January Frugaleers thread brings no judgment just friendly banter & advice for like minded folk

[Happierwithouthim]

A place where all are welcome regardless of income, level of debt or reason for being in debt or debt free.

We're friendly, full of good advice and open to new ideas where to shave off expense and how to live your best life on the income you have.

Over the years we've celebrated debt payoffs, babies, leaving jobs, getting different jobs, bonuses, and we've been there for each other through difficult times.

New posters welcome always & I hope posters who have fallen off thread will rejoin too

Nellie, what were your dog's symptoms that made this necessary? Did he have to have any teeth removed? Our Ddog had tartar from a very young age, and I get his teeth cleaned regularly, but he gets whiffy of breath nevertheless. I am due to take him for his vaccinations boosters next month and am considering asking the vet about this.

I started to write a message to those who are feeling under the cosh with job instability and uncertain finances, then got cold feet about sounding glib. So - just keeping fingers crossed for better times.

@BigSkies2022 He salivates a lot, and kind of smacks his lips a lot, so I wanted the vet to have a good prod and look around to make sure there wasn't a problem in his mouth.

He is large and very anti-vet after one accidentally hurt him quite badly, and the only feasible way to do this is under anaesthetic. So cleaning his teeth at the same time seemed sensible.

He is 8 and has never had a teeth clean before, so I'm not complaining.

Edited to add, no extractions or anything else found untoward. Vet said the lip smacking is probably behavioural, and some dogs just salivate a lot. But he is a German Shepherd, so not normally a drooly breed.

I do hope everyone who is under stress from the respect of redundancy and loss of earnings/contract all get new jobs very soon .
Such a worrying time for everyone bless you all 🤞🍀👍🙏
Spends today Aldi £59
Tesco £4

@marthasmum that’s awful news. Hugs from me as I’m sure it’s your DH who’s getting all the sympathy.

€2.20 on tea in work today. DH has noticed the fridge emptying. He’s absolutely fine with it though suggesting we go to Lidl on Saturday. He’s on a health kick and wants the fruit bowl restocked.

Thank you pistachio hope you are more restrained in Lidl than I tend to be.

Hugs and to everyone going through it at the moment, everything crossed that brighter skies are on the horizon ❤️

North that's the one, brilliant venue and they have some fairly big names sprinkled in with the tribute bands. Will be reasonably frugal as I'm driving, DH likes the fact that they have decent real ale and I like the fact that it's not stupidly expensive unlike other craft places 😊

£3.70 Costa yesterday, couldn't do my normal office day and was sick of looking at the walls so worked from there for the morning. Today will be food shopping but the list is short thanks to the monster veg box delivery and running down the fridge/freezer. Have meal-planned until the 28th, we go away the next morning.........

Martha sorry to hear that about DHs funding. Is it funding until the end of March? I'm public sector and work with third sector projects and hate this set up. Unsettling for all, especially when it affects directly.

Hack hope things a little better in your DHs situation, that really does sound tough for you

Hello vinorosso

Also hope the dogs mentioned on the thread are okay with their various vet trips. 🐶.

Yesterday was LSD £4.35 Boots, £3.52 coop and £1.35 Poundland. Monthly CC bill is still too high, the more I spend on that, the less I save so reminder to be frugal this weekend as half term is looming with 13 YO DD!

Out for lunch with best pal today. May be a bit spendy but I have a work visit afterwards at 3pm so I won't eat too much due to that, so may keep the cost down! Quiet weekend ahead after a turbulent start to the year with family life. DH off work so we may pop out or just chill at home.

kessie yes that’s right until the end of March. So at least we will know soon.
Back to financial planning - I am about to pay off credit card when I next get paid and then should be able to start saving the spare couple of hundred that is in theory sloshing about my account after the bills have been paid. Recently I’ve been a bit free with that and spending it on one thing and another, so that needs to tighten up.
Hope you enjoy lunch kessie. I love a costs mrs, that’s something I don’t plan to give up.

Tyre change, so £60 for that .
Hope all the beloved Pets are ok too 🐕🐩🐶🐾
🐈😺🐈‍⬛🙀

Hope everyone is having a nice Valentine's Day, whether it brings romance or not! I have cleaned the floors, done a Pilates workout, washed the dog's bedding and bed, done the Aldi run (£62) and Sainsbury's (£37) and just dropped the dog off for his haircut (£74). Tonight I plan to do another workout, drink some Riesling (probably), make a leftovers chicken fried rice and find a movie to watch with DH. I bought some supermarket daffodils to bring a bit of cheery yellow into the house, and also a bar of Montezuma dark chocolate with orange and geranium.

