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Frugal the flip to make the festivities fun

997 replies

lifelongfrugaleer · 08/11/2022 21:27

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

don’t panic frugaleers

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Thread gallery
17
Happierwithouthim · 02/01/2023 15:14

€92.83 in Aldi.
I got 10kg coal, a large chicken, 2 x 525g diced chicken, 4 salmon fillets & the extras to make these into meals. Shock

lifelongfrugaleer · 02/01/2023 15:43

Wow that’s a lot of euro happier

decorations down, house cleaned,
i came out of the teens room still alive
I can’t decide if we are a scruffy family, the carpets are shite, or the bloke before us didn’t clean much or a winning combination of all three. After 15 month I still fill the sharky dust catcher just going 3 bedrooms

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Timetoswitch · 02/01/2023 16:46

Ddad is not doing well now, and I’m struggling with being the messenger from the care home to Dmum, as the most competent NOK. I’ve been pretty stoic up until now, but having to talk to Dmum about what funeral director she wants to use etc, as the nurse said it would be better to get the plans made has been tough. Not sure if we’re talking days or weeks now.

lifelongfrugaleer · 02/01/2023 17:05

Time ❤️💐

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TheNewlmprovedMrsMadEvans · 02/01/2023 17:09

So sorry Time 💐
For you too BigSkies 💐
Very UnMumsnetty hugs sent to you both ❤️

ememem84 · 02/01/2023 20:26

Went to a butterfly park yesterday with the kids. They randomly had two salt water crocodiles there too. We arrived just in time for feeding.

I’ve never seen anything so terrifying in my entire life. My god they’re huge and powerful creatures. One was over 5m and weighed in at almost a ton. But they are graceful in the water and can jump up almost 3/4 of their body length. And the teeth….

nope. Just nope.

Frugal the flip to make the festivities fun
needastrongoneagain · 02/01/2023 20:32

time and skies. Sending lots of good wishes, thoughts, and ❤️. What an awful situation for both. Xx

Gen. We had the Saag Aloo Shepherds Pie for tea. There's loads for all of us tomorrow and it's bloody delicious. Thanks re the freezing tip too.

lifelongfrugaleer · 02/01/2023 20:39

They are super scary em

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BigSkies2022 · 02/01/2023 20:48

Evening all. Well, DMum is in a side room with its own loo, being brought sandwiches and drinks, settled on a sort of lounger with pillows and blankets, within the urgent care centre of the hospital. She has tested positive for Covid, there are markers for infection in her bloods, she is very dehydrated and on intravenous fluids and antibiotics. My brother is allowed to sit with her, they are only worried about exposing the other A&E patients to her Covid. She is likely to be transferred to a Covid positive ward tonight (well, 'later'/'in due course') for further tests, monitoring and fluids. I've spent the day with my dad, getting washing and tidying done, changing the bed, then bringing him here for dinner and company while keeping updated by bruv. Tested dad with our last LFT once we had the news about Dmum. He is very positive for Covid, but completely well - which will make DMum even angrier with him!

So, we feel a little further on, but that may not be the whole story, of course. I don't suppose Covid explains her fatigue and weight loss in recent months, but then she has been very stressed about the move, and she runs on fumes for much of the time anyway, never mind during big life changes.

I realise I also may have Covid - I have a cough, I'm quite achey - but since I've had all my jabs and I'm not feeling any worse than with a regular cold, I'm going to plod on regardless.

I have to say that, so far, the NHS, beleaguered though it be, has been excellent and very responsive to my mother's situation.

lifelongfrugaleer · 02/01/2023 20:52

urgh Covid as well big, sounds as positive as it can be for now but shattering for you all. Glad dmam is being made comfy at least.

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BigSkies2022 · 02/01/2023 20:52

On the plus side, no spending, and dinner tonight was the boeuf bourgignon that I made before Christmas, with mash and broccoli. It was nice to treat Ddad, who has been very worried and miserable since Dmum fell ill last Wednesday.

DH has taken Ddad home (he insisted on going back) and I am going to watch the end of Happy Valley before turning in.

needastrongoneagain · 02/01/2023 20:59

Dinner sounds fab skies, I too have had nothing but an incredible experience of the NHS, and it's been 8 months of daily contact so plenty of said experience and you're in for a treat re Happy Valley. X

Timetoswitch · 02/01/2023 21:44

Big hug Skies, hope your Dmum gets moved soon and she gets the care she needs. Hope your Dad remains well and symptom free too.

