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 🤗

That’s hard going lock when you are the default fixer. Hope DS got home though

Thanks @lifelongfrugaleer home okay, DH followed him in case he broke down even though I pay for AA family cover for all of us! 4 hours sleep.

Today should be LSD or NSD.

Sympathies on car costs. We wondered about getting rid of ours until I looked into the cost of car rental! Ours is cheap to run but when anything needs fixing, ouch!
Good news as our gas and electric is decreasing by £23 a month and I've got 20% discount on Petplan as I volunteer for Cats Protection.
However, £20 spend on Boots £10 Tuesday today as my moisturiser is on offer. £80 yesteday between Dash sparkling water and some decent soaps-both had offers. I won't need any soap for a while

Morning.

Boo to car costs. And double boo to being The One That Sorts Things Out. It can be so tiring. Hope you get some sleep tonight @Lockin26

Greggs bag looks good @DirtyGertiefromno30

Bird Watch - less
than we’d normally get, due to foul weather. We did get a Red Kite, but we actually get those often - we are very close to an extremely successful breeding programme site, there’s often 10/15 circling around the skies above our village. Our garden backs onto farmland and has 5/6 huge established trees in it - so it’s perfect really. It’s also perfect for blooming squirrels, and I’m yet to find a bird feeder that escapes their clever ways! We got deer the other day, which was lovely.

Spends
£60 Unfolded (a dress. I doubt I’ll keep it, it looked pretty).
£4 Garden Centre on bird feed and feeders (was actually £29 but I had £25 in cash from my birthday).
£33 Amazon. Bulk buy of Oat Milk. Some bird feed hangers that hopefully will be squirrel proof (unlikely).

That’s my spending toe dipped in the water post ‘pay day’. It’s retracted now!

You have a gorgeous garden need

Ooohhh I have proper garden envy now @needastrongoneagainand those deer!!! 🦌

Paris sounds like the better plan @RumBananaSundaeid love to go to Paris again, any excuse.

£14 on seed potatoes but I used a voucher that I was given for Christmas so £0 spent really. I normally just plant one type. This year I'm planting early second early and main to try and get more of a succession going.

Plumber coming over in 10 to give me a quote on slowing down the water flow in the house. Esp seeing as OH doesn't think we have a problem and continues to run the taps like water is free.

Im not sure about going to yoga tonight. I'm exhausted for some reason. I may stay home this week and snuggle on sofa. Lazy I know.

NSD for me if no yoga

Plumber has been and there isn't an issue at all with the water flow. Unsure what the man last week was doing apart from scare tactics. So no tweaks needed.
Might get a new kitchen tap at some point as it is very basic and old but not at the moment. Money saved. Yay.

Lovely garden Need. I am not a squirrel fan - they dig up my bulbs, eat all the cherries, crab apples, blueberries and strawberries. I also dislike bird feeders because of the increased risk of RATS! But before you condemn me as a nature- hating monster, I do take care to plant lots of pollinating plants, shrubs with berries, winter blossoms and I leave the seed heads on everything. My parents used to get hedgehogs, glow worms and badgers in their garden.

Ouch, to car expenses. There just isn’t a choice is there? With my first, ancient cars, my dad used to get his car mechanic cousins to help with repairs, and we could nurse cars along for 20 years and more; but computer-managed cars now seem to be more dependent on specialised attention.

Sainsbury’s £50, Aldi £48. Don’t seem to have masses though.

Piglet items have arrived and look very nice indeed. Reluctant to put them out yet as dog is perpetually manky from filthy weather, and makes a bee-line for new textiles. Oh! Bloody dog brought a dead pigeon in yesterday. A new low.

Right! ironing beckons.

I should have done the ironing/ gone for a walk - have been trying instead to organise standing orders on my new First Direct accounts. Defeated by the online security procedures I ended up calling them. I have done it, or as much as I can do ATM, but feel horribly brain scrambled!

Wow @needastrongoneagain how wonderful to have visitors to your garden - very exciting.

Good news @Frugal25 about the non existent water issue, always feels like a win when you thought work was needed but it turns out it was a false alarm.

