Festive Frugaleering

[Unescorted]

[[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/4340188-Savvy-savers-sashaying-through-September old thread]

Opppppps - we nearly filled the old one

I think Christmas Eve counts as a working day
My pay is last working day of the month regardless for which I am grateful

€9.20 yesterday on icecream & veg for yesterday's dinner & pot noodle for dds lunch, she has more than that but likes to take noodles in her flask.

I am so glad I get paid mid month. It makes it all so much easier to Christmas budget.

Thank you for the new thread Unescorted

There’s a show on Thursday at 8pm on 4 about saving money at Christmas 🎅 looks quite good!

Thanks for the tip Gen, will try and watch.

Ha I need to watch that after being enabled to spend £120 in sea salt.

£55 virgin bill after they didn’t set up my dd.
£££££££ Christmas shopping

I am finding it harder than usual not to spend at the moment which I think is due to absolute related to covid. We were goingt o do stockings for each other but I realised this was pointless, just spending for the sake of it. We are going to buy some decent board games and other longer lasting treats and hopefully get some ongoing use out of the Christmas spending.

@rrhuth see pic attached

€25.64 Dunnes groceries
Collected leggings & a zippy top, zippy top going back €20 refund
€218 Amazon for Santa
€30 Amazon slippers for dm
€8 exercise class

Ds is out of isolation tomorrow so back to school

@Happierwithouthim yes exactly, I am aboslutely knackered and gift giving is the only thing I can guarantee will actually happen this Christmas

I will keep trying to rein it in.

That is a good idea rrhuth (board games) Stockings from not santa are a bit of a tradition here. They contain all the bits the kids want but I am too stingy to buy normally eg the exact toiletries they want, and nice chocolates they also have traditional set of socks, pack of knickers, PJs, clementine, and individually wrapped Swizzler Sweets. The "stocking" is a pillow case - anything different and the sky falls in.

We got the wfh if possible email yesterday. It dose not change much for me except I don't need to find a reason for not going to the office. We were the testers for the original lockdown 2 weeks before the rest of the country. Our email has the feel of testing us to see if we will wfh or go to the office when asked to do one but have the option of the other. I am suspicious about what we aren't being told.

We always have stockings for the kids and wouldn't change that, but we had toyed with newly introducing stockings for DH and myself but we have decided against. So we ordered the board games and will look forward to those!! We are late to board games but they are a good alternative to watching TV at the moment.

Interesting about you being asked to wfh. I am also suspicious about what we are not being told!

Returned €20 top, used €6 in vouchers & spent €4 on a €30 jacket, wear the pink one I got two years ago all the time & missed out on berry coloured one last year, got purple/navy one today. Love it

€31 posting a book and some chocolates to my sister in oz yikes & €1.60 on the padded envelope

Off to buy car parts now

It's a spendy week for us - mostly in budget. I have a private dermatology appt on Thurs eve to talk about having some broken veins on my lip and under my eye removed. The appt is already paid for but I am not sure how much treatment will be. I also need to pay £235 for new fertility bloods for the Czech clinic. Sigh!

DH usually does me a stocking - best bit of Christmas! I was devastated when my mum stopped doing mine aged 23 have still not 100% forgiven her hahaha.

Sorry to hear your news Gen

Spendy weekend - £50 grooing for dog, £28 Home & cleaning stuff, £6 amazon for Bicarb and £25 on hair clippers for DH. Nothing planned now until Friday's Ocado order.

Beginning to see some space in freezer so another weekend of eating from it should make enough room for Xmas supplies

Proof that paying yourself first works.
Christmas club has been building since early Jan & has reached my target.

Paying yourself first works so put your savings into an account that's not easy to access for medium to long term savings

I've no intention of spending that on Christmas but if I wanted to I could.

€40 parts for car

€22.78 in Aldi €6 on a star shaped nibbles tray for Christmas

Hi all, just popping in briefly, I know don't contribute all the time, but hello again.

Happier Well done, that's an excellent extra pot of money saved! Hope your car is all right after the repair. And your new jacket sounds fab.

north Your bargain hunting is going great - I should really make more of an effort with that. It isn't easy, is it? But it does help, especially with other bills rising so fast right now.

Unescorted Have to say that your recent work email worries me a bit, too! I wonder where things are headed now, this winter...

Gen so sorry, it really isn't fair.

Payday so I've transferred monthly amount to savings and for once, feeling good about Christmas coming soon - I've done a lot of my gift shopping little by little this year, so it's mainly food we still need to think about. I should sort out the freezer, too, granny. Ds (4.5) isn't a fan of the usual options for a Christmas meal. Won't even eat mashed potatoes. So I'm trying to think of a vegan spread that will appeal to everyone. Might have to feature a classic bit of Tofurkey for DH and some veggie sausage rolls for ds.

Take care everyone.

Aw thank you all so much , you are all so kind
Well the good news is l am feeling much better today , l even changed our duvet set to a christmas one today! l have been wanting to do this since before l was ill so l am glad l managed it
The Amlodipine is working very well , my B/P was 125/74 this morning and l feel less like l am wading through mud now , l must be getting used to them at last , thank God ! Ordered a new dressing gown & slippers for Mum for Christmas they came today l am very pleased with them
direct.asda.com/george/women/nightwear-slippers/navy-memory-foam-fullback-slippers/GEM881385,default,pd.html?cgid=D1M1G20C18
direct.asda.com/george/women/nightwear-slippers/navy-chevron-zip-front-dressing-gown/GEM861962,default,pd.html
Gen they did that to us in the NHS it was crippling waiting for Jan payday
Unescorted thank you for caring l love the pillowcase or it's not Christmas tradition
Waves @everyone
Hope everyone is ok have a lovely evening everyone

Really pleased you are on the mend mrs
unescorted we have those kind of stockings too, dating from the days the kids were small and we gave them stuff they needed disguised at presents. I offered to stop the pants tradition this year but they all still want them!
Tomorrow I can start my advent calendar.
Fantasy: I will burn it every day and spend the time in hygge-like contemplation
Reality: I forget after a couple of days and have to burn several days at once. But every year I think it will be different

Happy December 1st

Must not spend extra money as got lots of ££££ weekend aways

happier, that is really good going on the Christmas savings. I am going to do that next year.

With my bro going back to Oz I managed to get him to post some things when he arrived back. I think he and they might still be in quarantine...but cheaper and quicker than by post from here.

Matha I would have a riot on my hands if I didn't do the knickers, socks and PJs.

I am booked in for my booster jab and mammogram. I am feeling very adult.

I do put money aside for Xmas but I don't put it in a separate account and I think that's led to me overspending against what I've saved this year - because it's been part of my wider annual expenses fund. I think for 2022 I will also take a tip out of your book Happier and put Xmas money into a specific account and then try not to spend beyond that.