Mince Pies, Mulled Wine, frugal festive frolics. Yuletide budgeting banter & Merry Saving Shenanigans for all 🎁🎄🦌🎅🤶☃️

[MaryGreenhill]

Welcome to the Christmas Frugal thread . We are a super friendly group here & everyone is welcome 🤗 .
☃️🤶🎅🦌🎄🎁

That's a new one to try in the Ninja outdoor oven when the weather perks up. Baked beans on pizza 🍕 we love jacket potatoes with beans and cheese so I'm thinking not dissimilar?! I'm game @Frugal25

Just paid £57 for a Christmas lights event I've been wanting to go to for years but there's always been a reason not to, cancelled due to COVID then baby and it was too cold etc.

Hmmmm @Frugal25 my thoughts about beans on pizza are more to do with how messy it might be? Can understand the pairing, especially if sourdough, but potentially a bit drippy for me.

@Mochi1fudge happy 60th to your DH - it’s my 60th on Saturday and I’m so looking forward to a weekend of celebration!! No frugality there 🤣

I had a day of returning and exchanging items today and bought a couple of photo frames from a next outlet - one for me, one for Christmas. Managed to stop myself buying a sequin skirt (was lovely, but not lined so I could see it sticking to my tights and ruining the image I had for myself in it…)

Have started putting up the tree tonight - just lights and tinsel so far - very happy with it. Aiming to finish it tomorrow before I’m out tomorrow night so it’s up for my birthday. My mum always made sure the tree was up for my birthday so I thought on this special day I’d make sure I did it too 💕

Happy birthdays when they come

i am indeed home via £10 at the pharmacy for a prescription

hhmmm I feel I may judge beans on pizza but you know we are all different and that makes the world go around

The idea of a year ahead budget sounds such a good plan!
I'm off a bit over Christmas think I might spend some time doing that. Things do have an habit of creeping up don't they.
Don't think we will get away with no birthday party this year either ...

Bit of a spendy morning really
£13 on a fleece from mountain warehouse. It's literally five years too big but turned up at the sleeves looks really good... And long term! 😆
£3 in boots on wipes.
£6 in savers on toiletries.

Good morning everyone 😁
Spends today Aldi £39
There will be more l am sure because we are just off to Cwmbran 🤣
Happy birthday to anyone l have missed and hope everyones loved ones health is improving. Als8 anyone who is not feeling well ATM
Especially @lifelongfrugaleer 💐 @PearlTeapotand @Frugal25💐 of course 💐
Sorry l have been MIA .
I have been ferrying and visiting my Mum's elderly friends about bless them .
Doing hospital visits because
2 are in hospital after falling , 1 is in after a stroke and the other is housebound now, so l have been shopping for him and doing a bit as well as seeing to Mum 😊
I don't mind a bit l will be in their shoes one day .

Lidl£5
Sainsbury's £6
Asda £19 and petrol Sainsbury's £55
133.9p per litre plus Nectar points . Cheapest petrol around .

@chimichangaz we share the same birthday ! Hope you have a great day :)

Today I've spent £61 on a leg and bikini wax, £88 including tip, on having my hair cut & blowdried and coloured.

£8 in lidl on a very disappointing cinnamon bun, cheese and a mini panettone.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

£37.50 in Asda, pizzas, Christmas mugs and three tubs of treeselets. It added up quick!

£10 in M&S for cookies and a gift, but I did return a £35 skirt…

£75 on a hair cut.

£4k on a kiln. Cough. Oh and the electrician was here doing the wiring. Kiln won’t turn up until feb/march. Mission will be to make that back by the end of 2027

@chimichangaz Happy 60th Birthday for tomorrow! Hope you have a lovely frugal free weekend - well deserved!

@MaryGreenhill that's so lovely and I'm sure we'll appreciated 😍

Sorry to hear about the disappointing bun @Johaanah

So far £1.25 on a bag of crisps and £6.99 seamstress. Picked up new UGGs from Vinted. They are the slipper type - can't decide if I like them or not so may be getting relisted.

Team night out in town. Three courses for £34.95 plus a soft drink and tip, I reckon £45. Leaving teenage DC to fend for themselves £30 for takeaway.

Beans on the pizza is indeed messy. Cutlery is required. But it's basically a giant beans on toast in my eyes and that is, as it was pointed out earlier, the dinner of gods.