@DirtyGertiefromno30 hope your mums doing ok today 😊

NSD today here, I’ve found that as I’m not doing any online shopping or browsing it’s much easier to plan when I’m going to have to spend, this is pretty obvious to most people, but it seems I’m only just realising 🤔

Yesterday was also a NSD, occupied myself by doing yoga in the morning and Bootcamp on the evening, today my whole body was aching as a reward, did a Pilates class this morning as I’d booked and didn’t was to lose my money,

I’ve had a bad day food wise and eaten way too much including a hot cross bun, banana bread with Biscoff spread, and maltesers, probably a thousand calories in snacks consumed today. I guess I’ll just have to start again tomorrow, this seems to be my mantra right now.

Hope everyone else has had a good day.

That’s a good work out and likely kicked off a hunger spike. More protein and fibre will be your friend. You are right it’s a new day tomorrow Don’t be hard on yourself over it

I have mice and squirrels @BigSkies2022probably due to the bird food. The mice are a pain tbh. They managed to get into my craft stuff in the shed. Not happy. The squirrel I don't mind as I think he is funny.
The badger and glow worms and hedgehog I'm very jealous of. I'd love these.
My step dad also used to tinker on the cars and keep them going... Like you say, not these days sadly. Well done on doing your standing orders.

I did take a look at piglets .. oh my. When I've paid off this credit card I'm going to treat myself. Next Jan. Bring it on.

I found this out only a matter of months ago @Johaanah
Like you say, it seems obvious but it wasn't to me either. My spending is now very planned and online is just looking. If I like something I note it down. Then at birthdays and Christmas I have a list should I still want the items. Before I was just browsing and spending daily. Awful.
Well done on the fitness classes. You did so well. I haven't done Davina McCall or yoga today. Unsure why, but I'm just not in the mood today and I'm just eating everything I see. Like you, I start again tomorrow. I bet I've put back on the half stone I lost....

About £13 today in Sainsbury and Aldi. Needed none of it. £50 onto my travelcard as I have to go to the office tomorrow.

Sorry about the car woes @lifelongfrugaleer. I hope today has been a better day.

That looks like quite a garden @needastrongoneagain. I am rather jealous though don’t envy the upkeep.

Ohhhh @Frugal25. No. No excuse needed for Paris. Just go. Sofa snuggles can be rewarding. They have grown on me. Glad there’s no plumbing issue.

Therapy this morning did not go well. Progress (if any) is very slow. Am thinking about payday and Paris planning.

Oh no @Frugal25 mice in your craft stuff is enough to make you scream . The Cheeky squirrel being entertaining is the only upside 🤣. Still, hedgehogs and glow worms would be the dream garden .
You’re doing so well with the spending , writing it down and waiting really works.
A one off day with food and no exercise won’t undo your loss, honestly. Just one of those days , start again tomorrow.
Glad the plumber said there’s no water issue, sounds like the other bloke was trying it on 🙄 Tap can wait, money saved is a win.
Paris is always a good idea 🇫🇷, lovely city ❤️
Your potato plan sounds spot on you’ll have them for ages. And if you’re shattered, skip the yoga, get on the sofa. NSD bonus too 😇 . Thank you re my Mum we are taking each day as it comes 🤗❤️
Travelcard top ups always sting but at least future you is sorted for getting to work @RumBananaSundae
I love how you’re still cheering everyone else on while low key telling yourself off about Sainsbury’s/Aldi , we all do that “needed none of it” shop and yet somehow… bags appear 🛍️ You’re not alone there.
Sorry therapy felt rubbish today. Slow progress is still progress, even when it feels like wading through treacle. The fact you’re going and sticking with it on the hard days really counts well done 💐.
Paris planning though 🇫🇷✨ now that is elite mood therapy. Having something lovely ahead makes the sloggy bits more bearable. Cafés, wandering, zero guilt croissants , that’s heaven 🤗

