2014 Frugal Living Challenge

abby1234519

I've just made pizza calzones using, left over frozen chipolatas from xmas, chopped up frozen salami, frozen tomato sauce and then pizza dough made in the breadmaker.

Problem was that the dough didn't roll thin without splitting and also the tomato sauce was far too sweet. I wonder if its because I am using strong flour whereas the recipe ACTUALLY wants plain flour...

Meal was free as everything was from the cupboard!

Tomorrows meal is a lamb roast, from the freezer. I did buy the potatoes earlier on in the week as my other half wants mash. I intend to make too much mash so that I can then use the left over lamb and mash to make a sort of cottage pie for Monday's dinner.

Oh is going out to his belated Co op Xmas do, he is driving someone in so I think he hopes to get a drink bought in return as I've told him he can't spend any money. I have a couple of friends over who are going to help me start cutting the bunting for the wedding. Free labour, although I do feed them quite a lot so they owe me!

abby1234519

Goldiegirl wrote: »

Abby we've recently bought a yoghurt maker, as we eat a lot of yoghurt, and we like Actimel.

We've got the Easi Yo yoghurt maker. To start with we are using the sachets to make the yoghurt. I've priced it up, and it works out a few pence cheaper per pot using the Easi Yo, compared to the yoghurt we were buying. However, we will also move on to 'growing our own', using a spoonful of live yoghurt and a litre of UHT milk, which will be a lot cheaper.

We have been buying Actimels, at £4 for 12. Easi Yo do a range of yoghurt smoothies, which we are going to have as a replacement to Actimels. This works out at 3p less per Actimel size portion.

What about the bacteria, can't type it acidudlaskdlaskdjafhasasolopous that one....Joshi loveeeees yoghurt so if it works out cheaper to grow your own I don't know why I don't just do that! I really like the new yoghurt int he co op I think its something like the dairy collective, russian fudge. Yummmmmm. £1.50 pot but its so yummy. In fact I might go chow some now

Frugalsod

SiroGarmr wrote: »

use by dates get us -- especially when we get short dates from our online shop. Had to chuck £4 of fish other day because we assumed we'd have more than 2 days... should be checking of course but still.

You could have cooked it with in the use by date and then extend its use by a few more days. I never seem to have a problem with fish. I have some fish to be cooked tomorrow. Some for a paella and some will go into a fish pie. Both will be eaten over the next few days.

Frugalsod

SarahB1989 wrote: »

My parents are two decades behind yours but they seem pretty similar! They have no mortgage, no debt, and have supported two kids through a total of ten years uni education, all on a single salary. I'm very grateful to them for it, but they make it look so easy! They passed this ability on to my sister but think I missed it, it's a family joke that I will be as strapped for cash in 30 years as I am now as a student since my lifestyle expectations will just rise with my salary. Trying my best to work on this now rather than later...

It was also a lot easier then, Nearly everyone managed a mortgage on a single salary. Unless you have a really high income few can do that now. It takes two incomes to pay a mortgage now. That is why the levels of home ownership are falling and will continue to do so for many years.

Frugalsod

Well today I went to Aldi with my parents and spent £44 but have enough to now get me through the month with a possible meat top up from the butcher and a veg box. I was planning for a Asda delivery around £100 but can easily put that off for the remainder of this month. It could be mid March before I actually place that order. It will mean that I have gone 4 months between supermarket orders.

SarahB1989_2

Feeling quite proud of myself - had 250g of mince and from it have made 3 portions of spag bol and 3 portions of chilli. Used a mugful of lentils to stretch it out and then another half mug of lentils made 2 portions of soup. Reckon thats about £4 for 8 meals there In pre-frugal times I'd have turned my nose up at the lentils and that amount of mince would have done 2.5 meals!

littleskintdragon

Nsd here, havent left home so it was pretty easy!

Tea was leftover ham slowcooked on thurs, with mushrooms and pots and mushy peas, all on half on the fridge! Was a bit of a mix but yunmy none the less.

Checked the freezer earlier and still have loads in there to get me through feb

Goldiegirl

abby1234519 wrote: »

What about the bacteria, can't type it acidudlaskdlaskdjafhasasolopous that one....Joshi loveeeees yoghurt so if it works out cheaper to grow your own I don't know why I don't just do that! I really like the new yoghurt int he co op I think its something like the dairy collective, russian fudge. Yummmmmm. £1.50 pot but its so yummy. In fact I might go chow some now

It's got various live cultures in it.....don't know if it's that one!:rotfl:

DawnW

We topped up our unit this morning, as there were a few gaps , then went to see DD1, as she had a birthday the other day, and we needed to take her present. Had a nice lunch with her, SiL and 2 little GDs, afterwards we went to visit a lovely reclamation / home shop (and I didn't spend anything, go me ) and then read lots of stories up to bedtime .

Not much spent - a couple of pounds for a supply of chocolate frogs for GDs (they are only allowed one per day I hasten to add) and money for the toll bridge, all duly recorded in my spending diary

Must do a small shop tomorrow, but don't anticipate spending much.

skintygerlinky

Evening Frugalites xx

Well my Full On Full Force Feb has begun! Got paid yesterday and was pleased to see all bar one of my DDs has gone out of my account. So I know where I'm at, money wise. So went shopping today with intention of buying enough food to last all month.

So here goes:
£25 in Aldini - biggest expense being bag of frozen tuna steaks
£3 Farm of Foods - bags of frozen veg
£3 in greengrocers, buying lots of fresh veg that was reduced to 49p as it was apparently past it's best - looked fine to me!!
£4 in card factory - bought vast majority of birthday cards for friends and family for this year, taking full advantage of the '5 for £1' offer!
Recorded everything in my cash book.

Unpacked everything and sat down to make lists of options for all brekkies, dinners, teas, snacks and even sweet treats for Feb. On reflection I think I've got more than enough so am already thinking 'let's see how far we can get into March without shopping!'

This will mean plenty of batch cooking too but that's no prob, I enjoy cooking.
Texted my gang of mates tonight to say that nights out just won't be an option this month. Meet-ups in each others' houses will be lovely but can't manage pubs, gigs, meals out, cinema etc!

But so what? It's not going to kill me. So I'm making Feb my month of well being! Calm, peaceful, early nights, concentrate on uni work, go swimming (which I love), reading, catching up with friends in ways that don't rely on spending dosh!!

Hope this approach works....let's see haha!!