Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

rubytuesday

Ooh I'm very pleased I got my final gas bill from Npower and it is only 66 pounds. I was really worried it would be a hundred or so!

My freebies that came with a small order - 4.99 from Organic Surge have arrived today and they are really lovely!

Going to go for a swim in the outdoor pool but would much prefer to go to bed again!

diddly74

I have totted up all the days since the new year and out of the 56 days so far I have managed a grand total of FIVE No Spend Days. WOW NOT!!!!

I seem to spend something nearly every day - sometimes it is only car parking money for uni, but its a spend. I am not going out today - but still I know that that it won't be a NSD because the Milkman will come to be paid tonight - thats £11.20 for the last fortnight (we have 16 pints a week (4 x 4 pinters).

Lesley_Gaye

youngmummy wrote: »

im really anoyyed with myself. also could anyone reccommend a good family cookbook with cheap and easy recipes. including making bread, cakes ect. many thanks

the Jamie Oliver one Ministry of Food is pretty good, and his recipes work.

or there is our own lovely Weezl's site http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/index.html?opt=rcost

I did a talk on this last night at the village hall where I live. It went really well, everyone was buzzing with it. I took Apple Curd, an Apple Curd with Cranberries, some Mushroom Soup and Pepper Soup, a Chicken, Onion and Sweetcorn Pie with jam tarts from the pastry trimmings, Brownies, Carrot Cake and Peanut & Pumpkin Seed Nut Butter

and demo'd the oil pastry (lots of questions about that, they weren't completely convinced that it would taste nice until they tried the pie that I had cooked in their oven while doing the Powerpoint bit), then I did mayo and flavoured separate dishes with tomato sauce, parsley and grainy mustard, then I demo'd Peanut and Brazil Nut Butter

there were lots of mmmmm noises and all the food disappeared, so they must have liked it

I am using more of more of the recipes in my meal planning, and am finding different variations to try too. The Chicken and Onion pie for instance works really well adding in a few mushrooms and a third of a tin of corned beef, or chicken, onion and sweetcorn/mushrooms, or salmon and prawn

I've added in lots of different things to the Apple Curd - blackberries, apricots, raisins, damsons, cranberries - and they've all been completely delish

the latest favourite is the mushroom soup made with asda frozen mushrooms, had some for lunch today - yum

Frugaldom

Hi fruguys and gals, just popping in quickly to see how everyone is doing and to let you know I am still here and still on target. Few major changes since November, mainly an impending housemove, the arrival of second grandchild and worlk related stuff, but things looking like settling down around late April or beginning of May.

Hope you are all doing well, sorry I haven't had the time to keep up with everything but rest assured, the frugal living challenge is still comes first and foremost in all I do.

redglass_2

Lots of lovely frugal things happening on the thread. :j I'm a bit envious as I have just had unexpected expenses again. The PC monitor died on me and I have some work to do and print for tomorrow, no postponement possible, so I had to get a monitor in our local shop (not much choice but at least I could walk out with it under my arm). Oh well, could have been worse: it seemed at first that there might be really serious problems with the PC itself :eek: :eek::eek::eek::eek: but tests showed it was only a fault in the monitor.

I hardly dare update the Spreadsheet of Wonder.

Edited to add: Hello Frugaldom, great to hear from you!

Frugaldom

Thanks Redglass. Not having proper high speed broadband makes everything so slow here, so I'm just stealing a bit of time under the guise of seeking inspiration for tonight's dinner. LOL No chance of catching up with everyone but thought I'd best let you all know I am still hovering and will post whenever I can. And my spreadsheet is still updated every day I spend anything.

rubytuesday

Well I had a frugal swim - for some reason I am on the old system so I left my pass with them and had my swim then when I came out and went to pay the young lady informed me the systems were down so she couldn't charge me.
It felt colder than when it was snowing today but it was so lovely and relaxing. I did 16 lengths of an olympic size pool. Feel much less achy now but a nice hot bath beckons.

cw18

Frugaldom wrote: »

Hi fruguys and gals, just popping in quickly to see how everyone is doing and to let you know I am still here and still on target.

Great to hear from you

Few major changes since November, mainly an impending housemove

Again!?!?!?!? I though you were settled where you are now

the arrival of second grandchild

Congratulations to all

and worlk related stuff, but things looking like settling down around late April or beginning of May.

Just don't burn yourself out in the meantime.....

rubytuesday

Cheryl would you add me to the list on the first page please x

cw18

rubytuesday wrote: »

Cheryl would you add me to the list on the first page please x

done

please accept my most humble apologies for missing you when you joined us I thought I'd picked everyone up when they first said 'hello', so not sure what happened there