2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

cw18

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

ETA figures are slightly off as the car was off the road for nearly 3 months .... my usual mileage is 9.5k / year so adding the extra fuel would change the figure to 19.6p/mile (ohhhh, I really thought it would go up but I guess it's 'cos the annual figures are split by a bigger amount!)

Yep, if I did double my mileage (the 9k allowed under my car insurance policy, instead of a more probable 4.5k) it would bring my cost per mile down to just 25.7p - though it would actually be slightly above that as I'd clearly be causing a bit more wear and tear to the car (especially to the tyres).

silvasava

Sandra - what a super 'Pome' You really are a whizz at getting the sentiments across & I love reading them, Thank you :T:T:T:T

mytimetoshine2012

SandraScarlett wrote: »

This is the nicest, most supportive thread possible, and I am honoured to count all of you as my virtual friends.:beer: I have received so much support and good advice, when times have been tough, and nobody ever says "well, it's your own fault for doing xyz", which I've noticed, with horror, appears frequently on other boards. :eek:

Mind you, I've also noticed on some boards that people will ask for advice, in a really demanding way, no "please" or anything, and several posters will give really detailed info, often about benefits, and the OP can't even be bothered to press the "thanks" button, let alone posting "thank you so much for all your help".:mad:

Now, may I ask all you super bakers for some advice please? I haven't baked my own bread for decades, but had been "thinking about it" for a while - about 3 years or so!

Well, I took advantage of the incredible Amazon offer of yeast, for 2p a packet, bought some granary flour, and then realised I that I don't have a loaf tin, so need to buy one. Does it affect the quality of the loaf if your tin is from a 99p shop, or is a Prestige one?

And can anyone suggest the type they prefer please? Oh and one more thing, can I make rolls, using individual cake tins, or do you just shape rolls and put them on a greased baking tray?

Feeling the aura of Masterchef surrounding me.

xx

Hello Hello!!

I have been reading through the pages and would love to join you all please if that is ok? I agree with everything that is quoted above...you all seem really nice.

I have been a lurker for ages and plucked up the courage to join in January and have we (me and the OH) have made some amazing changes since then! We were doing really well but as you all know on here ....best laid plans and all that.

Our income unexpectedly dropped by 1/3:eek:at the start of last month but that was expected and we had catered for it but then it droppede by a third again at the end of the month :eek::eek:. (We are self employed and rely on client contracts - we had confidence that the second one would be renewed ) So we are down to 1/3 of our income. We can't do much about it for the time being but have put a bid in for a part time contract from March to June so hopefully we can get that. OH is bringing in most as I am also a part time student and it's my final year :eek:

We were thrifty anyway but now we do NSD days, do lots of things old style (HM bread, cakes, pasta, puddings, sauces etc), eat out on T£sco vouchers (nearly always have!) and shop at Aldi for almost everything. Infact I have become a bit Aldi obsessed and if I get any worse I will have to apply for a job there!!:D

Anyway, we have tried hard to be as positive and optmistic as possible but it is difficult and I could relate to what you were all saying on here about feeling down or low sometimes. Although we don't have many debts we feel like we are on a back foot compared to others....sometimes you can......other times....:mad:!!

Anyway I just thought I should introduce myself!

Sandra - you can use the cheap tins but make sure you grease them well with margerine, if they are really bad then you can line the bottom with greaseproof paper. We did fork out for some high quality onces though £8 for two from the co-op and they are amazing. We have had them five years and they are still going strong!

We just put cobs on a baking tray and put them in a (clean) bin liner to rise and it works a treat! Hope it helps.

Bye for now,
MTTS

Winchelsea

Yes, I second what Silva says- Sandra's poems are great! Thanks again for another smile Sandra !

I went to Morrie's this afternoon and spent less than a fiver on a bag full of food, including the 30p swede and 30p bag of onions.

