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 🤗

@Frugal25 DH runs a whole scout group with 2 scout / cub / beavers. He basically is Hey Dugee and we say “a-woooof” far too often. And squirrels appears to be very based on hey dugee as a concept, or how he’s planning to run it maybe 🤣🤣

AHH thank you re my Mum and my Dd2 that's so good of you @FurForksSake❤️
Mum was much more settled and comfy today , in bed but not in pain , we had a wonderful visit for over 2 hours, she was just so loving and sweet. I recorded some of it to see at a later date when l need it .
Fingers crossed for my Dd2 for with the colonoscopy ah yes thank you. The prep really is the worst part everyone has said that about it 😱.
We have just come home and she is freezing and as white as a sheet bless her but the prep has worked and the procedure can go ahead l am sure .
Hope DH’s Squirrels taster session goes well , your DC must be so excited to help out! Leftover chicken lunch sounds perfect, and yay for YNAB , it’s amazing how many little things slip your mind until you see them all in one place 😊

My Dd2 has had the colonoscopy and they couldn't find anything wrong but have taken biopsies for IBD because she had a raised Calprotectin .
Yay!!! 🤗

My Dd2 has had the colonoscopy and they couldn't find anything wrong but have taken biopsies for IBD because she had a raised Calprotectin .
Yay!!! 🤗

£47 on a Marks and Spencer gift card, which I spent £10.50 from, and 85p in Asda. Hoping to go back to grocery shopping with them to save a few pounds.

Sounds good with the tenants @BigSkies2022. Must be a relief to have it sorted out.

Hope all is well with your daughter @DirtyGertiefromno30. Good news on your mum being more settled.

Quiet day today. Got as far as taking the wrapper off the rehab notebook. Did some work. Am considering some Christmas pudding. Not sure how this weekend has gone so quickly. Didn’t get anything crossed off my todo list.

Sounds like sensible spending to me @RumBananaSundae well done you using the M&S gift card for groceries and 85p in Asda is very controlled😁.
Thank you so much that's so
kind of you re my Mum and my Dd2 . Bless you ❤️
You did what you could , you made a start and did some work . It's Sunday give yourself a treat, call it a day and treat yourself to something nice , perhaps something from the M&S shop you bought ❤️

£1.80 today on an after swimming snack for my DD and an energy drink for DH.
I then came home and refused to leave the house anymore 😆
Fed up of spending what feels like a fortune every time we leave the house. So we just won't leave the house 😆

Did end up with takeaway yesterday cost £25 as I got it delivered instead of collecting. Left off the seaweed which only I like so that was £6 saved though.

I have a few days off next week my plan is a nice leisurely rest for my mind and body.

It definitely feels like leaving the house is like a dripping tap!

£90 on bits for scouts, will get dh to get the treasurer to reimburse so that should comeback.

£12.95 on creatine capsules, in sure we went through the last lot very fast!

DH I’ve asked to put the cash into the bank from the takeaway, that and the scout money coming back will make it look better.

DH tells me his stocks and shares isa has gone up £150! I know it won’t every month, but that feels promising.

Hello all, glad to hear your mum is brighter today and your DD had her procedure @DirtyGertiefromno30

I do think each generation gets a bashing a bit by the older ones, us millennials were the ones whose avocado toast obsession would mean we couldn’t save for a mortgage. I haven’t sat down to agree that the majority of my nieces and nephews who are Gen Z are fabulous people with great work ethics who have to deal with a lot more than I did as a young adult especially with the online world which was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is now.

Yesterday I spent €11 on a sea salt dress on vinted and then €8 on Temu on some more craft bits.

Today has been a lazy busy day. Made granola and lemon blueberry cake with small child, caught up on some laundry and took down the Christmas trees and the last of the decorations.

ive an outline of a menu plan for the week done and tonight we will have cheeseburgers with bacon cheese fries.

day 6 of mini workouts done next week I’ll aim to cut off evening snacking that’s not fruit or yoghurt.

also agree that leaving the house is a license to spend unless it’s visiting others people.

Totally get that @MushyPeasAndMintSauce money just disappears the moment you leave the house 🙄.
£1.80 after swimming isn’t bad at all, and declaring a stay at home day is sensible. Well done, sometimes that’s the only way to stop spending.
£25 for takeaway with delivery isn’t awful, and saving £6 by skipping the seaweed is a big help towards it too .
Your days off next week sound like aproper rest for your mind and body and at this time of the year it is much needed sweetheart 🤗

Even visiting other people I feel an urge to take a cake round or we might stop for a snack for DD. I struggle to go round empty handed.

@FurForksSake that £150 rise in the ISA is a lovely little boost, definitely something to feel really chuffed about.l am so pleased for you 🤗

I get you thinking that sweetheart but in reality that is our thinking and actually you making the effort and going to see them is more than enough but l do get you because l am exactly the same yet l can see that you are enough, even though l can't see that for me 🤗

Ah thank you so much @pistachiosanscream that's so kind of you . I am so relieved that Mum was happy and my Dd2 is ok , it's been awful knowing Mum was so bad yesterday and we had the Colonoscopy hanging over us. What a difference a day makes ❤️ .
Granola and lemon blueberry cake , oh absolutely gorgeous 😋. Cheeseburgers and bacon cheese fries tonight sound delicious too 😋 🤤
Totally agree that Gen Z have a lot more to handle than we did.
I always say that we , (l am a late baby boomer ) have had the very best of times. And yes, leaving the house is a spending trap 🙄
Well done on day 6 of the mini workouts and cutting evening snacks next week is an excellent idea🤗

