Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

TizerCat

Hello Slowly fading and other frugellers...can I join please? I rather stupidly subscribed to the old thread and wondered why no-one was posting LOL!:rotfl:

However have found you all now! can't believe how many pages already...will take a while to catch up!

mooomin

Hope you had a lovely day Tumpty.

PIC - I love your kittens! We have two old grumpy cats and one of the neighbourhood cats is currently trying to adopt our house. He keeps ignoring my cats hissing and spitting at him and just wanders in, eats some of their food and settles down for a nap :rotfl: I'm hoping that my boys get used to him as he's a lovely moggy.

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
Happy belated birthday Tumpty! Ooh and most gorgeous piccies of the kitties.

Not a great deal to report from Gnat Bottomed Towers- weather was lovely yesterday so we took full advantage of the solar panels and got all the washing done and dried out on the line. Am working my last ever Saturday today but at least I'll be earning rather than spending:rotfl::rotfl: Am planning to make my Mum a gnome [don't ask:D] birthday card today and then a birthday cake for her tomorrow- shall also make a batch of digestive biccies to fill the oven at the same time. We're off to see the latest HP film tomorrow- snacks from £land and a box of free maltesers courtesy of our local garage following our recent car service have already been organised and earmarked. No extorniate priced popcorn here:rotfl::rotfl:

Arilx
PS Welcome Tizercat- I'm another Sussex bod!

paidinchickens

Afternoon peeps!

fresian I love the fact your being adopted are you sure you don't live near me as my eldest cat goes in every house he can :rotfl:

Mum cat has just pinched a chocolate muffin ......... you see having four kids does drive you to chocolate it ain't just me

I was up at 11am :j went to bed at 4.30am and have not spent the day dying as I thought I would :j Went with Auntie to two jumble sales. Got two pairs of new wellies, jumper, blouse and a school bag for 20p each and a sledge for a quid :T
DSS has been poorly today. He has eaten the same as the other boys apart from when he went to his school disco last night so unsure if there was something dodgy there. Can you get food poisoning 12 hours later??? He is worried he will be too poorly to go and see Mr Potter tomorrow but I have told him we have plenty of wine corks :rotfl: Only joking, bananas to stop you going and Poo biscuits (fig biscuits) if you can not go in this house.

Hope everyone is well

PIC

Winchelsea

Still making bread and keeping a diary, including energy use. The most frugal way is to cook it in the Remoska - the bread machine uses slightly more energy.

Made sourdough in the machine yesterday - was OK, except the top didn't brown - but popped it under the grill for a few minutes. Now looks and tastes fine. But I still think the texture is slightly best of all when it's cooked in the micro's convection oven - but that uses most energy - so you win some, you lose some!

(Of course the MOST energy would be in the big oven - but I rarely use that, only when the ravenous hordes (aka my family) are all here!)

Have only bought one loaf so far this year (bought 3 in 2010) - and bought a sourdough loaf to see if mine is coming out as it should, as I'd had no idea. It was very similar actually, except in one detail - I paid (I think) £2.50 for it - mine costs about 40p on average!

Forgot to say - hope everyone is OK! I only pop in now and again these days, so not keeping up as I'd like!

tumptyteapot

nsd but £75 oc ado delivery ordered - I think it is cheaper to order online than take my son to the supermarket when I get really frazzled and just buy anything even if I have a list!
not been tracking at all, will start again in the holidays so I can rein in the spending. one more week of school so this week I have to cram 6 weeks of work in :-) very little childcare over the summer and when I do get a break I'm going off camping on my own with a pile of good books for some solitude

slowlyfading

:hello: and welcome to TizerCat!

tumptyteapot

good morning all, I'm watching my ebay stuff hopefully sell - so far 3 things out of 12 have bids on them. Do you think we will get any summer this year? Most of the holiday is planned around camping so I'm a bit scuppered if it's raining all the time - I need a plan B :-) Has anyone any good entertainment ideas for 8 year olds that don't require too much energy on the side of the parent?

Got to go out and get a few more bits of shopping so I don't have to go again for weeks, this holiday I am going to be prepared!

paidinchickens

tumptyteapot wrote: »

good morning all, I'm watching my ebay stuff hopefully sell - so far 3 things out of 12 have bids on them. Do you think we will get any summer this year? Most of the holiday is planned around camping so I'm a bit scuppered if it's raining all the time - I need a plan B :-) Has anyone any good entertainment ideas for 8 year olds that don't require too much energy on the side of the parent?

Got to go out and get a few more bits of shopping so I don't have to go again for weeks, this holiday I am going to be prepared!

A couple of years ago we took the three boys to my friends caravan at the beach for free but it rained or was really windy all week. One of the days we even had hail stones :eek: My best buy that week was a kite each from the £1 shop. I was so surprised it kept them occupied sooooooo long......all three of them!!! A whole afternoon where I could just sit and watch. We never go anywhere without a couple of packs of uno cards and a couple of normal playing cards, ready for any delays etc.

I hope the weather improves and you have a lovely time

PIC

MrsB31

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the advice sandra, minnie2 and alec eiffel!!

Things have improved with DH this past week! We had a long chat and he told me he felt that because he has a good job with a good salary he feels like he should be able to buy a shirt, pizza, DVD when he wants to but he understands that we have problems. I had to point out to him that his BMW costs us over £350 a month not including petrol!! and he smokes!! so any money for treats is gone with that! I think he gets it now ........ish or at least is trying!

Have had a frugal/not frugal week. It was DS 1st birthday last friday so we celebrated with a very unfrugal £15 chocolate monkey birthday cake from Asda. It was yummy tho :P

Had family for lunch on saturday and could have spent a fortune but used up bits and bobs from freezer and cupboard and did a buffet style lunch. Only thing I did buy was some good ham from farm shop and fresh salad stuff so spent £5 which is not bad considering I fed 10 adults and 4 kids!!

Had kids at soft play on sunday morning for first time in weeks but used 2 vouchers DS got for his birthday and brought our own snacks and drinks

Also started buying bargains to put away for christmas! 2 really lovely hardback books for £10 and I'll maybe aim to spend £10 a week if I spot any good buys!!

Pumpkins are coming on nicely and DD is delighted!! Is there anything I can plant now or have I missed the veggie boat this year??