Happiest of birthdays to everyone!!!! Def put the tree up for your birthday yes!!!

Was meant to be a NSD. But I went out last night and had bottomless prosecco on an empty tummy whilst wreath making. Love the wreath. But I haven't been that hungover since my 20s. Very very ashamed. £1.85 on polos on way to work as I couldn't hold down anything but mints. (I know I know, awful behavior) And £3.50 on a sarnie for lunch as I had perked up and was starving.

Oh @MaryGreenhill you are so lovely. I bet they feel very loved and looked after.

And just like that. It's Friday evening. Whooooo

Ah thank you so much @Mochi1fudge. Have a lovely time out tonight 😊
Thank you so much @Frugal25
I don't mind doing it a bit and they are so vulnerable bless them .

@Frugal25 I hope your hangover goes quickly and you have a lovely wreath to show for it!

Many happy returns all!

Just slipping that £4k spend in there hoping we wouldn’t notice further?😆

😂😂😂
I didn't like to say anything
@lifelongfrugaleer 😁

You saw nothing 😱😆

Does it help if I say it was my birthday present from October? 🤭🤭🤭

Happy 60th chimi! Have a great time and I hope you manage to extend your celebrations over many days and events.

I had a lovely day with friend yesterday, which included a visit to a shop which, if I lived there, would be very dangerous indeed for me. Everything is delightful and I plan to google for a website tonight. My friend bought me lunch, a book and a furry collar from said shop. (She insisted it was her birthday gift to me). Lunch ran late so I spent £19 on a single ticket home. Any amount would be fine for such a lovely day.

Back home, spent £95 on a jumper for DS -Christmas gift so it’s fine.

£20 on parking today while unloading decorative bits and pieces and assembling some last bits of furniture to make the flat look welcoming in the marketing photos. Agent was very complimentary so fingers crossed it is rented again soon.

DS working tonight, off to Manny tomorrow. I plan to tackle his snug over the weekend ( shelving for stuff on hand, deep storage for the rest,), give the house a bit of TLC and get some fairy lights up.

mushroom stroganoff tonight with DH and maybe The Holdovers on Netflix.

No 😂😂😂

Glad you had a lovely day @BigSkies2022 it sounded
Perfect and what a lovely friend . Well done your hard work has paid off in the flat . I want to watch the Holdovers too 😁

Spending yesterday was £2.99 and £5.99 on TGTG bags and £28 on dinner. Today has been about £12 in Waitrose, £28 on stamps in the post office and some legal spending.

Thank you for mentioning the annual planner @lifelongfrugaleer. I’m going to give it a go over the holidays. Glad you’re back home and hope you’re doing ok. That 4k was a whopper I did a double take on. Don’t feel so bad about my £12 in Waitrose now.

Happy birthday for tomorrow @chimichangaz and @Johaanah. And down with bad buns.

That’s so very lovely of you @MaryGreenhill.

I think the same @FurForksSake. Everything adds up quick. All I got in Waitrose this morning was eggs, chestnuts and a bar of fruit cake.

Enjoy your evening out @Mochi1fudge.

Fingers crossed for a quick rent for you @BigSkies2022.

Yesterday evening was surprisingly pleasant. I actually enjoyed myself and the food was nice. Was exhausted though. All I did was commute and have dinner. I have a long meeting and another dinner next Thursday (this one is free) so I’m not sure how I’ll handle that.

Oh thank you so much @RumBananaSundae honestly it's nothing 😊.
So glad you enjoyed yourself last night it does you good to get out and about 😊

Thanks Mary and happy birthday treats all around!

Sorry I've been MIA but I have been reading. Feeling thoroughly fed up at being in hospital, been told unlikely to go home for christmas so been a massive pile of misery. DW has had to wrap all the presents I had stashed in the garage, I had to give her my (very well organised) list of who for what and she's been wrapping and off to the post office tomorrow. I feel sad and guilty because it's one of My Jobs and something I enjoy doing.

That's really shit news for you @PearlTeapotl am so sorry sweetheart. Don't let it affect your recovery. You have come so far already stay focused on getting better and going home in the New Year .

Sorry @PearlTeapot to hear that, it’s hard news to hear and to share. But hopefully doing the time as an inpatient now will support you to have a more steady 2026? Everyone is just going to want you to get well.