2020 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

MazzieD said:

Not sure what is happening about Road Tax with Covid but potentially due this month as well.

If you're not using your car and it's on private land, then you can SORN it.   Other than that it's business as usual for Road Tax.

MOT was the one they gave us a break on, because a lot of garages were closed so it's wasn't actually possible for a lot of people to get them.   I can see them stopping that soon as a lot are reopening now.

Frugaldom

Hi guys and gals, sorry for not posting much but it;s as busy as always here, basically same every day, 7 days a week until such times as I can get volunteers back to Frugaldom and holidaymakers into the caravan. 
Car needs taxed here at the end of this month (road tax is unaffeced by lockdown) and we're having major works done at Frugaldom so tht takes care of my SEISS grant money and then some. It will be handy if we really do get a second payment in August as my MOT is due then!
@willow_loulou the shopping deliveries here are now not an option at all so if I do revert to online ordering it will be Muscle Food and I try to keep an eye on sites such as Food Bargains but most are literally past their sell by day, offering junk food at prices more expensve than some of the supermarkets. For now, I'm using the village store and hping against all odds that the fruit & veg grow well. Radishes, lettuce and spinach are all in production, there's still the odd hen egg being laid and the kale looks ready to start picking so I won't starve. I've plenty of herbs and still have frozen blackcurrants so I'm ok for teas, cordials and ice lollies. Bread flour supplies are ok but I never seem to have the time to bake.
Hope everyon is doing OK - time is ticking on so every day of frugaling brings us one day closer to the end of lockdown. I'm saving like mad and haven't spent any cash for I don't know how long - everything being recorded by making card payments, PayPal and BACS transfers. I like to be able to see where every penny goes and any cash I receive goes into my EEK (Everything Else Kitty)

sashacat

Another one saving like mad because I need to pay for the work I am having done on the house. My conservatory was literally falling down and was unsafe. So I am having a replacement built. And it is expensive so every penny is being counted. 
I am not buying anything unless i need it to stay alive. So no spending. 
My stores of tea and milk are getting low and I consider tea to be necessary for life so will need to get some next week.
i am hoping I will be able to replenish my stores soon because I think prices will rise when we finally leave the EU. 

nat21luv

Good morning all, and whilst its not sunny, its definitely still a beautiful day! We’ve been enjoying the salad leaves I’ve grown in the garden (I say we but my DD doesn’t approve of anything green ) using a pallet As a planter next doors builders were throwing in a skip. It’s untreated wood and ‘new’ so I stood it up against the wall, attached fleece membrane to parallel slats to create a pouch, filled with compost and sowed the seeds. It looks great and even better that it was free! I also rescued my Land lords terracotta trough that he’d thrown in the skip, around £40 as its a ornate large one, and its sitting pride of place in my garden with the most lush cucumber plants growing so beautifully. Honestly, this is the life!

And something wonderful happened on 30th May.... I became debt free! £14202 paid off in 8 months. This is a combination of me working every hour and being laser focused on my goal. I set myself an unrealistic goal of July and hit it two months early! I’ve completed my emergency fund and now saving for a house deposit. £25k needed and I currently have £10450. 

Hope you are all keeping well, I’m about to have the second coffee of the day and wonder around my garden marvelling at all the gorgeous plants Ive grown! Have a lovely day all x

sashacat

If anybody is growing beans then at the end of the season when the beans are past their best for freezing or eating straight away save them. 
Every year I grow at least 2 sorts of bean, maybe three. My NDN does the same. 
When the pods are starting to go brown I leave them. They start to shrivel. I collect all the beans on my plants and NDN’s, spread them out anywhere not damp and leave them for about a month. 
You need to check on them periodically because a few will go mouldy. 
I have several jars full of home grown dried beans.
just made 11 portions of bean and tomato soup. Tasty. 

[Deleted User]

nat21luv said:

And something wonderful happened on 30th May.... I became debt free! £14202 paid off in 8 months. This is a combination of me working every hour and being laser focused on my goal. I set myself an unrealistic goal of July and hit it two months early! I’ve completed my emergency fund and now saving for a house deposit. £25k needed and I currently have £10450. 

Well done on becoming debt free and having your emergency fund complete and house deposit well underway.  I love seeing news like this on here.  It just goes to show the impact living frugally can have.

[Deleted User]

Hi folks, going to try and refocus myself today and get posting on here more regularly again.  Needing to re-join the GC as well as food shopping is the one thing that has gone up during lockdown.  Partly because we are shopping differently and in different local shops.  Been using my local butcher more often and he is a lot more expensive than the supermarkets.  I have been buying alot of mince form him as this makes meals I can cope with (broke a tooth a week into lockdown and no dental treatments available so I have to use a temporary filling kit).  I do notice a difference in quality though and will probably continue using this butcher after lockdown for some things.

My plans today are to get organised for the weekend.  I am making an all-in-one mince and tatties recipe which we will have over 2 nights with some veg.  I am making Greggs fakeaway cheese and bacon wraps for OH to take as his work lunches. OH loves these.  I am going to try a variation today and chop up some wee willie winkie sausages into them instead of bacon.  I will do some baking over the weekend too, although not sure what I will make yet.  Also have some sewing planned to try and sort the waistband on a pair of tracksuit bottoms.  They have a thick waistband that isn't secured n place and it twists round making it uncomfy to wear.  If I can hold it in place so it doesn't twist round I will start wearing them again as at the moment they just sit in the wardrobe.  I am hoping for a no spend couple of days over the weekend too and to focus on using up what we have in the cupboards at home.  

MazzieD

I thought the Road Tax hadn't changed, thanks cw18 and Frugaldom.  So many changes over the last 3 months, it can be hard to keep up with everything!.  At least I knew about the major work on the car before I booked it in, already advised the Garage and had money available, it would have been a shock as they did the MOT first and it failed!.  Main thing is it is now safe and roadworthy to drive as I can't SORN it.

It's not all bad news, the Roofing Company I used have offered to repair all the internal damage and redecorate  the ceilings and walls in both bedrooms at no extra charge as they had to postpone the repair work twice due to illness and I had to pay a large deposit for scaffolding up front.  Well, I could hardly refuse an offer like that, really surprised and pleased.  Will see when they can do the work, quite happy to wait.  That will save some money, was expecting to have to do a DIY job.


I need to do a few jobs in the garden, weeding and bushes and shrubs need some serious pruning.  Neighbours have put a new fence up over the very low garden wall and can't get near enough to put stain on it.  Have the shed/fence paintbrush ready but need to buy the stain.  It's not smooth enough for paint.  Not relishing the prospect of a visit to B&Q, I know it's been manic since the local one re-opened.  Still, might be ok now that the initial rush is over, have a Wilko nearby as well so might pop in and have a look as it's on the way. 

Kerry_Woman

nat21luv - Congratulations on becoming debt free.

Shopaholic_no_more

@nat21luv congratulations on your fabulous result!!
@MazzieD we went after fence paint last week and was shocked to find none on the shelves in Homebase or B &Q...luckily found some in Wickes. It was actually not too bad  in the shop itself.. just surprised to see them so empty of products! People have moved on to DIY stores it seems...