Frugal Friends Fearlessly Facing February.

[needastrongoneagain]

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

Meal plan.

Anna Jones cauliflower and ginger soup.
Orzo with spiced tomato sauce and feta.
Carrot or sweet potato dhal.
Left over lamb curry
Either frittata from last week or spiced cauliflower frittata
Mixed mushroom masala
Kolkata chilli paneer

hi everyone looks like a great thread so may i join
Today has been a good day ££££ wise my Dyson was needing a new battery £65 from them so couldnt leave it any longer and rang them,ive had the hoover 4 yrs with one replacment battery in the guarantee time so knew i had to pay,The guy on the phone was so nice and went to take my payment but was having trouble their end so he said i could have the new battery for free and have just sent a email saying no charge (get it lol) and it;s been despatched

so a big shout to Dyson

also have found a very cheap and long lasting shampoo bar to use as soap and is great for shaving legs,low foam and better than foam imo and lasts ages just £1 from the £1 shop no good for my hair as very thick but didnt want to waste im converted now

couple of years back,dont know if its more now most were looking at a £150 a day plaster on top but that was cheap at the time (plaster) i know right after the pandemic they were charging a fortune and that's when they could get the plaster

Hopefully things have calmed down

Yes weight I used to be a regular for years but stopped posting as much over the last couple of years as my dd has been unwell.

Todays spends £34 on dds provisional license 😳

£11 on a few bits in the co-op, made the most of their 5 items for £6 offer to stock up the freezer.

Have made banana bread today to go in packlunches next week, also cooked up a roast chicken and planning on trying to eek out a few meals from it.

Evenin' all. Back from a weekend in Leeds visiting DS, and decompressing after the joys of the A1 (actually fine). House just getting warm, we have ragu from the freezer to go with spaghetti and I am looking forward to Happy Valley.

So, spends (mine):
£260 hotel accommodation two nights plus breakfasts - but covered by very generous Xmas gift from Dparents.
£140 on a huge Aldi shop for DS, which included a bunch of cleaning products for the house. Must say I blinked a bit at the checkout, but
£16 on arancini and coffee for 3 consumed on the Friday evening while walking around.
£3 on 0% alcohol beer
£14 on cinnamon buns from Fica - dear god, if we ever move to Leeds, it would have to be a rule that these are to be a monthly treat only. They are delicious.
£5.50 on parking.

DH filled up with petrol, bought pizza dinner on Friday and lovely gastro pub dinner on Saturday, plus more cinnamon buns.

Was with Ddog, so activities were mostly outside - architectural trails in the city, Roundhay park and Kirkstall Abbey parkland trails. I sometimes fantasise about a cultural trip in which I get to visit the galleries, museums, libraries, see a play at Leeds Playhouse, catch an Opera North production...ain't gonna happen soon. I like the area more and more every time I visit, but when I look on Right Move, can never find any houses that I would want to buy.

Girlie Yes, I remember you very well! I am another old-timer although with a different username now. I think I'm quite open on these threads so you may work out who I am/was if you haven't already! Sorry to hear about your DD's health struggles, I really hope she is doing ok.

BigSkies DH and I absolutely love good cinnamon buns!

We've just had a bit of plastering done. I don't know how much it cost though as DF kindly is paying for it, the work had been planned to be done before we bought the house (when he was our landlord) but had to be delayed for various reasons.

Spends today - £15ish on lunch at Macdonalds for me, DD, her friend, and friend's mum. Very frustrating as we went there because of DD's terrible eating habits, as her friend's DM would clearly have much rather gone to an actual restaurant. And then DD literally ate 1 veggie dipper and about 5 chips even though we went for lunch much later than we would usually. She's barely eaten all day tbh. Need to dig out the letter from her (private) paediatrician from when we saw her and check the time frame she said to monitor her growth for before returning as I think she may need to return to see her again soon based off the recent height measurement we took .

Anyway also spent about £28 in Next on 4 pairs of trousers for DD, which she really did need. Not sure if they will fit her though yet as she's so tiny (mainly around the waist).

Need Always love your meal plans!

weight Zara are good for small sizes.
cats welcome to the thread.
big Leeds is great. Compact with loads to do.

Today's spends £48 in Aldi. 4 X dinners because no one is able to tell me what days they are away this week..... Ds is on a school trip for 4 days, DH maybe working away but then might take a couple days off and go camping or might be working locally.... Arrrrrggggggghhhhh.

gen... so sorry I missed your awesome shortlisting news. Go team Gen.

@BigSkies2022 oooh hope you had lovely time in “my” city😇

Planned nsd, but spent £15 in tesco. Well😵‍💫

gossipgirl and unescorted - I really did have a good time, and I always feel there is so much more to discover in Leeds. True of all of Yorkshire, of course!

I do think it would be a good spot for us to spend the next phase of life, just knowing when that next phase is to begin! In the meantime, I'm always looking at threads 'where to live in Leeds/Harrogate/York...' and idling through websites. I need Phil and Kirsty!

