Frugaleer Festive Fun

[Unescorted]

I went to post and realised we had nearly run out of room.

old thread here

Bring the sparkle on....

Hugs life 💐

Spent £5ish on groceries and a hot chocolate from the tesco machine on the way home from collecting DD1’s loaned chromebook from school (big relief as ours has pretty much given up since lockdown 1).

Intrigued about the art materials unescorted! I bought the polychromos pencils (you replied to my thread and recommended them, I think, when I won the voucher in an art competition) - have I actually made time to sit and use them? Nope. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I have been doing scary things and looking at degree courses. It’s time. I have a scary phone call to make first though as I had to drop out of the OU courses when I got ill, so I need to find out if I can continue with them or at least get my points certificated properly, as I was just unable to face all that when I first got sick. I’ve been putting this off for years. Literally years.

If I could do a degree in procrastination, I’d get a first. Someday. 😂

£22 for a seminar
£60 cleaner
£5 repeat prescription.

Sigh. Being a grown up is so expensive.

@ememem84

£22 for a seminar £60 cleaner £5 repeat prescription.

Sigh. Being a grown up is so expensive.

It really is Em!

Hope you are ok Life. It has been a tough week.

It was snowing when I went to bed. Was hoping for enough for the dcs to play in today. There is a light dusting! It looks pretty though!

Life that sounds like an incredibly tough day. You have a lot going on at the moment. If you need to talk I'm on the other end of a Skype

sing she wants a set of these They are buttery and nom nom apparently. Who am I to argue? She still loves her Polychromos....

life it is so hard atm. xxx

We have snow today.... In a normal year the road would be so quiet with people saying it is not at all possible to get the car out because of the SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOw. This year when they are told to stay at home they are all jumping into their cars to slither and slide because they are ESSSSSSential donchaknow. I realise that some of them are working in essential work ...... but not the architect 5 doors down who has "parked" his car outside ours. I need to get out more don't I?

Almost had an NSD yesterday then needed cheese and fruit for DH lunch so popped to the tiny tesco near us £8.41 on two blocks of cheese and bits of fruit and a packet of his fave biccies. Def spend less there than in Waitrose!
Might get an NSD today as I’m not well. Just need to stay off Amazon!

Posted parcel £6
Wrote to solicitor
Cancelled foreign holiday so I'm down between £80 and £120 depending on whether I rebook or not
Booked UK cottage for Easter, lot of hope going on here but need something to look forward to £570
Cleaned upstairs
Filled bird feeder
Part way through cleaning downstairs
Need to ring holiday insurance company and change policy

So behind on catching up 😫, sorry everyone, determined to keep posting though.

Yesterday I planned a nsd but then got to school and realised school lunches are on pause so quickly nipped out. I went to Tescos so ended up buying ingredients for lunch (cottage cheese and crackers) rather than anything pre-packaged, and some GF things we needed - £9.24 - however it will mean I can go to Aldi today rather than the bigger Tesco's so hopefully il save what I spent on lunch!

Then in the evening we had a crisis which involved having to get a taxi 😱, another £10.99.

All the best laid plans!

January:
NSDs: 2/31
Groceries: £45.14/400
Everything else: £86.79/£350

wolf we have booked a cottage in the Dales for April for DH birthday. Fingers crossed!!!
I was up most of the night feeling sick, terrible pains in stomach but never actually vomited. It is feeling a bit better now, managed tea and toast and will see how I go. It has totally de-railed my day, have loads of teaching prep to do. Argh.

And reading the revelations here about difficult parents - well, yes. One of my essential expenses is therapy. Invested in it two years ago as a means of addressing panic that I was a terrible parent, everything was going to hell and I was doomed to repeat my family patterns. Things are much better now, but this is an expense that is staying firmly on the budget for the foreseeable..

Hope your day felt better Gen.

Tight that sounds like a really valuable use of funds. I always think frugaling is good so that we can spend a bit of that hard saved cash on the important things.

It's nsd number 3 for me today afterall. I've felt tired and grumpy all day so took myself off for a soak this afternoon - not going out again now so shopping will have to happen in the morning!

£6-ish, top up. Bread and veg.

