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 🤗

I’m getting garden envy here!

Im looking forward to payday tomorrow. My pots are definitely in need of a boost!
I have to admit to a few unplanned and probably unnecessary spends since the weekend. Nothing big - the most ££ is a jumper that I’ll probably send back anyway.

I know what you mean about hare @pistachiosanscream, it feels different to rabbit somehow. Your garden sounds amazing though, the stream and wild area must be a dream for wildlife. No surprise the ecologist said leave it alone.
Big gardens are lovely but the upkeep is really expensive.
€475 for the hybrid battery is painful but sensible, especially if DH wouldn’t know where to start. The French book is a much nicer spend, how sweet she’s learning at that age 🤗❤️Ahh garden envy is real this time of year @Shnout 😁🌱 Payday plant shopping is the best kind of therapy though, your pots will love you for it. And don’t worry about a few cheeky spends, sometimes you just need a little treat. If the jumper goes back, it basically doesn’t count anyway!😁
Oh, I hear you @RumBananaSundae 😔.
That sounds like such a rough day, and it makes total sense that you’d feel overwhelmed l am so sorry you had such an awful day bless you ❤️. It’s not stupid at all, you’ve just had a lot hit you at once. Sometimes letting the tears out is exactly what’s needed bless you sweetheart 😘

@Frugal25 pleased your head had a gentle wobble. I saw your post this morning and did think I've been there, still have to work hard on it too. You did well to bring that under budget and they won't miss out. I've got a v funny pic of DD eating a sausage roll in an NT playground - she's in a snow suit, on a rocking toy, it was November and we couldn't afford the NT cafe. The DC didn't care they were too busy tearing around the playground. When DC were young and on school hols I made a packed lunch at the same time as their breakfast and put it in the fridge. Whether we ate out or stayed in, lunch was ready to go! Then I'd get them an ice cream or hot chocolate as a treat.

@Thanksforyourlackofthought I buy giant frozen Yorkshire puddings, ready made mash, ready made root veg and then add meat, gravy and greens to make an easy meal. Jacket spuds, beans and cheese with salad. I have an ongoing tennis elbow injury, right side is nearly healed and the left side started! I like baking but don't always have time and I hate peeling things like squash, swede, potatoes. I don't have set NSD - tend to take my lunch to work as much as possible and then pull right back for one week per month and aim for NSDs on that week.

Today has been spendy as it's things I need on a monthly basis
Amazon £46.39 supplements and pistachio kunafa spread for DD. Dubai chocolate is too expensive so this was my compromise that she can have that with her fruit, seeds and nuts.

3 x Eco friendly local candles £33. A little treat for me and one for my best pal when I see her for lunch.
£20.38 in Lidl. Broccoli seemed expensive! I'm planning to make broccoli and stilton soup for next week's lunches - use the last of the Christmas cheese that's in the freezer!

Sorry you had such a bad day @RumBananaSundae work can do that to the best of us and I really hope tomorrow is better 🙏

@Thanksforyourlackofthought, l don't target for NSD’s each month, but I do try to keep a rough idea in mind. I watch my bank account month on month, to see if l am spending the same as last month given it take inflation 🙄 and if not what have l been doing differently .
Totally get the struggle when you’re away, it’s so easy to fall back on pizza and convenience foods, but then coming home and wanting to cook proper meals is another challenge, especially with your arm bless you. Maybe focus on things that are low prep but still healthy , frozen veg, pre chopped veg bags, tinned pulses, ready to roast veg, or even slow cooker meals where you can just throw everything in. That way nothing goes to waste and you don’t have to spend hours chopping. You could also prep small batches that can be frozen in portions for later, so you’re not overwhelmed. Fingers crossed your arm heals quickly 💐
@Johaanah aw l just loved your message to @Frugal25 that was so sweet of you sweetheart x.
Been to see Mum, she was fine there, they were very busy so l fed Mum her breakfast, gave her a bed bath and washed her hair using something l bought from Amazon called NilAqua. Well TBF it worked a treat . It was £10 a bottle for 500mls but well worth it. Then went shopping to Tesco did a big shop £127 but in that was presents for Mums birthday, Dh's birthday, birthday cakes for them and 2 presents of Nivea bags that were really heavily discounted. They will go in my present stash 😁
Hope everyone is ok and just wanted to say how lovely and supportive everyone is here ❤️
Oh yes and another birthday present from M&S the unwind box for 27.99 with postage .
Another heavily discounted present . Spendy time ATM but all accounted for thankfully 🤗

