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 🤗

@BigSkies2022Oh no, that’s so frustrating . You did everything right with the pots and still got betrayed by the floor. Anyone would be irritated. Getting the installers back is a pain, but at least it’ll be properly fixed and not silently winding you up every day 🙄
Your poor dog , fireworks 🙄
£10 well spent on proper bread, and potato dauphinois is an excellent way to use up double cream 😄. Frugal doesn’t have to mean miserable.
“Consistency” is a really good word steady, kind, and doable. Small daily practices stacking up is exactly how you keep the self criticism at bay. Mulling mode is allowed 😁

Spent just under £40 in Uniqlo on thermal T-shirts. Am cursing the carpet. Spent a bit in Aldi on milk and some hot chocolate to console myself over said carpet.

Sorry about the ring @BigSkies2022. That would irritate and upset me dreadfully. Hope it’s not too costly to rectify.

Welcome @FoolShapeHeart.

Enjoy your pizza @Frugal25.

Your mum can join me in the black eye corner @DirtyGertiefromno30. I currently have quite a shiner. Jesting aside I am glad she is ok.

Quiet day today as the weather scared me. Didn’t manage to draft my response to the solicitor but did manage a few work emails.

Glad to see your mum looking so well after the UTI @DirtyGertiefromno30 but sad to hear about the fall. Never a dull moment!

I hope you SIL is doing ok @Rainbow1901

welcome back @Shnout and hugs for getting through your first Christmas without your DH

I’ve enjoyed catching up on everyone’s new year plans and yummy meals. I too love a duck leg cassoulet and we are getting Chinese tonight.

cant remember when I last posted but it hasn’t been an expensive few days. Lots of family socialising so bring fed by others and still eating from the big December shops. Did check my bank balance and I was surprised by how healthy it was. Long may it continue!

i did some batch cooking and made bolognaise, lasagne and chilli that’s stocked the freezer for future meals.

tomorrow I will have family over and the cheese and canapé mountain will be used.

I will go to Lidl tomorrow to do the January shop as small child is back to school and normal meal service will resume.

its been a very relaxing Christmas period that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve learnt the hard way to take a proper break as work has been incredibly busy this year and it’s not going to change.

DH has decided to join the February midterm break to lanzarote trip I was doing with mum and small child. It will be lovely to have hi, and also a relief as mum has had a couple of setbacks recently so an extra pair of hands will be very handy. It’s a surprise for small child yet but they will be so happy to have him as he’s great to play in the pool etc.

i can’t give any tips on cheaper holidays as we don’t have the flexibility needed to take advantage of most deals. I tend to just stalk the airlines until the ride reduces, I also often only book one leg of the flight at a time to take advantage of price drops.

Happy New Year and welcome back under your new name @mochi / @Lockin26 🎉
Ah thank you re the photo of my DMum , such a relief for us ❤️
Your goals sound realistic and manageable, earlier nights, more water, and two Body Pump classes a week. The evening one is always harder, so no surprise you miss it sometimes. Hopefully better rest and hydration will help with your energy levels and your diet too.
Your money plans make great sense, sorting the emergency fund and pots first feels very sensible. NYD food was spendy, but it was a family treat and you saved £6 and that's not to be sniffed at . The Halloween tickets sound like a great saving too.
Your Ds's birthday is a big deal for you all , l so hope you all have a lovely time sweetheart.

