Frugal the flip to make the festivities fun

[lifelongfrugaleer]

Wasn’t going to be flip but decided to be polite
46 days or so

don’t panic frugaleers

@Theskyoutsideisblue sorry it cut off

Hi all! life if I get this promotion we will have to move up north. It would depend on DH securing a job too tho as we need his income so might not happen even if they do offer it to me.
£29 on outdoor warm white lights for our tree outside. Will be so cheering to have those.
we are at a concert tonight, very excited as it’s a favourite band of both of us. Just catching up on work, life admin and cleaning today.

Any up north advice you oh want do shout Gen. A few of us are northern here

£80 at farm shop,£10 charity coat, maybe 11 on tea if dc want Chinese

£11 at Morrisons
2 new tyres and an MOT £200
Gen have a great time tonight l haven't got much advice re the job but Good luck with whatever you decide sweetheart

We ain't far from Harrogate, or York or Wetherby. It's called The Golden Triangle, or basically an excuse the add £££ to the average price of a house! Ask away re Up North.

Quite a few spends, Christmas related. £80 on pants, crop tops, socks, PJ's etc for the DC, just a few toiletries to get now.

Managed to get a super photo of DH and his mum today, which will be enough framed for her 90th birthday, she has dementia.

sky, hope you're okay. Life is expensive isn't it?

Half, we bought a quality fake tree about ten years ago after 20 of a real tree. I don't regret it, still looks fab.

Enjoy DS being home Skies.

Too much spent on food this week but stocked up and only 2 pressies to get re Christmas and we are covered I think. We didn't go out for tea tonight as planned and stretched last nights home made chickpea curry by just buying extra naan. DD a bit disappointed but if she was that desperate to go out she could offer to pay 🤣🤣

Fallen off thread a bit.

suitcases arrived yesterday. Hoorah!

currently in snuggly hotel room waiting for DH to finish his shower so we can grab breakfast. We stayed here last night as my works Christmas party was at another hotel down the road (which was full).

work were superbly generous. Dinner and then bar after whatever we wanted. and a M&S voucher on my place setting £350! Which will come in handy. So generous.

I’ve totally lost my voice. Have a stinker of a cold.

That sounds amazing em, enjoy f breakfast
im going to a Christmas market this morning, looking forward to it although it’s raining

I'm going to spend next week looking through the house to see if there's anything I can put on eBay, or vinted or something 😃
Does anyone know the going rate for stroppy 15year olds??!! 😂

Unfortunately Dexter I would have to pay someone to take mine
I’ve got loads to sell but neither the time or the inclination
£40 support to local businesses

Me too so much to sell but it’s such a faf.

I will get around to it but December is not the month to do it

Made 2x sounds soup for lunches, banana bread and ginger cakes. Other than the ginger cake it was cupboard use up

We just lurch from one illness to another in this household! Me, DH and DS all have a bad cold virus now. DH and I both stressed already about what we are going to do about work over the next few days. I was off last week already (combination of sick leave and annual leave) but DH has a really important work thing Tuesday. Argh.

On the plus side today was an NSD as we've all been holed up at home. DF kindly brought us a few bits of shopping and took DD out and got her a magazine and that. He's also about to bring us soup that my DM's made for us bless her.

Weight hope you all feel better soon, winter bugs are such a pain. Touch wood DS hasn't been that ill so far this winter (just the one mild cold) but I'm sure our time will come.

Yesterday we had our lunch out and theatre. £77 on lunch! But it was a three course meal for both of us at a very nice independent Italian restaurant and we probably won't go out for dinner again now for several months. So worth it. Theatre was good too.

NSD today and we put the Christmas decs up, this is the first year DS really gets Christmas so he was really excited which was nice. We're now on the one more weekend till payday countdown and with yesterday being spendy next weekend will be a frugal one!

DH out at a friend's to watch the football so I'm having a rare evening to myself, quite enjoy it to be honest!