DS due to arrive sometime on Sunday, so shopping included Skippy peanut butter, bagels, bacon, full-fat milk, milk chocolate, haddock fish fingers and halloumi. He is sophisticated in some ways, but retains the palate of a ten year old.

Lunch was lovely at £25. Also Morrisons £12 and B&M £28. Got a box of truffles each for Valentine's, not that we mark it normally, but DH is having a rough time as lost both PIL last year and now having to support his brother plus he still works FT at 59. So that's for him when he gets home at 10pm.

Hope everyone has a lovely evening

I really need to keep up with the thread!

Good frugaleering here today I've been looking for a "new" wardrobe for a few months now as our current one broke. Finally found a second hand one I like and it's coming next week I'm so excited! And please to have got one second hand good for wallet and also environment we try to avoid buying new if we can. Looking around the house hardly any of our furniture is new and I like that. I'd like a brand new, new build house though ironically! 😂

We don't really do valentine's after more than 20 years together but we've got a nice dessert for tomorrow night that's about it.

Evening all, sorry to hear about all the job uncertainty, and poorly pups..=

@BigSkies2022 Your day sounds divine, I'd love to do pilates but there doesn't seem to be anywhere local that does it here (rural village) but I shall join you on the vino and dark chocolate.

@kessiebird Glad you enjoyed your lunch, I hope you both enjoy your truffles, it sounds like it has been tough for you both lately.

£13.61 on Tuesday in Asda. Spent a bit on clothes but I am still capsule wardrobe-ing, and one item I already purchased reduced another £10 so reordered and will return the other. Just two cashmere tops, and some vest tops for base layer, not sure what will

We are having a chilled night, a M&S meal deal. We exchanged flowers (lego flowers for him) and chocolates. Popping open the wine, and letting the oven do the hard work. We will watch a film or series, we are both exhausted from work/kids/life so a rest is needed.

Have a lovely evening all

Yesterday was a NSD for me though DH picked up €6.93 of groceries.

we don’t celebrate valentines but the school does so we might make more of an effort next year. I did pull out a nice box of chocolates I’d been given at Christmas to share. We were exhausted after 2 nights when small child woke up scared in the night.

todays going to be spendy. Child has camp for €20 and it occurs at a time DH and I can have a lunch date at. Then we will go to Lidl for some groceries. I’m hoping to keep Lidl below €50. Just buying what we need. Anyone who knows me will realize this will be a real challenge for me.

@pistachiosanscream look up clippingsoftin on Instagram she has a way of getting €10 off €50 using the Lidl plus app when a new store opens

£4 Parkrun hot choc, £50 topping car up as station near PR is 7p cheaper
have to go to Aldi , £30 to DS for a great report. He’s really trying despite his challenges,

I will. There’s one opening near me soon

Back from hols. Teneriffe was just what the dr ordered. So lovely.

Treated husband to. Valentine's takeaway last night - oh the romance.
Hoping for no spends today - might need to go get some milk and bread later though.
Definitely no discretional spends today.

Pleased you had a good time em
£71 Aldi £11 M&S plus my free quiche £19 home bargains

Evening.

Apologies, I've lost track of the thread for the last few days.

Love the idea of Lego flowers though.

We don't really celebrate Valentines Day as it's our anniversary today. Just having a takeout though and then a midweek meal. The atmosphere in a restaurant on 15th February we soon learned in our marriage is a little flat 😃.

Nothing major spent other than £££ on food as usual.

Had a great morning running with my my training group. I used to go and train weekly prior to DH's stroke but rarely get there now. The DC insisted though. Bit of a leap in effort from my usual training but delighted to have kept up very well - 13 miles in total at current marathon pace of 8mm - couple of extra miles in warm up and cool down. Grim grim weather. So cold.

Menu plan

Roast chicken dinner
Lasagne
Spiced chicken, spinach and sweet potato stew, with broccoli and rice.
Broccoli and Stilton/leek and potato soup with crusty bread
Muhammara red pepper sauce - not sure whether with pasta or cod etc yet.
Chicken and aubergine dhansak.

Anybody else find their husband expensive to shop with? Popped to Tesco with need of a token gift for somebody a card and some bread and zero 'extras' he got two tins of pringles and some Ritz crackers 😖

I could have written this! DH came to Lidl. My hoped for sub €50 spend became €83.95! Nearly €5 on wheatabix!

otherwise €15 for swimming lessons, I’d a voucher to cover the rest.

€10 at the cinema for snacks when seeing the latest Bridget jones. Ticket was a freebie as my sister had a spare.

£34 in Morrisons which included 10 lovely little candles on sale for 75p each they were called Expresso Martini and smelled just like it and a red and white striped long sleeved top for DD2 it was £7 and lovely .
Takeaway £30

Glad you had a lovely time @ememem84 😊