£42 Lidl on mostly fruit but also a few things that are cheaper there like nuts and oil.

Def agree re therapy. I see mine about once a month (not quite as much in lockdown as I don’t find zoom sessions so beneficial as seeing her in person) and she is worth every bit of the fee. She’s an autism specialist too so it’s great to see someone who really gets me! I’ve felt guilty at times due to the expense but my ability to cope etc has improved so much

I always think frugaling is good so that we can spend a bit of that hard saved cash on the important things.

Couldn't agree more, madden. I listened to Alex Stedman (The Frugality blog) on a podcast (The Break) this week (while doing my exercises to a favourite YouTuber, Lazy Dancer - another money saver embraced during lockdown, never to be dropped). She was asked how she defined 'frugality' and she said for her it was about having the confidence and independence (from her job in fashion) to say 'this is what matters to me, and I'm saving up for it, so no, I won't have that handbag/It skirt/drinks in the fancy cocktail bar."

YES. Love that.

@Tightwad2020

I always think frugaling is good so that we can spend a bit of that hard saved cash on the important things.

Couldn't agree more, madden. I listened to Alex Stedman (The Frugality blog) on a podcast (The Break) this week (while doing my exercises to a favourite YouTuber, Lazy Dancer - another money saver embraced during lockdown, never to be dropped). She was asked how she defined 'frugality' and she said for her it was about having the confidence and independence (from her job in fashion) to say 'this is what matters to me, and I'm saving up for it, so no, I won't have that handbag/It skirt/drinks in the fancy cocktail bar."

What a brilliant way of looking it, I love that!

NSD again for me, apart from rent dd going out.

Heading to work shortly. It's -5 degrees outside so I'm allowing extra time to defrost my car. Last night the boot was frozen solid and I couldn't open it to put my bag of shopping in. Just hoping the car door isn't frozen.

I'll catch up with you lovely people later.

Take care in the ice Tayto it was like that here on Thursday. The canal froze!

Amen to that tightwad

Take care in the ice. The snow has thawed a bit then frozen here

Morning everyone 😀
My very troubling family situation is over at last. I feel exhausted and relieved at the same time.
My Dd1 is looking after MumBob today so we are having a day off 😀
I still worry about her, even though I know she is in good hands. Great news Mum and Bob are having their Covid Vaccination a week Monday. I can't wait to get them sorted it will be a huge relief even with only 70% prevention , the protection it gives them if they did get it then is just game changing 😀🙏
Gen l hope you are feeling better today love 💐
Tayto be careful on the ice 💐
Tightwad that is a lovely way of thinking 🤗
Am not planning any spends today just going to try to relax and unwind after the last few days .
Have a lovely day everyone 🤗

Mrs glad your family situation has improved and that you're getting a day off from mumbob, it must be exhausting.
Tayto take care. Haven't been out yet, but looks icy here too.

Have had a pretty good week at work. Started on a bit of a downer, just fed up with all the restrictions & the company of dh and teen dc has worn thin at times!! But yesterday I had a boost in the form of the covid jab, woohoo! Mum had it too as did my aunty who is the other main person supporting my parents. Just need my dad to have his now & I will feel much better. He falls into the next category so shouldn't be too long now. Felt quite euphoric afterwards which I wasn't expecting & drove back to the office singing to loud music!

Spends yesterday £50 on pub pizza delivery which felt needed.
Have done the usual weekly meter readings today and compared March-Dec 2020 to March -Dec 2019. 20% increase in electricity use and 16% gas. Not sure I expected it to be that significant, but given the fact that there have been 3 people in the house for a huge amount of 2020 I shouldn't be surprised I don't think!
Calling on mum & dad today with a bit of shopping and going to do ours at the same time. I'm the only one who has surfaced yet. Going to do a spa night with dd while ds & dh watch football tonight.

Have ordered Lucy Locket gym leggings and a pair of lounge wear leggings, but it's with Christmas money so doesn't count!!

Yay north! I’m tempted to just wear lockets every day now TBH, I feel so much better in them compared to my usual jeggings 😳

Spends last night £32, I got really annoyed at not being able to sleep (4am. Whyyyy 😡) so I finally ordered a weighted blanket.