2013 Frugal Living Challenge

lbnblbnb

spongy wrote: »

On the eve of having my shockingly expensive TV aerial installed in readiness for losing cable TV i just double checked and discovered freeview works perfectly with a small portable indoor aerial plugged into the TV. The signal strength is 10/10. Can't believe I almost spent in excess of £200 on this. I have absolutely no need of an aerial on the roof. Have cancelled the installation. REally pleased.

New Ecoballs arrived today and they are now doing their first wash so look forward to seeing the results in the morning.

Have resolved to eat up all food in fridge/freezer/cupboards. Tonight I made Cabbage Curry! Not bad at all and have lots left over so shall try freezing it.

All in all a pretty frugle day.:j

Brilliant news about the aerial.

Kerry_Woman

spongy - That's great news about the aerial.

MadamMim2013

[Deleted User] wrote:

Been shopping today for groceries and just had a light bulb moment. I use Listerine mouthwash and only ever buy it when it is on offer. Today in Mr T certain types of Listerine were half price so I thought I'd stock up and bought 4 bottles - 2 Total Care at £2.20 and 2 of the more basic ones at £1.75. Going over my receipt afterward I realised I had spent almost £8 on mouthwash (and this was it on offer) :eek:! Why this has never occurred to me before?

I do like to take care of my teeth/gums but I need to look at using more frugal mouthwash. Looking on Mr T website just now their own brand mouthwash is only 49p for the same size of bottle!! Going to give this a go once my 4 bottles of Listerine are finished.

My dentist advised me to use salt water with a spoon of bicarb added as a mouth wash, just as effective, no horrid chemicals & very frugal!!

miss_empty_piggy

Good evening everyone,
I've had a strange day with highs and lows. My washing machine has once again broken. This is the fourth one that has done the same thing, i.e. stopped draining and spinning. I'm starting to think that it is not the washers but something to do with the plumbing or the pipes. 4 washing machine's can't be all wrong - can they?

On the other hand, about 4 months ago my SIL gave me a sewing machine and my mum had a go with it and said it wasn't working. However, I had a good clean and a fiddle with it today and I got it working. I'm so happy. I had been to the CS earlier and bought a single curtain for DD2s bedroom as hers as too short (bad mum) and a bit see through. They were just a pair of cheap tab tops that I had got for a fiver last summer until I got something better. I have taken them down cut the tabs off and pinned them to the back of the curtain which is the right length, so I've now got a proper length curtain which will hopefully be warmer and keep out the sun in the coming summer months. Result. I'm just so happy that I can get sewing as well as there are loads of projects that I want to get started on.

Pity I can't sew a washing machine. Still unsure what to do about this. May turn the water off tomorrow and have a fiddle about. x

Hope everyone's had a great day. Happy frugalling. x

debbiedeejay

miss_empty_piggy wrote: »

Me too lbnblbnb, been trying to not spend any money but trying to make the best of what we've got. I might see if I can make the master bedroom into two smaller rooms and then we'll have the attic room. Whatever we decide it'll have to be as inexpensive as possible.

Anyway sorry for waffling on, hope you've all had a good day too. x

I was in this position some years ago - whereby I gave up my master bedroom to 2 youngest DD's of similar age,which is ok when younger but they obviously wanted some privacy as they got older - My Dad had previously bought for them cheap sets matching of bedroom furniture - wardrobe,desks,tall chest of drawers and bedside table.( The ones that were flat packed pretend pine with blue fronts)
These used to set out traditionally around the room but instead I put them back to back down the middle of the room,dividing the room in half with a gap at end to walk into the second "room" I suppose it depends on where the windows/doors and what furniture you have etc are but it worked for us for several years until eldest DD moved out of her box room and we now have our own rooms.
This was an idea I got from 30 odd years ago when a school friend and her sister shared a long thin loft/attic space and her dad built a dividing wardrobe/dressing table area back to back for each girl and the door area had just a beaded curtain!And they lived like that into their twenties until the eldest moved out when she married!

