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

~creeps back in~
I feel like all I’m doing is apologising for dropping off😂. Things will be back on track next month but I always find January I’m a bit gloomy. I’m really looking forward to celebrating imbolc soon and feeling brighter. As compensation for my absence I’ll treat you all to some pictures from our travels. It’s been foggy and icy but it’s nice to be back cruising again. I haven’t been frugal and spent just over £200 on myself. I’ve felt really awful for a while with some family problems and I hardly ever take time for myself so I’ve got some clothes and skin care stuff for me. I know it’s not very frugal but I think it’s worth it.
love so sorry to hear about the accident you had with the car💐
Unescorted I hope you start feeling better soon❤️
martha your day out with DD sounds lovely!
em oh no poor DH shingles are awful. I hope he’s feeling ok😍
mrs I love the sound of Clementine and cranberry Buck’s Fizz!. The plant pot is brill.
Pigeon welcome 👋🏻
Adora I hope your dogs better💕
Alfie fingers crossed DD stays away🤞🏻

Don’t worry floating just pop in and out, no apology needed

Optician this morning. Hoping it might help
Work out why I'm having weird headaches and problems with my vision in one eye. Also need to study for exam and prep for interview otherwise I'm going to embarrass myself (and I wonder why I have headaches)

Em I love our Christmas soup. I use the gammon cooking liquid to then cook the turkey bones in, add any remaining veg & a bit extra too. I still have a tub in the freezer....
Floating occasional posting is fine. I have spells where I post regularly & spells when I don't
Love glad they admitted liability, that's a relief
unescorted hope taste returns quickly.
Not much spending here other than budgeted for stuff. I've been following Frugal Queen's no spend January. She posts daily video messages which always make me smile, she's so enthusiastic, but I can't imagine living as frugally as she does.
Have you seen the Jack Muroe tweets about rising food costs? She tweeted about it on Wednesday and it's well worth a read if you haven't already. Basically about how much food basics have gone up in the last 12 months, but the likes of M&S dine in for 2 has stayed the same price for years, so everything hitting those who can least afford it the most.

Monroe not Muroe!

Ah meatloaf has died the singer not the food

I will look that up. I’m not keen on her/them whichever but it brings the issue to the fore.
Good luck with the eye test and prep wolf.

I’m going to find fugal queen as well

Wolf hope the headaches are just that.
North I saw the Twitter thread - and the people piling on saying JM is wrong because it is the MATHS!!!!! - demonstrating they have missed the point that inflation of retail goods hits the poorest hardest.
Floating I love your pictures. It does look cold.
Start nice one on the NSD.

I have just looked out the window & noticed we have loads of birds picking up bits for their nests. Including a wood pigeon - I normally associate them with late spring. Seems a little early but it has been such a mild winter so far. The rhubarb is starting to bud too..... weird times.

Eye test showed nothing to worry about but dilation test needed as the issues are in the periphery of my vision. Gp appointment also needed.

I've seen loads of wood pigeons too Unescorted. Weather is weird at the moment

Sales of meat loaf now increase. Both music and food.

£200 back protector at tack shop. But was paid for with vouchers. So win.

£39 Waitrose. £8 of which were on daffodils. 8 bunches. Yay!!

Building work starts 14 feb.

life I'm not keen on JM either but they were good points well made, though people see what they want to don't they unescorted?

Agreed

Oo exciting em
£19 gymshark vest cos you know coordinate to leggings is essential to weight loss and fitness

£8 M&S skipped Aldi for today as needed to come home so tomorrow job

@AdoraBell hope you enjoyed that chocolate 😋😋

@AdoraBell l forgot to say how glad l am that your pooch is better thank goodness for that 🤗💐
Unescorted she was amazing l absolutely agree with you 🤗
Birds here were starting to ppick up twigs but that has stopped the last few days because it has gone so cold here ❄️Brrr!

Floating sometimes we need to treat ourselves , your pics look beautiful enjoy yourself ❤️
Wolf hope you get to the bottom of your headaches and vision very soon , it's good that there's nothing to worry about put your mind at rest 💐
North yes now you say it , M&S and Tesco's dine ins have stayed the same for a long time now . Thank you l must look at the Frugal Queen 🤗
Life l know it's so sad re Meatloaf dying , he was such an icon 😭
It's essential to have matching gynshark leggings 🤗
Em some St Valentine's Day you are going to have lovely
Nevermind got to be done 🤗
NSD today yay!

Thanks Mrs, on both counts. I’m really relieved that she’s recovered because I couldn’t get her to the vet, also could do without vet bill.

NSD for me, DH bought chicken breast for the pooch and butter.

@Unescorted

Wolf hope the headaches are just that. North I saw the Twitter thread - and the people piling on saying JM is wrong because it is the MATHS!!!!! - demonstrating they have missed the point that inflation of retail goods hits the poorest hardest. Floating I love your pictures. It does look cold. Start nice one on the NSD.

I have just looked out the window & noticed we have loads of birds picking up bits for their nests. Including a wood pigeon - I normally associate them with late spring. Seems a little early but it has been such a mild winter so far. The rhubarb is starting to bud too..... weird times.

I have also noticed signs of the birds starting to nest and Winter Watch had pics of frog spawn!