Ah thank you so much @pistachiosanscream that's so kind of you . I am so relieved that Mum was happy and my Dd2 is ok , it's been awful knowing Mum was so bad yesterday and we had the Colonoscopy hanging over us. What a difference a day makes ❤️ .
Granola and lemon blueberry cake , oh absolutely gorgeous 😋. Cheeseburgers and bacon cheese fries tonight sound delicious too 😋 🤤
Totally agree that Gen Z have a lot more to handle than we did.
I always say that we , (l am a late baby boomer ) have had the very best of times. And yes, leaving the house is a spending trap 🙄
Well done on day 6 of the mini workouts and cutting evening snacks next week is an excellent idea🤗

So good l posted it twice 😁

Yay a NSD for me. I agree that leaving the house means spending money. I haven't left the house today!

I find the generation thing really interesting tbh. How each is so different, and why. It facinates me. Think I'm just a saddo though. I also find it interesting how siblings can be so different with the same parents. When me and my half brother with different dads are very very similar. I would love to study it further.

So glad your mum is better today @DirtyGertiefromno30.phew. and I am so glad your DDs procedure went well. You must be so relieved.

Well done on your workouts @pistachiosanscream you're amazing sticking to it!!

Weekend went too fast. I hate my job with a passion. I think people think I'm exaggerating when I say that, but I do honestly feel like I've sold my soul. Really not looking forward to going back in tomorrow. The best thing about my job is the spinny chair.

Yay for your NSD @Frugal25😁
Staying in definitely saves money 💰. I love how different generations and siblings can turn out so differently, it's fascinating!
Ah thank you so much re my Mum and Dd2 , yes l am so relieved that Mum was comfortable and Dd2 was given the all clear thankfully
Ugh, I feel you on the job and when going back is rough after holidays and weekends off . At least there’s the spinny chair .
My neice has a well paying job but she absolutely hates it there . She could easily get a job she would enjoy but it would be for much less money and she does like to spend . So she's stuck 😱

You have had such a good day @DirtyGertiefromno30 this makes me smile. Hope tomorrow is too!

I'm exactly the same as your niece. Trapped due to the money. I also in have looked elsewhere but the pay drop is something I can't afford. Sigh. Glad it's not just me.

Hope everyone is having a nice calm evening xx

Ah thank you so much @Frugal25 you are so sweet bless you . Yes l have had a great day today 😁.
Can you train yourself to this I differently about your job ? Or get some sort of pleasure
somehow from it . I have been where you are and it was so bad l stuck it out as long as l could and then took early retirement 😱. I hope your job has a great pension and benefits 🤗

Morning everyone.
Well done on all the good spending decisions over the weekend.

I’ve not been well over the weekend. I spent most of yesterday in bed being brought cups of tea and chocolate biscuits by DD which was very sweet.
Feeling a lot better this morning luckily.

I bought a pair of shorts and a beach coverup thing from Vinted for my holiday. Both fairly cheap and paid for with my Vinted balance.

Won’t be a NSD today as I’ve got to buy teabags and milk and possibly some veg.

Im on my way to work - another one in a job I don’t exactly love. I don’t work on Tuesdays though which makes Mondays (and Sunday evenings) a lot more bearable!

Good morning!

@Shnout the restoration powers of biscuits!

i might pop into aldi, the cucumbers and lettuce have frozen as they were pushed too far back on the fridge. I didn’t put them in. I’ll pay with cash hopefully so that won’t count as a spend…

DH is in London so will buy an underground ticket and lunch so at least £10. Need to work that into his travel to work budget.

Oh @Shnoutrest up today even though you're at work. Biscuits and tea. Now you're talking my language. Your lovely DD, she sounds adorable.
I don't work Tuesdays either. It does help doesn't it!
The benefits and pension are amazing where I am. Another reason I stick at it. But @DirtyGertiefromno30youre right, I could train up and move on. I shall have a serious think today about what I could do in maybe another area. Thank you xx

Should be a NSD for me today.

Good morning everyone 🤗
Sorry you’ve been unwell @Shnout very sweet of your DD with the tea and biscuits bless her . Glad you’re feeling better today lovely 💐
Vinted holiday bits paid with your balance is a great win, and essentials don’t really count 🤣
Hope work goes quickly , Tuesdays off definitely make Mondays easier
Biscuits are definitely medicinal @FurForksSake🍪
So annoying about the frozen veg but using cash in Aldi doesn’t really count 😁
London is always so pricey, but at least DH’s travel and lunch can go into the work budget so that's catered for already 🤗
It really does help having that extra day off 😊
You’re so right about the benefits and pension @Frugal25 they’re a big reason to stay put where you are , it was my reason to stay in a job l disliked . But yes, training up and moving on is always an option if you want it, and it’s good to at least think about it and know you have that option available to you sweetheart.
We are going to the charity shops today so l will regale you with any sales or what l spent later .
Have a great day everyone🤗

Another in a job that whilst I don't hate I definitely do not love there is some fulfillment aspects to it and they are really flexible if I could talk to 17 year old me it would definitely be encouragement to do better in education. My husband has a real passion for his profession and takes a lot of pleasure from it I find him inspiring for it but also I'm kind of jealous.