Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

slowlyfading

:hello: prep and welcome to the thread! Sounds like you're definitely doing well so far!

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
Please don't worry Prep -we're all here to learn and we all pool info. I've had many years of frugalling but still learn something new every week and if I find out something I share it. We all respect that we have different ways of achieving our goals and different priorities so there's no one wrong way to do it- just lots of different right ways:DIf I knew all the tricks I'd be one very rich dame but I'm not!!
Huge hugs to SS, RT and BW who all seem to be having an awful time recently- hugs and best wishes to all others aswell!
Still frugalling away merrily here at GBT- who'd have thought that a rummage around the town's charity shops with a good chum would become a day out but it has and jolly good fun it was too. She found a Ted Baker silk blouse for £13 in Oxfam still with its original labels:eek: I know it's still quite expensive but it was still a fab find and will be perfect for her posh Christmas works do. I meanwhile found some funky chicken cards for 50 pennies and a fabby cardy for 500 pennies. As a result today I didn't take my purse into town with with me today which meant all I could do was to pick up the free paper and go to the library which had been my original intention. Mind you found some great books to borrow so am a very happy bunny!
A few frugal things I've got up to this week- spent an evening making mincemeat with another frugal chum. Yes I could buy it cheaper but don't think it comes out bad price wise when you compare it to the higher end ones in the supermarkets. We had great fun- she's never made it before. I've also experimented with freezing all the bits of the veg I normally fling straight onto the compost -e g ends of cabbage, cauli leaves and tops of leeks. Defrosted them [hadn't bothered to blanch them] and am pleased to report back that they made perfectly acceptable soup:jHave also tried out the tip of bringing the water up to the boil for pasta and then switching the heat off tonight glad to say that also worked. Ensured I used the oven fully so baked biscuits and a sponge and then immediately whacked in a tuna bake and a crumble [made from free windfall apples]. I've also gone and dug out my bits of cardboard which I am now sticking behind the radiators and tucking the curtains behind so that the heat stays in the room rather than going up behind the curtains- always classy me:rotfl::rotfl:
Next week I think I may investigate the world of pork knuckles as I noticed that the freerange meat stall on the market had them for sale at a very reasonable price.
Arilx
DL - I claimed my freebie bag from the pharmacy at Mr T- free pen, some granola and 100 points for buying medicines from them. Worth having thank you.
PPS Can recommend the OB Worcs Sauce from Mr S- couldn't taste any difference to the original just kinder on the pocket!!

rising_from_the_ashes

Arrrrrgh, just typed a huge post & lost it:mad: - have done that a couple of times in the past few days... must be a key on the lappy.

Will probably miss things off now but here goes:

Sandra sorry to hear DD is back in the hospital & DH isn't too well either - wishing them both a speedy recovery & (((hugs))) for you as you must be exhausted - take care.

Ruby sorry to hear about your friend - RL is so hard sometimes. Lola hope you've taken the insurance co to task - they shouldn't be taking payments when they shouldn't be & should certainly cover any resulting charges if they've done so and "welcome" to Prepareathome.

Still frugalling away - the soup was fab (the first one of the winter always seems to be the best!) and chicken bones simmering away to make some more later on:).

Back at work tomorrow:) - can't wait to get back to RL in RL IYKWIM!

dizzy_lizzie

rubytuesday wrote: »

Dizzy that Household Blues book looks like the book for me.

Ruby I haven't even finished reading this book yet and I'm seeing decluttering and taking care of my home in a completely different light. Highly recommend it.

prepareathome wrote: »

There are so many threads on here I am only slowly finding ones for me, and today found this one. I am coming very late to this ( but better late than never I hope).

Hello prepareathome and welcome to our ultra friendly, supportive thread. I'm sure you'll enjoy coming on here and sharing your frugal achievements. Here is an interesting frugal living site you might like too link

Aril wrote: »

Hello fellow frugallers:j
DL - I claimed my freebie bag from the pharmacy at Mr T- free pen, some granola and 100 points for buying medicines from them. Worth having thank you.
PPS Can recommend the OB Worcs Sauce from Mr S- couldn't taste any difference to the original just kinder on the pocket!!

Hi Aril glad you were able to pick one up. There should have been a bit more than that in, but I suppose as it's a freebie it's better than nothing And that granola is lovely isn't it?
I don't know about Mr S. worcs sauce but I do know their own brown and tomato sauces are ok, so maybe worth having a try.