Sounds good on the spends yesterday and today @FurForksSake. Cancelling the Command strips was a win. £45/week on food with well stocked cupboards is really good, and £400/month including milk and Amazon groceries is excellent. Tackling one overspend a month is very sensible too . Your returns ready and £3 parking not bad, leftovers are delicious and really help to save money , you are rocking this 🤗
YNAB is popular if you like giving every pound a job, but takes a bit to learn. Simpler trackers, spreadsheets, or bank pots like Monzo work if you want less fuss. I think if you can get it all organised properly in the beginning it is much easier . Good luck sweetheart 🤗

Welcome @FoolShapeHeart join in sweetheart, it's a lovely thread the more the merrier 🤗

Oh wow, sounds like a full day @Frugal25 soft play sounds like real good fun though, glad you managed a birthday treat without it getting too hectic. Good luck with the party prep tomorrow, that plan sounds brilliant 😁 👍🤞👏

Ooh that sounds like a proper “ouch” day @RumBananaSundae 😬!
At least the Uniqlo haul will keep you lovely and warm, even if the carpet is giving you grief 🙄. Milk and hot chocolate are a solid consolation plan, definitely the right kind of comfort for times like these bless you 🤗.
Thank you re my Mum it sounds like she’s definitely earned a spot in the black eye club with you 🤗.
Hopefully tomorrow brings a chance to tackle that solicitor reply. I know it must be daunting for you lovely 🤔

So glad your Christmas break’s been relaxing and full of good food. Batch cooking sounds perfect, and it's so great to hear your bank balance is healthy and you are happy with it 😊.
Lovely that your DH can join the Lanzarote trip , the small child will be thrilled, and extra hands will help your Mum as well 🤗. Fingers crossed February is as stress free as it sounds it could be 🤗
Your flight strategy is clever, stalking prices really does pay off .

So glad your Christmas break has been relaxing and full of good food @pistachiosanscream. Batch cooking sounds perfect, and it's so great to hear your bank balance is healthy and you are happy with it 😊.
Lovely that your DH can join the Lanzarote trip , the small child will be thrilled, and extra hands will help your Mum as well 🤗. Fingers crossed February is as stress free as it sounds it could be 🤗
Your flight strategy is clever, stalking prices really does pay off . Thank you so much re my Mum too 😊

Hello @FoolShapeHeart and welcome.

@FurForksSake people rave about YNAB but I couldn't get my head around the app. Would be interested in other views as I need something to help. 🙏

Oh @DirtyGertiefromno30 your poor DM falling out of bed although she sounds in good spirits regardless. Hope the bug leaves the home soon.

Hi @pistachiosanscream pleased you've had a lovely relaxing time. Lanzarote at half term will be gorgeous.

@Shnout LSD amount - depends on the day. If I'd planned a NSD and managed under £10 then that's LSD. If I knew I had to spend money but it ended up under £20 ish, I'd still be pleased and think LSD.

Went to Morrisons and took down decs - 80% put away in attic. Rest will get done tomorrow. I'll also make a list for tomorrow as I'm now chilling in front of the fire. It's so cold outside!

£38.53 Morrisons.

Delurking again as need to pay off a chunk of home improvement debt, have followed these threads for years and in awe of the community here. Our fixed rate is up in October 2027 and want everything else to be gone by then as I know we won't get the same low rate (currently 2.4% as we got it just before the Liz Truss debacle). There is approx £30k on loans and if we're really strict it can be done.

We also have a lot planned for this year in terms of holidays and festivals but they're already paid for so not panicking too much.

We already save into festival, Christmas amd sinking pots over the year so grateful that we haven't dipped into credit cards over the break 😊.

Have meal-planned for most of January today and going to do a big shop tomorrow, experimenting with Jam Donut off the back of another thread - basically you buy vouchers through them and get cashback, they have supermarket, eating out, retail etc. I'm planning to buy Tesco vouchers for the month, Costa vouchers for the month and then check for any other ad-hoc spends. If I'd known about this before booking our Download tickets I'd have got £100 cashback on Ticketmaster vouchers just for doing something I'd be doing anyway 😢.

Also finally talked DH into getting rid of loads of cd's so got £135 coming back from Music Magpie which will pay for our travel insurance from the year and half of the airport parking for out March trip. Arranged house insurance, energy swap and aforementioned travel insurance via Quidco so will get £60 cashback on that too.

Having a glass of wine in front of the fire while I write my shopping list and will be an early night!