You’ve got a proper wildlife channel garden there @BigSkies2022😄.
Parakeets are pretty but SO loud. An owl and a sparrow hawk at different times is amazing though.
Long day for you yesterday , hospital parking is painful, but really hope your dad heals up now 🤞 That fragile skin is such a worry.
Your evening sounded cosy though , dog jobs, weights, Stranger Things, crossword with DH and DS. But… book + bed was the best l bet after yesterday.
You’re not a nature monster 😂 Squirrels are fluffy thugs, and feeders really can turn into rat cafés. Your planting sounds spot on for wildlife too well done.
Car repairs just aren’t DIY friendly anymore , all computers and scary bills.
And the dead pigeon gift 🤢 Why are dogs so proud of the worst things?!
Big day today for you , lots spent, ironing waiting ,then feet up with that book. Perfect end 🤗.
Wow @FurForksSake, that must have been a proper shock! 😳 I can just imagine looking out and seeing a sparrow hawk perched there definitely not your usual doorstep visitor😁.
Here’s a reply you could send that’s empathetic, understanding, and keeps the tone natural:
Oh what a nightmare day @Lockin26! Totally get how stressful it must be with both cars playing up and DS being so anxious. Glad you’ve got AA cover, but I can see why having to be “on call” yourself is just exhausting. Glad they both got home safely without any more drama .
At least your meal prep sounds like a real win , leek and potato soup and a sausage & squash bake sound perfect for getting through the week. And your little boho vases sound lovely, especially for your DM’s birthday that’ll be such a nice touch😊
January really does feel never ending, doesn’t it? Hopefully that pay day is close enough to feel like a proper reset with council tax and water bills cleared 🤗
Ouch, car repairs really sting @Vinorosso74! I know what you mean about rentals sometimes keeping your own is the lesser evil.
That’s great news about your gas and electric! And well done on the Petplan discount, that’s a nice little perk for volunteering.
Sounds like you’ve been making the most of offers too definitely a good excuse for a bit of pampering with the moisturiser and soaps . Well done you! 🤗

Oh yes, double boo to car costs and having to be The One That Sorts Things Out @needastrongoneagain 🙄 it really does wear you down. Hope you manage a decent sleep tonight!
That Greggs bag was a really good’un 😋😁
Bird spotting sounds lovely it is always a treat, and deer in the garden must have been magical. Fingers crossed your new feeders keep those clever squirrels at bay! Must say how beautiful your garden is , l love it ❤️🤗
Well done for sticking to your NSD and noticing what works for you @Johaanah planning spending really does make a difference, even if it feels obvious once you realise it. Sounds like you’ve been super active too, no wonder your body’s protesting a bit after yoga, Bootcamp, and Pilates back-to-back .
Don’t be too hard on yourself about today’s snacks , we all have days like that. Tomorrow’s a fresh start, and it sounds like you’ve got a good plan to get back on track. Hope you enjoy the rest of your evening sweetheart 🤗
Thank you so much re my Mum, she was fine there again today , l am taking the good days and running with them taking loads of pictures and videos ❤️

You are dead right @lifelongfrugaleer l bet it was hunger because of all the exercises @Johaanah did .
Been to see Mum who was having a good day thankfully ☺️ 🙏.
Spent a lot of money today on Amazon, £800 in total , a new laptop for Dh's 70th birthday, a new phone for Dd1 birthday , presents for my friends birthday and finally for my Mum's 94th birthday phew!
Had to be done though l spent the best part of 2 hours looking for the best deals and the wee all the cheapest on Amazon . Shame about that but needs must . All coming on Friday 😁

Ooh just wanted to share a brilliant pudding recipe. Take a pot of cottage cheese (mine was 200grams), put it in a blender (ours is one of those very basic jugs with a stick blender/ worked fine) add a dessert spoonful of cocoa powder (the cooking kind - I use Dr Oetker), a few drops of vanilla essence, a squeeze of whatever sweetener you use (I have agave syrup) and a good pinch of salt. Whizz it. Whizz it. Whizz it. Add a drop of water and whizz again. Spoon into small ramekins or whatever- I have some vintage sherry glasses and I got 4 servings. If you like you can melt some chocolate (dark chocolate chips from ALDI for me) and pour over the top of each serving, smooth it out with a spoon. But it’s not essential, just adds a crispy top, because now you chill the puddings.

it’s delicious, not too calorific (especially if you leave off the chocolate topping) and high protein. You sort of break through the crisp chocolate topping into a delicious rich mousse. I didn’t tell DH and DS what was , as they think they don’t like cottage cheese, but they were licking their glasses and eyeing up the spare serving.

