Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

LolaLemon

itsallinthemind wrote: »

Today was pretty frugal. Got THIS arrive(Manuel), which in the end was paid for by xmas cash from my parents(I ordered then they offered later ). It's not bad in real life, much better than children eating on a sofa!!!!! I've really hated them doing that(plus the mess). Chose this one in the end as it is real wood, nice and compact and will fit in the playroom so that it can be used for crafts. Wasn't interested in it to look pretty, but something serviceable, memories are made around tables as you grow and you do not get better ones with a fancier table eh VERY CHUFFED!!!!

I nhave this, but only got 2 chairs, their is only me and my 3 year old anyways - it fits perfectlyin front of my living room window, i can over look the river whilst using my sewing machine (rarely done, but hoping to do more) my son crafts on this nearly every day!

Im perversly happy/smug to say i paid £30 for this.

cw18 wrote: »

I can't honestly see any way my children will ever make it - certainly not the elder two. The youngest is much better with money in general, and if he can get the kind of job he'd like after finishing Uni (currently in his first year, but wants a year work experience during it which makes it a 4 year course) there's a vague glimmer of hope for him.

Im doing 1st year of Uni, but in Scotland all our undergraduate courses are 4 years. Makes for a very skint life for next 4 years

Kerfuffle wrote: »

I've seen a recipe for Parsnip and Apple Soup but never had it, but that might be something to try next time I have apples on the turn.
Toodles

I was just about to mention this adn seen your post

recipe here:
50g butter
5 parsnips, peeled and chunks
large brambley apple, peeled and chunks
litre veg stock
600ml milk
seasoning

melt butter
add apples and parsnip, cook low for 5-10mins
add stock and simmer for 20mins until parsnips are soft
remove from heat and cool
add milk, it might curdle a bit (but aparently this is ok)
blend
reheat and season to taste

can be frozen

i havnt made this yet, but is on my list of things to make. when i read my recipe the last bit said repeat and season and im like... repeat what?? lol


another one i found which is lovely is

chicken n garlic potato pie type thing

2 baking potatoes- sliced
nutmeg
white sauce - i make my own
fried onions
frozen peas
cooked chicken
garlic butter - i make my own - butter/mar of prefernce with chopped fresh or dried garlic mixed in and a sprinkling of dried herbs

fry onions,
layer potatoes in a casserol type dish, pour a little white sauce on, shake so sauce gets inbetween and under potatoes
then onions, then peas, then chicken add some white sauce, i then add layer or peas, and onions if i have enough, add more sauce (i add a final layer of potatoes to the top is covered, but book didnt have this)
cover with white sauce, sprinkle nutmeg, add dot garlic butter on evenly on top
cook in 180^ oven for an hour (more if u add the layer of potatoes on top)

Recommends granary bread and steamed veg to serve with...

I found this aaaamayyyyyZing!, i added garlic butter to the bottom layer of potatoes (i have an obsession with garlic lol) and didnthave frozen peas, so used a frozen value veg mix from Mr T's, and was still great.


Well done everyone on your quest to live as frugally as possible!
I am lurking but trying to read some pages per night, and may officially join once ive sorted my head out sometime around Feb


Oh, someone was talking about cookies for valentines... ive posted this on a few different areas on mse, but i these!

100g flour, 100g butter, 50g sugar
mix with hand till u get 'breadcrumbs' (just rub butter into the flour n sugar, between your fingers)
roll into a big ball
take pinches of and roll into balls and flatten (you could roll it all out with a rolling pin and cut shapes out, if it doesnt roll, add some more butter)
cook at 180^ for 12-15 mins

u can add 1 teaspoonful of powder (cinnimon, cocoa - ive even used chocolate milkshake powder- etc)
1/2 teaspoonful of vanilla essence etc
add before you mix it all

handfull of sweets - ive used dolly mixtures, smarties, chopped chocolate, crumbled flaked, hundreds and thousands)
add these after you have bread crumbs

and enjoy!

LolaLemon

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

Note to self. Never put a pan of pasta on when hungry. DD said it was too much so I've got to eat it now.
Share it with you iaitm
Just remembered you're off to bed...will have to eat it all myself


Luvz Dizzy x

your evil!:rotfl:

mooomin

Well, no kindly soul handed in my ipod to lost property (May karma vomit in their cornflakes) and I've been thinking about how best to afford a new ipod without totally b*ggering up the Frugal Challenge in week one

The best price I can find a new Classic for is £190 (from a retailer I have heard of which is Tesco) I will get Tesco points worth £3.93 (Nearly £12 in deals) + 4 points per £1 spent if I pay using my Tesco credit card.

I don't pay council tax for the next two months, so I know I have the funds to cover it, but the budget doesn't have quite that much wiggle-room. Assuming no rise in council tax, I have an £80 surplus in my council tax budget. The rest is going to have to come from savings elsewhere or making money. With that in mind, I know it's Ebay free listing this weekend, so know what I'll be doing tomorrow :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

itsallinthemind

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

:mad::D

LolaLemon wrote: »

I have this, but only got 2 chairs, their is only me and my 3 year old
Im perversly happy/smug to say i paid £30 for this.

