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 🤗

Oh dirty that’s such a shock. Take time to process it

Good spending day today, dh spent £6 on lunch but that’s it. He’s going to take his own food next week.

Oh dear I’m so sorry to hear your bad news @DirtyGertiefromno30 thats such a shock.
I hope things become clearer with your
mum after the assessment.

Struggling to keep up at the moment! Monday was speedier than planned, Tuesday was NSD and yesterday was £5.51 off the Tesco gift card, needed loo roll and fruit.

Today I have to dash to Carmarthen which means a likely spend on fuel but I’m going to try and avoid. I’ll need to fill up on Saturday as I’m going even further west to visit a friend.

Morning all. I am taking DS to visit with DMum today- we’ll buy lunch in M&S to eat there, and my aim is to use DS’ height to help me hang curtains.

DH out tonight for the office Christmas party- yes, I know. It’s a way of avoiding the crowds, the boss hosts it at his own very grand apartment and everyone suspends dry January to enjoy the company dime in an otherwise lean month. DS and I will likely finish the cheesy mash I made to accompany chicken leftovers for his dinner last night, and use up the fish fingers in the freezer. My autotext just proposed ‘fish fingering’ 😳

I am tempted to buy a clothes steamer. I think it would encourage me to wear my nice shirts more often and prolong the life of my clothes. Does anyone use one? And if so, do you recommend the ones with a ceramic ironing plate?

Morning.

Thank you, @Lockin26 for the info re the will, that’s really useful. He’s definitely done one, we have a long list of his assets and wants/wishes for his funeral - the will is with a solicitors that has been taken over 3 times, which may or may not be a problem!

That’s really kind re your DH @MushyPeasAndMintSauceand the delivery! I refused to wear tights after about age 6 my DM tells me - which is probably why I run in shorts in all weathers now, can’t stand that not fully pulled up feeling!

Hope you are okay @RumBananaSundae re the medical side.

@DirtyGertiefromno30 I think what happened to DH at 60 , and seeing and living it every day has put some perspective into my DF’s death. He was 94, one of the generation that grew up with low house prices, big pensions and jobs for life. He travelled the world and had a good life. He only really struggled in his last 2/3 years. Better grandfather than father in truth but that’s by the by. Your DM knows she’s loved, whether she rallies, which I hope she will, or needs to move homes. She has a lovely family.

Spends
£100 on running trainers. A rare find of a discontinued model that I love. My running mates facilitated that via messenger - I blame them entirely as no one as obsessed with training as we all are have a lack of trainers. I’m delighted nonetheless.

Some gutter cleaning and repairs will be done at the weekend, but that’s budgeted for and allocated, actually last month but the weather hasn’t been conducive to it happening.

@needastrongoneagain
We're completely the opposite! They've attempted to take my skinny jeans were not even entertaining the removal of my tights!

Pretty notepads are a small joy and totally justified @Lockin26🤗
Well done on taking lunch again and missing the 3.30 Tesco crisp urge , a definite win. Soup today plus a walk for bubble tea sounds great 🍓🧋
Yes it was so sad about my neighbour’s daughter, truly tragic, my heart bleeds for them all it's just horrendous. AHH thank you so much re my Mum and fingers crossed she can stay put please God 🙏
January birthdays make healthy eating really tricky l find. Hopefully February feels like a good reset for us all ❤️

Ah thank you @Johaanah bless you , l know, it's so sad about my friends daughter , it really hits home , especially when , like you, they are the same age ❤️
Well done on an NSD. Lovely early coffee and catch up, and very kind of your friend to treat you. Fitness class done too!
Salmon, veg and potato gratin sounded lovely, and well done for using up the freezer food 🤗

Just home from mum’s. Curtains up and look great- will need to adjust with a few more rings and hooks but the length is perfect. Phew!

Poke bowls from M&S for lunch and salads left over. Mum paid and insisted we take the salads, so we will have green sides to our mash tonight. £3 on porridge oats for home, about £15 on wine and daffodils for mum. First ones I’ve seen in the shops this year.

dark and wet day! Hasn’t let up. I’m going to get changed, make a pot of tea and do a stretch workout in front of Stranger Things. No steps in the downpour for me today, but I did a bodyweight mobility workout this morning.

Some yellow stickered tangerines in Marks and Spencer that took £1.89 off the gift card. I bought some cookies in Sainsbury so £1.40. I should get a Sainsbury gift card.

Ohhhh The Sims @Shnout. I used to love playing that. Might see if I can put it on my tablet.

Thank you @needastrongoneagain. I’ll be fine. I think I have about two weeks of drugs. They made me feel rather ill yesterday so I was in bed before 2030.

How are things today @DirtyGertiefromno30?

Tried on a sports bra in Marks and Spencer this morning but couldn’t decide so I didn’t buy it. I got tickets for a show next week via their lottery so my meeting up with my friend is now looking a tad more expensive. Might distract myself this evening with looking for cheap dinner places.

l love that ,you are so sweet @MushyPeasAndMintSauce 🤗
Bless your DH and you , he’s lucky to have you looking out for him and vice versa . Keep your tights on 😁

Glad the curtains fit so well @BigSkies2022always a relief when that happens. Loving the thoughtful touches you have done for your Mum, and the first Daffodils of the year are such a treat 🌼.

Glad you got some tangerines and cookies @RumBananaSundaeand a little win with the show tickets too 🤗 that always makes the week feel brighter. Sorry your meds made you feel rough yesterday, hope you’re feeling a bit more human today. Good call on waiting on the sports bra, you will know when you find the right one .
Thank you for asking how things are today it's so kind of you ❤️.l had a lovely visit with my Mum she was calm, comfy, happy and lovely it's all l can ask for .