I also put a whole butternut squash in the oven (200 degrees for 20 minutes) and my knife went through it like butter. Then when it cooled down I could peel it and remove the seeds easily before cutting it up further for seasoning and further roasting. Is this obvious to everyone else? I have spent hours wrestling with squash/pumpkins to get them ready to cook.

Errands at the flat today, hopefully the last. Tomorrow I am visiting a farm with Ddog to check out their boarding facilities. If they’re good, I can plan a care and dog-free break with DH! I am going to get my golden decade!

Oohhh I've been looking for a new recipe for a dessert so I'm Def doing this thank you @BigSkies2022 that sounds delicious. And the butternut squash trick will save me so much time. Seriously. I battle with them too and I even gloss over recipes with them in sometimes as I can't face the struggle. No more!!

Should be a NSD for me today. Working from home and DD at pre school so we both have lunches and dinner is sorted (left over chilli in wraps)
OH is out tonight too so may do a Davina workout at long last. I did indeed weigh mystand by some miracle I haven't put on any weight.

I'm loving all the garden talk. its so nice to hear about everyone else's garden visitor. We have Hare's, hedgehog and squirrels. We or rather the neighbours cat are definitely keeping the mice away though i also prefer not to buy feed for the birds and instead share the garden bounty with them. However DH did buy nut for them this year.

Its been a busy couple of days but not too expensive yet. Yesterday was a NSD and Monday was a very low spend at €7.40. today my car is in for a service and fingers crossed its not too expensive.

went for a walk today and i'll do my mini workout latr too. i did fall out of doing these at the weekend as i just wasnt feeling great but i'll get bak at them now. the sales are going downwards, slowly but still downwards.

glad to hear nana pumpkin is having more good days @DirtyGertiefromno30

Happy Hump Day guys!

Thanks everyone for the support re my binge eating day. Today has seen a big improvement.

@BigSkies2022 roasting a whole butternut squash in its skin is revolutionary!! we eat it a lot here so will def give it a go.

Fingers crossed for the MOT @pistachiosanscream

Completely non eventful day here, NSD as predicted, did a fitness class early this morning- paid monthly advance for that, went to work (from the spare room) picked dd2 up from school, now thinking about dinner - will probably have an omelette tonight, boring but filling.

I did a little working out of February's finances, trying to see what needs to go where when I get paid on Friday, could well be a little short but I do have some funds in Quidco that I was saving for a rainy day, this could well be it...

My totals of non essential spending in Jan weren't too bad -

£17.50 gifts for dd's birthday.
£1.00 kindle book
£45.00 Vinted (replacing a top that was too big)
£54.00 eating out - mostly lunches and coffees at the weekend.
£36.00 celebrating a friends special birthday.

£153.50 which is worlds away from my usual spending habits

I also had a hair appointment, and nails done which I have a pot for so I don't count these in extraordinary expenses, same with my gym membership. I have around 10 savings pots in my Monzo account that I put into every month, so frequently I use this money to make purchases rather than cash in the general spending account. There have also been some other expenditures that DH has paid for such as a birthday meal for DD or the odd bit of shopping. I also made a small donation to charity.

Overall I'm very happy with how Jan has gone financially, now I just need to keep it up for Feb and beyond, I think taking it month by month will help keep me on track 😁

