Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

NualaBuala

Hi everyone :wave:

Hope you're all doing ok. I managed to spend nothing today - yippee! :j I was tempted to go shopping but realised it was only out of habit and reminded myself I am trying to manage from my stores. My freezer is so full and I don't even know what's in there any more! I know some people are well-organised and keep an inventory but I've never managed to keep that up.

slowlyfading wrote: »

Thanks how are you today?

Not too bad today, thanks for asking! :A Hope you're doing ok? Is work still exhausting?

Lynz - you did great on your shopping. Is that from wholesale markets? I went to ours once and the prices weren't anywhere as cheap as yours! These days I shop in the organic market as much as poss - it ain't cheap but will stick with it as long as I can manage it.

Cheryl, Happy Birthday for tomorrow and Good Luck in the 10K!!! :T

slowlyfading

NualaBuala wrote: »

Not too bad today, thanks for asking! :A Hope you're doing ok? Is work still exhausting?

I'm okay thanks work is still tiring, but I'm beginning to get used to it...!

NualaBuala

slowlyfading wrote: »

I'm okay thanks work is still tiring, but I'm beginning to get used to it...!

I'm glad! Can well imagine teaching must be tiring - but hopefully it'll become easier as time goes on. And then you can use any excess energy for wedding planning!

Marru

Have a great run tomorrow CW and also

I did a top up shop today. Pretty much stuck with the list and found some good whoopsies. Chicken cubes reduced just because the box was slightly damaged and for same reason a taco making kit reduced to 1.10. Tactic today was to take a basket as what I can't carry I can't buy. Worked

Also got Mr T value muesli and then J0rdan's one and will mix them 50/50 and see if I can get the more expensive stuff to stretch this way without reducing the quality too much.

wornoutmumoftwo

Going to update the spreadsheet on monday/tues, not spending so much in Mr T now as I need to eat freezer contents.
Made mac cheese from scratch on friday and the kids loved it, was more of an 'involve kids in cooking' than OS exercise, but it got eaten either way.

Have spent a good £20 on teabags in Mr t as they had 2 for £5 teabags(160 +50% free), so I took advantage of the double offer there, it's just the normal 160 bags left now.

While on the subject of Mr t, my tomato ketchup is usually 50p, and it's now 79p I was NOT impressed!

enjoyfinancialchallenges

How is everybody who is eating from their freezers and larders doing?

Iv'e been to stay with my daughter for a couple of days and when I came back late this afternoon logged on and WOW! this forum has charged ahead, I'm not even going to try and read all I have missed so I may comment on something already dealt with but there......!

I've just looked at my spends for this month/year so far its just £3.39 I'm feeling so pleased with myself you will never know. So far my freezer doesnt look a lot emptier but my larder is just showing a v slight sign of less on the shelves now. I bought F & V a week ago but I still only spent £1.53 because I used Mr A***s vouchers which came in handy. My neighbor is trying to use up all the winter veg that he still has in the garden and is very generous so I benefit enormously fom his kindness, mind you I always give him some of my cookies, scones and jams when I make them so I dont feel guilty. Last week he gave me three very large parsnips and a cabbage plus my own home grown potatoes are stll lasting me so I cant see myself starving this month. I buy free range eggs locally at such a cheap price but my daughter also keeps hens so gives me some when I visit her. Generally I do well food wise and I suppose that I am very fortunate living in the country even if our bus service is slowly being withdrawn!

At the beginning of the year I counted the number of litre cartons of long life milk in my larder...it was 13 litres!!!!!mainly due to every time I'm shopping thinking, I wonder if I have enough milk at home and then buying two cartons just incase. Anyway despite using it since the 1st Jan I still have plenty for a few more weeks. I think all this using up is going to hit me when I do start shopping but at least I shall then know what I have in store, not like now when I'm just thinking up what I shall eat and seeing if I have the ingredients and if not what can I use instead. Its all starting to get a bit creative on occasions now!

lynzpower

Oh that is so inspirational that you have hardly spent any money at all!

Im hoping I can get away with it for a couple of weeks too, it would be brilliant!

Didnt have dinner tonight as OH was asleep, will have that tomorrow and save the beef for next sunday, so no problem there a day saved!

I did make a chocolate cake and cookies from stores as well, quite pleased!

But its the not spending I have to really get hold of in February...

itsallinthemind

Glad it was a joke RE wearing something and taking it back, I stayed away a few days from the challenge as I could not trust myself to bite my tongue! :rotfl:

NSD's since my last check in, hope all are well and good luck for the run and Happy Birthday to Cheryl, enjoy your day with your...what is he? Boyfriend? Man? Student of frugaldom? Plaything? Well enjoy either way! (Boyfriend always sounds like you are 16 to me max, but partner is too serious I guess? Who knows!)

cw18

itsallinthemind wrote: »

NSD's since my last check in, hope all are well and good luck for the run and Happy Birthday to Cheryl,

Thanks

enjoy your day with your...what is he? Boyfriend? Man? Student of frugaldom? Plaything? Well enjoy either way! (Boyfriend always sounds like you are 16 to me max, but partner is too serious I guess? Who knows!)

I don't like BF at my age either, and agree that OH/Partner sounds like you're well settled together.

Toyboy would fit (he's 19 months younger than me)....... apart from the fact we're still very firmly on the 'friends' rung of the ladder That's suiting us both very nicely at the moment, so I'm finding myself just referring to him as 'my chap' most of the time

I guess we would have looked a bit like an old married couple to some folks yesterday afternoon/evening. We chatted for a bit after he arrived, then I installed Firef0x and Av@st onto his laptop for him. He'd seen me finishing a game of Spider Solitaire on mine (started it just before he arrived), so asked me if it was on his laptop (I'm on Vist@ while he's on Wind0ws 7, so I wasn't sure until I'd checked) and I showed him how to get into Games - and taught him how to play it. A couple of hours later I left him playing while I cooked a late tea (sausages, mash, cabbage, carrots, brocolli and gravy), then we ate with plates on knees while he continued to play and I caught up on various forums. He then continued to play while I switched between giving him some hints on the game, playing my own games, and surfing in general..... So we were sat at opposite ends of the sofa doing our own thing on our own laptops until around 10:30pm

I woke up at 5am (!), but made myself stay in bed until 6:30..... think I nodded off a couple of times, but couldn't get back to sleep properly and alarm was set for 7.

Have already had a brew, and am off to put kettle back on in a minute - another cuppa for me, and get one ready for him as his alarm is set for around 7:15. Need to get my first breakfast sorted too.... porridge for now, toast around 9-ish, and probably a banana when we arrive at the race venue (hopefully around 10:15). Race kicks off at 11, and I'm hoping to find a friend from another forum before the start

apple_mint

Good luck with the race Cheryl :j

Your evening sounded perfect

A planned NSD here today. I have some fish pies to make with some odds and ends of fish from the freezer. A bit of mix but should be tasty. I need to make something sweet too as we have no biscuits / cake in the house :eek: Also off to mysupermarket to look at the Tesco offers for this week and to have a look at the Lidl's site to see what the special offers are in the fruit and veg sections.