsmadevans I also buy too much for my dds and have a well stocked present box (had to sort it recently as some things were far too young for any parties dds would go to!) this year ive got a list started in my diary of things I've bought so I don't rebuy or overspend. im sticking to a tight budget of £150 for each dd on birthday/Christmas and hope to do a new experience on their birthdays too. this year I wouldn't like to guess how much I spent but I'm sure it was at least double that.... could you sell any extra gifts you won't give?

£8 on fish and chips at the beach. But we had so much fun!

Thanks for new thread em
I made the mistake of getting involved in a rather nasty age gap relationship thread from which I have now retreated (DP is older than me, apparently this means I have daddy issues and am a gold digger, while he is a sad old pervert - sadly I love my dad who is very much part of my life and DP also has no money so I messed that up didn’t I!)
My New Year’s resolutions:
Drink more water
Sleep better - especially on work nights in bed by 11 latest
Run 3 x per week
Cycle to work 3 x per week
Read one new book per month
One vegan recipe per week, meat on weekends only

£13 on salad bits from Tesco today, feeling totally run down and crap from holiday eating and too much booze. Actually craving water and vegetables now 😂

Thank you for the lovely welcome
nocutsnobuttsnococonuts to be honest with you l have a real problem with buying 'bargains' l was, am so desperate to declutter this house and stop wasting money on presents that the recipients probably don't want . Trouble is l can never resist a 'bargain'. l wanted to give the lot to the local food bank for the children. l did give a few things l managed to sort out in time but l am honestly desperate to not get in the same boat this year. I still have a lot to sort out as it is

mrsmadevans I also can't resist a bargain, the Christmas threads on here are dangerous for me as I get tempted far too easily!! a reason why I have 12 soaps in my cupboard currently!! hence the list, I've already got a few things for dds birthday in November!! (some heavily reduced harry potter lego then a voucher code on top!) every year I say I won't go overboard and every Christmas eve I'm up wrapping until 1am as I've overbought again!! could you maybe put £1 in a savings jar each time you resist a bargain then at the end of the year use it for a special item you really want or a day out? kind of an incentive not to buy too much.

Hello hello frugaleers new, old and returning and renames

£1.10 milk and £1.80 Tyne tunnel.

New year's resolutions. I don't bother.
Going to keep on with my fitness, declutter and really focus on 18m savings for max deposit.

No rules except be kind to each other. Post as much or as little as you like. We are all in different frugal places. Some very much needing to be very frugal, some not so and others not at all but remember what it was like to be in the dark/skint place. Others just want value for hard earned money are naturally tight like me

Welcome Theres, pember, Buddha and Mrs.
Glad you have recovered Plan, nice to have you back with us.

My New Year's resolutions are
Drink more water
Eat better
Go to bed at a decent hour
Prioritise the dcs more
Don't let work overtake my life
Lose at least a stone
More self care for me, especially a daily skincare routine
Declutter so that my mind is in a better place
Try to save, even if it is a small amount

Oooh plan I kept meaning to read that one.

My only experience of an age gap relationships are my ex friend (her now husband is 30 years older. They got together when we were 16. Now it’s not as icky. But then it was icky as ick. No offence intended. Said friend does have daddy issues though.

Dh’S uncle apparently has a 30 something girlfriend. Uncle is late 60’s. And lost his wife two years ago. It’s odd because the gf is (if it’s the same person I know) someone I went to achool with. And she’s younger than his three boys.

Gosh em so he was 46 and she was 16!! I’m 34 and met my DP at work, he’s 54, we have both been married before, he has DC but they’re a lot younger than me -they’re 18/20 so it doesn’t seem weird to me, we haven’t had any negative comments in RL but maybe people think it behind our back we are very happy and I think well-matched, both of us know what an unhappy marriage looks like and we are very much a partnership of equals. Ah well - you can’t please everyone I guess!

Yep - it’s a bit odd given that she was still at school. I mean if they’d met 10 years later probably not so odd iyswim.

As long as you’re happy that’s what matters. Bugger the rest of them!

Rejoining. Goals
Pay off credit card
Save 12,000
Go on my travels
Get much fitter and healthier
Today NSD

No sale presents bought today 😄
Oh DH & Dd2 are having a takeaway LTR . Not me though nor Dd1. Expect it to be about £30 🙄 they never have a takeaway, it's a treat for New Year.

My good friend is 13 years older than her DH , she feels a bit meh about it tbh but he doesn't care one jot . It's her 3rd marriage too , she was cheated on the first time , then her 2nd Dh cheated on her , she then cheated on her 2nd DH with her now DH . They seem very happy, have 2 DC together , been married 12 years so it seems to be working. I think ppl are all attracted to different things in a person. My friends DH was in a relationship with a woman about 18 years older than him before he married my friend, so l think he must like older women . lf people are happy, then l think it's fine tbh.

Gosh, lots of new people! Welcome! I’ve had a wee nap but am still very tired today so my brain will not retain all the introductory info. I’ll probably get everyone confused for a bit, my apologies.

Nsd so far. Am still considering whether to buy a fake Christmas tree in the sale or not. I love a real tree but we have ours up for a long time and it is very sorry looking now.

I love resolutions -I know some people think it’s pointless but it’s natural to take stock, I think. I have many areas in which I would like to generally improve, some are more realistic than others. Goals for 2020:

• get the work done on the house (new main bathroom on 1st floor, new downstairs layout with new kitchen, utility room, loft conversion on 2nd floor)
• do this on budget and without becoming a sobbing pile of stress, whilst maintaining work and family life
• lose weight (was doing well but last 2 months have been awful)
• curb some areas of spending that can get out of control. Problem areas for me: buying too many kids clothes and toys, also still trying to tackle food waste. And generally too much clutter, which means that when I can’t find things I end up re-buying them. (This week: electric pump for mattress)
• deliver massive work project with my professional reputation, health and sanity intact
• finish some of very, very many knitting and crochet projects I’ve started over the years and not finished. To try to knit more as I really feel

It helps with my quality of life and mental health

• enjoy my children more and spend less weekend time doing chores and more playing with them.

-‘pay more attention to my relationship with DH - he’s a good chap on the whole but we are taking each other for granted and ‘we’ are at the bottom of the priority list. Not good.

I know that the burden of work is going to make some of these really difficult - many of my problems stem from lack of time and it won’t magically stretch just because I wish I had more of it! So fundamentally I must say ‘no’ more often.

Get the fake tree. Ours wasn't cheap but I love it and it looks real enough. Was about £150 at the purple garden centre. Wyvale is it?

following as need to cut expenses