Frugal Friends Facing Forward with Fortitude

[Happierwithouthim]

Here's a friendly space for new and existing frugal friends.

We have all different types of incomes and lifestyles but with a common goal of making the best of the money we have.

Many of us have experiences of becoming debt free or being in difficulty with money for one reason or another so there's no need for embarrassment, just join in, post as little or as often as you wish.

Some record daily spends, some record only spends that are unplanned, some don't record spends at all, the choice is yours!

Little bit late to the party, but will be jumping on board! We need to move house in the new year (absolutely no choice, we HAVE to move) so need to tighten our purse strings.

I'm so bad with money, always get a lil treat here and there, outings every day with two young kids it all adds up!

My husband (thankfully) is amazing with the pennies so it's just me that needs to rein it in! Hopefully having this space to be a bit accountable will help! Thanks for starting it!! ❤️❤️

Today is a day of laundry and tidying up. Red weather warning here. So we’re staying in today.

Just bobbing in to wish everyone a happy new year and good frugalling for 2024. I've done my annual budget and refreshed my monthly budget. Very painful house insurance increase. I've shopped around but still in 4 figures which is ridiculous. That has meant some shuffling elsewhere to cope and moving back to paying monthly. Still saving steadily for projected uni costs and by September this year I expect to have enough for the parental contribution for 2025/6 academic year. My plan is to try and be a year in front anticipating ds is likely to want to do a 4 (or more) year course. Sensibly cancelled a food shopping order for next week as we won't need it, the fridge and freezer are full and stretched out some other orders due to work travel over the next few weeks. Hopefully that makes January a bit less painful than normal.

Thank you chile I forget that this is out there for anyone to read!

I dumped a sad looking leek yesterday life
Hate food waste

Wolf ouch, 4 figures.

My Friends son's 21st is on tonight but it's 3 hours away, I've decided not to go, getting too old for these things

Happy New Year everyone! Lovely to see some old and new faces.

I slept really badly last night. I had bad acid reflux and heartburn. I don't normally suffer from these things, so I'm putting it down to the rich food over Christmas.

I think I'm coming down with a dose also. Was feeling very tired yesterday and I'm sneezing/coughing a bit. I've taken to my bed for an hour and I've the electric blanket on. I'll do a Covid test, just in case.

The weather has been really awful for months now - seems to be constantly windy and raining. The wind has torn the felt on my shed roof. I'll have to get someone out to nail it back on 'cos the wood underneath will be exposed to the elements.

I need to go out in a bit, to get a small bit of shopping and top up the car with petrol. I wouldn't mind but I only put petrol in on the 23rd/24th.

Having a quiet night at home tonight, so I'll save a bit there.

31 Dec.'s pantry challenge meals.

Breakfast: choice porridge or yoghurt and granola. We make the yoghurt and granola. All pantry items.

Lunch: cream of vegetable soup mix with added dried vegetables (rehydrated carrots and celeriac) plus home-made bread. All pantry items.

Dinner: omelette with choice of fillings: tinned sardines, rehydrated red peppers, cheese (I'll miss this when we run out), caramelised onions (made this from dried onions and I'm surprised how successful this is) and some stuffed tomato parcels from a jar. We can have poached oranges and jelly later if people want them. All pantry items.

Already thinking about eggs, milk, and cheese. We have

• a packet of dried eggs: I don't expect to be able to make omelettes from this but maybe scrambled eggs.
• dried milk so I'm wondering about making our yoghurt from that rather than buying fresh milk.
• some weird dried cheese items and mixes in the storecupboard 'inheritance'. None of them will deliver anything like a product that can be eaten alone but it might be worth thinking about how we can use them in sauces or baked goods. We have some cheese in the fridge.

Did a freezer fridge and larder stock check today and have meal planned main meals for the next 7 days. It's a bit samey, consisting of chicken, sausages and cheesy things, with a bit of bacon thrown in, but not too bad. We have had worse weeks.

Lunches will be sandwiches (tuna, cheese, egg) homemade soup (lentil, tomato and leek and potato) or beans on toast type of effort. Breakfast will be the usual toast, cereal, porridge ect.

I'm planning chicken and leek pie, chicken curry and rice, sweet potato and sausage tray bake, sausage pasta, bacon and egg quiche, macaroni cheese and I think I can do a veggie lasagna or something with the rest of the veg and cheese.

I will need to go to the co-op for bread and milk tomorrow. Living where we are its a choice of walking to the co-op for over priced basics or driving 8 miles to the nearest Aldi and paying for the petrol so its expensive either way unless I do a big shop at Aldi. I could make the bread, but its usually not good, and I feel sorry for the flour.

@SingToTheSky correct me if I’m wrong but how are the caglets?

This wasn’t meant to happen today. But. The kiddos needed something to do. So we’re “de christmassing” the house.

the bauble bag has been my best ever purchase this year.

I e just spent far too long trying to combine 2 “ not quite done yet” body lotions into one. Blimey body lotion is a very uncooperative substance!

Caglets are good thank you, DD1 (16) loving college, DS (14) is at a different college part time, Cagletini is now 6 and a cheeky monster 🤣 how are yours?

Loving the bauble bag, I’ve been wondering if there’s a better way to store ornaments…

The Caglets have grown up while no one was looking!

