Frugal Friends Fearlessly Facing February.

[needastrongoneagain]

Thought I'd start the new thread. Been ages since I started a thread!

Our Tesco has been adjusted to a Tesco express and the prices are roughly 5 to 10% more than in the Tesco Superstore Weight very annoying because it's not giving the same opening hours an express should give someone we are paying extra for nothing🙄

Tayto while you're at it you might do up a weekend rota for myself & exh for March & April, it's 9th March and I've still no not got a rota

Our new Eurovision song
Thought we might like to see it even though it's nothing to do with frugality 😃
It's very young and catchy and l think it will do well but it's not my cup of tea because l am getting more if a misery guts the older l get 🤣

@need sorry to hear about your mil. Hope the holiday is right for you all and just what you need. And congrats to your dd, amazing achievement!

Lots of snow here, was only meant to be sleet. I was due in work this afternoon but my boss rang and told me not to bother as they’ll likely be closing in the next couple of hours. So boo to having lost a shift but at least I get to stay home in the warm. I was going to have to walk as there’s no way my car can handle the snow and nor can I. That would have been a good 40 mins or so in the snow and cold. School have just texted to say they’re closing too.

Spends today £2.50 on a zoom exercise class first thing.

€35 on screen protector & phone charger
€78 Lidl including €15 on a dog grooming set but nothing else substantial
€0 at solicitor but it'll be €100 when I sign my will next week.
€0 at centra with dc because I didn't stop and do you know what they survived 😂

Thanks all for the congratulations, good wishes, and general niceness re DD and DH. This place is such a nice corner of Mumsnet.

I hate that frazzled feeling north, when you feel you can't quite get everything done and give your fullest to everything.

The snow has been coming all day but is that wet type that almost rain so not laying, just cold and grim.

tayto sorry, Chase is a banking app. It only provides a debit card so no credit facilities. You get 1% cash back for everything you spend for a year and the interest rate currently is 3% on the money in your account. You can set up various 'pots' within the account for items you might want to save or allocate money for, one of mine is the holiday.

£2 spent today at the local shop, bread and a chocolate bar for DH!

Stupidly busy day, started at 5.50am and only just sat down now 😮‍💨

Anyway dd enjoyed Crufts although didn't get v long there in the end as there was an accident on the motorway on the way up. She was upset as she said she got corned by a bloke on one of the stalls and felt pressured into buying a load of stuff. The dog now has a lovely new collar, lead and bowtie bless him! I've said I'll put some money towards it, she spent £45 and I'll pay £30 of that.

I've been on a study day, parking was £5 which I can claim back. I stopped at the pet shop on the way back and bulk bought dog and cat food £67 which should last two months ish.

£10 on food to tide us over a few days.

need we had exactly that kind of snow all day yesterday too. It's white here today but seems to be melting fairly rapidly.
girlie how lovely of your dd to buy bits for the dog, but so easy to get sucked in at those kind of events. I'd do exactly what you're doing.
Mrs I think I'm going to be all Eurovisioned out by the time it happens!
Tayto I've used those brownie kits a couple of times in the past & although I'm very much a home cook & Baker, they are a bit of a guilty pleasure
Not too much spending here this week, but dd is trying to do gluten & dairy free at the moment so we seem to be buying a lot of products to try & they're not cheap. She's feeling much better on it though so it's worth it.
I'm on a day off today but spending it with my foot up as I pulled my calf quite badly last night at cricket training. Hobbling about on crutches for now but taking my own physio advice & hoping it heals quickly. I did have a bit of a hysterical reaction when it happened but the others were sooo lovely & are going to take turns doing my step challenge for me while I can't. I will hit my total steps target but it may just not be in March! Feeling more positive again today so back on track
So it's daytime TV for me today, catching up on last week's Saturday Kitchen at the moment. Our fridge is on its last legs so I'll also be researching a replacement.

Snow day and no school and hair appt cancelled so that's saved some money until next week! £2.50 bus fare for ds to go to his dad. I need him out of my hair for 48 hours.

Have made two courgette cakes, ratatouille, a roasted little squash which I ate for lunch and two big trays of potato wedges for the freezer.

Snow day here, school cancelled. And my shift cancelled. Again. Of course I appreciate it in a way, but I would have rather got my walking boots on and got there to work.

Ah well, I’m just thankful for this thread keeping me on track. £32 ish spend today on a top up shop at my local Tesco express. It was a lovely walk, all the snow, but bright glorious sunshine as well.

Managed a nsd.

we didn’t get a snow day as everything still open.

Thursday I did the food shop that was circa £100

Morning.

Glad DD enjoyed Crufts @Girliefriendlikespuppies. I'm sure she'll learn for the future re the hard sell, but its not fair to pressure a young person. My own DD once bought our dogs some beautiful leather collars, they lasted for years.