Very family friendly table, The table on this is bigger, so no way will it fit in my bay window, so I'll have to dine looking at toys!:)

flying_fresian wrote: »

Well, no kindly soul handed in my ipod to lost property (May karma vomit in their cornflakes)

Can I steal that :rotfl:Brilliant Stuff. The ipod not being handed in however is not so brilliant. There are some amazing people in this world though, I had my rent(£950)plus 2 weeks extra(payments were out of synch) handed in. Amazing. Can you get a really cheapy mp3 player till you can afford, so that you do not go out of your brain on public transport?

Decided to go for school meals, but I will pay all at once. So will not come out today, don't need bread or milk this morning, but may go on a whoopsie(and chocolate) expedition around 7pm as I am child free and fancy being dangerous and wild before doing some decorating, you know, Friday night, you got to do it :rotfl:

mooomin

itsallinthemind wrote: »

Can you get a really cheapy mp3 player till you can afford, so that you do not go out of your brain on public transport?

I can buy a new iPod now as I can put it on my credit card until payday in a fortnight at which point I will put my £122 normal council tax payment towards it (Council tax free month in February, whirroooo!) and the other £70ish I can take out of my savings account.

I might be able to borrow one though as my friend got a new iPod Touch for Christmas and she now has a Nano she's not using. I sent her a text last night about it so we'll see what she says. If she wants to sell it to me for a small fee, then I will just use that until it falls apart and then that's £190 saved :rotfl:

ceridwen

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

I think that would be wonderful too. Something like The Findhorn Community sounds like a wonderful place to reassess and recharge your batteries
http://www.findhorn.org/2010/10/living-a-life-less-ordinary-2/

If you click on the home page it also gives you an angel card reading for the day for anyone that's interested in things like that.
Luvz Dizzy x

Just clicked and couldnt find the angel card reading. I DID find a daily message from Eileen Caddy though.

NUALA

I've never been there - but it sounds right up your street if ever you get the chance. Errr...you would need extra clothing - as its up the top of Scotland. Don't know if earplugs are necessary? - as its near a military airbase and I would think planes from there fly nearby/overhead? It COSTS though.....:(

Does anyone know if it experiences noise from those nearby planes? I've wondered whether to go for years (at the height of the summer in my case.....:)) - but dont know whether I could or no because I dont know the answer to that question.

itsallinthemind

Ah hah. See I did read what you said, Christmas holidays has meant I am not used to 05:00 starts...I'm feeling it, so it seems!
Be great if she does want to sell it

Anyone here know how long homemade pickled onions and piccalli(sp?) last after popping in jars with the lids then popped. Before they lose the crunch?
Google is not my friend today and they never normally even finish pickling properly before they are gone lol

seriouslyfrugal

Hi


:mad::mad::mad::mad: the dishwasher has gone wrong - what a nightmare :eek: this is mum's one so I guess that is how she will be spending her weekend - sourcing a new one !!!


today is another no spend day for me :T:T:T it is raining quite hard at the momment so it's not exactly a good day to go out more a case of catching up with things indoors

have a good frugal day everyone :)

NualaBuala

ceridwen wrote: »

Just clicked and couldnt find the angel card reading. I DID find a daily message from Eileen Caddy though.

NUALA

I've never been there - but it sounds right up your street if ever you get the chance. Errr...you would need extra clothing - as its up the top of Scotland. Don't know if earplugs are necessary? - as its near a military airbase and I would think planes from there fly nearby/overhead? It COSTS though.....:(

Does anyone know if it experiences noise from those nearby planes? I've wondered whether to go for years (at the height of the summer in my case.....:)) - but dont know whether I could or no because I dont know the answer to that question.

:rotfl: I guess I could tell myself our cold snap was training for it! But like you say - lots of extra clothes!
The price is offputting - not just cos I don't have tonnes of money but it also makes me a little suspicious about the intentions of a place (not Findhorn particuarly, in general) if it is expensive.
Still, I have the page open and wil finish reading later - it sounds amazing!
I have earplugs and they will go on any future travels with me - when I went to Gaia House (down in Devon) they were very organised and had some in a wee shop just in case retreatants were bothered by snoring etc. Don't know if they would stop very loud noise like from planes though.

seriouslyfrugal wrote: »

Hi


:mad::mad::mad::mad: the dishwasher has gone wrong - what a nightmare :eek: this is mum's one so I guess that is how she will be spending her weekend - sourcing a new one !!!


today is another no spend day for me :T:T:T it is raining quite hard at the momment so it's not exactly a good day to go out more a case of catching up with things indoors

have a good frugal day everyone :)

Oh no! Hope the dishwasher gets sorted one way or another.

Erme

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

That's a fab find, thanks Erme! :T I might try that as a little project, I'm new to sewing. Night night!



Thanks Dizzy, I'll do that, they seem to come with lots of products nowadays!

Thanks Lily - am in zombie mode from nae enough sleep not helped by being 100% e-cig since yesterday (1/4 price per week than my frugal smokes :j) so like very tired. Was going to have a trip to the £store for my 1st e-cig day treat but then like had really restless legs yesterday withdrawals so had it yesterday so am now £5 OB ...- so much for a NSD never mind an LSD day yesterday..

Am also short of milk and yoghurt starter. Think I am going to get 2 t-shirts from charity shop and do this tomorrow as a treat

Hope you enjoy your sewing ppls. Now realised I need to learn how to do a french seam - time to dig out the sewing books at some point and get practising

E