Am about to cook myself a frugal meal. Have some spicy beans left in the fridge - blackeye beans that I soaked and pressure cooked, then flavoured with a leftover half jar of cheap pasta sauce with added spices (very tasty). Ate half of them a couple of nights ago with jacket potato and (I think) broccoli. Will have the rest with a wrap or two from my yellow-stickered 35p pack I got earlier, plus some salad. Am reviving some lettuce root-down in a pot of cold water, have a tomato that was pale orange but now a lovely red after waiting a while on the kitchen windowsill, and some mung bean sprouts that I've been nurturing. Dressing was an App Food bargain. All in all a healthy meal at little cost.

Being a veggie does help.

stitching_witch

I found a few good bargains in Mr T's today; everything I bought was on special offer except a cabbage! Then dropped into the agricultural merchant to get some chicken food and picked up a 25lb bag of 'horse carrots' for £3.00. The only difference is that some are not pretty, straight or whole but by the time I've processed and frozen them no-one will tell the difference.

DH has now run out of JSA so I've picked up a form for HB in the hope we may be entitled to a little help. If not, I may need to stock up on red light bulbs

determined_new_ms

Hi everyone & a very warm welcome to mytimetoshine (lovely name BTW!)

so was feeling pretty disappointed with myself the other day after going through my spreadsheet - not sure my projections will be enough for the year, but we'll see....

Today am a little buoyed as I had a £5 MOC for a £40 spend at Morrie (tee hee had to steal this!) so went in my lunch break. Got £51 worth of food for £37.80 - I know not as much as a saving as some people's but I was quite impressed! Managed to get enough meat for 14 meals for 3! Now the fridge, freezer & cupboards are stocked to the rafters and I think that will be the last load of groceries for Feb and food into March :T and I came in under budget for GC this month - think its the first time ever

Am a little scared by someone's post the other day re car ins as mine is due beginning of next month & have only budgeted what it cost me last year. We will see what I can get it for and if its more which pot I can reduce to make up for it...

What I find difficult to stop is incidentals and think I have allowed quite a reasonable amount for entertainment & bits throughout the month but always go over

and then there's the kids that throw everything out of the window - just *lent* my dd £525 for a deposit on a shared room. While its lent, of course I won't see that again, but then will make savings come birthday/xmas as that is her present and will just get her a small something

Oh well I keep trying! Lovely and inspiring to read all your posts & tips :A

rising_from_the_ashes

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

mmmmm I'm doing quite well with mine then - providing I've worked it out properly:

Tax, breakdown cover, service, insurance, fuel, 2 x tyres, 1 x wiper + £20 (odds & sods eg screenwash, deicer etc) = £1,562.50 / 7000 miles = .... 22.3p / mile

ETA figures are slightly off as the car was off the road for nearly 3 months .... my usual mileage is 9.5k / year so adding the extra fuel would change the figure to 19.6p/mile (ohhhh, I really thought it would go up but I guess it's 'cos the annual figures are split by a bigger amount!)

cw18 wrote: »

Yep, if I did double my mileage (the 9k allowed under my car insurance policy, instead of a more probable 4.5k) it would bring my cost per mile down to just 25.7p - though it would actually be slightly above that as I'd clearly be causing a bit more wear and tear to the car (especially to the tyres).

I'm guessing you'd have to do it over at least 2 years to get an accurate figure eg Last years costs were a lot less - small service & no tyres or spares required but had a higher mileage (and fuel bill) so came to £1,310 / 9,500 miles = 13.8 p / mile

So this would average over the 2 years at 17.4 p / mile - I guess that's why many car producers / shows / magazines quote running costs over 3 years.

mumwithamission

Thank you SandraScarlett and findingmyfeet, things much better today, not least because of all my friends on here!!!

SandraScarlett

stitching_witch wrote: »

I found a few good bargains in Mr T's today; everything I bought was on special offer except a cabbage! Then dropped into the agricultural merchant to get some chicken food and picked up a 25lb bag of 'horse carrots' for £3.00. The only difference is that some are not pretty, straight or whole but by the time I've processed and frozen them no-one will tell the difference.

DH has now run out of JSA so I've picked up a form for HB in the hope we may be entitled to a little help. If not, I may need to stock up on red light bulbs

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

xx

dizzy_lizzie

:wave: Hello mytimetoshine, welcome to the thread
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