Theskyoutsideisblue · 03/01/2023 04:54

@BigSkies2022 and @Timetoswitch .sorry you are both going through this. Never easy.glad experience of NHS positive

lifelongfrugaleer · 03/01/2023 06:12

That dinner sounds lovely big.

urgh back to work today,, why didn’t I ask for leave as ours going to be a right chuff on with kids still off

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Unescorted · 03/01/2023 06:52

life & Big sorry to hear you are having a shit start to the year.

Covid is weird.. my brother was really symptomatic but my DM was fine. Both are fully vaxed. There is no rhyme or reason.

wolf that is gross. I have delete all my dog search bookmarks.

Decs Down and away... Dds art installation looked beautiful but how many nails, baubles, sets of lights and tape did she use?

First day back at work today.... I am having a hard time finding my mojo.

northender · 03/01/2023 07:36

Back to work here too. Just been to the gym. Decs down after work
Will catch up properly later

HalfWomanHalfChocolate · 03/01/2023 10:00

Big and Time so sorry you are going through this. Glad the NHS is pulling out the stops for you (and Need). At its best it’s absolutely amazing.

I’m back to work tomorrow, kids are back Thursday. Some schools aren’t back till Monday, v glad that’s not us! Today I need to try (again) to get compliant photos of the kids so I can apply for passports. And mine has expired too. It’s actually quite tricky getting the pictures - I managed to get them to stop gurning yesterday, but there was still a shadow behind their heads, argh. DS needs bribing with Celebrations and won’t let me comb his hair either 😂

I have no idea what we are eating tonight - I normally do a weekly food plan and main shop from Fridays but I’m alll out of synch. May have to do half a week’s shop today. I am inspired by some of the recipe book chat! I borrowed Ottolenghi Simple on the Libby app and it’s such a great book that I’ve actually ordered it (frugal win - was filing my emails and found a £25 Amazon voucher from the car insurance renewal a year ago that I didn’t know I had - ker-ching!). DH is already chuntering about meat-free meals but I stand firm.

I think others on here use the Libby app from the library - how do you get on with it? I haven’t been impressed, tbh, but I don’t know whether it’s my elderly iPad, or our Wi-Fi (which is supposed to be super fast?) or the app but I find it quite slow and glitchy to turn the pages and it crashes a lot. And the formatting is rubbish for recipe books, the photos are often cut in half. I had hoped it would cure me of cook book shopping but so far it just makes me cross! And there’s a 16-week wait for the One Pot, Pan, Planet book but I’ve reserved it anyway and Will. Not. Succumb. In. The. Meantime.

TheNewlmprovedMrsMadEvans · 03/01/2023 11:53

Half l don't find the Libby app very good either , it's very glitchy like you say . I used to use it but have given up on it now 🙄
I do use the Borrowbox app and the PORI app with great success though 🤗
Need , Big and Time 💐
Sending hugs ❤️
Nsd for me today l am hoping
Raining like hell now but 10C so not too bad temperature wise.
Have a great day everyone 😊

lifelongfrugaleer · 03/01/2023 12:25

I use Libby for magazines but that’s it, it’s not a great user experience

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Happierwithouthim · 03/01/2023 15:08

Need to do a big catch up on the thread but first I'm going to do my budget!

Got caught up on YNAB this morning and my €1500 savings for Christmas had €290 left in it, so I put €225 into my emergency fund and remainder against cc. €300 emergency fund, plan to add to this weekly to bring it to €500 firstly and eventually back up to €1k.

Christmas Club started again at work with €31.25 which will give me €1500 again next Christmas.

Off to get my figures from YNAB for my categories for this year.

Kept my €1k bonus from work for my car & house insurance and keeping my €200 pp cc gift for my holidays.

Wolfcub · 03/01/2023 15:36

Big really sorry to hear about your mum, I hope she's doing better today.

Also back to work today, it's dragging, most people are still off so it feels too quiet.

Need to hang washing up when work has finished.

lifelongfrugaleer · 03/01/2023 16:50

£9.14 not doing well at nsd

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lifelongfrugaleer · 03/01/2023 16:53

Plus £10 soup cup as dh lost mine and vitamins as I’ve run out

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kessiebird · 03/01/2023 16:56

Hope things have been a bit better time and skies. The NHS are brilliant when you consider the pressure.

I'm back to work tomorrow. Its a v quiet week so hoping I can have the motivation to get through a lot before Friday. Will all kick off again next week when the schools return.

half hope you got your shopping sorted. We didn't spend a lot for Christmas so running low here.

I'm going to have a go at a few veggie dishes this week. Sweet potato and spinach dahl with naan first on the list

DH is on a day off, DC happy in their rooms with their friends so we are watching Elvis and ordering takeaway later. We've just remembered DH gets £10 off takeaway or meals out from a club he pays into at work. He gets so many per year and we've not used it yet.