@Lockin26Love the snow suit on a rocking toy pic, it sounds such a wonderful childhood and you are right we have all been there and worn the tee shirt 🤗. Your meals sound brilliant , easy, tasty, and practical, and that pistachio kunafa spread sounds like a lovely treat for DD. Broccoli and stilton soup will be delicious my favourite, perfect for using up that leftover Christmas cheese 🤗

There's 20% off M&S beauty too . That's why l bought the birthday pressies from there .
My thinking was that it more than paid for the postage 🤗

Thanks for thinking of me, all. Definitely a little brighter today. Cleaner came and we had a good chat. I think I need tk get out more.

Soends today - £7 in Tesco express
£12 on a new showerhead

£121 on pottery supplies. Delivery is expensive so I erm, made it worth it?

Apologies for not replying individually. I’m going to try and get back on top tomorrow!

So glad you are feeling brighter today @FurForksSake , glad you bought your pottery supplies too 🤗.
Hope your Mil is enjoying being home bless her ❤️

@Thanksforyourlackofthought how bad is your arm? Can you do much peeling and chopping at all?
If I was you I’d prioritise getting through the stuff you have on hand but using it in the easiest way possible. Roast veg without chopping it small for example.

if you give us a list of what you have to use up and what you like to eat we might have ideas to help you without putting too much pressure on your arm.

I literally can't even hold a cup! 😫I can try and talk the family into peeling and chopping but they still won't be into cooking from scratch every day, although in all fairness everyone works very long hours. I normally batch cook but we've been using everything up ready for the big shop I had planned.
My timing is shocking!
I think my best plan is to ask them to prepare and freeze and then make casseroles etc that they can just pop in the slow Cooker before work.
And then hope I heal very quickly because relying others is driving me nuts!

Sorry you had a bad day rum. Sometimes we need a cry to let it out and process the screw over. Hope
you can have a better day today

no nsd target here either

hope the arm feels better soon and you can salvage some veg.

@RumBananaSundae sounds like a really shit day for you. I hope you can get through today without too much effort. Then its the weekend and January is over.

@Thanksforyourlackofthought ooh that is very limiting alright. i think @Lockin26 advice is probably the most suitable. stock he freezer with as much nutritious food as possible. I hope you recover quickly.

Yesterday NSD has been well and truly topped by this mornings spend of €640 on a fill of oil. The joint account is not looking happy. Thankfully we got our tax refund and that will pay most of our holiday accommodation costs. this months pay has to pay for those costs too as we are going over midterm. definitely a case of my diamond shoes being too tight but it will be a tight month so i need to keep other expenses down.

DH will go to lidl again to night with a list that includes photos!

Morning.

@RumBananaSundae I’m sorry to hear about your day. Is there anything you can write down and document that shows the situation hasn’t been handled well from a HR standpoint? Keep it factual and logical but it may be effective.

@FurForksSake I genuinely can’t remember every single post, I just reply to things I remember or feel I can contribute to that might be helpful. It honestly doesn’t matter how you post, promise!

@DirtyGertiefromno30 Keen but not gifted made me laugh out loud because it so summed up Spaniel1 😂

Bird feeding update - the squirrels are fascinating me and I can’t help but admire their persistence and ingenuity. They can’t quite reach the feeders that are dangling by string. BUT they’ve figured that if they lean and shake them, a few seeds fall on the ground - which they then eat. I can begrudge them a few tasty morsels in truth 😂

Read about the stream in the garden and because we’ve got a huge garden ourselves I immediately thought about the downsides to this lovely idea!

