We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1
Options
Comments
-
Morning fellow frugallers:j
Life has been manic but have finally caught up with the thread. Many thanks for all the great tips as ever and the support never ceases to amaze me. You're a fab crew:D Can I especially thank Lesley Gaye for her Indian recipes...duly copied out into my current frugal notebook [10p from a jumble sale]
I find out at the beginning of May if I will still have a job....we are in the fortunate position of having savings [many years of frugalling and living below our means] but have decided to cross that bridge if and when it happens.
Frugalling continues apace here as ever...OH's experiments with harnassing the power generated by our solar panels via his magic box of tricks to heat our water have proved very fruitful on a sunny day. We have calculated that we have so far generated 20% above the average of our own leccy for March as the weather's been so good.
I think you know you've finally won your family over to your mad frugal ways I decided after I brought home a rucksack that I found chucked into the border near Sainsburys. It's in good condition and just needs a wash before being put into service. When I told my lot how I'd come by it they didn't even raise an eyebrow:rotfl:
ArilxAiming for a life of elegant frugality wearing a new-to-me silk shirt rather than one of hair!0 -
Hi
nothing really to report still frugal and I got paid on friday :j:j
well done Cheryl on the chicken find I've not found one that low before !!
Blondemuppett - welcome
Doom & Gloom - welcome back
have a good week everyone - take careEmma :hello:0 -
One way to save money is to badly injure your foot so you can't leave the house for a week! I did however buy a pair of Birkenstocks and a memory foam pillow from TJHughes this morning so I am not a total :AHere dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
23rdspiral wrote: »Breaking News...
The new top UK money info site isn't MSE or FT !!! read martin's artilce http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F!!!!!!!%2FfPRM2r&h=f65cf and the comment bit here for more info https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/42294886#Comment_42294886
What was it 23rdspiral? The FB link didn't work for me.Here dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
Hi all you lovely Frugalistas - I've been trying to catch up on the last 6 days - WOW so much has happened!! So first - BIG BIG hug to 23rdspiral. Keep your chin up love - we know sh*t happens but why does it all seem to come at once? Sending you good vibes for things to improve.
Hope your foot is getting better too Rubytuesday - I broke a bone in my right foot last year - all healed up & fine now but I was spitting feathers for 6 weeks cos I couldn't drive or walk!
We're back from our trip to the IoW with the 'van. Got set up on site & started to fill up the water tanks - water pouring everywhere!!!! Turns out the little 'hot tank' had split in the cold weather (yes we always drain everything down) so big mopping up & using a gallon carrier for the water. It was really cold the first night & I'd put the wrong quilt in the 'van so we nipped into Matalan & bought a king size quilt & coverOn Monday we went to the factory that made our wood burner as DH had a couple of questions about it. Upshot was they GAVE us a new guard thing as ours was broken (that's why we couldn't work out how it went) but DH decided he wanted the dual fuel bit & a fire brick. Really nice guy gave us 15pct discount but by the time we had the dreaded 20pct we spent about £140. I did have 2 NSD's though (for what they were worth!!) Called in to the repairers on the way back home - new hot tank is about £140 & DH will fit it so I 'spose we'll save a bit there & it was supposed to be a cheap break haha!!
I've not dared to look at my SoW - maybe I'll pluck up the courage next week..............;)Small victories - sometimes they are all you can hope for but sometimes they are all you need - be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle0 -
inspirespirit wrote: »oh gosh Cheryl. Wish I was like you. I had yet another bill from Southern Electric today. This time for 236 pounds from my old property. It says its for the 18th March 2011 to the 18th March 2011. no piggin' idea what that is all about considering I left the property on 21st February 2011 and phoned the readings through same day.
The woman dealing with my account has said she has never seen such a mess. I have spent literally hours this week on the phone.
I'm thinking of going to Ofgem. I'm only saying that cos someone told me to do that. I don't really have any idea what they can do but was told they are the utility ombudsman.
I'm totally in agreement about wanting to be like Cheryl...I've managed all my own utility bills for many years but somehow it hasn't made me nearly so competent with the maths.
Before you go to Ofgem it might be a good idea to check if going to the ombudsman means you give up on certain rights. In the far distant past (when I had a job advising people on such matters) a case handed over to the Ombudsman meant a) you didn't hear about the outcome and b) you gave up your right to take legal action against anyone found to be at fault. I don't know if things have changed, which is why I say 'check first' rather than 'don't do it.' If you go to the CAB first, you are not binding yourself to any sacrifices and you still have the option of Ofgem to follow.rubytuesday wrote: »One way to save money is to badly injure your foot so you can't leave the house for a week! I did however buy a pair of Birkenstocks and a memory foam pillow from TJHughes this morning so I am not a total :A
For a moment I thought you must be my mum in disguise. She buys practically everything in T J Hughes, in fact she once wrote a poem in their praise! :rotfl:'Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin now.' Goethe
0 -
£4.05 on the cinema for my son and I, popcorn and a drink for him and a coffee for me, £11.95 on moisturiser but I did get a free facemask worth a fiver from Lush for taking empty pots back, newspaper £1.90, cup of tea in a cafe £1.55. Not a terribly frugal day but not a big spashy out one either - the old me would have probably eaten out in town and had a glass of wine somewhere, possibly nipped into Primark for something........ the moisturiser I have held off buying for a few weeks but it will last 3 months.0
-
For a moment I thought you must be my mum in disguise. She buys practically everything in T J Hughes, in fact she once wrote a poem in their praise! :rotfl:
I did this online and I've only recently heard of them through this site.
Wow did she send them the poem? - she really must love them. They do seem to have some good bargains.
Thanks silvasava my foots still badly swollen and still hurts but it's definitely gone down somewhat so I'm hoping to get my boots on tomorrow as I want to take my son out for a birthday dinner.Here dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
rubytuesday wrote: »One way to save money is to badly injure your foot so you can't leave the house for a week! I did however buy a pair of Birkenstocks and a memory foam pillow from TJHughes this morning so I am not a total :A
Another way to save money is to not let DDs leave the house, especially anywhere near the C**h Kid**on shop. We are going out today, and I am dreading it. DD1 has decided that she has to have a new CK bag at £68!!! She is 11. I am desperately trying to persuade her to just have a look at them to see if they meet her requirements and then get one on ebay for 1/3rd of the price. Normally I would say No Way, but she wants it out of her birthday money! Grrrr
Really sorry to hear about the foot rubytuesday, hope you're back in action soon. Take care
Big hugs to all who need one. x0 -
I bought tea leaves instead of teabags - much tastier and I think probably cheaper - it is Assam, delicious, reduced cos the box was battered and 79p. I wonder how many cups of tea you get out of a box? Is it that much cheaper or am I deluding myself?
It is 125g, a teaspoon is 5g but it is not 125 cups because it is one teaspoon per person and one for the pot. If I assume it is just tea for me that would make it about 62 cups.
Answered my own question by googling - http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Shopping/FindProducts.aspx?Query=assam%20tea&SortBy=3
It is cheaper if the tea is reduced, but not cheaper than buying 100 Assam tea bags, and still double the price of buying a good teabag tea.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.6K Spending & Discounts
- 244.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 599.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177K Life & Family
- 257.5K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards