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 🤗 .
☃️🤶🎅🦌🎄🎁

@pistachiosanscreamSounds really positive sweetheart ☺️
Well done on focusing in what you have and selling on Vinted great idea. I agree with you far better to sell than the stuff ends up in landfill , Well done 👍

Need: solidarity ✊ I hope you are clear of this latest round of family management in time for a nice Christmas break.
£56 in Sainsbury’s on general shopping. Included peanut butters and ingredients for DS who is cooking burgers for us tonight, and has certain specifications.

£13 also in Sainsbury’s on Christmas catering. Figs were on special offer so I grabbed four packets and will do my pickled figs later today.

Frugal fail: I bought a little Christmas tree, expecting it to cost around £25. £42 !!! It’s got a rootball and is designed to be potted on and reused- I will certainly be doing that! It’s a good few years since we had a tree, dunno why I decided today was a good time to start up the tradition again. Oh well!

duck legs cooked, whole house now smells of duck and poor Ddog is in torment.

@needastrongoneagain @needastrongoneagain1 (there's two of you) that does sound tough with DF. You do sound organized for Christmas and hopefully can have some down time at some point. It's draining indeed.

@BigSkies2022 a friend of mine sent a link to that film, I was keen to see it until she then sent a content warning! Maybe a one for me to wait for Amazon Prime rather than the cinema with my Dsis. I did giggle at your description of you DH and DS 🤭

Started the day well with a two hour break from work to do a body pump class - then worked in the hotel and ordered food - frugal fail at £17! I couldn't face nipping round to ikea for a £3.50 deal and all the people in the restaurant. I did get a lot of work done and it was a lovely healthy salad. This morning I needed cash back for DDs bus fare as she's lost her bank card - that was £18.

Hopefully home soon and no more spends!

Well done on the fig bargains @BigSkies2022 and what a wonderful Ds you have to cook for you all bless him . If mine would cook for me l would buy them any Ingredients they wanted tbh ,he's a treasure 👍
Love the sound of your real Christmas tree , it doesn't sound too expensive to me for one with a rootball tbh 🎄🌲
@Mochi1fudge you looked after yourself today having that lovely salad and that work out, that's money well spent, great work 👍😁

Hmm well, before you get too carried away by DS’ kitchen competence, I think you should know that I have to nudge and insist that he cook for us. As it is, I’ve prepped the sweet potatoes as he’s been sidetracked by vital phone calls and we need to eat before 9pm! But I am determined that he leaves home a decent cook. Jamie Oliver has a new book out Ten Recipes to Save your Life - I might check it out as a Christmas gift for DS!

he has been researching which funds to invest his lifetime ISA into though, so I’m actually rather proud of him.

Spending today was £10 at subway. It was not nice. I’ll not be going back.

Thank you @pistachiosanscream. I do have carpet now. Goodo about the coat.

Sorry that things are still being worked on re your father @needastrongoneagain. I hope there’s a comfortable resolution for you.

I now have carpet. But will spend this evening writing to the shop so more stress. The fitters told me after I’d signed the papers that the doors didn’t close and that I could get them cut later if I wanted (i.e they weren’t doing it even though on the paperwork it says they will for an extra fee). I was convincing myself to let it go then I found damaged furniture and they also broke a lamp. Why is nothing ever simple? Arghhh. So no warmth or light here yet.

That really stinks re the carpet fitters @RumBananaSundae
Honestly that is so mean of them bless you 💐
That book sounds absolutely brilliant @BigSkies2022 l am definitely going to have a look at that !

