NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

joedenise

thefrugalflirter wrote: »

A lot of our money seems to go on travel - it's a big passion of ours, but I'm hoping I can really tighten the belt in other areas to compensate! Food shopping is the main area I'd like to cut back on (we spend way too much for just 2 people!), so bring on the meal planning and store cupboard emptying! If anyone has any yummy vegetarian recipes I'd love to hear them, always looking for inspiration!

We're much the same with regard to travel. We have a motorhome and try to get away at least 2-3 weekends each month in the summer and about 1-2 weekends a month in December. We had a long weekend doing the German Christmas markets a couple of weeks ago but didn't buy anything other than food & drink!

To help pay for all these weekends away I try and have at least a couple of veggie meals a week but they need to be tasty because DH loves meat and moans if it's veggie and that's all he can taste, so tends to be curry, chilli etc.

Tonight's dinner for example is a cheap veggie curry - 1/2 butternut squash (or any other squash); chickpea & red lentil curry. For 4 portions it works out about 31p per portion + 8p per portion for long grain rice (50g pp) or 20p for Basmati rice. It can be made on the hob, in the oven or in the slow cooker. I usually use SC as it means I can just bung it in the forget about it while I get on with other stuff.

If anyone would like the recipe let me know and I'll post it.

Denise

seriouslyfrugal

purpleshoes wrote: »

Ive blocked cheeseontoastwithham, everyone is entitled to vote as they please but it saddens me that a nice thread like this has been derailed by someone who just wants to go on about how great Thatcher was.

hi shipmates

I have also blocked for me it's using the money I have to do things I want not have things that will only give a temporary feeling of happiness

popped into the library this morning in ours you can borrow magazines for 1 week so I will be looking through good housekeeping this afternoon and feeling good at the £3.99 I've saved :rotfl:

catch up soon

purpleshoes_2

Veggie recipes

Fritatta or tortilla
Wraps with refried beans and guacamole/salsa. I dont eat much bread these days but these were a godsend to me when I was losing weight in the beginning, you can also take the beans out and stuff the wraps with roasted veg
Mushroom dopiaza/mushroom stroganoff
Red or green thai curry, some of the curry pastes have fish in, but not all brands so just make sure you check
Sweet potato fries/wedges
Mustard mash, if you like mustard as I do, add some to your mash, you can add spring onions/leek and also make them into potato cakes and fry

Im going to make a stir fry with sprouts, leek, onion, carrot, pepper and chilli later on, got lots of veg to use up, leftover veg will go in another pot of soup

Google will throw up tons of veggie/vegan recipes

maria3104

thefrugalflirter wrote: »

Phew! I finally managed to read the whole thread - mind if I jump on board? So much inspiration and motivation in these posts!

I've been trying to live a pretty frugal lifestyle for the past year and have been blogging about it too - but things definitely fell by the wayside mid-year, so I definitely need you all to help me keep on track!!

I'm hoping to ramp it up a gear in 2015 - I'd like to save enough to pay for our wedding in 2016 and a deposit for our starter home - eek!

A lot of our money seems to go on travel - it's a big passion of ours, but I'm hoping I can really tighten the belt in other areas to compensate! Food shopping is the main area I'd like to cut back on (we spend way too much for just 2 people!), so bring on the meal planning and store cupboard emptying! If anyone has any yummy vegetarian recipes I'd love to hear them, always looking for inspiration!

Welcome to the thread.

A wedding, so exciting. I hope it all goes to plan for you both and you have a long and happy life together. Long time since I was a bride!

grandmasam

I too have blocked as I'm enjoying reading everyone's plans 'not to buy 2015 '.

Hi all,

Thought I'd hitch a ride and try to be more frugal this next year. Things I already do include, growing my own fruit and veg, have hens for eggs, and the money I have from the sale of eggs pays for their layers pellets and corn. Make jam pickles and chutney from home grown and foraged fruits and treated myself to a sewing machine [ cheap! ] to alter some of my jumble sale goodies.

I'll be starting a big declutter of the front bedroom [aka the dumping room!!] in the new year. I may even manage to make enough space to put a bed in there!

Caz

girlinayellowdress

Blocked too, anymore and I can see the lifeboats being used before this ship has left port

Lina_T

Hope everyone on board is well.

I have 16 days off work in a row over Christmas, using 3 of my holidays. It's a rare occassion I get that much time off and I plan to use it to get my life in a little more order, organise the house better and overhaul my wardrobe.

There will be some spending on clothes, I need to be smart in work and this has really gone downhill recently. I feel like a scruff all the time and I'm sick of it so money will have to be spent in that area. It's been ages since I bought decent work clothes. I'm applying a few rules though:

I have to go through all my clothes and clear out what is worn, broken, ripped, too small, faded or that I just don't wear. Once I've donated a lot to the charity shops, sold what I can and recycled the rest, I'll be making a list of the staple items I need.