This year's financial plan is to buy in DH's missing pension years. He has a few that are quite cheap to top up to the full year. PSA... Only full years of NI contributions count. He was on a zero hours contract so any year he took more than 2 weeks holiday is an incomplete year. He is now salaried so that shouldn't be a problem going forward. If you have been on zero hours take a look on gov.uk and see if you can buy the cheap ones in.
My pay rise and his new job means that between us we should have about £1000 per month to put away. I never thought that we would be able to do that.

Good afternoon all - so much to catch up on. Hello to all the new faces.

I looked up SUMIF() Unescorted and might give them a bash.

Sensible going for a look Mary. It pays to be prepared.

Ugg for the personal shite em. Hope you can see the other side. Great saving with the solar panels.

Hope those feeling under the weather are starting to feel better. Solidarity to all who have put jobs off. Not sure how it’s back to work on Tuesday. I’ve done nothing on my list except paperwork. And watch YouTube videos.

Had a fridge and freezer tidy this morning. The freezer is now full of cheese. Have given half a thought to a budget for January. Still waiting to be billed by the management company and I’m sure I’ll have to send more money to the solicitor. Have the TV license to renew as well. And trekking insurance. Have water coming through the ceiling from the flat above. Was feeling rather fed up after I noticed.

Haven’t kept up with spending over the last few days. I got two packets of yellow stickered stollen for 10p. Spent about £170 this morning in the Rossignol sale. I bought shoes so I hope they fit.

Had an unexpected pleasant evening out yesterday. Had too many martinis but it will be my one outing over the holidays so I don’t feel too bad. Bought the Aldi version of squares (£1.49) for my News Eve Party for one.

Right, back with the M&S Hall Haul. yellow stickered celeriac, tomatoes, mozarella and no-chock chunks, as well as the other bits and bobs I need.

Weeks menu plan:

Sunday - Fry up, No-chick stir fry, GnT grantia (freezer) with fruit salad (need to use up satsumas)
Monday - yoghurt and granola, tomato soup, mozarella roast veggies
Tuesday - mushroom scrambled eggs, cheese and crackers, cauliflower steak w celeriac chips
Wednesday - cottage cheese and tomatoes, celeriac remoulade, white fish (freezer) with herby lentils (to use up herbs)
Thursday - yoghurt, apple, nuts - out for lunch - omelete
Friday - boiled egg, salad, fired rice
Saturday - soup, black pepper stir fry

Ds and dd are both fine! Noisy. Chaotic. Sticky. cheeky. But all good. Happy kids. Loving school and loving life.

I’ve just jettisoned the Christmas tree out the house. We have so much space!

I’ve also put the tinsel into freezer bags and squished it down. Still need to hunt out all the dc’ Christmas jammies and jumpers. Books and Christmas themed games.

DH and I are emptying the loft at the weekend. Christmas is going up. So I have time to deal with finding things.

I think I’d forgotten the Calets as the same age as the lifers. Dd16 and ds 14.. pleased to hear they are going well.
don’t blame you for taking over H house hunt. Shouldn’t have to but if it helps.

de Christmassed here, mostly.
the freezer pie didn’t work so well as distracted when coming. Freezer pud was spot on.

great savings unescorted
£52 this weeks shop.
sorry to hear about shite em. Hope things settle soon.

agreed tayto I’m frocking sick of rain and wet

hey wolf

It is crazy that the frugaleer babies are getting so big now!

Hope everyone else’s are ok too 😁
also thank you happier I am quite nervous about managing everything on my own but finally being in control of my own life is going to be amazing

I forgot to mention we had a new addition to the family a couple of years ago too. We gave a home to our little Cagbunny from a family who’d developed allergies and could no longer play with her. She’s an indoor rabbit so there is fluff and hay everywhere 🤣 but she is much loved and very snuggly 😁

@Wolfcub fcub gosh! 4 figures. Good plan to be saving ahead.

GWS @Taytocrisps

Jealous of the stollen @RumBananaSundae

Spends spent
£15 car wash
£29 brunch
Am doing fakeaway tonight and using up what we have

Missed that insurance thing Wolf. Fuvking hell

cute bunnie.
Labrador and horse hair rule me. They are both buggers for shedding. Not to mention meno hair and long dd hair

She's gorgeous sing

Cheese is the only thing we've got left here now from the Christmas food. Did well with the food shop this year, it has worked well and lasted well. I've done a meal list now of meals for January that use mostly food we've already got. Hopefully January will be a time to claw some money back. We're away with friends for one weekend, but the accommodation is already paid for & we've agreed we'll eat in for breakfast & evening meals to keep spends down
Going out to our local cricket club tonight so very low key.

So, turns out I have Covid. Good thing I hadn't planned anything exciting for tonight. I've booked a food delivery for Wednesday (earliest available slot). I'll make do with whatever food is in the house between now and then. And we're getting a "Fuck it" take away on New Year's Day. DD can leave my portion outside the bedroom door. But no for too long in case DCats wolf it down.

I'm trying to be positive. I can stay in my warm bed. I have lots of time to read my book club book. DD can do all the cooking and cleaning and tending to DCats she'll be thrilled.

Oh and I get an extended Christmas holiday from work 😀.

ah hope you don’t feel too unwell tayto. And well done for thinking of the positive. A week in bed sounds grand tbh