Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

SandraScarlett

Blairweech - good for you that your heating costs are included in your rent, that's great, especially in the winter months. Your description of your clothes brought back memories of Long Ago, the 1950s (!), when we didn't have central heating.

My Mum had decided to do away with coal fires and we had electric ones instead, with imitation coal in the front. This did not give out any heat at all, there was just a fan and a red light, behind the "coals", so it looked like flickering flames (ish), but Mum insisted it did, so sometimes she'd say "we'll just put the coal on tonight". :rotfl:

But when it was really cold, we'd have one or 2 bars on, and you got third degree burns across the front of your legs, but your back was freezing! We had an outside loo, and I'd delay going for a wee as long as possible, as it was bitterly cold out there. The fact that my Dad cut off the bottom 3 inches of the door, "to provide ventilation", meant that your wee turned to ice, by the time you'd finished!!

That must be why I lurve having a luxurious wee in the Savoy!! To try and end on a frugalistic note, I wonder if there's any one out there who still uses newspaper instead of toilet roll?

xx

PS We were very posh, cos we used pages from a telephone directory - my Mum said the print didn't come off, like it did with newspaper!

apple_mint

Just popping in to keep in touch. I haven't been around for a couple of days and have to go back to page 106 to start reading again.

Did the Tesco's shop last night and that came in at £23.84. One or two of their 2 for £2 offers went into our freezer (ice cream, fish). They appear to be discontinuing their own brand sensitive toothpaste. Their normal toothpaste is 70-80p ish (can't remember how much) but last week I think the sensitive toothpaste was about 42p for 100 ml but this week it was 32p for 100ml. I stocked up Also, I got their 5 pairs of ownbrand tights for £1.75 and got 35p knocked off in their own 20% off offer. Fine for work. No really good offers for us in their fruit and veg so I'm off to Lidl tonight.

Right, off back a few pages to catch up

apple_mint

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

Have wanted to tell you all this for ages but I keep on forgetting. I wrap all my odd bits of pastry up and freeze them no matter how small. Then when I want to put a pastry topping on something I take the pastry out of the freezer and grate it on a large size grater straight on top of the fruit or whatever. As long as its fairly even thats all thats needed. Cook as usual, it turns out crispy but not too much. Don't thaw, grate from frozen, if you leave it to defrost its impossible to grate it so take it out of the freezer and grate immediatly. You can use any sort of pastry, short crust, flakey, or rough puff and even mix whatever you have nobody notices.

Somebody earlier was saying they keep all bits of left over food, freeze it and share out later. When I had a husband and my four children at home I used to serve up an extra plate full of food, cover it and freeze then if somebody was in a rush and needed to eat straight away they microwaved a plate and off they went. Sometimes on a busy night or when I didn't feel like cooking I took the correct number of plates out of the freezer and we all had something different.

I just had to pop back and say "What great ideas!" I've always got bits and bobs of pastry left and the 'plate of food' idea would have been so useful when OH used to work shifts.

Edit: back now. I see everyone else thought these ideas were great too :-)

Big (((hugs))) to everyone who needs one, in particular (((minnie2))).

23rdspiral

flying_fresian wrote: »

the Holy Grail Of Undergarments....fleece lined tights!!

:T what a great idea! well if they have them that's a NSD out the window! but i froze at work yesterday and just couldnt get warm all evening either, so they'd be a good investment. CHEERS!!

mama67

salski wrote: »

Hello all - Im posting for a little help please - - - I have some frozen pork chops in the freezer - any ideas what to do with them other than grilling as usual? There was 6 of them lol, we down to the last 2 and neither of us wants grilled chops again!
Thanks you in advance x

I put them in a roasting tray, put some sliced apple on top, approx half inch boiling water around and then cook in oven until done.

mama67

Green_Queen wrote: »

Much luck to you Laushappy.:j

Have just squirrelled away a bit of broccoli before it reached the soup. I have been doing this with a few mushrooms here and a few slices of pepper there so that we can vegetable tempura at some point and not have to go and buy all the different veggies at once.

this is a brilliant idea as it is having to go buy everything at once for a meal which blows the budget

midwinter

Made a conscious decision to not iron my duvet cover now that it's dry..... save on the electric.... and just cover the duvet with my quilt !!

patentgirl

Hugs to Minnie at this sad time
Erme glad to see you are feeling a bit better.
thanks to everyone for all these tips for leftovers sometimes you need someone else to point you in right direction every penny now is being spent wisely so any leftovers however small need to be saved loved the pastry one!
Cold down here in south as well got thick tights under leggings at work today
Been good month up till Mon when had to pay £109 for DDs car as that packed up she hasnt really got the money to pay it at moment and needs the car for college so kind hearted DH offered to pay it for her as long as she does some jobs for us which hopefully she will! had 3 NSDs this week but need to pop to town after work as I finish at 3 today will pop into M & S and pick up £10 meal offer as MIL brought us a card for christmas for that purpose to treat ourselves when offer is on
Have a good frugal day everyone

Laushappy

Well so far a NSD but not sure if it will end up that way, hubby has just been paid and so i'm sitting here trying to resist the temptation to go and spend some
Although the addictive urge to save is stronger, thank goodness :rotfl:
I have found that once you start saving you dont want to let go of your money as readily, which of course can only be a good thing!!!

Tommorow will be a big spend day as biting the bullet and splashing out on a much needed new tyre for the car costing 75:o (replaced the other 3 before xmas as they desperately needed doing), but at least then they shouldnt need doing for a couple of years or so. (does anyone know how long tyres last?)

My dad popped in earlier and gave the boys £5 each pocket money
My little boy will be so chuffed as he saving for some spending money for our break to centre parcs in March (got a great deal on this hol, 289 for 5 days but sharing with IL so only cost us 145 :T)he has £4.00 so far so this will give his savings a little boost

I feel like i cant keep my posts short these days as have sooo much i want to say, so sorry if i keep waffling on!!!

have a good day all

cw18

Laushappy wrote: »

(does anyone know how long tyres last?)

depends on all kinds of things

mileage, style of driving, keeping them correctly inflated, hitting pot-holes, picking up nails/glass......