January Jingles, Valentine Capers, Frugal Fun Shenanigans & Looking Forward to Spring!

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome to the New thread everyone 😊
Here's to everyone of us and hoping 2026 brings us all health happiness and frugal finances 🤗

@pistachiosanscreamah thank you so much that is so kind of you ❤️.
l am trying my best but of course sometimes it's just not good enough given the circumstances ❤️

Thank you so much @FurForksSake you are so kind ❤️
I have gone about my morning as normal and been very busy which has done me the world of good. In truth keeping busy helps no end ❤️

Ah bless you for being so sweet and kind@Frugal25 thank you so much ❤️
I know isn't it daft to be so tuned in to a device yet my home phone never rings and p just don't regard it . I am just waiting to hear from my sister fingers crossed 🤗

Great to hear you are safely home life

Sorry to hear your DM is unwell again DirtyGertie, she really does have the best person (you!) looking out for her.

I cannot get any motivation to do anything today. Decided against going into town due to the incoming rain/wind.

£2.01 in Tesco

I am researching things and not buying them, that’s a good thing, right? I have lost the blots for my cake stand and have discovered I can get replacements from Amazon. This is good as I can order some when I need to use it and I can also consider throwing some plates and making cake stands for sale when I get my kiln.

Just heard from my sister Mum is sitting up in bed. Much more with it, talking almost normally and drinking well. Such a relief 🤗

@FurForksSake that is brilliant well done on the research those cake stands sound gorgeous 😍

Ah thank you so much @Holidaysandchocolate it's been like a rollercoaster tbh with you ❤️

Just taken my Mums friend shopping to Aldi in case of snow and did my shop at the same time. Bought a load of mince pies for 29p a box for the birds. Then went and delivered birthday presents and cards to 2 of Mum's friends, then Tesco for a lot of stuff for my Dd2 she's having a colonoscopy on Sunday and the things you can't eat !
A jar of Bovril was £4.75 😱
Aldi £30
Tesco £25
Hope everyone is ok ❤️
We have been forecast a hellish amount of snow this afternoon. So l am off up to see Mum before it comes .
Thank you all so much you are just absolutely amazing bless you all ❤️ 🤗

£1.80 on rinse aid. From Amazon because it was far cheaper than the supermarket.

That's such a good price @FurForksSake!!!

You have been busy @DirtyGertiefromno30 and bless you for feeding the birds yummy mince pies. My bird food arrives tomorrow so today they have kitchen scraps which they are devouring.

Been to get rest of party bags bits and shoes. £8 in all. Found shoes reduced from £14 to £4 as they had a bit of paint on them. It came off with my fingernail so perfect shoes with £10 off. I'm winning in life.

I'm so.sorry about your uncle @pistachiosanscream
You're so lovely doing the baking of the tarts. A lovely person and they will be grateful for them im sure.

Wow @FurForksSakethars a great price , seems the research is paying off well done 👍 😊
@pistachiosanscream
I am so sorry to hear about your poor Uncle ,bless you and your Mum. That's absolutely awful . l am so sorry l didn't pick up on what you said ❤️
I hioe your Dm is ok too God it never rains but it pours ❤️

AHH thank you so much @Frugal25we usually get lots of Field Fayres if it's really bad snow . They are beautiful birds 💗.
Excellent bargain in the party shoes well done 😊❤️
Just off to see Mum 😊

Took myself for lunch £5

Got to go and do some grocery shopping but going to keep to a strict list. Really can't be bothered with shopping!

Oooh great spot Furforks, I’ve just bought 4 bottles of the rinse aid to get an extra 5% off too. This was on tomorrow’s shopping list anyway (normally the unbranded version). This will keep us stocked up for a while!

Thanks @Frugal25 and @DirtyGertiefromno30 they might not be that grateful but if we brought nothing it would be missed. Part of Irish funeral politics! i remember having to freeze so much stuff after my dad died. A while boned and rolled ham even.

My mum will be fine, its a full medical assessment to ensure there is nothing underlying her recent spell but so far everything is coming back ok.

Thank God for that @FurForksSake aw bless you doing all that baking . I had no idea it was like a funeral rite in Ireland. I know the wake is very important though .

Went to Asda this morning and spent £3.89 on milk and some yellow stickered flat breads for the freezer.

I agree on the healthy food being expensive @MushyPeasAndMintSauce. I have a tiny Sainsbury close to me and find myself in there more than is wise buying things I don’t need. It’s the same getting out during the day the nearest places to walk to are the high street or town centre and I ending up buying things I don’t need.

@DirtyGertiefromno30. So sorry about your mum. Glad she’s doing better today. And that you’re ok and hope you managed to relax a bit. Do take care of yourself.

Glad you’re back and resting @lifelongfrugaleer. Sending you lots of hugs and hope you’re doing ok.

Sorry about your uncle @pistachiosanscream.