They have to be neutral colours, easily mixed and matched with other items, good quality (preferably natural fabrics) and I must try them on. I must love any item I buy, rather than it just be semi-acceptable.

I'll have a rummage through the local charity shops when I donate stuff for anything that fits the bill, and I have a £15 T.M.Lewin voucher which I'll probably use in the sales to get a shirt

Primrose

I was wondering about a slow cooker. Had one briefly but was very disappointed with the flavour of stuff cooked compared with an identical product cooked in the oven. Casseroles were more watery and less flavour intensive for some reason. Any hints for getting a better result if I try again as I'm sure slow cooker cooking is less fuel intensive than using an oven.

joedenise

Primrose wrote: »

I was wondering about a slow cooker. Had one briefly but was very disappointed with the flavour of stuff cooked with an identical product cooked in the over. Casseroles were more watery and less flavour intensive for some reason. Any hints for getting a better result if I try again as I'm sure slow cooker cooking is less fuel intensive than using an oven.

You tend to need far less water/stock in a slow cooker as it doesn't evaporate like it would in the oven or on the hob. If it is still too watery when it's nearly cooked then ladle some of it out and reduce in a pan on the hob and put back into the SC or you could mix up a bit of cornflour and water and stir that in, although I find that doesn't give such a good result.

I have to say that I find a bog standard casserole a bit tasteless from the SC but I find them brilliant for curries, chillis, bolognaise etc.

Also very good for using your chicken carcass with some root veg to make a very good stock which you can then freeze for future use. Don't use too much water or again you won't get a good stock.

HTH.

Denise

lessonlearned

Lina_T wrote: »

There will be some spending on clothes, I need to be smart in work and this has really gone downhill recently. I feel like a scruff all the time and I'm sick of it so money will have to be spent in that area. It's been ages since I bought decent work clothes. I'm applying a few rules though:

I have to go through all my clothes and clear out what is worn, broken, ripped, too small, faded or that I just don't wear. Once I've donated a lot to the charity shops, sold what I can and recycled the rest, I'll be making a list of the staple items I need.

They have to be neutral colours, easily mixed and matched with other items, good quality (preferably natural fabrics) and I must try them on. I must love any item I buy, rather than it just be semi-acceptable.

I am now retired (actually I work for myself when I feel like it:D) but when I was Corporate Woman I did have to glam up and dress very smartly.

I managed to find a really good Nearly New Shop which sold fantastic clothes, often designer or really good mkes. I used to get most of my business suits, smart jackets, overcoats etc. the clothes were more expensive than a charity shop but they were always top makes and had to be immaculate for the shop to accept them.

I would usually pay around£30 to £50 for a suit which would normally cost several hundreds, my best ever was Armani suit £40.

I must have looked very successful.......little did they know........

Believe it or not I am also a trained beauty therapist so going back to high priced anti aging products. I will give You my professional opinion which might help you make any decisions about how you want to spend wisely.

I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Not because they dont work, some of them actually do. However my reasoning is based on safety concerns.

Without getting too technical many of these creams use nano technology. Put simply it means that the active ingredients have been broken down into tiny particles which can permeate into the epidemis.

And here is the problem. Through the epidermis these active ingredientsv can passinto the bloodstream with who knowswhat disastrous long term effects.. I'm talking carcinogenic chemicals which can build up in the liver, kidneys and other vital internal organs.

These ingredients may well have been tested and passed as safe but my opinion is we do not know the long term effects. What kind of build up occurs over say a period of 10 years or longer.

I hAve a keen interest in complimentary medicine - my grandmother was a herbalist -she taught me a lot!!!! In fact I'm thinking about going back to college next year to update my skills. I recommend using natural ingredients whenever possible.

I make most of my own lotions and potions. You can use essental oils such as frankincense or Rose oil and make your own serums for a fraction of the costs of commercial preparations. Oils have been used for centuries, they are tried and tested and much safer.

Just remember to always dilute them and never apply them neat on the skin. If you google home made beauty you will find lots of recipes and tips.

Ok using natural products might not be quite as effective as some of the new high science products on the market But at least you are not running the risk of giving yourself liver failure.

I'm a Silver Fox too.

My hair is now pure white and I do get a lot of compliments about the colour of my hair. It is worth persevering with the badger look for a while. Gentle highlights will make the transition stage easier to cope with, especially for those who need to be smart for work.

Glad the thread is back on track....;) The DT board is the place for political debate. This thread is about our own personal journeys to a simpler and more sustainable way of living.

Looking forward to setting sail::rotfl::rotfl: