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

So relieved for you that everything went well @ememem84 💐

I'm really impressed with First Direct, the switching service has been pretty effortless, and now I'll get £350 for doing it! That's our joint accounts (bills, and spending) and a solo account for me all done. I've had to phone a few times for help with various things and they've made it so easy. Great customer service.

I wanted to switch anyway as we were with Metrobank, but they've gone downhill so much and there's no branches in Scotland. Had a cheque that could not be paid in, in anyway whatsoever, it was driving me mad. Posted it down south to my dad and he took it into a branch. Ridiculous!

Top switching behaviour nessa, you win today's frugality crown! We have our mortgage, joint account and DH's sole account with FD - agree, very good service. I think DH also has a linked savings account that at one point was paying 7% - any good for you? I have been very lazy on the switching for money front - the last time was about 3 years ago.

Half way through day 6 of my 9 day NS target. This week reminds me a bit of the nice aspects of lockdown - enforced quieter times, lots of reading, life migrating to online (classes, workouts, lectures, podcasts), walking, getting little jobs around the house done, eating the pantry down, finding time to apply handcream. If it were drier out, I'd be gardening.

Em, welcome back (again) - glad to hear that op went well, and I hope you and new boob are very happy together!

Definitely impressed with first direct I got £175 a few months back from them.

Also got £60 refering somebody to revolt which was nice.

Payday today - woo hoo. Managed a low spend day so far think daughter and I might be having a McDonald's later though as husband is out at his hobby (Mumsnet dictates I mustnt admit what this is 😆)

@BigSkies2022 I also opened a solo savings account and a joint one! I haven't a penny to put in them but the intention is there 😄

(I've actually budgeted £100 per month for Christmas which I'll send to mine as it's the 'bonus' account where you get the interest every month that you don't touch it.)

That's a good switching deal Nessa

Well done on the continued NSDs bigskies

Spendy ish one.
£11 co-op
£44 dentist
£2.50 diet coke and maltesers while at DD activity tonight.

Off work till Monday so tackled list of doom, some things still pending from January. Booked smear, renewed HRT, emailed solicitor about our wills, then went to the dentist. Oh and complained to Lidl about some chicken fillets that had gone off before the sell by date. Feel like I can have a lovely day tomorrow after all that. Next finance task is to set up AVCs for my pension and ask DH to do the same by the start of the new financial year.

That’s amazing @NessaSmith, I wish we had more options in Ireland. There’s even no such thing as a proper high interest savings account. About 2% is the best I could get without paying fees.

well done on the NSDs @BigSkies2022, spending is such a habit. Lockdowns forced us to do less and spend less. I’m really finding that I’m starting to wean myself away from my shopping habit. I’m no longer chasing a bargain and thus constantly buying.

@kessiebird i started writing my list of doom today🙈. I’ll get onto it eventually

had the call to setup my AVCs today so I can tick that box.

otherwise €50 in Lidl using my €10 off €50 vouchers. Managing to keep on the straight and narrow with groceries and not mindlessly stock up like I used to. I’ve 3 more over the next 3 weeks to use and I’m hoping by the end of it to have a handle on what a weeks shopping actually looks like for me.

in working through my stockpile I used up a random can of campbells chicken soup by adding to a homemade chicken soup. Also pulled out some pastry from the freezer and will make a quiche with it tomorrow using up some lingering cheese. I love to cook so this is like playing for me. I will then stock my freezer with these instead of newly bought food.

NSD for me yay !
Just had notification of M&S sale , l put £110 pounds worth of stuff in my basket and left it 😁

As soon as I read the m and s sale in your post I went to the website - that's how much of a marketing departments wet dream I am.

Only brought groceries today £10.80 to say it's payday that's pretty good the food will last the weekend for my healthy lunches and will hopefully stop expenses creeping in.

Aw bless you @ChipshopPickledEgg
I am the same , so bad that l start getting anxious if l can't checkout quickly enough in case something goes OOS 😱🙄

I did the same @MaryGreenhill and I very nearly checked out. Managed to stop myself and talk myself down. I’d been looking at a particular bra and it was in sale but not my size. Nearly got 2 others that I didn’t particularly want.

Step away from the sale unless you need it

I've left behind some sweaty betty at £135 as I don't need it

Spending yesterday ££ half term day at the beach
Day at the lakes today

And payday so all pots sorted except college money for ds

So glad to hear your op has gone well em

Currently sat in subway with a tea and cookie as currently having two tyres replaced. I think bill will be about £200. Urgh.

Payday though! Yay.

Hello all. My personal payday won't be until Monday, at which point I will sort out all my pots and be able to have my own guilt-free spending budget again. In the meantime, I have today, tomorrow and Sunday as NSD. I will end this month £20 adrift, but can make it up next month.

However, payday for DH and the joint account has been topped up - we ended the month with £3.83 in there - so it's off to the supermarkets for me!

Ddog's food order done, £58. Meter readings submitted and new tariff booked, to kick in from tomorrow. Will be overpaying again this month to claw back winter spending, but in theory, the monthly DD should reduce by a few quid. This will not make up for the Thames Water increase though.

We went to soft play this morning, £12 for an adult and toddler has this got expensive over the last few years? I'm sure it used to be a cheap rainy day activity?

Been looking back at my current account for February and am quite happy.
Zero spends at Starbucks drinks (n.b I do buy my beans though from there so actually spent less than £5)
One Indian takeaway - Vals.
One breckfast out.
Zero meal deals!
I can't see many transactions that were completely unnecessary - shouldn't be any ideally but definitely an improvement.

I've decided to try a new pot this month in my account for work expenses, although I am dieting and it's costly it's adding up so want to keep an eye on it.

I'm in the office alone today so doing some life admin alongside my work.
BigSkies just reminded me I need to speak to my electricity provider, will do that after lunch.

Won €4 on scratch card & a free scratch card yesterday so I've taken myself out for lunch today! Got a few jobs done while down the town, sent off work ink cartridges for recycling and got ds a cough bottle, must get my toilet cleaner while I'm next to SuperValu having lunch too

Rang my bank to avail of 2% cashback on my mortgage by changing my type of current account, they said I needed to go in branch, thought I figured it out on app but turns out I opened another current account so now I have to go into branch to sort it out, in a diff town to where I work.
Sickened but has to be done I don't want to be paying fees on two accounts

I'll get €12.42 cashback fees are €8 a month which is same as the account I have now, but I can earn money for my fuel bill and using my debit card to reduce this €8, so I'll still be up some money and I got cash back on drawdown too

Pay day yesterday and end of YNAB month today so I must do that budgeting too

time tyres so spendy
Em glad to hear op went ok, hope recovery isn't too bad. I was in hospital next to a woman who had similar operation when I was 12, she had drains for the wounds. We watched medical dramas all day long in hospital
Pistachio great save there

I spent a lot of money since I last post here medical mainly and new runners because of one medical appt they were on sale though with free postage and I'm time poor so it was a success

Lunch over will catch up later!

Hope you're being looked after and resting @ememem84 glad you're home.
@pistachiosanscream oh I love that kind of cooking too, it's Def play time! Enjoy! Tempted to go and see what I have to "use up" and play with too.
Spendy day here but all things I needed.
£1.75 for a stamp for a birthday card to a dear friend.
£14 for a world book day costume for DD. Tried to find one out of what she already had, or second hand on eBay but to no avail.
£71 in Lidl. Thought I had stripped my list right back but the magazine my DD threw in and the coconut water I treated myself to kinda bumped it back up. Ah well.
Looked at my budget, still doing well. No use of credit card and still in the black so I'm proud of myself. Haven't been in the black since I was 18!

Well done @pistachiosanscream on not buying from M&S
It's the FOMO on some great bargains but honestly l don't need anything 🙄
Tesco shop today £101
I did buy 3 gorgeous snowsuits for my DD2 to give to all her colleagues for when their babies are born . £7 each from £22 !
5 pregnant ladies , all at the same time and giving birth within 8 weeks of each other and All Boys ! 😁

My current provider offered 18% disc and a rate 4c per unit dearer than other provider, I've been with other provider in the past so happy to go with them €50 cash back and 32% disc

I've been working all week. Had 3 NSDs amd 2 LSDs, spent about £15 in total. Sold an item on Vinted for £5 so only £10 down this week.

Welcome @Frugal25 and @eekwhatnow

Good luck with the new job @NessaSmith

Glad to hear the op went well @ememem84

Well Feb has been quite a good month. Lots of NSD’s and managed to put quite a bit in the savings account. A lot of it is due to no council tax this month but any other year we would’ve thought ‘ooo extra money this month’ and frittered it away on stuff, but this year we’ve been good 😊

I have treated myself to some bits to learn embroidery, but the plan is to use it to mend/fix/revamp some old clothes like fixing holes in my jeans rather than chuck them out.

Payday! Everything is done and prepared and I am READY.

Fresh month, fresh start, MINDFUL MINDFUL MINDFUL March!!!!!!!

That reminds me @Happierwithouthim that I have some scratch cards that I need to claim my prize on. Must try and root them out.

@Frugal25 i got to play more again with my random ingredients. Made a sort of ragu for lasagne using tomato soup and red pesto as I was low on tomato purée. Also added in red lentils and will use the lingering cheese strings small child no longer eats in it too. As well as nicer cheeses.

don’t have enough garlic bread in but realised I’d butter, garlic and part baked bread rolls so will make my own. Having family over for an easy dinner tomorrow.

My pantry stockpile outside of the pasta mountain is seriously reduced now to what id consider normal levels. Freezer is next up. Definitely some lingerers there.

ill also make a jam tart and maybe bake something else too for treats.

NSD today for me and its OHs payday so all joint accounts are topped up. I also rounded up my savings account to the nearest round number. Not a huge amount but still something.

€19.85 on chipper on way to show last night as dc dilly dallyed and we didn't get to go for dinner
€9.50 in Tesco for snacks for show

Jesus Christ superstar was incredible, dd's bestie and sister were in it, I'd never seen it before.

€10.50 at recycling centre
€60 diesel - €80 last Sat I've 1000 miles done in two weeks
I brought the porridge I'd prepped for Thurs and didn't eat with me this morning to ds's activity and going to cook it at my uncles shortly, good for waste and waist
Chipshop well done on Feb
Frugal25 being in the black is excellent progress