Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

JayneC

Hello all,

Haven't managed to do read all the thread but have read the last few pages...It's lovely to hear from everybody and what you're up to.

Cheryl - I'm so pleased for you and hope it all works out well with your new fella x

Applemint - I'm sure there's a recipe for icecream that uses evaporated milk so much cheaper than cream and I did a lemon curd version which was luvverly ( I think it was one of Weezls recipe's - I'll try n find it)

Thanks to JKS for the link to the no spermarket challenge, very inspiring but I'll not subscribe as I have enough trouble keeing up with you lot, lol... I do try not to shop at the supermarket and have reduced it loads - and found the loacl grocers and butchers actually cheaper, but am now inspired to try even harder. Even found a local dairy to look into having milk delivered, not checked the prices as they don't have a website and I can't imagine they'll be answering the phone at this time!!

Anyways already getting all muddled up with my bits of money here, there and everywhere so may have to rethink that one.

have ordered (and today received) a kilo ofg soapnuts taht will probably last all year also got some essential oil to try as sometimes they smell a bit weird!

Need to to a 'stock take' of freezer and then I can meal plan.

Am starting to think about my garden now too and eager to get planting. Now taht I have my 'other' garden I should be able to grow lots more stuff and my not need to buy and fruit of veg this summer (yeah right ) There's lots of trees too so will start chopping them back and storing wood for my planned wood burner, which I must get now as my gas boiler is officially dead!!!! Currently I have a collection of electric heaters, which probably aren't as efficient, but much easier to control than the central heating and we'll have to survive the winter with that as I'm not going to be able to get the woodburner heating system for a few months yet. It's all character building stuff, lol. I have rediscovered hot water bottles!! At least the temperature has been above freezing for the past couple of weeks!

Well I'm off to bed DD and her BF have just brought back lots of chinese takeawy and I'm going to hovver and see if they will throw my a few scraps...

I'll try to post more often - usually pop in everyday but have been struggling to read, never mind post too...

Night night everybody xx

LolaLemon

cw18 wrote: »

:rotfl:

It's not that intriguing or exciting.

I'm just not normally good around new people IRL for the first (or second or third) time, and new experiences terrify me more than a little bit

So meeting up with someone I'd only ever spoken to on the Internet / on the phone / by text was a bit nerve wracking to say the least :eek:
(and the temptation to bottle out at the last moment was pretty strong too!)

But I shouldn't have worried, as it felt like we'd been friends for aaagggggeeeeessss

I done that too! we met over the internet, we talked constantly, and months later decided to meet up, he came here - well, near here... safety n all that...- we got on good, ... met up a few more times, ... but the 'spark' was missing, on paper we are perfect for each other, but together their is something missing...
plus he stays 140miles away, takes 4 nearly 5 hours to get their, and thats only if the ferries on and running on time! (70mins on the ferry)
he started looking for jobs over here and houses, but as i didnt see myself being with him in a year or two, i talked him out of it...

we are still great friends (he even got chickens after i was saying how great they would be, and he can hunt -rabbits and other animals)



best wishes throughout this exciting time

LolaLemon

JayneC wrote: »

have ordered (and today received) a kilo ofg soapnuts taht will probably last all year also got some essential oil to try as sometimes they smell a bit weird!

I love my soapnuts!
the washing doesnt smell, even without essential oils, its just the nuts 'breathing' in an enclosed space, store them in a cloth bag and they will be fine, i put some ina tub for my nana and i only walked over to hers , takes 10 mins on a sloooow day and they stank when i opend the tub, bit viniger-y, but still fine to use.

rubytuesday

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

Thanks, I left it in the rice but with the battery in and back on. Hopefully that won't make too much difference. I might try it out tonight and see how it is. Glad I'm not the only person to have dropped my phone in water! I hope the loo hadn't been used when you dropped yours in there! :eek::D



Hi Ruby! :hello: Hope you're well!

My diary arrived yesterday which I ordered with Christmas money and it has a budget planner at the front, so that's handy! :T

elly68 - what's a stovie?

itsallinthemind - I like the table and chairs, what a bargain! :money: Thanks for the granola recipe, that looks good! :T

seriouslyfrugal - Sorry to hear about the dishwasher!

flying_fresian - That's a shame no one handed in your ipod.

