Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 2

Winnie_in_Pooh

Hi guys!

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for cutting your own hair? I already home colour and usually nip to the hairdressers on a student night for a wet cut every couple of months but its still a tenner I don't really want to spend!

Win xx

tumptyteapot

rubytuesday wrote: »

Tumpty have you tried Cognitive therapy at all for the panic attacks? My daughter started getting them when she was doing her Gcses and ended taking a year off school just after starting sixth form. Eventually she was able to work and then she went back to finish her A levels. She found cognitive therapy very helpful and has not had an attack for over a year now I think.

I'm getting some help and will ask for a bit of CBT, good idea, it has just been a very tough year but things will get better.

Winchelsea

Lady Lesley actually on here! How brilliant is that?! Welcome Lesley, lovely to 'meet' you!

Actually that reminds me of an online book group that I used to belong to. We were happily discussing a book, and in comes the author and joins in!

tumptyteapot - I've not been to a hairdresser for about 20 years - just hate sitting there being asked where I'm going on holiday, and having to pay for the privilege (have I spelt that right?)

I have my hair in one of two styles.

1. A bob. After washing my hair I stand in front of the bathroom mirror with a second mirror in my hand. I comb through and part my hair, then just cut round in a straight line. I cut round from the right, then, still with my right hand, cut from the left until the two areas meet. It takes a bit of practice, but, if you miss a bit, just tidy it up. After the next wash or two I get the mirrors out each time and check for any stray bits that have appeared. If you shape the hair with your hands to train it to curl under it will look really nice - no-one believes I cut my own. I do have a fringe, which I trim when I feel like it, but I'm sure the same method would work without one.

2. When I feel like a change, I grow my hair longer and wear it up. At present I'm in the process of growing it. When it's long enough, I'll get out all my fancy clips etc. If it gets too long, I brush it all forwards so it hangs down over each shoulder on to my chest, then trim straight across. When brushed back it falls into a gentle curce.

Hope this helps.

Winchelsea

Last line of above - I meant 'curve' of course.

By the way, does anyone have experience of using what I call "crazy colour"? I'm thinking of maybe going purple! (At my age?!)

Winchelsea

Me AGAIN - sorry! It was winnie-the-pooh with the haircutting query!

silvasava

Winchelsea wrote: »

By the way, does anyone have experience of using what I call "crazy colour"? I'm thinking of maybe going purple! (At my age?!)

No experience - but if you want to just go for it! If you dont like it you can always cover it with another colour be careful though - some colours DO NOT mix and will turn green or navy - although that could be a whole new look too:D Do let us know if you take the plunge

Welcome to Lady Leslie too - frugality knows no boundaries so the more the merrier!

LauraM65

Trallwm_Farm wrote: »

Hi Im Lesley
Im not sure if Im too frugal so off putting on here or if its because I have land and how dare I but I thought Id come and say hello to hopefully like minded people !
I actually run an animal sanctuary called Trallwm farm hence the land. It does give me the opportunity of foraging but the farm is the animals. Channel 4 have put my website link on their site but not made it clear.
I really do have to be a Frugal Dougal because there isnt a profit in animal rescue !
The hand cream does work well as I often make it for people with excema but the shot on TV wasnt the best one and I used palm oil which was yellow. Its obviously best to use white hard oils.
The bees wax comes from friends with bees not my " sock drawer ".
I noticed a lady on here on part 1 interested in wine making and that is something I am asked to make a lot. Ive just put a recipe for banana wine ( Asda seem to sell them for 10p for a ton last thing ) on my scrimping and scrumping blog and channel4 are putting the recipe up to.
Ive got a brilliant recipe for japanese knot weed wine. How frugals that ! I love the sponge bread recipe and will be trying that out.
I collect ancient books with old traditional recipes in and they just always seem to work on the principle of waste not want not. Things like Potato and barley wine which comes out like a German wine.
Im hoping Im welcome here as TV shows you as it chooses to. Ive still got several weeks to go onit ...Cant wait !

Hi Lady Lesley glad you have joined the forum. I have just started my own frugal living challenge and get a lot of inspiration and ideas from this site. I watched the programme and was impressed by your nettle pasta and am hoping to try it soon. I would love to be able to forage for stuff that I could use but I am not sure what is what and whether I have stuff around me that is worth foraging, any tips on what to forage you may have would be welcome. I also noted that you made reference to dandelion tea for water retention which I suffer from, can you tell me whether its the flower part or the leaves I would need to infuse in water and at what quantitiy. Thanks:T

rising_from_the_ashes

Welcome to Lesley!

I have also been critical of the programme in some of my comments - I guess it still amazes me that there are still people out there who eat takeaway several times a week/visit the supermarket numerous time a day and cannot see where their money goes!

I think the programme would be better suited to an hour as it feels a bit "crammed" and it would be good to see a total overhaul of the family's finances (despite Mrs Moneypenny's excellent work this week, the family still had an overspend of over £800/month which obviously lies in other areas that need looked at).

I'm hoping this will change during the series but both families featured so far have pretty substantial incomes - I would like to see Mrs Moneypenny getting stuck in where there isn't an "easy solution" like cutting takeaways from 5/week to 1 or a food bill from £200/week to £100.



What a day I've had - 2 hour meeting this morning, quick lunch and a 3+ hour on this afternoon. Very informative but I'm exhausted! (How can listening be such hard work).

Must dash as DM coming tomorrow and house is a total tip - think I may have to resort to sticking everything in a box and hiding it until she's been (decided to clear a load of drawers etc out last week and haven't done anything with the stuff - don't want to put back in the drawers or it'll lie there for another year)!

Have a great evening everyone - lovely and sunny here still.:D

LauraM65

Day 8 of frugal living challenge. Well got up early and went to town to buy a couple of things for cakes that I am making for son's engagement party tomorrow, haven't calculated my spend up yet from the trip or altered my spread sheet. Checked bank to see that Water rates are going out today and surprise surprise they have gone up by about £2 which I had not budgetted for so will need to alter this on my spreadsheet.

I welcomed Lady Lesley and am hoping to try out her nettle pasta, using another tips of hers tonight and put some porridge oats in with my mince to bulk out my spag bol for tea and have to say it tastes rather nice as well as thickening the sauce.

Keen to plant some spinach in my garden and was looking at recipes to see what I can use this for. There are also some free seeds in the Daily Mail (I think) tomorrow along with Monty Don's gardening guide so will be getting this in the morning. Have to say I was looking on the net the other day and came across a site called Netmums which has some good ideas such as recipes and other stuff on.
:beer:

seriouslyfrugal

Hi Everyone


Welcome Lady Lesley

happy belated birthday to anyone who celebrated this week


this week at mottisfont has been glorious its at times like this that you feel lucky to work there and the team there are really lovley so thats a bonus


quite a frugal week this week planning on going out the weekend as its nice but not spending much may go to one of the other national trust properties but I get a staff pass to get in which is good and will probably take a picnic


have a good weekend everyone