2020 Frugal Living Challenge

[Deleted User]

I've been out walking with my walking poles today. One completely buckled under me so instead of replacing my OH has taken the fittings out and replaced them. We are hoping that its tight enough that it won't buckle again but the fittings need some sanding back as they may catch on my clothing and that mend might just end up being a false economy. I'll have to take them out for a test run tomorrow. 

nananibbles

Good morning all,
I started my house sitting job for 3 weeks yesterday so that will help add some coffers to the purse. It doesn't pay much but as I work for the lady anyway I can do a couple of extra hours each day on top of what I normally do. She has also left me a fridge load of slightly wiltered fruit and veg which I shall cook up into some meals today and even more excitedly she has a dehydrator so I'm currently drying left over apples and strawberries 

Sunny Days
NN

[Deleted User]

To a borrowed dehydrator NN. 
We are preparing for winter today. OH is concentrating on shoring up the woodstore and indeed all the wooden fixing on our property.

Rowan9

Hi folks. I’ve really enjoyed reading along. 

I make humus without tahini although haven’t for a while. Must make some as it’s so much cheaper than bought. If you search whole food plant based you’ll find recipes. You can also put in peanut butter instead of humus. Think Jack Monroe suggests that. 

Tanya12345

Morning Fruggies,
well done all on your frugal wins. Been tardy to post due to dodgy Internet - new provider for this and electric on list !! Plus been outside all day and by the time I get in I can barely move !! Veg plot is going nuts and although I don't want to be indoors I need to buckle down to harvest - all of a sudden we've masses more than just the stuff for the next meal, not complaining but my plans kind of stopped with the planting and nurturing ..... Now the work begins to make sure we can store and provide for ourselves through the winter. Food budget going well but got to get to the dreaded supermarket today....... Couple of basics needed - never run out of soy sauce before but with the new minimising of stores, accidents happen !!
Has anyone dried cabbage ? Made stock powder ? Ha ha feel like a novice, "Loads of gear ( veg). .... No idea !!" Sadly not many swaps available here but gifting as much as poss, if someone insists on "paying" am requesting jam jars, sugar etc - desperately trying to build a share/ swop system - people seem to mistrust the first few times, not sure why !
On the hummus topic, am going to try hummus made with some of my dried beans as I can't grow chickpeas and am trying to adjust our eating to what we can produce - exceptions being dairy ( don't want to get a cow......), coffee, tea, some fruit etc ( Eeek writing that down made me realise how much is still on it !!)
Have a great day everyone, apologies for my lengthy post.... Will try and get on every day instead of penning a huge saga !!
xx

Kantankrus_Mare

Hello everyone  Not quite sure why I havent come across this thread before, considering its all the things I strive for. I'd like to jump on board if thats ok? Im off to my allotment for a few hours but will come on later and share a bit about myself and goals in life. 
Mare 

Frugaldom

Welcome on board, @Kantankrus_Mare

I made lemon & lime curd last night to use up the citrus fruit and margarine that I had been given. (Recipe posted on Frugaldom FB page) I appreciate all gifts of food and try to bin zero, in keeping with my lifestyle, so I take it hard out when someone tells me they'd bin the margarine as it is not food. Well, to them, maybe! To me, it is perfectly acceptable! I did point out that to some people, cats and dogs are acceptable foodstuffs, and I dont often lash out with responses like that but just the mere thought of binning a brand new pack of margarine had me fuming! Seriously, some people have no idea what this lifestyle is about. I wonder if a non-meat-eater would bin meat products if someone gifted them or if they would think to offer it to someone who could appreciate it? Grump over for the day!  (Hopefully! )

sashacat

Frugaldom, I am horrified at the thought of anyone binning perfectly good food. As for a new tub of margarine, if no one wants it I’m sure the food bank will have it. But I’m glad you put it to good use. I bet the curd is lovely.
Tanya, I too have surplus cabbages even after gifting to neighbours. I made 10 portions of “green” soup with cabbage, broccoli, kale etc the other day. All safely in the freezer to give me a much needed vitamin boost in the winter. 
A friend arrived last night wanting to swop a plant and a bag of windfall apples for one of my lettuces. I cut all the damaged bits off the apples and cooked them with some raisins and cinnamon. Delicious. And all the damaged bits are in the compost. 
Someone gifted me a large block of cheese a few nights ago when I was out for my walkin the village.
They were clearing out the freezer and found they had two blocks. 
Some people have more money than sense.

Kantankrus_Mare

Thanks for the welcome Frugaldom. 
Ok a bit about me......Im 53, married with two grown up kids. One has left home and my daughter still lives at home with her partner and their new Boston Terrier puppy. 
I usually work part time in a small cafe/restaurant but am still being furloughed and dont think we are re opening till September. This has given me lots of time to get on top of my allotment. Its been my sanity during all the long weeks of
lockdown. I hate waste and love something for nothing so I grow as much of our food as possible and do quite a few survey sites where I usually cash in for amazon vouchers and spend them on household basics like toilet rolls and other non perishables. I try to make my money go further as we like our weekends away and occasional holiday abroad though thats not going to be happening this year. Just had our September holiday to Thassos cancelled which Im relieved about as I was feeling unsure of travelling. We have transferred it to next September and going for 2 weeks instead of one with not much extra to pay so that put a smile on my face. 
Looking forward to getting lots of tips to make what I DO have go further. (Feels like a losing battle at times as OH is not always on my wavelength. 

Frugaldom

@sashacat I should have pointed out that the person who gifted the margarine was not the person who said it wasn't food etc, that comment was posted by someone on my FB page where I shared the lemon curd recipe. I kid you not, the debate is still going!

Peas aplenty here and I had a look at the cabbages, kale, lettuce, spinach, radishes... all going crazy and not going to get used at this rate as we still have no proper visitors coming to the project. I'm now on a giveaway mission. We don't have anything around us - no shops, houses, passing trade, factories etc etc so it can be very difficult finding or getting anything, let alone trying to sell anything during lockdown and with no family around to help eat anything, I feel sorry for all the stuff we planted at start of the year while expecting to have customers during late spring and summer. Can't be helped. I'll use and freeze what I can and offer 'pick your own' to anyone I see. Blackcurrants are in huge abundance now, too, so Ive ordered extra sugar to make jam or jelly.

@Kantankrus_Mare will you be going back to work or will that be you finished? At least yu had furlough funds to fall back on so here's hoping your workplace can keep going through this nightmarish time.