Need ❤️

@Mochi1fudge it’s the same person. She just isn’t being frugal with usernames. 😆

something to do with a login issue I think

£27 in Aldi, mostly Christmas stuff- getting close enough to buy the dairy stuff now. Also wine for bourgignon and coq au Riesling. Meeting DH in town at 5 for some gift shopping and general soaking up of atmosphere.

oh i just typed a MASSIVE post and it's deleted it :(

it went something like
@BigSkies2022 did you get your dinner in the end? recipe book sounds like a good idea. do you hire your son out?! i dont want to cook tonight! But potato cakes with mushroom sauce shall be done although i want a takeaway
@RumBananaSundae how did the complaint go? I'm so cross for you. All that waiting and they botch the job and smash things up.
@MaryGreenhill you're so lovely all the time, you come on here mulitple times a day and comment beautiful things on what we have put. thank you. You are a wonderful human. xxx

NSD yesterday
NSD today

Went to the pub after yoga last night for our christmas drinks and shared a drink with a lady that didnt want to drink it all by herself so that was a frugal win as she refused any money for it.
house alarm has completely broken. it keeps going off but it's not connected to anything - previous owners botched job. So i've pulled out the wires, and i'll get another better one next year that actually works. OH has ordered smoke alarms that are battery operated in the meantime as the smoke alarm i have currently is wired into the alarm that is now in bits. :)

i did write more the first time but i'm not going to write it all again lol

NSD for me thankfully 🤗
Those recipes sound delicious @BigSkies2022 😋
AHH @Frugal25l am always doing that 🙄😁.
Oh bless you for saying that , it's so sweet of you and in fact l could say the very same for you . I think you are a very sweet natured kind person , you are always so kind here ❤️
So thank you right back at you sweetheart 😘
Sounds like the best thing for you to do , get rid of all the alarms completely and fit battery smoke alarms for now .
It's a right nuisance when it's from the bodged jobs from previous owners but it is what it is 🙄

I’m not thinking too much about spending today. I had a legal bill, bought some Crémant for the holidays and some chocolates for my physio.

Bugger to your lost post @Frugal25. I hate it when that happens. You’ve reminded me to sort out my smoke alarm. It needed a new battery and I can’t reach to put it back.

I’m learning all about previous owners bodge jobs @MaryGreenhill.

My complaint has just been sent off. I hate complaining so was dragging my feet but then was getting more annoyed as they have left behind a smell in the bathroom. Not entirely sure how they managed to wee on the floor but I’m not impressed. Was meant to be seeing friends this evening but am sitting it out as they annoyed me last time. Have started watching Down Cemetery Road. I’m rather enjoying it. Might add some Baileys to my milk.

Bodge jobs are the bane of my life in this house. Wires that don't lead to anything. Alarms not attached to anything. Black mould and rising damp (,fixed thankfully) cracked windows. A central heating system that didn't work.... Getting it all fixed but geez. No wonder they moved.

Nasty smell in the bathroom is the last straw. Glad you complained my darling. They need telling off and you need the carpet fixed for free as compensation. See what happens though.

Ah Mary that's so lovely thank you. I love this little corner of mn

Hope the complaint helps @RumBananaSundae

Agree @MaryGreenhill is brilliant at keeping up the thread and this is a lovely corner of MN. I do read everything and am willing myself not to drop off before January but sometimes I miss updates.

Today wasn't bad
£10 Face Theory - had run out of moisturiser so used a £10 off loyalty voucher and free postage.
£11.97 Costco. Had a £20 online voucher so bought new PJs and some lovely bowls to bring me up to minimum spend.

DH has broken our Christmas presents rule - he buys something for his obsession hobby then I buy presents for myself to the same amount. Which I have done - UGGs, PJs, 3 x bags of Thorntons. Then he's spent £47 from the joint account on chocolate and candles at Lidl today, saying they are from DC. I saw the receipt on the app 😂 I have bitten my tongue as it's a kind thing to do and will buy a big selection box for him to open from the DC. Thought I'd have a little rant here though as I try so hard to balance the books!

I think I’ve been quite good the last few days, ds2 chose dh a Christmas present, a mini air blower for £30. He can use it for his keyboard and jobs in the garage.

