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 🤗 .
☃️🤶🎅🦌🎄🎁

NSD here. Leftovers for dinner.

Belated happy birthday @chimichangaz and @Johaanah

@Frugal25 I blinking love a bit of pyrex. Great find!

Morning.

Oh I never thought to look in charity shops for Pyrex - what a great idea! Great find @Frugal25

I think we all need goals and a purpose @RumBananaSundae, however small. Enjoy seeing your friend.

Thanks @BigSkies2022 - appreciate those kind words. I have not been a lover or hater of Christmas but since DH’s stroke I have been less keen - for boring, mostly family politics related reasons. And I’m knackered 😊

@ChipshopPickledEgg - feel similar re family and so you have my sympathies.

Thanks @MaryGreenhill. I’m trying to take a deep breath re Dsil as her heart is in the right place and she’s very kind, she’s just quite hard work too.

Spends in the last day or two haven’t been huge
£25 Amazon - bulk batteries, children’s books for Christmas, razors. I dislike using Amazon so much, but it’s hard to get out and it’s cheap.
£35 groceries
£43 tickets for a children’s play (You Choose), for my nephew and his family. We are very close - DH was a father figure for a long time.

Various chores this week and hopefully the decorations up too.

Big hugs to everyone who finds Christmas challenging.

I love the quiet of 27th December once all the time spent with relatives is done, and finally relaxing (some of my relatives are a very hard work too). A new book to read and a box of maltesers will make me very happy,

I hit the £800 sold mark this morning on eBay sales. 12 items posted this morning. DH has found me all sorts of treasure to list from the loft, which I have done this morning. There is also a massive pile of DVDs and CDs too, which will be this week’s job, but this is the less lucrative bit and there are loads of them.

We had a great trip to the theatre to see Six at the weekend. Spends were £8.50 on churros at the Christmas market before hand and £20 on McDonald’s on the way home.

I also paid the balance of our holiday off on the credit card, but the cc bill won’t then get paid until mid January so not really spent yet.

Hello Frugaleers

Been trying to keep up with the thread while away for DHs 60th birthday. Can't remember where I was up to when I posted last!

Happy birthday to @chimichangaz and @Johaanah hope you both had lovely weekends 🎈

@PearlTeapot sorry to hear your news and hope things feel a bit brighter for you by now. Good for you sending back the Jelly Cat - small steps eh?

Good news on the dressing and photos of the flat @BigSkies2022 your words were lovely 😍

Sorry I have missed loads of updates. We've only been away 24 hours but feels like a proper long weekend. V frugal so far as all was paid in advance. Last night was £10.50 from the Observatory gift shop. Went out for lunch as DSC needed to drive home after that, only to find they were closed (I did ring last week). We are in rural Northumberland. So here we are back at the cottage with a large TV, cards, a book, left over food and a tub of Roses. Last night was a late one, so I suspect we'll stay out and today could well be a NSD!

Hope everyone is feeling better and having a good day.
Spends for me only £7.50 on batteries and cheese from Morrisons.
Thinking of you @lifelongfrugaleer, @PearlTeapot, @needastrongoneagain , @Frugal25 and @RumBananaSundae .
Hope you all have great improvement in your health and wellbeing 🙏
Have a lovely time and happy birthday to your DH @Mochi1fudge👏😊🎁🎈🥳🎉

Spent £13 today with £8 of that being food to take this evening. I went for a cheap option as I’m sure I won’t eat anything. Also took cash out preemptively in case I need to have the doors played with when the carpet is fitted. Am feeling somewhat depleted financially.

That’s a great mark to hit re eBay @Holidaysandchocolate. Well done.

Sounds like you’re having a good time away @Mochi1fudge. Which observatory did you visit? Enjoy the rest of your time away too.

Not sure where the money had gone this month. We’re only a week in. Some of the grocery shopping today is for the holidays. It was yellowed stickered and I know I’ll use it so it’s in the freezer.

Flakey friend wants to go to the theatre. I’ve nodded nicely but given past behaviour I’m not convinced it will happen so my money can stay in my pocket. Not looking forward to venturing out later. Rain, rain and more rain.

Back home from Ddad's scan. Six hour day for a 15 minute appointment, ended up taking him back to the home again as transport service was hours off. £12 on two horrible sandwiches and a cup of nasty coffee from the hospital cafe - when will I learn? I am hoping that the consultant can plan treatment that gets delivered in one visit and this trekking back and forth for tiny slivers of NHS attention can stop. I did enquire at the home about the possibility of a carer escorting DDad, but it's tricky - they don't get paid the hourly rate that they would if they were on the shop floor so it's effectively overtime for less money, and they baulk at doing it. Fair enough.

£29 in Sainsbury's! on not very much at all. Yikes.

Successfully finished rearranging DS' snug yesterday, and it is now looking a very calm, organised, and welcoming space, and we did it without having to buy lots of new furniture (an office chair and a new carpet was all). HIs bedroom needs an upgrade - better clothes storage mainly - but we also need a new garage roof so that might have to wait a bit.

£23 for a flat sheet from Zara Home - in my basket, not bought yet. I really want linen but it's 3 times the price of cotton.

What a long day for such a short appointment @BigSkies2022! Fingers crossed the consultant can make it easier next time.
Well done on DS’ snug. Oof at hospital café and Sainsbury’s prices though 🙄

£39 in Lidl for groceries, mostly treat/ Christmas related eg a bottle of baileys type drink, crisps and stollen.