My next door neighbours had a similar problem last year and they took the above idea one step further and with the ok from the landlord put a temp plaster board partion up straight down the middle of the room dividing the room with a "doorway" cut out at the same end as the main room doorway - yes one lad has a much darker area( they said they wished they had put in a "window" in the plaster board after wards opposite the real window)but he is more happier having his own space.

Just an idea as a temp solution maybe?

hth

miss_empty_piggy

debbiedeejay wrote: »

I was in this position some years ago - whereby I gave up my master bedroom to 2 youngest DD's of similar age,which is ok when younger but they obviously wanted some privacy as they got older - My Dad had previously bought for them cheap sets matching of bedroom furniture - wardrobe,desks,tall chest of drawers and bedside table.( The ones that were flat packed pretend pine with blue fronts)
These used to set out traditionally around the room but instead I put them back to back down the middle of the room,dividing the room in half with a gap at end to walk into the second "room" I suppose it depends on where the windows/doors and what furniture you have etc are but it worked for us for several years until eldest DD moved out of her box room and we now have our own rooms.
This was an idea I got from 30 odd years ago when a school friend and her sister shared a long thin loft/attic space and her dad built a dividing wardrobe/dressing table area back to back for each girl and the door area had just a beaded curtain!And they lived like that into their twenties until the eldest moved out when she married!

My next door neighbours had a similar problem last year and they took the above idea one step further and with the ok from the landlord put a temp plaster board partion up straight down the middle of the room dividing the room with a "doorway" cut out at the same end as the main room doorway - yes one lad has a much darker area( they said they wished they had put in a "window" in the plaster board after wards opposite the real window)but he is more happier having his own space.

Just an idea as a temp solution maybe?

hth

That's a really good idea - thank you so much. I called the builder and he said he'd come round and give me a quote but he never turned up. typical. I'm trying not to get stressed, I'm sure it'll all work out.

Update on the washing machine - I went to the local washing machine shop and they were so helpful giving me advice and tips on what to check out first before the last resort of buying yet another washer. I had a go and I managed to get it working so I'm pleased about that.

I also got half a metre of sewing done and then I can't seem to get it going again - i've obviously done something wrong somewhere. gutted x

LolaLemon

Mrsgibbs1503 wrote: »

My dentist advised me to use salt water with a spoon of bicarb added as a mouth wash, just as effective, no horrid chemicals & very frugal!!

I do oil pulling, get good oil like coconut oil/sunflower oil/olive oil, and swish n swirl n alll that for upto 20mins (u work up to it), SPIT it out, and brush teeth with a salt type toothpaste. the salt gets teh oil out ur mouth, dont swallow as its now full of horrible toxins/dirt/bacteria that is trapped in your gums/teeth. My six year old does this with me in the mornings, at first it is horrible feeling, i still pour it between my gums and teeth as i dont want it touching my tounge lol it goes a thick whitish/gray colour after a while... makes your teeth sparkle... and as its getting rid of all the toxins ur kidneys and liver are healthier for it. (apparently)

miss_empty_piggy wrote: »

Update on the washing machine - I went to the local washing machine shop and they were so helpful giving me advice and tips on what to check out first before the last resort of buying yet another washer. I had a go and I managed to get it working so I'm pleased about that.

I also got half a metre of sewing done and then I can't seem to get it going again - i've obviously done something wrong somewhere. gutted x

Well dopne on the washing machine, I've had my dad round, pulled the back off, found out the drum is working fine, back on, now waiting on someone to come round and have a proper look to see what is happening as the drum fills with water then just sits there, doing nothing.

silly question, but have u oiled the sewing machine? something no one had ever done to mine in the 25 years it sat in a cupboard and after regular oiling it now works a treat!