As for me this weekend I've been laid up with a rotten tummy bug Everone in the house has had it except OH. DS girlfriend is a student nurse and she's said it's a very nasty tummy bug that's going round.
Won't go into too much detail but it has helped my grocery challenge no end! Started the challenge on Tuesday and in 6 days I've had 4 NSDs. Believe me that has never happened before! I'm coming close though to doing a 'big' (ish) shop as the freezer is looking a little bare but I have some quorn mince in so I'm going to make a mince and onion pie with roast potatoes, which OH has grown and I'm going to pop to Mr A's with my £5 to £7 budget and get some smartprice yorkshire puds, which from what I can remember before I went vegan, were one of the tastiest of yorkshire puds and at 39p a bargain. Also some veggies and fruit and that's it. OH has been supplying me with my usual lucozade when I'm ill and I definately feel on the mend, well enough to do a little shop so my sig for day 6 will alter slightly.
Hugz to all
x

Kerry_Woman

dizzy lizzie - Hope you feel better soon.

dizzy_lizzie

Aw thanks Kerry
x

dizzy_lizzie

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Arrrrrgh, just typed a huge post & lost it:mad: - have done that a couple of times in the past few days... must be a key on the lappy.

That's happened to me a couple of times so now when I log in I click on the 'remember me or keep me logged in button', something like that, just next to when you log in. If you don't and you're doing a long post I think it just logs you out 'cos 'it' thinks you've gone. If that makes sense. I also as a precaution now always copy my post if it's long, just in case

Back at work tomorrow:) - can't wait to get back to RL in RL IYKWIM!

Oh too late now for you to see this, you're probably in bed, if not, go to bed, big day tomorrow! Hope it all went well
x

purpleorchid

hi all

i just love this thread, is so nice to read all the tips.
i would like to join although it is very late in the year, i believe it will give me a head start to 2012 financially.

this weeks frugal find was the fact that i had run out of cat litter and used a magazine at the bottom of the tray then used compacted shredded paper ontop. to my amazement my 3 cats are using it quite happily.

this will now save me between £6-£8 a month.:j

also had 3 x50g bag samples of cat biscuits from trophy pets.:j

paidinchickens

Hi purple and morning ladies

I have the cat lady coming round today to inspect my house regarding fostering a moggie

DH thinks I have really lost the plot as (most of you know) we have four already Mummy cat and the little fur babies are nearly five months old now:eek: I need to get the babies neutered next month and will be getting the fully vaccinated up this week, £75 each :eek::eek: this will be the first time I have had a cat vaccinated as back in the day you only ever got "posh" pedigree cats done.

I wonder what she will be looking for ? Will I be unfit as the ironing pile is up to the ceiling :rotfl::rotfl: I will let you know how I get on.

More money spending than saving here I am afraid

We have got the three boys their main Christmas pressies sorted. Three 3ds thingy me bobs but we did do the whole first time order online, cash back, clubcard points, clubcard voucher, price match routine and saved in total £74 :T It took us hours and hours on the internet and then DH got his bank card blocked as he kept typing the wrong password :rotfl::rotfl: He won't be spending without me knowing as he needs to use mine until the new one arrives :rotfl::rotfl:

DG has some girlie dressing up bits and a Barbie using clubcard vouchers so has not cost anything in real money.

Must go get everyone up

Have a great day

PIC xx

natnat13

Morning all
Had frugalish weekend, I was selling (or not) at a craft fair all weekend, it was very quiet so I ended up spending more than I made but the majority of it was xmas pressies, lovely gifts a lot cheaper than the shops and I was supporting fellow crafters.

I am refusing to go into Mr T's ever again, I don't like the way they monopolise the retail world anyway and I took back a pair of boots I bought a few weeks ago because they had split at the front. I didn't have my receipt but they still have them in store so I think that's proof enough of purchase but they had to call 3 different people eventually the store manager to then give me a gift card. They examined the boots like I had broken them on purpose! That was the final straw, I shall use it on fuel and not go there again, sorry rant over!!

Just meal planning for the week and off shopping, library etc. Will let you know if i see any bargains later.

Welcome to prepareathome.

Hope things get a bit better for you this week Sandra.

Nat x