Spends
£3.60 postage - sending some forms to DB re DF
Refund of some mouldy grapes from Ocado of £2.

£55 Amazon on a huge supply of coffee, dishwasher tablets, and ink (£18!)

Thanks for asking re the paperwork re DF, there’s nothing massively difficult about it, but there’s just quite a lot of it, and with some of it needing 3 signatures, which is a bit of a practical challenge more than anything as my DB is about a 40 minute drive away. Not insurmountable though!

No spends for today so far. All the regular shuffling and moving money about is done - just want the time to fly by so I can actually see debts paid off in the next few months. I know when they will or should be paid off - but need to see it happen. How daft?! 😅

@Thanksforyourlackofthought hope your arm feels better soon.

I have a nsd today. I'm home with ds (3) as he's 'sick' running about the house. I'm glad really because he was so poorly yesterday throwing up and sleeping with DH off work. But don't feel I should take him out anywhere.

Yesterday I had a long day at work but did buy breakfast Costa coffee and a bar of chocolate totaling £5.

Day before spent £25 in Lidl on I'm not sure what, but it included about 6 tins of stuffed vine leaves we all love.

I've volunteered for an extra early shift at work weekend after next. There's one available for tomorrow too, but I didn't take it... It was a late one and I'm not great working in the evening. Definitely a morning person.

Sold something on vinted for £6, and a duplicate birthday present for DD for £8. But in collaboration with her so she got the money and chose herself a weighted teddy with a microwaveble lavender bean bag with the money...I should list more on vinted. We have lots of clutter

Morning! Thanks @needastrongoneagain

I went into Tesco express and spent £22! No wonder I don’t go in. Pizzas for dinner, bacon and bread for lunch and bits. So fast!

My ceramic kiln was delivered today and I’m looking forward to trying it out.

Oh @RumBananaSundaeyour day yesterday sound shocking. I hope you were able to relax a little last night? Good advice to write things down and go through it logically. Is there a manager you can talk to? Or someone who can advise you?
@DirtyGertiefromno30thank you for your kind words. I like you too, you're such a gentle and kind soul.
@Lockin26oohhh I bet that photo makes you smile now despite at the time not having the money. The packed lunch idea I'm Def stealing for this summer. Thank you x
Think I've missed someone I was going to reply to.... It will come to me later I'm sure.
I'm awful at remembering detail about everyone on here but I do care I promise.

Was meant to be a NSD but my colleague friend retired so I popped to work to give her a hug. I spent £6.40 on two hot chocolates from the canteen for us. I gave her a gift but it was a cutting off a plant I have at home that means a lot to me so was free but heartfelt for her.

I switched banks to nationwide and to get through £175 bonus from them I need to move £1k in. I've done £650 but shall move some savings in to get through bonus and when I've got that, move the savings back.

Love the squirrels finding a way around getting their lunch! That made me proper chuckle!!! They are so clever.
@Thanksforyourlackofthought
It was you I wanted to reply to. Knew it would come back to me. I don't have a set NSD but try to do more each month tbh.... Shall count mine up when I get home xx

NSD for me today, although DH bought bread and I don’t think he’s used the joint account, tsk, tsk. This mucks up my efforts to keep tabs on our grocery spends each month. According to the insights function on our household account, we’ve spent £470 in January. Which doesn’t sound too bad, except it excludes cash purchases (I can think of £40 I’ve spent using cash, and there may be more), the coffee that DH buys on subscription (Lavazza beans for bean-to-cup espresso machine- half the price of supermarket bags, delivered to the door, and we never run out) and dog food, delivered every 2 weeks at £39 a go. Sometimes we also buy treat food out of our own money and that gets overlooked as well. Like the £80 I spent on a Thai takeaway. Do I count that as housekeeping or is it sort of like going out, only we stayed in? What about DS’ supplements? Sigh. It’s probably not hard to find another £300 that we actually spent on keeping everyone fed, clean and contented, over and above what’s captured on the banking app. And repeat that across the year, it’s getting up towards £4k more than the headline number, just on groceries.

