Frugal Friends Fearlessly Facing February.

[needastrongoneagain]

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

Me too. I’m imagining the doggies woofing when they see something they like the look of.

🤣🤣. They'd pick sausages every day!

Should be a NSD, although I do have a committee meeting this evening so perhaps the cost of a soda water and lime, I'm sure I can scrape odd change together for that though!

Moved a lot of our cash savings to the Chase higher interest account (still not as high as inflation of course), so been paid a decent amount of interest this morning, or certainly more than the money was earning in the old account.

@OldWeegie this is what we do too. Prefer to buy some treats in supermarket rather than in overpriced Tesco Express or Coop. In my local Tesco small packet of Walker crisps is now £1! Crazy. It used to be 65p. We bought tortilla chips in lidl for 79p instead, big bag that will last two days.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words!
I was up most of the night unwell so have taken today off work, it’s a strike day so they will probably think I’m striking even though I’m genuinely not well. Sigh.
I always feel weirdly guilty about taking time off for some reason.
about to risk some tea and toast.
need I enjoy your meal plans a lot - I am a big Anna Jones fab too!

I usually do this too, dc love going to the shop so after an event last night we went to Centra shop €31.18 and I could easily carry everything myself. Treats, a cheap can of dogfood & catfood, cheese(special offer), blu tack and command strips. WTF afaik we already have blutack dd snuck that one past me. Normally on a Thurs we go there after school, I told them that was out this week!

Have mince taken out today to throw bolognese into the slowcooker in the morning so that we'll have dinner when they get in from school and I won't be listening to them needing to go to shop

Got payrise at work backdated to beg of Jan. 4%, I'm going to put that increase into savings for our holidays. I don't think I've put anything into the Revolut Vault since beg of the month.

Need are you the same need that had a pony and teenagers about 5 years ago?! Hope your dh is okay?

Today should be a NSD although doesn't feel like as all the DDs have come out. I have £500 to last all of Feb 😕 I am budgeting around half of that on food.

Is the Government still giving £66 towards gas and electric? As it doesn't seem to have come off this month.

Yes, they're supposed to be giving it until end of March

Yeah I just rang them, I had increased my DD and they had taken that amount as the amount I wanted to pay so the actual DD was £67 higher!! Ffs.

They have sorted it for next month.

Anyway having now rung them I have an appointment booked for someone to come out to fit a smart metre, I'm hoping it will help me keep up what is costing money vs what's not. Plus I won't have to lift the scary box to take the gas reading where a massive spider 🕷️ lives 😱😂

DD with energy companies are getting ridiculous now. They are trying to keep healthy cash flow grabbing customers' money.

I've spent thousands this week, but it's all on a new kitchen/ bathroom and other varied house projects.

We moved house a couple of months ago and the seller's left it in a right state. We can't used the only shower. I am fed up with bathing in a bucket, but console myself with the thought of all the water I am saving.

I spend a lot of time trying to find the best value everything.

Fuzzpuffling picturing you stuffed inside one of those baby buckets you get if you've no bath glad ye are getting stuff sorted out now.

girlie it's the same need delighted to see returning posters, hopefully it's not because col crisis is affecting you guys too much.

Energy companies are jokers. I moved onto variable DD in September and I've only used 80% of what they predicted without the government support. There'd be a huge credit if I'd gone with their predicted DD.

When we moved in to current house, British Gas worked in office hours to set up DD, so I said I don't have time for this and just paid for what we used. Best decision. I pay fixed amount of money into my savings account and pay bills using them. This way I have some backup cash to keep me afloat until payday or when something crops up and then pay it back. I won't be banking my money with british gas, no way.

This is the way energy bills operate in ROI

Spendy day,
£21 in Sainsbury’s on top up shop
£29 on new bras and a bargain dress on clearance, M&S Per Una maxi dress down to £15 😁
£9 in boots, toothpaste and hair clips

I quite like seeing the small amount of interest coming in to the chase account need

Good news on DH being able to get in your car too. Is a full return home for him still a long way off need?

it’s been frugal here this week so far. I do need to buy a number of family birthday presents though, as loads of February birthdays. I’m sure there are some trips for the DC to pay for as well. Higher mortgage payment goes out this week 🙁

Evening.

Hope you feel better soon @Gensola. I've deviated from my plan today, I suddenly fancied Tuscan Bean Soup for tea so have just made a huge pot of it to come back to after my cold wet run tonight, with warm bread (those part baked types, always keep some in) Do love Anna Jones though!

Yes @Girliefriendlikespuppies it's me! I'm back!! How exciting for you 🤣. Sadly, DH had a huge stroke nearly 9 months ago. He's in a specialist rehab unit. The NHS has been faultless, we've seen the very best of what it can offer. I don't think it'll be too long before he will be discharged but he's very compromised, it's been a tough year.

Fair play for taking on all that work @FuzzyPuffling, not easy to live through, especially the lack of shower.

NSD I'm happy to report. And came home to some really good Sainsburys vouchers offering £12 or £9 off (week depending) a £80 shop. They actually have some decent value products if you hunt hard enough, so I'll try and use these.

Lastly, I've been sticking all my work expenses on my Chase card to get the cash back. I get them paid back with a day or two so it's manageable from a cash flow perspective. Probably pennies but there was £850 in expenses last month due to me covering the work Christmas do, and 1% of that is better than nothing.

We've cross posted @Timetoswitc, I appear to have answered your Q's!

Great news Need about DH being able to get in your car now. It sounds like things are definitely improving as time goes on? It must still be so tough for you all though.

I love reading everyone's meals, in such a rut atm making the same few quick meals on repeat, and lots of freezer crap. Which I feel so bad about for the kids. I just can't seem to get organised enough to fix it. So little time! Any words of wisdom/great recipe books for super quick healthy meals ? We are veggie but I can almost anything anyway.

Spends today just £2 on the bus to work, DH picked me up so saved my return bus fare. Nice LSD. Forgot to call the insurance broker to make an appt for me and DH to discuss life insurance though, d'oh. Will have to call tomorrow.

Hello weight - we're trying to eat more veggie, and this week's Guardian (free online) has some good recipes. So far this week I've done this one www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/30/rukmini-iyer-cherry-tomato-leek-artichoke-bake-feta-recipe. and this one www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/30/pumpkin-cardamon-soup-recipe-yasmin-khan

tonight I'm doing a regular stir-fry (cashews, mushrooms and broccoli principally) with rice. Tomorrow I'll make a red lentil dahl, with loads of fried onions to top off. I'll buy some naan breads and do a cucumber raita on the side.

NSD today.

Oh need I'm so sorry to hear about your dh, that's an awful thing to happen. I'm glad the NHS have been good though and there's a plan to get him home. How old are your children now? Im guessing in their 20s? You sent me some lovely horsey stuff for dd many years ago, a kindness I've not forgotten 🥰 you're still running I see?

Is wolf still about and the lady with 3 children, 2 with autism?

It is nice to see so many familiar posters.

My cheap veggie meal is chickpea curry, fry an onion and some garlic, add lots of curry powder (and any other spices you have) add a tin of coconut milk and a tin of chickpeas and cook until thickened.

You can chuck in some red lentils as well if you have some.

This will do 4 portions.

Have with rice, cheap, healthy and filling.

Wolf is still about and I think you are thinking of sing who home ed her dc. That wasn’t her user name before though

Cag and the caglets that’s it

Sing hasn’t been here for a while

NSD today.

My parents took me out for lunch as it was my birthday last week. Steak and ale pie, chips and peas, oooh it was lovely!