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

DH is having her. And then dm offered too. So that’s all good.

Ds has a cough now. Ffs.

Dsis brought round more lateral flow tests which she nicked from school. And some books. Just fyi not deriving anyone of ltfs by getting ones from her school. She said they have literally thousands.

Send her in rm

Gen gargle salt water, dissolveable paracetamol instead of tablets. Ice pops to keep fluids up.

gen that sounds grim, hope the remedies start working soon
em glad you’ve found a solution, work and kids’ illness is a nightmare
I need to get started. Have had a week of feeling very unmotivated and tired (falling asleep at my laptop) but feeling a bit more energetic today thank god. I think it was linked to my period, always get it pre menstrual but it usually goes more quickly.
camden yep totally relate to being busy without achieving anything very exciting! I always feel wistful when I read those sort of letters!

She’s bounced right back. But is off to grandmas soon. She’s demolished weetabix and rice crispies. So is obviously feeling better.

I’m in work. Ds in nursery. DH having a quiet time at home.

€89.10 spent on €127.75 worth of Swedish ultra vitamin products using multibuy discount & snsanta 20% off discount code. This brings my stock of multivitamins for myself up to end of April. €30 per month vs €60 for revive active & it seems to be working for me.

Soups x 2 made & fluffy pancakes
StormBarra is raging outside so no school or work today

Spendy day but all Xmas pressies ordered. Probably about £650 if I include the cash gifts as well

Storm Barra here too which has unsettled life dog
£60 oven clean, £53 2 weeks cleaner, 85p for 1 stamp, £6 school food bank collection

I’ve never done the maths to work out what I’ve spent on Christmas

love I didn't used to but I now track it so I can put away an amount every month that covers Xmas. I will go over because I twitch and buy extras. I do the same for hols and cars. It's a massive spreadsheet

I seem to keep falling behind with you all, apologies am just very busy as we approach he end of term.
Spends today just £5 contribution to a leaving gift at work.

Love I'm too scared to add all of it up! Spreading the cost through the autumn helps with finances, but makes tallying harder.

£5.85 on a nice lunch with a friend from work today. And £80 John Lewis for a few more gifts from Santa.

Unescorted sorry to hear about your ddad.

I set a budget for Christmas presents. More for DDs than DH usually. 1 main present and a few odd bits. This year DD1 wanted a handbag that was half price, DD2 wanted perfume twice the price of the handbag. So DD1 has make up for stocking filler and DD2 has hand cream.

NSD for me, DH paid for dinner at the local pub, about £25. Half the house contents has gone, removal guys will be back in the morning. Kitchen has been packed so we’ll be having dinner out again tomorrow.

@Lovemaltesers

I’ve never done the maths to work out what I’ve spent on Christmas

Me neither. Probably should really.

Yip

That was yup to not knowing how much Christmas is as it’s all spread out

Hi everyone 👋

We seem to have avoided storm Barr's here, there was some rain earlier on but that's it, really feel for everyone that's being battered by bad weather.

Spendy day today, none of it planned either, did some real life shopping and went to M&S to buy dd2 some track bottoms, ended up spending £70 on underwear and food too, I did buy some pâté for Christmas though.

£21 in Superdrug - mouthwash, orthodontic toothpaste, shower gel, shaving cream for ds2 and hair conditioner.

Also ordered some jeans from Boden, spent £60 on supplements, apple cider, vitamin c & zinc for dh and marine collagen for me.

£8 eBay on some light up wheel trims for dd2 bike, I usually try and buy a funny gift for each of the kids for Christmas- so these will be hers!

Not sure what I spend over Christmas- but pretty sure it's double the amount I budget

Someone mentioned stockings further down the thread - my kids, even though they are teenagers and older, still say that the stocking is the best part of Christmas, I have 2 ds and they both get socks and boxers every year, along with shaving cream/razor blades, popcorn and chocolate. I also have 2 dds and find girls are trickier and definitely more expensive as the boys appreciate practical things that will save them money but girls like fancy stuff.

Have got a busy week working and stuff in the evenings so will be glad to get to the weekend. Have a good to do list that I'm working through.
Most frugal thing, have been good at meal planning and home cooking
Least frugal thing, consulted family about Festive food and we are getting a selection of party food from Booths for Christmas Eve. We've never done it before & have had a good year financially so it'll be a nice treat. May do some mulled wine and invite friends to pop in too. Next door neighbour gives us a bottle of red wine each week when ds does her shopping (he gets £10 too). We've got a bit of a stash now so mulled wine would be frugal!

Evening all hope you are all well. Sold dh iPhone for £112 last week ds today for £113 same phone same company? Need to charge mine to delete and sell. Dh is off for a week dog sitting from tomorrow so that will be another £150 in the bank. Dh gets his performance bonus and they have finally settled on a pay rise without strike action so that will be back dated to August in his dec pay next week so looking forward to that

Spends £40 bohoo on a blazer dd wanted Christmas undies and socks for ds and dh £30 forever love on a long hot water bottle and bits to make up the free delivery £113 on eBay for 2 tracksuits for ds business seller brand new hope they aren’t fake as I bought the same one last year for £180 from jd but it was to small so returned it and it went into the sale but was out of stock 1 is for Christmas 1 for his birthday in January £60 next on my 2 brother in law’s presents
Dh wants a coat for Christmas which he will need to choose but apart from that I am done and most of it’s wrapped even sent 6 presents off tonight for dh to give to his other brother and his family
My problem is I keep seeing extra bits end up buying them then have to buy someone else something else to make up numbers which is ridiculous

Morning.

Been awake since 5. Thanks dd. She’s gone back to sleep abs I’m up with tea. Have done my meditation and am listening to podcasts and just done the guardian crossword.

Cat face is on my lap.

Yesterdays spends £55 new piercing. £60 hotel chocolate on chocolate for Christmas stockings for mum dad dsis kids. £38 boots. Night time pants for ds and a couple of other bits.

Today - Pilates later. Off to work and have a load of stuff to do. Busy day.

You have the twitch alfie. You think you are done but the something else you see
Rain again here
Sainsburys shop this morning but just a little one £40

The twitch is a great name for it. I absolutely have this - I see something for one DC and then like Alfie I have to buy something for the other two to make it fair!
Christmas costs a lot in this house. I have budgeted for £1400 (gulp). We do buy for quite a lot of family and also do charity donations/ gifts. But I do splash out on the DC - comes from a time when historically we couldn't do that at the rest of the year. This year I was quite proud thinking I'd stick to budget, but I totally haven't. We have bought DD an Apple Mac which I'll need to pay off over the rest of the year. Justification is she is incredibly careful with her possessions and works very hard. This should see her through uni and I think will help her with notes etc as she's dyslexic. But £839!! My laptop for work cost £199!!
Speaking of work I need to do some
Have a good day everyone
unescorted thinking of you and your DDad

martha I’m sure she will be thrilled!

Neither of the dresses I ordered fit so returning them for refund, +£90 back but tempted to order a jumper I like.
I’ve been so poorly with strep throat, hoping the meds will kick in soon.

I think you should treat yourself gen. You are very good with money usually I think

Hope you are better very soon Gen
Em glad your Dd is better
NSD today yay!

NSD