Have given up on today and am on the sofa with a blanket and the television on. Happier it’s warmer but it’s so dark. The forecast told me to wear sunscreen in direct sunlight. Fat chance of any sun today. Hope all those affected by Goretti will be ok.

@RumBananaSundae l think you are doing the best thing for you today. Stay in the warm and try to chill out .
Thank you re my Mum it's very kind of you ❤️
l have been busy this morning until l heard from my sister about my Mum and since then l have just sat down and had a cuppa and a piece of Stollen .
Watching the Met office on you tube , just waiting to see if we are in the amber or yellow
Area . No snow yet just off to see Mum l had to wait for my DH to cone back off his walk 🤗
Stay safe everyone 🤗 ❤️

Good to hear you advocated for mum and got the anti bs early

will I agree it’s harder to eat healthy on a bigger and defo when time pressed I do think there is a lot to be said in investing in eating the best you can afford. Better food tastes nicer and you don’t need as much inc baking. I have baked goods in the freezer as I agree life sucks without cake but give me 10m defrosting time over shop bought any day

i don’t batch cook or owt as life is too short to spend a day of skaving away but we have single portions left over.
once you better and start to feel better the nice habits build and you become better satiated

i say that with the irony of being over weight myself and having a hole in my head.
but preop the crisps & chocolate crept in and I felt shite

I’m not trying to be an ear or preach as it’s fucking difficult on the trenches.its small steps

It's very good to see you posting here @lifelongfrugaleer.
I totally agree with you ,small steps, better quality food, and a bit of flexibility , make a big difference. Habits build once you feel better, and leftover portions help without slaving away. Crisps & chocolate happen sometimes, especially in your circumstance, not worth beating ourselves up over it .
Thank you re my Mum that's so kind of you to say ❤️

Just caught up with the thread - lots of posts since I was last on!

@DirtyGertiefromno30 I’m glad your mum is better today - what a rollercoaster indeed!! Hope you are all ok in the upcoming bad weather.

@lifelongfrugaleer welcome back!! So lovely to hear from you 😊 And I completely agree with you that it’s small steps as far as healthy eating goes. My diet hasn’t been great lately even though I’ve done a lot of home cooking; the alcohol, chocolates and crisps/snacks crept in over December. Hoping to create some better habits now which I’ve realised starts with good night and morning routines. Aiming to go to the gym four times a week including half hour PT session, and much much better if I go first thing as gym is quiet and it motivates me for the rest of the day.

@pistachiosanscream I’m so sorry to hear about your uncle 💐

Some of you have had great bargains I see!

I spent ages yesterday packing away my Christmas decorations and deciding which ones to keep. Loads have gone to charity and my boxes are now well organised and in the loft. I’m also reorganising my office and decluttering.

Had to contact Amazon customer support yesterday to get a refund on a parcel that was stuck in a locker but once I managed to actually speak to someone it was resolved quickly.

Minimal spends today (thank goodness) only topped up fruit and bread. Whoops no I didn’t - I also spent £40 in B&Q 🤦🏻‍♀️ Bought a lightbulb for my son’s house (£15!), some paint samples and some extra tough wipes to get rid of the marks on my stair carpet where the fireman went upstairs when next door had a fire in October.

Hope everyone is ok in this awful weather if it is in your area!!

Cheers life. Welcome home (you know what I mean !)

NSD today - oh no, £12 parking at flat to do a last clean before the inventory tomorrow and - drum roll - new tenants on Saturday. Was glad I had taken the lazy route with the car when i emerged into deluge. Yuk.

Lots of paperwork and phone calls over the next couple of days but by the end of the weekend I should be feeling fairly organised and able to really get my head around 2026. Well, the cash flow statement elements anyway.

Hello, I’ve been lurking for a while and used to post many moons ago. On a complete frugal mission this year after basically overspending like a loon for 2 years. But, redundancy, mortgage increase and a massive pay cut necessitates being sensible.

I’ve downloaded Jam Doughnut and Everup and bought a Tesco gift card for groceries this month and plan to do the same every time from now on. I got £9 cashback via Topcashback on a click and collect shop on Monday and so far haven’t needed anything else (just me, DDog and DD half the time).

I’ve learned to debone a chicken leg today, which will hopefully save me £££ on protein! I’ve also made lemon curd with some dodgy lemons to avoid wasting them, which is delicious, bit too delicious really! Although saving money is my main driver, I’ve also found myself wanting to eat less processed (and therefore overpriced) food as well.

In case you haven’t seen them, This Mum Cooks and Nancy Birtwhistle both have fantastic baking and saving ideas. Think they’re on FB and Insta.

@lifelongfrugaleer I’m so glad you’re on the road to recovery. Take it easy.

@DirtyGertiefromno30 so glad to hear your mum is on the mend again. I think we’re local to one another - your mention of cwtches and McArthur Glen gave me the clues!!