ive had the past week off work, i cleared out. son took a stretch, so all old nearly new clothes went in the clothes bank. wanted to sell them, but i never do, and as im a hoarder they in al likelyhood never would have been.
toilet got almost fixed. needed a new bit in the cistern, but its now leaking from a screw, just a drip every now and then.
Dad is back today to try and fix the leak.
Gotta love dads! they do soo much and dont ask for much in return (altho this time last week i was most likely cursing him to the heavens haha!). he came over looked at the washing machine, then fixed the toilet, finished artexing the kitchen celling and painted it too. He has offered to buy a new washing machine if we cant get this one fixed, as its something that u cant really live without, not in this day and age with a growing boy who has just gotten into sports and coming home muddy!
I'm now on the look out for a range type cooker on the cheap, well at least cheaper than what they normally are! not expecting to get this anytime soon, so mopney is getting put away and im keeping an eye out for what im looking for.

Might be getting away for an over nighter this saturday. the boyfriend was working up in Tobermory all last week, he has to go back on Saturday to make sure its all ok and tighten a few bolts, so as the copany is paying and he is taking the company car, me and son might go along too.

big hugs to anyone that needs them

mummy2threeboys

Havent been on here in ages..well i paid for a wedding and holiday abroad and one more month for spending money and major boiler repairs £960 !!! (but still £500 cheaper than a new one) and im back on the wagon..next year going to have a cheaper holiday (sun £9.50 to haven?) and definatly clear my debts. ( we had a nicer holiday as i had a ppi reclaim and plus we never spend any money on anything really!

Made laundry gloop today..house smells lovely !Fixed the boys trampoline cover £30? saved..and made myself a cotton bag for saving soap ends in the shower..have also written out new budget sheets and have pots ready to with draw and only use cash (apart from dds) eek new way of thinking for me! I am almost up to £10 in nectar, £10 in swagbuack and £10 in my survey vouchers..think ill keep going till end of year and do as much christmas as i can with them. Have also started claiming samples and entering competitions again..feel like im definatly back on the wagon!

deebiedee..my brothers used to have a room like this! My elder 2 share a room and we plan on doing spmething simular when they get older too..we have our attic room and the room also has a shower room, the stair well is right in the middle so we will just run a curtain pole along one side and "tent" it off , one side will have to have the smaller side and the other the one with the shower but hey , at least its a bit of thier own side!
Miss empty piggy great news about the washing machine..what was the issue in the end?
Spongy we are in a simular situation. We have cable tv , but the ariel blew off our roof a couple of months ago..it was also banging so loud it kept us all awake..in the end i got a clothes pole stuck my head and arm out of the velux and bashed it off completly! It whould have cost about the same to repair and we needed new airel wires ..whould be nice to have our upstairs tv back though..what make is the indoor one you have?
Been lovley weather hear..yay for no heating and free line dried washing (no tumble dryer here and with a family of 5 winters a nightmare!)

miss_empty_piggy

LolaLemon wrote: »

Well dopne on the washing machine, I've had my dad round, pulled the back off, found out the drum is working fine, back on, now waiting on someone to come round and have a proper look to see what is happening as the drum fills with water then just sits there, doing nothing.

silly question, but have u oiled the sewing machine? something no one had ever done to mine in the 25 years it sat in a cupboard and after regular oiling it now works a treat!

I haven't. I inherited and I think it's been stood somewhere for a long time as it was really dirty. I've cleaned it of sludge and fluff and bits of cotton for most of the areas. I'll have to bits at the weekend and oil it too, failing that there is a sewing machine repair place in the next town which also do tutorials so it might be worth having a go with that to.

Good luck with your washer too.

miss_empty_piggy

mummy2threeboys wrote: »

Miss empty piggy great news about the washing machine..what was the issue in the end?

it appears that I had kinked the pipe at the back by pushing it back against the wall as the water tried to empty it was backing up and so wouldn't spin and was full of water. I've pulled it forwards a bit and pulled the kink out and it is working fine.

one thing I will say though is that the lady in the washing machine shop (she's been doing this for 40 years now so I do trust her advice) is that washing liquid is the worst thing ever for your washing machines and not to use it EVER. She said that powder is best option for keeping your machine in good order.

Anyway, hope everyone is ok. Frugal hugs to those who need them x