There was a thing on our local FB about a doggo virus that is doing the rounds... Sounds similar to the thing all you dogs have been getting. They are advising not walking your dog if you think they have it and keep your dog away from others in case they have it. I am not sure a mask is necessary yet.
Wolf good news about it not being serious. Boo about peripheral vision.
Mr Gnocchi is the work of the devil and it will not pass his lips (DH)saw the baked C&M version that was defrosted for DS dinner. He may have changed his mind. We have a new addition to the meal rotation. Praise be.

I'm reading the Vimes Boot Price index thread on JM's Twitter. It's bloody hard reading but it really starkly shows the massive increases in cost that we've all noticed over the past year. We were never as poor as the people on that thread and never had to make some of the appallingly difficult choices they are having to make, but some bits of it are properly taking me back to the bad days (and the bad days were not so long ago)

Nsd yesterday for me but dh spent £130 at the dentist he never bothered going to the dentist until last year when he had raging toothache so couldn’t get an nhs dentist. This has reminded me I need to book mine and ds check up as I had a reminder before Christmas

Sat having a coffee in peace ds playing on his phone in bed dd is still here which is lovely and she’s still in bed dh is still at work

Going to the local outlet village this afternoon as I bought a new dinner set a few weeks ago but they didn’t have the pasta bowls in stock but they rang a few days ago to say they have them now. Will probably get some tea while we are out

Hope everyone has a good day and those who are feeling poorly feel better soon

Alfie I am so pleased that you are having a quiet moochy weekend. Long may your days be dull and not very eventful (unless you have planned them that way)

The JM thread is a hard read. I never want to be there again.

I am raging today - I feel loads better, but the LFT says I am still poorly. I want to go out and play.

Good news life on the accident and -wolf on the eyes. floating those pictures are absolutely beautiful and it sounds like you needed a treat. unescorted fingers crossed you can escape soon. All the cooking and baking sounds lovely!
I’ve come down south to where I grew up with myself sister and our oldest friend - delayed trip for DDis’s 50th. Long drive but it’s so lovely to be here. We are visiting the village where we all lived, it’s become extremely posh since our day as now commuter land - then, it was just in the middle of nowhere! Weekend is working out cheaper than I thought as I’ve paid £160 for my share of the accommodation and we are eating cheaply. So lovely to catch up and not have usual weekend jobs.
DD has also just got herself a job pot washing - had a trial last night at local restaurant. So she can pay for driving lessons and also good for her confidence. CAMHS appointment with her yesterday has left me with a lot to process but generally good I think.
Happy weekend everyone!

Really good news here yesterday because the government have announced that they're lifting most of the Covid restrictions. But to balance that, an Irish Times report suggests that Ireland is the 16th most expensive country in the world to live in www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/republic-of-ireland-16th-most-expensive-place-to-live-1.4782359. In the world! This doesn't include the cost of housing, rents or mortgages. If you factor in housing costs, then we rank 13th! Unlucky for some, eh? em Jersey is 6th on that list, although I'm sure it doesn't come as any surprise to you.

Heading to the supermarket shortly but I already took a trip to the pet shop during the week, so I'm not buying much. I'll do home made veg. soup for dinner for tomorrow and Monday. Not just because it's cheap but also because it's light and healthy. I'd a lot of rich, heavy dinners over the Christmas break.

DD and I started watching 'Young Sheldon' during the week and it's sooooo good. If you haven't seen it already, I'd really recommend it.

I joined a local Meetup group before Christmas but didn't make it to any of the December/January events. Plus the Covid cases were soaring at the time, so it probably wouldn't have been a good idea to mingle with others anyway. But we're going for an Indian meal on Friday night so I've put my name down for it. Time to start enjoying life again.

NSD today yay!
Tayto that is such heartening news about your Govt lifting the Covid restrictions Must have a look at Young Sheldon
I can't wait for a bit of normality to return
Unescorted excellent news you are raring to go
Martha have a wonderful weekend in your old home town & great news re your DD getting a job it will be so good for her confidence
Alfie that sounds like a lovely day enjoy your shopping trip
Wolf we were in the same boat when l was a child , so poor and no help from anywhere , no benefits at all . My Dad spent a lot of money on drink, tobacco and gambling like an awful lot of men then I had to havemy clothes & shoes from jumble sales , l never complained but l had very wide feet and my jumble shoes used to make my feet blister & bleed all the time . The good old days huh!

Busy day here, usual Saturday activities/housework. I have just gone very tired!

Tesco delivery booked, £88 which is the same as I spent in Asda last week. Have also called in Lidl for milk and picked up nuts and cereal which are far cheaper there.

Made lovely using up bits milestone type soup for lunch with onion, 2 carrots, half a courgette, tin of butter beans, tin of chopped tomatoes, veg stock and dregs of packet of pasta. Mixed some leftover pesto with oil to drizzle on top and there is some of that left which we are having on pizzas for tea, dh is making those now.

Need to pay car tax, luckily mine is only 30 quid.

DD2 is with you on that unescorted, very sad face yesterday with the day 5 positive. Day 6 test had an even stronger 2nd red line (but we’d prepared her better for it).

£5 on some 2nd hand Harry Potter dvds

Had a chat with a counsellor from my work’s EAP. Now need to decide what to do next as there are different options.