Gosh I’m tired,
nsd planned all week but we shall see

Morning,

Ugh, I’ve had a terrible weekend. Saturday, work Christmas meal out. Got all dressed up, really looking forward to it. The starter was gorgeous. Began eating the main. And all of a sudden, ooh I’m really not feeling good. I don’t think I can finish this (if I can’t eat something seriously wrong!). Stomach blew up like a balloon. Had to ring DH to come and get me, so I was out just over an hour. Spent the rest of Saturday night until about 3 am throwing up. Dragged myself into work yesterday, shouldn’t have done but it was too short notice to get anyone else in. Only 4 hours thankfully. And since then I’ve just slept and slept.

Feeling a lot better today although stomach still feels a bit off. Managed some toast this morning tho. I’m doing the bare minimum today, food shop and a bit of pottering round the house.

Finally done some Christmas shopping this morning, I’ve got all the gift ideas I’d come up with myself for the boys, just waiting for their actual lists, neither of them have any idea what they want, which is helpful!

Took today off sick from job 2, which means zero pay and I can also claim the kids' nursery fees from them as an expense when I work those days but obviously can't if I'm off sick. So a lot of £££ down but I do need it to recover. Seem to be perking up a little this PM so hopefully can drag myself back into job 3 tomorrow, because I went home sick from that job last week for a completely different reason can you believe it? So I really need to go back in this week eek.

Transferred my part of my house deposit to the solicitors today, which is about 2/3 of the deposit and DH needs to send the final third tonight. So today is £££££££££££££££££££ as that's most of my cash gone now really. We are due to complete on the purchase very soon. Still haven't sorted the home insurance, it's looking like the cheapest will be to get it with our car insurer which DH has, so really, he needs to try and call them direct I think and sort that out. Dunno how he's going to be able to do that though when he's working. How do other working families manage to sort stuff like this out? It's just such a nightmare, we are both either at work or with children during working hours so we don't have time to spend hours on the phone to companies, it's really difficult.

Curls Oh no, you poor thing, hope you're feeling ok now? Similar happened to me last week, that's why I went home sick from job 2, had a vomiting bug that came on quite suddenly. Luckily, I was being sick for less than 24 hrs but it took me really the whole of the second day to regain my strength and get back to eating and drinking ok etc. Especially I got the worst migraine I'd ever had in the evening of the sick bug day, I think because of dehydration. So much going round at the moment isn't there?

get well soon girls
and weight

Half I've found this product really helpful for troubled sleep. And even if I wake I can get back to sleep with relative ease. It's by an Irish pharmacists. Fabu R&R

Got expenses back today €745.50 and put it straight against my credit card, it felt good to throw a big payment at it. This year I've been using my credit card again and it's built up on me. I'm trying to get it cleared asap.

Lost a long post!

Thanks Happier, I don't sleep well at all at the minute, so will try some of those.

Those illnesses sound grim weight and curls, hope you both improve soon. Exciting and nerve racking re the deposit weight.

I'm sure the meal was lovely socathe, and well worth it!

Today a NSD, hooray! Yesterday was £33 in Marks, mainly stuff for family who came over yesterday and Christmas freezer. £25 The Range, few ornaments/accessories to add to the extension.

Meal plan
Tonight is lasagna, garlic bread and salad from last night.
Tomorrow - root vegetable casserole.
Wednesday - frittata
Thursday - lemon and fennel risotto
Friday - squash dhal
Saturday- spicy squash and coconut soup, Lidl fresh bread
Sunday - nut roast and trimmings. Or salmon cooked in chermoula if DD at the BF.

Done two covid tests today. As I’m convinced this isn’t “just” a cold. But whatever.

all negative so we move on.

Hope you all feel better soon.

A NSD for me today. Needed after the weekend.

Wasn’t a nsd after all £14 revision guides, £6 textiles fees, £18 Aldi, £1 M&S then r renewing ds skate fee £60 but that will cover unlimited Christmas holiday skate

@WeightoftheWorld sorry to hear you’ve been ill too. And fingers crossed for a swift completion on the house.

@ememem84 i was testing like mad the other week when I had a cold, all negative. You just second guess yourself after the last few years don’t you?

Got so much Christmas shopping done today from home. DS2 is pretty much done and there’s room in the budget to get a few extra bits and bobs if I want. DS1 says he doesn’t know what he wants so I’ve told him to at least think of places he likes to buy from so he can have vouchers to spend when he sees something he likes. Just waiting on a nephews list to come through and I should be pretty much there by the end of the week.