But today I can keep my money and cards in my pockets! I am making lentil ragu to have with linguine and Parmesan for dinner tonight. DS is working late so he can eat his when he gets back. And I’ve made another batch of that cottage cheese chocolate pudding.

Started watching Black Rabbit on Netflix last night- it’s a goodie, if anyone is seeking a new series to follow.

wishing everyone a peaceful happy Friday night.

Ooh thanks for the recommendation, we’ve just finished slow horses so looking for something new.

I shall Def have a look at black rabbit thank you. I watched the perfect neighbour on netflix and boy did I cry. A real story captured on police cameras. Was good but haunting me today I have to say.
£80 on making my company dormant. I swear I did this before yet I've had a letter to say I haven't so that will come out of savings.
Homemade pizza tonight using some of the veg from my £2 veg box on top. Although Ragu sounds delicious and I may just go to @BigSkies2022 for dinner. Nom.

@pistachiosanscream At least the tax refund will cover most of the holiday, thank goodness 🤗 Hope DH’s Lidl run goes well tonight with his list and photos! 🛒💪
@needastrongoneagainOh the squirrels 😂 clever little things, can’t really begrudge them a few seeds! And a garden stream… lovely idea until you think of the work , mess and possibilty of flooding also you know what Spaniels are like for water 😂. I get what you mean . Good luck with the paperwork, it sounds like hard work bless you .
@Rainbow1901ah bless you it will soon be here and think how brilliant it will be when it's all paid off 🤗👏

Aw bless you @Alwayslearning25, sounds like a proper full on day! Glad your little one settled . Poor mite, throwing up then bouncing around , kids are little whirlwinds sometimes.
Good thinking about not taking him out, you didn't need the extra hassle. And well done for volunteering for that early shift 👏🤗
Aw that's fantastic your ceramic Kiln came @FurForksSake 👏👏👏🤗
I bet you can't wait to use it ❤️
Aww, that’s so lovely of you to say that thank you @Frugal25🤗 .
That was such a thoughtful gift
I’m sure your friend will treasure it’s because it's the ones with meaning that count the most, not the price!
Well done on the Nationwide bonus, that’s brilliant thinking moving the savings in and out like that , it's well worth the effort to get that extra money 👏🤗.

Oh I know the feeling @BigSkies2022 . DH not using the joint account always throws my numbers out. I hate it when he uses his credit card. I’d count the Thai takeaway as a treat, not proper housekeeping 😁👏
Lentil ragu sounds lovely, and that chocolate cottage cheese pudding oh my! 😋
Black Rabbit is on my list now too. Hope you’re having a fab Friday night.
NSD for me today , Mum was fine thankfully 🤗
Dh's laptop came and was absolutely fine thankfully. I bought it from Amazon Resale because it was £120 less than brand new but honestly it was brand spanking new. l don't know if it had gone to someone who didn't want it and returned it but it's brilliant and same warranty as a brand new one 🤗

£43.84 in Waitrose on NOTHING! (Mild rage).
Bought some stuff for a hamper I’ve made for a friend - couldn’t do the home made stuff I normally do due to injury - so by the time I’d bought a few deli bits and a bottle of wine plus a few basics like milk and bread, best part of £50 gone. Absolutely got to reassess ‘pop in’ spends especially as dh seemed confused as to why I thought it was a lot of money on nothing!
Going to be off work for about a month so need to think of some nutritious quick lunches.
loving reading through all the old posts. Need to figure out how to respond individually!
I’ve decided to set a NSD target for the month. Not sure what yet!