Sounds like very reasonable
spending to me @RumBananaSundae your legal bills ,festive Crémant, and chocolates for your physio all necessities in my book 🤗
Annoying about the smoke alarm needing a new battery, especially when you can’t reach to put it back. One of those jobs that should be easy but are blinking awkward as hell .
Finding previous owners’ bodge jobs is infuriating but it happend all the time unfortunately.
Well done for sending the complaint about those carpet fitters . I know you hate complaining, but the bathroom smell and the general disrespect they treated you and your home with is appalling . Not a bit of wonder it's winding you up.
Staying in instead of seeing those friends sounds sensible if they’d already annoyed you who needs more irritation. Down Cemetery Road is good and Baileys in milk feels like a healthy drink after the day you have e had . Chin chin 🤗🥛.

@Frugal25 AHH you are welcome it's only the truth , you are a lovely person. l love it here too🤗, it's a little haven for us all here ☺️
@Mochi1fudgeThat all sounds very reasonable, honestly. You’ve been thoughtful and measured with spending, not reckless at all!
Re your DH spending £47 in Lidl's, at least he went to Lidl's and bought really good value things and your plan to get him a lovely selection box off the DC is perfect. Never worry about not posting here , the nature of the thread is so that we can just come and go as we need , no one is checking 💐

That's a great present off your Ds2 for your DH @FurForksSake , l bet your DH will love it 🤗

Ugh @RumBananaSundae so glad you complained. And I think good call on sitting out the meet up. Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to give ourselves space.

@Frugal25 i feel you about the bodge jobs. Our 1970s house has had many updates in its time. Some done very well and others done interestingly.

today was a NSD. Shock horror. Though I now want to buy a mini air blower @FurForksSake

DH and I have split the oven cleaning. He’s put all the stuff on and in the morning I’ll do a scrub!

I honestly can’t remember my last NSD or even LSD. Mostly Christmas related though which has been budgeted. I was going to say today was a NSD then remembered an Etsy order for a late addition to the present pile 🤦🏻‍♀️

Have done a huge brain dump list today of everything that’s been on post it notes and different notebooks around the house. So glad it’s in one place but a little overwhelmed by the size of it. I plan to have a more organised 2026 and will start my planning once this weekend is out of the way (my shopping should be completed and all wrapping done 🥳🥳)

I want to pick jobs from different categories to do each week (eg house related, admin) as otherwise I get overwhelmed and nothing gets done. I also want to spend less time on my phone mindlessly scrolling. Picked up a book from the charity shop for a £1 about just that the other day so that will be one of my 2026 goals.

I also want to say that this is a wonderful corner of MN and I have loved getting to know everyone this year. May we continue to support each other, and dip in and out without judgement, into 2026 🥂

I’m doing lots of organising and planning today.

my big news is I have a brain tumour. That’s what was discovered when I was in hospital.
I’m fine but need surgery and then likely chemo so need to be organised & save for extended sick leave

all ok though. Still have my rude sense of humour.
on hold to dvla to surrender my license. Of course there are 3 different forms and only 1 is online. Best dust off the printer

I’m really glad you told us @lifelongfrugaleer. That’s huge and even if you’re feeling okay, it’s still a lot to take in for you and all your loved ones. It makes sense you’re organising everything ,that’s you taking care of yourself and everyone around you and it's immensely sensible and practical to do this while you are able to before surgery and chemo .
I am so relieved and l know everyone here is too that there’s a clear plan with surgery and treatment to deal with this monster. Even though chemo and time off work are daunting for you it's just what needs to be done end of . You sound so grounded and quietly strong, and that rude sense of humour will genuinely help carry you through this foreboding journey .
The DVLA and printer nonsense is awful timing, but you’re handling it. Be gentle with yourself you don’t have to hold everything together all the time , we are all here for you and are all rooting for you .
Honestly, you are so brave to tell us and deal with everything Wishing that everything goes perfectly for you and you are soon in remission bless you sweetheart, huge massive Welsh cwtches from me .
If you need anything and l mean this , just say ❤️

Thanks Mary my lovely