2014 Frugal Living Challenge

ArthriticOldThing · 22 December 2013 at 2:06PM

Meg72 -
I am not yet of State Pensionable age (61 years) but had to leave work because of Psoriatic Arthritis - but am not entitled to any benefits. I exist on a small widows pension from my late husband and must become more frugal if I am to survive til September 2015 when I will reach State Pensionable age - as it stands at the moment.

MrsGSR · 22 December 2013 at 3:15PM

helencal80 wrote: »

In the new year I plan on changing the way we eat. I will be buying a breakmaker and making all our own bread, pizza bases etc.
I just wondered if any of you make your own pasta and if you would say it was worth it?

I know it probably tastes better but what about financially? We don't eat "fancy" pasta, but use lasagne sheets, spaghetti, tagliatelle and probably would be more adventurous if we made it ourselves.

Thank you x

I have made my own bread for just over a year, i use a stand alone mixer with a dough hook for kneading. I don't find bread makers consistent having used them in the past and they insist upon using more ingredients than making by hand. However, I know some people swear by their bread makers.
I've made pasta a few times but actually don't find it much cheaper unless you can get cheap eggs or have hens and the flour is expensive too. It's also a bit faffy.

dizzy_lizzie · 22 December 2013 at 3:17PM

I'll be joining in again and hoping to keep a firmer hold on the pennies
x

Goldiegirl · 22 December 2013 at 3:48PM

ArthriticOldThing wrote: »

Meg72 -
I am not yet of State Pensionable age (61 years) but had to leave work because of Psoriatic Arthritis - but am not entitled to any benefits. I exist on a small widows pension from my late husband and must become more frugal if I am to survive til September 2015 when I will reach State Pensionable age - as it stands at the moment.

I don't think they'll make any more changes to the pensionable age, for people so close to retirement... it would be insanity if they did!

parsniphead · 22 December 2013 at 4:53PM

A good day here on the money saving front. I have been teaching DH how to make bread. I have struggled with this for years until I used my food processor and now I turns out great every time apart from the pans have started sticking. I have started lining with grease proof paper (thanks Dozey Crow) and it seems to be working well.

We haver also made our first batch of pizza dough. DH loves his pizzas so hopefully making our own will save loads.

Then I rescued some frozen elderberries from the freezer and we made some wine with them. We shall see how this turns out.

rising_from_the_ashes · 22 December 2013 at 4:53PM

Hello everyone - just popping in to sign on again

I'm afraid 2013 didn't go as planned and I've spent most of the year trying to get well after being very ill towards the end of last year

I had to reduce my hours at work for a while which has meant the overdraft has crept up again so really need to get back to my frugal ways to get rid of that!

Will start to work on budgets over the next few days & get the SoW up to date & ready to go!

23rdspiral · 22 December 2013 at 5:06PM

longtermplanner wrote: »

I find washing up demotivating! That was what you meant, wasn't it?

I got my current Bosch washing machine in the Jan Sales 2 years ago, so I bet you'll find a dishwasher.

:rotfl:well, yes that's my problem too! Thanks that gives me hope.

quidsy wrote: »

Re dishwasher. We got ours for 50quid off ebay. Worth every penny, excellent condition and saves arguments. Look in charity shops, gumtree and freecycle too. Loads of people just get rid rather than try to make money. I love those kinds of people. Lol

Thanks. We got our washing machine from a charity shop - as ours broke down a week before our wedding we didnt really have any other options! I've kept an eye on the same shop but they rarely have any in. Hadn't thought of ebay though thanks muchly.

---

husband is out delivering Scout Post... if any of you have this in your area it saves a lot on local postage as it's cheaper than Post Office post and all the money goes to the Scouts. People round here use it mainly to deliver to the little villages. Though it means husband is out for a few hours it's good exercise for him!

I've been decanting last years sloe gin / slow vodka / mixed berry vodka/ mixed berry gin / and Sloe-I-Think-It's-Dark-Rum-But-The-Lable-Fell-Off! They will make nice gifts for a few close friends when in re-used little single glass wine glass bottles i 'recycled' from a friends 50th birthday party earlier in the year. woo!

Frugalsod · 22 December 2013 at 8:01PM

helencal80 wrote: »

In the new year I plan on changing the way we eat. I will be buying a breakmaker and making all our own bread, pizza bases etc.
I just wondered if any of you make your own pasta and if you would say it was worth it?

I know it probably tastes better but what about financially? We don't eat "fancy" pasta, but use lasagne sheets, spaghetti, tagliatelle and probably would be more adventurous if we made it ourselves.

Thank you x

I make my own pasta now. I bought a really good Kenwood Chef mixer and some bread tins for the bread and the pasta attachments for making pasta. I do save money on the bread, and find it very handy. It might be easier with a bread maker but it would have been another gadget in my small kitchen.

The Kenwood I bought takes up as much space as a bread maker but I can also make soups, baileys, cakes, grate fresh parmesan etc. it costs more than a bread-maker but so much more versatile. In the end I opted for a Kenwood Chef over the bread-maker. Like you I was a fancy pasta virgin and opted for the cheaper pasta maker attachment as a trial, but will buy the better version when funds allow. You would need an additional pasta roller if you make lasagne.

Making pasta is very easy but you do not save much over the dried pasta if anything at all. Though by making it yourself, you do get fresh pasta which the supermarkets charge a fortune for. So look at it as a lifestyle boost rather than a money saving option. There is the other benefit that if you have to make it yourself you might not eat so much and so cut out more calories. That is what I found. It was the extra ability to make soups that helped me decide the mixer over the bread-maker.

In fact I will be making a pizza base tonight for tonights dinner. It saves me a fortune on store pizza and is just as good.

Frugalsod · 22 December 2013 at 8:05PM

parsniphead wrote: »

A good day here on the money saving front. I have been teaching DH how to make bread. I have struggled with this for years until I used my food processor and now I turns out great every time apart from the pans have started sticking. I have started lining with grease proof paper (thanks Dozey Crow) and it seems to be working well.

We haver also made our first batch of pizza dough. DH loves his pizzas so hopefully making our own will save loads.

Then I rescued some frozen elderberries from the freezer and we made some wine with them. We shall see how this turns out.

I found smearing the tins with a little butter helps a lot. I have new non stick tins but still use butter and they simply pop out when give the tins a bash on the bottom.

Making your own pizzas is a real money saving tip if you make the over buying ready made and cooked.

strandedinaber · 22 December 2013 at 9:47PM

Just received December's paycheque - with a little bit extra as I received a small payrise and backpay from August - November. All of the extra has gone to pay off the credit card bill and the rest has gone into the savings account to be withdrawn on December 30th and not a minute before. Have also pulled out of an outing with friends that I really wanted to go to next week, but it's just too expensive to justify.