That's lovely re your friends @northender. How's the calf now? We are absolutely covered in snow now too!

Never thought of putting wedges in the freezer @Wolfcub!

We had a stunning day weather wise too @CurlsandCurves, I had a glorious walk on the (closed) golf course with the dogs.

Managed a NSD yesterday but today will not be as I've an Ocado delivery and we've friends coming over for pizza, which we will pay for and I've had to buy extra wine and beer in. Will do another Chase pot for social stuff like this from next month.

Will menu plan and do domestic stuff this morning.

I think it’s so easy to get sucked in at shows and feel the pressure. We’ve all been there.
hppe the calf is less sore after a day of rest. Gutted for you north

have fun with friends need.

Think I might venture out briefly to the local heat and eat curry place to grab something for dinner. Also need eggs and possibly red lentils to assist with making a further dint in the veg mountain I appear to have accumulated. Slightly hampered by the fact I'm away with work for the early part of next week so I can't just fill the fridge with things to eat Mon-wed. I also can't fill the fridge with the veg because there's still too much bloody veg in the fridge. I swear it's procreating in there. Then it'll be rugby and more rugby interspersed with a bit of crufts and some reading.

em this reel made me think of you. Creating a brag box to help guarantee a raise every review

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnFqHENOjp9/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

Today I'm bringing dc to spend their Christmas vouchers & buying dd new trainers. Her ones just stink to high heaven even when they've been washed. I'm hoping it's the shoes and not that she's developed stinky feet as an almost teen

Myself & bf going to a play locally tonight €24 for tickets
He borrowed my car yesterday & it came back with more diesel than it left with

Frugal fail here steak mince I took out on Thurs hadn't great plastic on top & it came away from the side & the mince spoiled. I've cooked it up for the animals so not a complete waste.

I'm still making their food up €6.27 on mince frozen veg & gravy will do possibly 4 days & there's veg there for another batch & gravy for loads more. It's not working out anymore expensive than canned or pouch food & there's less packaging & I know what they're getting

Takeaway for dc last night €18.50 they ate it all though

Myself & bf had seafood curry it was amazing I know I know self praise is no praise I bought the freshona coconut milk in Lidl but it was all coconut cream I wonder is this standard also threw in a jar from freezer which was leftover from another curry so I'll never be able to recreate it. Used seafood mix from Lidl & prawns with lemongrass from Lidl also. Approx cost €10 & it was as good as the curry from takeaway last week which was €30 with no leftovers & I've got a portion plus spare sauce from last night

Spends today £29.03 toiletries etc in Superdrug and £4.80 groceries in Asda. Not too bad really considering everything I got I think. Got a free food bag from the zero waste initiative so had a snack out of that tonight. Got some useful items and even got a slightly sad looking bunch of flowers that is now saved and living in a milk bottle vase.

Hoping tomorrow will be an NSD although we do still need to do some more food shopping in the morning. But DH will probably pay for that and I will stick tight to my list.

happier yes! The brag box! It’s something I’ve set up now for this year. It’s such a good idea because you just forget otherwise.

big news in my house. The tooth fairy made her first ever visit! Ds lost his first tooth yesterday!

Ah that is big news em

i spent £43 on dog food as oos at the cheapest pet shop, 7 Aldi, same cards shop and £land

Ducking boiler is in the blink, keeps losing pressure but can’t find a leak, it would be the expensive valve issue fml

Bloody hell Life. Is it insured/covered by maintenance plan?

I've mostly packed my bag and ironed my stuff for work trip. On my second load of washing and patiently cooking down onions for a massive kale and sweetcorn red lentil dal, still not sure there's room in the freezer but lentils will pack flat hopefully

Nope not covered

Uurgh @lifelongfrugaleer that's frustrating.

Not as expensive as a boiler but our washing machine is on the blink.

Got an engineer coming in the week to look at it and hopefully fix it, a new one would be circa £500 so don't really want to have to buy new although we can get interest free credit apparently and pay a bit each month. Hmm.

That's good weight I love having flowers in the house. I got tulips and roses from a grateful patient a couple of weeks ago & then a friend brought round daffs, hyacinths & more tulips on Friday so I have been very lucky. Will top up with daffs when these are past their best.
Oh no life that's not good. Fingers crossed it isn't that.
Em well done to the tooth fairy, we had a couple of incidents here where the tooth fairy was too busy and had to come the following night instead (much upset caused obviously!!)
Wolf We're trying to make space in the freezer this month but it seems easier said than done. I've stewed the last of the apples this morning which were looking very sorry for themselves & added some blackberries from the freezer.

£80 today on groceries including more gluten free dairy free supplies for dd. Had a use up pasta dish for tea last night which was lovely. Thai curry tonight I think & now I need to meal plan for the week.
Calf is improving more slowly than I want it to (obviously!) but definitely going in the right direction. Managing with just one crutch now.