£6 ish at the farm cafe as I annoyingly left the bottle of water at home, dispute packing food. Water was £2.15! Coffee was £3+ and disappointing. I should have noticed as hardly anyone had bought one.

DD 7 had a friend round for a playdate...I wrestle with how many clubs she should be doing as lots of her school friends do more, but they are expensive. A big reason for them is socialising, so playdates free and nice. It's the first time I've.had a child who's not mine on their own in my house, we don't have many playdates, as everyone is busy, and when we do it's often playgrounds as her cohort are wild! But I've dropped a working day for this sort of thing.

It was Kielder @RumBananaSundae such a special place in the dark sky park. I've just been out in the garden with an app to identify constellations. Interesting evening was had.

Thanks @MaryGreenhill

That was a long day @BigSkies2022

Co-op £8.33 for DD as she forgot to pack sanitary products - I reminded her then asked when we stopped in Lidl on the way up. but...teenagers! 50 minute round trip to the nearest village. Also picked up some nice sausage and had cooked breakfast in English muffins for supper. DS declared the scrambled egg amazing. We've eaten out a lot this week so that just did the trick
.

@Holidaysandchocolate twixmas is my absolute favourite too. New books, chocolate, and nothing to do (I do work in between but hardly anyone else is there which is a treat). Well done on the ebaying too.

@Mochi1fudge weekend away sounds blissful

@BigSkies2022 son's snug sounds good. My son won't let us do anything nice in his room .. apparently he likes it the way it is

@Alwayslearning25 hope the playdate was a success

Posted too early yesterday. It WAS a NSD until I spotted a jumper on Vinted. It's 100% wool though and a lovely colour so no regrets.

Today I have genuinely spent nothing, and I won't be on Vinted either! DH made fishcakes for tea.

My spending is getting back under control, thank goodness. Just ordered my nephews presents and scarves for my dad and step dad and I think I’m pretty much there.

I did pay for a block of hydrotherapy sessions they are eye watering but a necessity.

That sounds like an exhausting day @BigSkies2022

@Alwayslearning25 it’s not a huge spend at the farm shop and at least now you will never be tempted by the coffee!

today I spent €2 on 2 sausage rolls!

That's a very long and stressful day for you @BigSkies2022 . You're so lovely to look after your DDad.

NSD for me. I had my Christmas lunch at work and a colleague bought the tonic water I drank.
Then met a friend for a drink after work and she bought the tonic water I had there as apparently I bought last time.
Quite a result I thought.
Another item sold on vinted so I'll post tomorrow.

That's true @pistachiosanscream unlike the Costa at work. Playdate went very well, the kids just entertained each other and I gave them snacks, but afterwards I realised I was really tense the whole time, then felt exhausted.

I love keilder. We had a great long weekend there a few years ago. It’s just a bit too far for a day.

well done for getting though the day big.

lots of spends yesterday last Christmas bits. As I can’t drive I’ve just online them. Only need M&S food now for outlaws hamper. Will be done by next Monday except for that

Terrible weather here , just been shopping am half drowned 🤣.
Lidl £8
Primark £45
Asda £16
Hope everyone is ok and safe from the wind and rain .
No flooding as yet here 😱

£3.97 Card Factory DSIL birthday
£8.10 coop
£25 Car Valet
£8.70 stamps for Christmas cards

Getting takeaway later, likely £40

Checked a M&S gift card which I found in my purse £37.50 😍

Take care @MaryGreenhill your part of the world is certainly taking a hammering this winter ☔ 🩷

The rain is unpleasant here, but no risk of floods where we are. We drove through some nearby villages and the fields are very much under water and have been for ages.

spending today

amwzon - sodium percolate and whitening stuff for pillow cases and some present bits £40
new jeans for dh - £40, he has a hole.
Tesco express £23. This was for
butter
eggs
icing sugar
twk bars of Tesco dark chocolate
bag of twirl minis
bag of Lindt crispy balls
appeteasers mini tiny cheeses for Christmas Eve

and the bag cost £1.30 as I forgot to take one and chose a nice Father Christmas one that might become a present bag.

@MaryGreenhill please don’t wash away!

Aw thank you @Mochi1fudge&@Frugal25
I am fine here 🤗
Thankfully the rain has stopped but it's so windy out .
Very mild still though. 😱.
@Mochi1fudge that was a brilliant surprise yay! 😀
@Frugal25 @Mochi1fudge glad you are safe from flooding there . They have lovely bags in the supermarkets. I bought an Emma Bridgewater star bag from Waitrose then other day for £6 it's lovely🤗

I won't l promise scouts honour lol 😂

One TGTG bag reserved at £6.99 and that’s me for today.

Yowsers a long day for you yesterday @BigSkies2022. Fingers crossed the results are ok.

I googled Kielder @Mochi1fudge. I looks lovely.

Hope you escape flooding @MaryGreenhill. The weather isn’t great here but far from flooding territory.

What a day. Legal issues. Never ever ask me for solicitor recommendations. The incredulity of the correspondence today. I just thought what????!!!!!! and didn’t know how to respond. Don’t people realise that when you email them you get a copy in your sent folder.

I am pining my hopes for rescuing today on the TGTG bag. Though as it’s from a bakery I fear it might be loaves of bread. Not what I’m after.

Wow, what a day for you @RumBananaSundae! 😳 Legal correspondence sounds exhausting .I can totally see why you’d be gobsmacked. And yes, people forget that their emails leave a paper trail… classic mistake! Fingers crossed the TGTG bag is more of a treat than just loaves of bread , hope you manage to snag something good from it. At least the weather’s behaving itself here for now thank you ,🤗