Getting your DD something she actually enjoys and that’s a bit more constructive than endless scrolling is an excellent idea @Shnout
Thank you @lifelongfrugaleer.
You are so kind ❤️especially with all you have on your plate too . I so hope you are recovering really well sweetheart ❤️
@FurForksSake well done on the low spend day yesterday 👏😁

I hear you about your DH and your DF @needastrongoneagain what a full life he had. Perspective like that really makes you appreciate the little things, doesn’t it?
Thank you for saying my Mum is lucky to have such a caring family around her that's so lovely of you ❤️
Glad you managed to get your trainers! £100 well spent !
And fingers crossed the weekend weather plays ball for the gutters, it’s always a relief to get those jobs done.

Thank you for your kind words @devildeepbluesea that's so kind of you ❤️ . It’s all a bit overwhelming at the moment but it's sinking in . Fingers crossed the assessment helps Mum to stay in the home . Sounds like a busy week for you too , hope the travel and Tesco run go smoothly , Carmarthen is a lovely drive 🤗

NSD day today and down 1lb since last weeks weigh in. Did my 10th mini workout in a row. I've been oing quite well with this weeks aim of not automatically eating sweets and crap in the evening and instead getting a healthier snack.

Tonight dinner will be pollack with a chorizo and tomato sauce, greens and potatoes. The pollack is a lingerer in the freezer. Small child tends to like white fish so i'm hoping this will be a success.

Afternoon everyone 😊
Been busy, went up to my Mum's house because the gas man commeth and did the central heating service. I gave the house a good clean there while l waited because he was coming between 8 and 1 . So l went there for 8am .
He was gone by 11.30 so l went up to see my Mum then.
Been up with Mum for 2 hours. She was absolutely wonderful there very happy, calm , out of pain and so sweet it was a lovely visit ❤️. The Dr came to see her, he's doing bloods on her to check nothing is being missed which l am so glad about . I forgot my phone and went back to pick it up and she was snuggled up in bed sleeping and looking so much better ❤️
Spent £7 on 2 hot chocs for Mums and l from the cafe next door bought Mum the paper and the Woman's Weekly £4 well spent she loved thumbing through them ❤️

Well done on the 1lb loss and keeping up your mini workouts @pistachiosanscream10 in a row is impressive! 👏
Your dinner sounds lovely too hope small child likes it too 😁

Oohhh well done @pistachiosanscream you have inspired me. I've put half the weight I struggled to lose back on. I shall try harder.

@DirtyGertiefromno30this is such good news what a lovely day you have had with your lovely mum! And the hot chocolate sounds delicious.

£74 in Lidl today. That was a top up shop but with £20 on birthday presents too so I did ok.
£4.91 on a top for DD off vinted to go with the dress I got for her on Tuesday.
£10.65 on swimming session. It will be the last time we go. They have changed the times of the sessions and it clashes with a boys school lesson and they all stood and stared at my 4 year old whilst she learnt to swim. I'm not having that. So that's £40 I shall save each month going forward.
1.40 on a cookie after the swimming from vending machine.
£28 on the grass man to treat my grass. Very tempted to cancel this whilst I pay down credit card. I tried to cancel him last year and he did understand but we compromised on reducing my treatments to the basics one instead.
Tempted to go back to the charity shop tomorrow for the £3 dress I loved and put back. I shall see how busy I am tomorrow at work.

I need to have a good think about frugal dinners going forward. I have only budgeted for £50 a week. And with my target of getting rid of credit card this year and cancelling my overdraft, there is no wiggle room. Although I do now have an extra £40 from said swimming I guess. So £60 a week!

Ah thank you so much @Frugal25 ❤️
I had a lovely day with my Mum, and that hot chocolate was delicious 😁😋
Well spotted those boys staring at your DD it will put her off swimming bless her , and it's £40 saved a month. I would keep the grass man to basics too while you pay the credit card , it's a good saving 😁
Hope you get that £3 dress tomorrow too 🤗

That’s great news girlie

Great news about your mum @DirtyGertiefromno30, hopefully if she can string a few "well" days together the discussion about a move might die down, you can relax a little too. How dreadful about your friend's daughter who died suddenly, such a shock for her family and you all. Despite being as frugal as possible we do get to do lots of things too - tomorrow isn't promised.
I haven't spent any money out of the house so far this (until Tesco tonight) but did book accommodation in Lisbon for a trip I'm taking with a friend in May, she was amazed I found a 2-bed apartment for 4 nights for £330 between us - she thought it would be that each! With flights that takes the trip to £260, need to plan the week now.

£118 tonight in Tesco - the end of the £350 voucher I got at the beginning of the month. It did include wine, whisky and a dessert - we're away with DH's family this weekend so things that wouldn't ordinarily be in there. Coffee too for home which isn't a weekly spend. My month actually finishes at the end of next week so if I can avoid top-ups (haven't done one so far in January) then I've stuck to the food budget woohoo!!!

As an aside where have all of the cookery programmes gone? Thursday night is DH's band night and has been for years, used to be my night to watch cooking programmes and chill but can't seem to see anything at all apart from Jamie bloody Oliver (apologies if you're a fan I'm not!). Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Nigella, Nigel Slater serm to disappeared!!!!

@TheOnlyMrsW I’m watching a very gentle show about canals on c5 🤣