Nsd yesterday spends today £57 in sainsburys had dm for the day as she’s still staying at dsis and she was working from home today and she wanted to look at bedding and towels as theses also need replacing as part of her flood insurance claim didn’t see any she liked so looked online at m & s and dunelm with her and she liked a few there so will take her to look at them next weekend. It’s hard work pushing her in a wheelchair as I am only small
had the heating on all day rather than a few hours in the morning and evening as she feels the cold so no doubt that will be a fortune

shes also hard of hearing so I am sure the entire road enjoyed songs of praise belting out my house she is detached and you can hear her tv as you walk up the driveway but apparently there is nothing wrong with her hearing lol

And Gen, congratulations. I'm not sure if I already said that, but have another one if so!

oh. Alfie, my mum has just had NHS hearing aids fitted (after an unsuccessful experiment with teeny-tiny digital ones last year, which she returned in disgust, and got her money back after a wrangle) and is very happy indeed. Maybe suggest your mum seeks a referral to an audiology clinic?

Checking in! not a very spendy weekend - DH and I work on Saturdays and by the time
we are home we never want to go out (and neither of us likes shopping / window shopping!). DS 1 (14) wasn't feeling great - he is either catching one bug after another or he can't shift the one he has, so we ended up making popcorn and watching the Fellowship of the Ring and then soup for dinner.
today £44.99 on dog food.
Tomorrow we will have to pay an unexpected car related payment - DH went to put screenwash in the car and accidentally put it where the break fluid goes. I think it will be around £40. Neither of us are any good with cars.... I know it's not great to be incompetent but I couldn't help
but laugh when he told me.
Trying out a yoga class for free tomorrow - run by a friend - I'm excited but nervous as it's my first time doing yoga since having both my hips replaced over the summer. Hopefully they will stay in place!!!
Congrats on the short listing Gen.
I would love to go visit Leeds. There are so many places in the UK on my "would love to visit" list!
hope everyone has a great week ahead.

@BigSkies2022 are the nhs hearing aids big ones? My husband is thinking of seeing gp about his hearing problems. He thinks he could use hearing aid as he has impaired hearing in one ear since accident as a child (firework exploded near his ear). If someone mumbles, he finds it difficult to understand, or to hear what cashier says in a loud shop etc.

@xogossipgirlxo my mum also assumed that the NHS aids would be big, but the ones she has are discreet. There is a rigid plastic curved bit which sits behind the top part of the ear and isn't very visible, and then a thin plastic tube which holds the microphone bit and which curves into the ear. With my mum's short bob, you can't see them at all, and they are light to wear. But the audiologist will show different models and you can try them out.

@BigSkies2022 i visited Leeds last year it’s a lovely city. I would love to go back, preferably with plenty of money on me as the shops are fantastic!

Bit of drama last week re DS1 and his driving course. They booked his test a week early! However his instructor said he was more than ready and to go for it. He failed. Driving past a parked car and the tester thought he was too close and she grabbed the wheel! His instructor says she was in wrong , but it is what it is. Fortunately because the company booked the test incorrectly in the first place, they are going to book him another test free of charge.

Food shop day today and finally it’s payday tomorrow.

Thank you. I think my husband needs to think of them seriously, I can see it's bothering him. Why not to improve his comfort of life. I knew few people with hearing aids and only noticed them after very, very long time when I had closer look.

Btw. we're not ashamed of glasses, we should treat hearing aids the same way I think.

Trainers for ds £70 down to £48 - pleased with that
car tax and insurance due £500

Oh no about the driving test. I failed my third test because the instructor said I was too far to the wrong side of the road. I was driving down quite a small residential street, in the centre of the road, as the road was double parked. And there was nobody driving down in the opposite direction. I was devastated because otherwise the test had gone well and I really liked the examiner but I did feel really aggrieved about that. I basically gave up after that for various reasons. My theory expired in the autumn. It's a 6 month wait for tests now here at my local test centre too! It was 3-4 months when I was learning. Just awful. I hope your DS can get another date soon.

Spent £33 on printing stuff for work but will claim it back shortly and should be reimbursed for it in Feb's pay. So not really a spend, more a loan.

Got to go pharmacy now and will have to pay for DH's prescription.

Curls, oh, boo to the driving examiner and good luck to your DS for his next test. It is a good skill to have - my late aunt was very dependent upon her DH and my Mum, and then her daughter, because she couldn't drive.

And yes, you can certainly spend some money in the lovely shops in Leeds. Or just enjoy yourself looking and getting ideas. The Arcades don't allow dogs, so I did no more this time than just run in and admire the architecture, but I would love to linger another time.

Boo re the test @CurlsandCurves. Fingers crossed for the retest.

I am lucky enough to live about half way between Leeds and York. Best of both worlds. Any questions, please ask!

Nice one on the trainers @lifelongfrugaleer

Hope your DS feels better soon @Captainladder, it can really get someone down being continually below par.

🤣 re your mum @Alfiemoon. My mil is the same!

Quiet day today, and a NSD. Decembers figures for the business are better than expected, only ever expect to break even at best as it's effectively a two week trading month but we've turned a tidy profit due to keeping a tight lid on costs (apart from wages, I gave everyone a decent Christmas bonus).

Left over lamb curry for tea, it might stretch to two nights actually. Had a run. Already in my PJ's, going to catch up with Happy Valley as I was out at a friends last night.

£80 in today re nzd exchanged back to gbp. Thrown against credit card.

£50 in today. Sold some duplo.

£54 out new trainers. Sending the other new pair j bought back as I don’t like them. Lesson learned. Don’t buy new trainers on Amazon.

curls all the best people fail their first driving test. 😉

My micro meal plan has gone out the window... We were going to have tapas but I am feeling rubbish so DH bought pizzas. Tapas can be eaten tomorrow but the human hoover is going on a college trip to Switzerland so we may have tapas 2 nights on the bump.