2020 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

Frugaldom said:

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!

Assuming they consider it to be unworthy to be called food because it's not butter, then I hope he/she/they never develop lactose intolerance or dairy allergy.   If they do then they'll be very grateful for dairy free spreads, which includes many margarines.

There are items I wouldn't be able to use or wouldn't use by choice, and if I were given one of those I'd always try and rehome it.   I treated myself to a very large chocolate fudge cake a couple of years ago while I was still getting to grips with my lactose intolerance (how much I could consume without problems).  It had never upset my system before but that time it did, so I gave just over half of it to some neighbours.   I've been given a bottle of wine as a Christmas gift from neighbours several times (even though I've mentioned to them I don't drink!), so I've given them to my daughter and my partner, and even donated one to a local school when they had a fundraising event with a tombola.

Frugaldom

Cheryl, I was quite taken aback by the comment, it was so out of the blue. But I do understand that not all followers of Frugaldom are doing so for the frugal living challenges. Strangely, some are completely unaware of this or any of the other challenges we set ourselves so they possibly won't 'get' the whole moneysaving, waste not want not 'thing'. It's like trying to get new people to understand that I give away eggs and they don't need to pay me for them, just don't waste them. I'm not sure what anyone will think if/when I get planning for cabin and then don't charge holidaymakers by the night or whatever but Frugaldom has always been about sharing and mutual support of others wherever and whenever possible. I no longer care that most stick with the 'if it seems too good to be true...' mentality, it's their loss.

nananibbles

ooh was just about to catch up on yesterdays' posts and write a quick update when I stumbled across Frugaldoms post on lemon curd so I will delay my catch up and trot off to make some whilst I have time ...

[Deleted User]

Hello 👋 everyone 😊

Its been really nice catching up with everyone's news. I am proud to say that I have been rigidly sticking to my budget, not taking my purse out with me, and making meals with what we have in the store cupboard. I will be taking my £25 weekly food budget to Aldi with me again this week and sticking to my list. We have lots of kale and courgettes in the garden, this is the first year I have attempted growing vegetables and I am so pleased with my results. The cucumbers 🥒 were a total failure though, any advice? 

I have paid £2k off my credit card 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, which leaves £1,181.27 to go. I get paid this week, and have a few bits of money still waiting to be refunded from both M&S and soda stream, so once they arrive I will be paying them straight off the card which will take me under £1k. So long as it is paid off and closed before I return to work in September I will be really, really happy. 

Some other great news - as part of my budget reassessment, I contacted work to see if I can adjust my hours slightly for September. HR have agreed 🥳🥳🥳, so my childcare costs will go from £154 to £0! Absolutely delighted. I had accepted that paying for childcare was the norm, and only though finding my frugal roots again am I remembering that it's ok to challenge the norm and rub up against the tide rather than always flowing with it.

Take care all xx

Tanya12345

Morning All, great news re credit card Sparkly !

willow_loulou

Wow congratulations on the credit card paying Sparky! Brilliant. 

My neighbour dropped 4 bags of things for us to look through before she took to charity shop. Dd has a bag of tops and jeans and I have a nice bag and a wet bag for my wash cloth if I ever get back to having weekends away as mine split beyond saving a while ago. I also picked up some scales new in box for £1 for her uni box! Very pleased with that. 

My no spend says way outstrip my spend days now. I think I’m finally getting a frugal mindset in all parts of my life. Payday is Friday and I still have £30 in my bank! 

[Deleted User]

Brilliant news about your credit card @Sparkly well done.  @Frugaldom, I love Lemon Curd.  The first time I made it I thought I had burned it but it still tasted fantastic and so much better than the shop bought stuff.  You have put me in the mood to make some again soon.  Like you I am quite shocked that someone would just bin a whole tub of margarine!  Even if they don't want to use it as spread it can be used in baking for so many things. 

Today is a quiet day at home.  OH is in the kitchen making HM Quiche with Brie, Beetroot walnut and feta salad and Carrot and mint salad.  He is also using up a Spag Bol from the freezer to make into a lasagne that he will take portions of to work as his lunch.  I had been going to do the salads but he wants some time to himself with his music on so I am doing some ironing and hoovering upstairs.  I'll probably use the kitchen after him to make some Choc brownies or Choc Chip Cookies or similar.  I love relaxed domestic days like this.

In the garden just now we have a good supply of raspberries, strawberries and our blackcurrant bush is just about ready for harvesting.  I'll use the blackcurrants to make blackcurrant jelly and we are eating the strawberries and raspberries with some cream after dinner as pudding.

Frugaldom

@Deleted_User That is amazing news about the CC payments, work hours and childcare costs! Well done to you for sticking to your guns on the frugaling. As for the cucumbers, I never grew any this year in case we ran short of water. That and the fact I've no polytunnel or greenhouse at the minute and next to no time to look after garden stuff when there are no volunteers here. What seemed to be the problem with yours?

It's been an on/off sort of day here but with a little help, I was finished outdoors before the rain arrived, which is good. A few light showers through the day didn't matter  but that last one would have had us soaked. Another handful of peas picked on the way past but once again, they won't make it into a pot. Oops! 

@[Deleted User] It's blackcurrants aplenty here but my raspberries are of the later varieties and strawberries haven't done much at all this year. I think they all need replanted and some better protection. I've got new raised beds but will need to get potection over them now, too, otherwise the chickens will dig up everything.

[Deleted User]

Guys, a coupe of things whilst I remember:
✅ has anyone tried Muscle foods? Would you recommend / avoid? 

✅ frugal tip of the week, instead of milk in your homemade Yorkshire puddings, use fizzy water. We have a soda stream, but the value 2 litre bottles are 17p(ish). TRUST ME, it makes amazing Yorkshire's and is cheaper than using milk xx

PS thanks for all the lovely comments about the credit card 😊😊

Dizzy_Imp

Hello everyone! Wondering if I can tag along with you Frugal people please? Asparklyblonde recommended this thread on another we are both part of and I'm trying hard to become more money savvy and frugal in all areas of my life, so hope to pick up some tips and tricks to aid me in my quest!

First frugal action was arranging to buy a spare catering-sized deep freezer so I can preserve and store lots more of the lovely fruit from our orchard (and other home-made food) to see us through the winter months.  I'd love to eventually become self sufficient by growing our own fruit and veg and farming on a very small scale but this is definitely a work in progress!