Ha! Thanks all, for the commiserations on the Ring. Fortunately I have moved from tiny foot-stamping mode into practical task-oriented mode (helped of course by businesses opening up again) and I have sent a picture off to a local flooring restoration company who sound friendly and promising. If necessary I will go there tomorrow and cry!

gonna eat a lot of carbs and fats tonight! Potatoes, cream, smoked streaky bacon - food of the gods! Did my 10k steps despite black ice and chill winds. Lovely huge moon though.

Hello @TheOnlyMrsW that's two of us in front of the fire list writing! That's a good win re Music Magpie and all the cash back offers!

Ah thank you @Lockin26
Mum is absolutely fine there thankfully. Of all the things she/we didn't need was a fall and a blinking bug there but hey ho , up boys and at em as my Mum would say 😁.
She lives to fight another day . It's absolutely Baltic out here too 🥶. Well done on taking 80% of the Decs down too 🤗
Well done on delurking again 😁, the cash back and the Music Magpie @TheOnlyMrsW😁👏
Well done on the proactivity re the floor @BigSkies2022
You enjoy that meal it sounds delicious 😋

Ah so glad it's getting sorted @BigSkies2022 well done you. And gosh, despite being full of pizza I am now wanting to come over and help you eat carbs and fat ... Delicious!!!
Isn't the moon gorgeous?? 😍

@TheOnlyMrsWoooohhh paying off the debt would be amazing! You can do it!!!! Well done on the cds. That's brilliant.

£4.80 on parking for the pizza dinner out is my update.

There is a lovely moon @BigSkies2022 I've been out to look and the Stellarium app showed Jupiter sitting just below the moon (looking from the NE anyway). 🌙

@BigSkies2022 I noticed the moon earlier it looked glorious!
@DirtyGertiefromno30 it's freezing here, currently -3 and set to go lower, your mum has been through the wringer, hope she's ok. We spend a fair bit of time in your little corner of the world, would love to retire there someday 💕

Your poor lovely mum @DirtyGertiefromno30 she is not having a great few days but I'm so glad she is happy and so much better. Her day of being set up and sat watching TV sounds perfect when the weather is so chilly.

Ah thank you re my Mum that's so kind of you @TheOnlyMrsW.
It's really lovely here in Monmouthshire/Breconshire/Welsh Borders . l would recommend it to anyone . Very quiet , no troubles , good schools , plenty of walks and beautiful countryside .

AHH thank you @Frugal25, that’s so sweet of you ❤️. She really is much better, and yes, just having a cosy day in front of the TV was exactly what she needed with this chilly weather and 2 black eyes bless her heart but she's made of strong stuff , she will not let this stop her don't you worry 🤗

Not a NSD today, but all allocated spending:

• Warm and versatile woollen from Vinted to replace the one I partially felted years ago and have still been trying to wear: Christmas money + £2.79 from my self care budget
• Bananas: 75p from the food budget
• Small shop for relative: will be reimbursed

No more internet browsing for me tonight!

Just been out to look at it @Lockin26 it's a beauty shining so brightly ,thank you for the heads up . I took a rubbish picture 🤗

Sounds like you had a real bargain @FoolShapeHeart and all allocated spending well done 🤗👏

Hey guys, can I join you?
I’ve been trying to be sensible (no choice really lol) but the costs of everything just seem to be getting worse and worse…yet nobody talks about it any more. Food inflation is scary. Ex is only paying a tiny part of maintenance owed but is busy telling the world and children how amazing he is. I wish the government would enforce payments by non-paying non-resident parents more!

Pluses recently - I bought a trailer load of tree trunks a few days ago and have started to split them in to logs, am determined not to use the expensive heating! The stove keeps the living room cosy but is struggling to heat elsewhere in this chilly patch. We have thermals though, and teddy bedding is a life-changer. I resealed around our storm doors too (Scotland, only a few metres from the Atlantic 🥶).