Oh that pudding sounds absolutely lush @BigSkies2022 thank you for that recipe 😍. I’d never have thought to blitz cottage cheese like that, proper clever! And that chocolate top you crack through, that is posh pudding right there 😁. Love that you didn’t tell DH and DS what was in it 🤣 best way, if they hear cottage cheese they’d pull a face before the spoon even went in. The fact they were licking the glasses says it all!
High protein and not too calorific is a big win too, that’s the sort of treat you can have without the guilt nagging at you after.
And no, the squash thing is NOT obvious because I have also gone to war with one before , standing there wrestling it like it personally offended me 🤣. Roasting it whole first is such a good tip, makes total sense when you think about it but I’ve never done it. Total game changer.
Sounds like you’re getting loads ticked off, nearly done at the flat and scouting dog boarding , the thought of a care free dog free break with your DH sounds lovely.
Hope the farm’s lovely and you get a good feeling about it, makes all the difference knowing they’re in safe hands 🐶✨
A proper planned NSD feels so satisfying especially when the food’s already sorted @Frugal25. Leftover chilli in wraps is a tasty easy tea, you can’t beat that 😋.
WFH with DD at preschool sounds like a good chance to actually get a few bits done too. And staying the same weight is a win, I don’t care what anyone says ,that’s effort paying off, not just luck 💪.
Ooo Davina workout as well! You’ll feel so smug after, even if you’re puffing and muttering halfway through 😂.
Nice when OH’s out and you can just get on with it in peace.
Ahh your garden sounds like a little wildlife documentary @pistachiosanscream, I love it 🥰. Hares and hedgehogs is top garden status! And honestly, letting the birds fend for themselves with what is naturally there is such a good way to do it. They get proper food and you are not funding the local squirrel mafia 😂 Fair play to DH with the nuts though, he clearly could not resist giving them a treat 🤗
Go you on the spending too! NSD and a €7.40 day is brilliant. Everything crossed the car service behaves itself and does not decide to be dramatic 🤞🚗 .
Also well done for getting back to the walks and mini workouts. Falling off at the weekend when you were not feeling great is just being human, not failing. The important bit is exactly what you are doing, just picking it back up without a big guilt trip 🤗
Ah thank you so much that's so kind of you ❤️.
I am really glad Nana Pumpkin is having more good days . These little patches of good days mean so much to us ❤️
Beautiful day here sunny and blue skies 🌞 cold though only 4C but it was lovely not to have rain and gloomy light for a change. Went to see Mum who had another good day thank God 🙏🤗. Then we went shopping to Trago Mills and Cyfartha park shops . Bought a lot of things from TKMax in the clearance sale fir next Christmas and a beautiful nightie for my Mum's birthday and my Dd1 birthday .
Oh yes Boots still 50% off it's not gone to 70% off in store yet at least where l live anyway .
Spends TKMax £40
Matalan £90. l bought a lot of birthday presents from there.
Also a nice dress, top, jeans and a cardigan.
Finally £16 Asda .
Will put pics on of the clothes .

Your day sounds so much more positive today @Johaanah. Well done for resetting after the binge day, that is the bit that really matters sweetheart 👏👏👏
NSD, workout done, work, school run, simple dinner. That is a proper solid day. Those days are the ones that keep life ticking along nicely.
Your January spending is really well controlled, especially with birthdays and social bits in there. Your pots system is doing exactly what it is meant to do , no nasty surprises for you .
Using Quidco if February is tight is just good planning. That is what it is there for. You have done a great job sweetheart you should be proud of yourself 🤗
Found the pics of the clothes from Matalan, l tried them on too so l don't have to take them back ! Always a win 😁.

£3.25 in Sainsbury on pretzel cluster things on the way back from the station. That was supper so have failed on the spending and the healthy eating fronts.

What @BigSkies2022? How can anyone not like cottage cheese? It’s the food of the gods. I feel the pain with gourds. I hate preparing them. I’m surprised A&E isn’t full of people impaled on knives due to trying to cook butternut squash/pumpkins/assorted squash. Hope the farm is what you’re looking for.

Good luck for the car service @pistachiosanscream.

Very well controlled spending for January @Johaanah. And great on the February planning.

Glad you mum is having more better days @DirtyGertiefromno30. I do like stripes so great choices at Matalan.

Tomorrow is my new start day. Though I keep saying it to myself these days.

Hares in your garden @pistachiosanscream??? I have crawled over the Norfolk salt marshes hoping to spot them, but have only ever seen one- from a train- running up a field in Devon, as I sped past. And on the edge of the forest in Suffolk, again as we sped past in the car. They are magical. I did cook one once, maybe that’s why they flee me.

NSD today. Oh that’s not true- bought 4 tickets for Denis Severs house, so £71. But that aside! DS in north London, so we can eat roast veg, feta and naan tonight and no- one feels hard done by. I am going to do a glutes workout in front of Stranger Things while the vegetables roast. Very much enjoyed the sunshine today and did 10k steps for the first time in a while.