Very well thanks Lily! Not long til your trip! x

twiglet98

Banging my head trying to convert my own 2010 list of monthly/quarterly/annual expenses onto the FrugalLC one and haven't quite got there... but it's really scary that my monthly total is about £1700 excluding the mortgage. That includes credit card payments, two of the three are suspended with interest frozen at 16.9%, diesel is terrible and for 6 adults plus pets we get through a LOT of food... will tweak where realistic to do so...

rubytuesday

NualaBuala wrote: »

Fair enough! Here's hoping for more frugal get-togethers - they may be cheaper than phone calls!

Thanks for the spreadsheet info. I'm adapting my existing one by copying some of yours into it so now I know what I'm doing, thank you so much! I reckon your spreadsheet deserves a mention in Martin's newsletter - it's up there with Twinks for being an MSE legend! :T

As for the rest of you ... well you are all making me hungry and I am trying to eat healthily! :rotfl: So if anyone has recipes for fatburning chocolate cakes, please share! Actually I really must go and search out some every day lunch and dinner ideas that are healthy and filling. If anyone has any recipes (veggie or that could be adapted to being veggie) that might fit the bill then I'd love to hear them!

NualaBuala here is a recipe for Spaghetti with lentil and red pepper sauce. Which I guestimate. I know peppers are often expensive now but I get them cheaply from the local Turkish shop and they are often cheap at the market.
Fry an onion and red pepper
Add tin of tomatos
Squirt of tomato puree
A few handfuls of lentils (enough per person)
Stock to cover
Bring to boil and then simmer until lentils are cooked.
Make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom (or is that my pans?!)
Serve with some grated cheese on top.

SandraScarlett

Noticed a few negative comments drifting in, like people saying they've spent £27.64 on food, even though they could feed the 5,000 with their frugal cooking! We all have to spend some money sometime! I'm a great believer in saving as much as you can, so you can have a blowout now and then.

Today I met a friend in London and we went to the new shopping centre, One New Change, by St Pauls. We'd both used our Freedom Passes, so it cost nothing to get there. Then we bought Boots Meal Deals with points, and once the rain had stopped, spread our Boots bags on a seat outside and ate our lunch.

We visited loads of shops, not that we could afford a thing, but it costs nothing to mooch. Then we took the lift to the 6th floor, where there is a viewing deck, and you're on a level with St Pauls, and the view is fabulous.

Then we treated ourselves to a coffee and a cake-to-die-for. The bill came to £9 each :eek: but as that was all we'd spent, and it was our New Year meet up, it didn't matter too much. We then got a bus to The Strand, and went in the newly refurbished Savoy (£220 million to do it up!!!!) where we had a very upmarket wee. :T

There's a little shop there selling hand made choccies, but if you hover long enough, they give you a sample - or 2. We walked to Trafalgar Square and watched the world go by. Then we got a bus back to Liverpool Street, picked up our free Evening Standards, were given free samples of Chanel No 5, and parted company, having had a great day.

So our coffee and cakes were our only expense, and a lovely day out for under a tenner. :T I don't feel the least bit guilty!

Have a nice weekend everyone.

xx

Kiwisaver_2

lynzpower wrote: »

Its in thw womans weekly Australia book which is lovely and full of v posh not frugal food like scallops and oyster lol

They're not quite so posh or coveted if you live downunder, as people get them from the beach for free or they're available quite cheaply in the shops in season.

I did my first proper weekly shop of the year yesterday and only spent half that I usually would, planning to use up fridge and freezer stuff that is still rammed up to the rafters. :T

Not much on today, bar ironing and a library trip this afternoon to return my Christmas reading material and browsw around for some more. Planned a frugal day at the beach with picnic tomorrow.

rubytuesday

Oh I haven't heard about that shopping centre Sandra. I'll have to have a look sometime.

SandraScarlett

rubytuesday wrote: »

Oh I haven't heard about that shopping centre Sandra. I'll have to have a look sometime.

The main entrance is in Cheapside, at the St Pauls End. HTH

xx