2020 Frugal Living Challenge

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viv0147 said:

Hi, I am not sure if this will help you but in Wales, if you are a member of a library you can ask for a PIN for their online library you can get hundreds of ebooks and audiobooks and all the Uk magazines, for free to read or listen at your leisure.  

Hi Viv, it's the same here.  I use the digital access via my local library to access ebooks, audiobooks and a great range of digital magazines.  I am also loving the chat when I go into the library itself.  The ladies who work there are really knowledgeable and have recommended books they know I would like.  Much more sociable than getting another Amazon delivery, which to be honest I was getting out of hand with. 

stirchleygirl

hi all
id like to join again this year
im sorry that ive been missing since last spring but for those of you who remember me im disabled and my health started to deteriorate during last spring and by august I had deteriorated so badly that ive been off work since the end of august and was fairly bedridden (apart from going to the loo) and in excruciating pain most of the time and couldn't be touched by my carers (lying on the sheet and having the duvet on me was painful enough my brain function diminished and badly affected my ability to spell and speak and I was just in a fog of pain and not capable of interacting with you all.

anyway finally found a meds combo that stops my brain feeling the pain without many/various horrendous side effects and finally feel human again and now I have more brain function my speech and spelling has improved and im doing tasks to prepare myself for an attempt at returning to work (going downstairs, sitting, standing, getting washed and dressed and on Friday im going to leave the house for the first time since mid august) so im trying to engage in life again hence my return to these wonderful forums 

stirchleygirl

i did massive food delivery shops for Christmas so my PA could do batch cooking for me (before she and my other PA finished for 2 weeks of well deserved rest) and lots of tins of soup etc and packet foods that i could easily manage to have cold meals/snacks or that i could have hot using my microwave, toaster, kettle, toasted sandwich machine that i have upstairs along with a mini fridge with shelving unit for crockery and food packets/tins i call it my mini kitchenette and it saves me have to navigate the stairs which are tricky for me and even worse trying to bring food back up from the proper kitchen. 

anyway i still have stuff let in the freezer and tins and packets to keep using and haven't needed to do another food delivery shop since before Christmas. im continuing with what  i started last year which is to 'shop' from what i have first before sending either of my lovely PAs to the little 'open all hours' co op at the end of my street. so far have only needed them to get a loaf of bread each week and last week they also got little gem lettuce, cherry toms, spring onions and a few red onions and 2 jars of tomato cooking sauce as i wanted to have some fresh veg alongside all the frozen veg that i always have copious amounts of. she mixed the salad stuff with cous cous from the cupboard feta cheese from xmas and stuffed it into pitta breads from the freezer that she cut in half to make pitta pockets. still some salad left so she did the other packet of pitta breads from the freezer this week as no feta left she used up the last of pistachio nuts and sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and a small tin of pineapple chunks from the cupboard. 

the jars of tom cooking sauce last week made 2 cassoles using frozen veg, the last of the frozen dumplings that i go 2 years ago as part of an offer and whilst they were not the hideous things i remember hating as a child i decided they are bland and stodgy and will not be buying them ever again and she used the last of the SOS Mix to make little patty shapes to add to the casserole very yummy indeed.

today she used the remains of the frozen avacardo along with the raining red onion from last week with lime juice from the fridge and garlic paste from the cupboard to make a guacamole to be spread on the packet of onion flavour bagels that have been defrosted. as already said cous cous salad in the rest of the pitta breads. using frozen mini mixed veg the last of a packet of frozen 'fancy oriental' mixed mushrooms the last small tin of pineapple chunks and 2 jars of sweet and sour cooking sauce that she got from the little co op today to make a mix that she didn't need to cook as i'll be microwaving the meal. this she then portioned out into single portion containers putting the rice she cooked (from the cupboard) on the bottom of the container then adding the sweet and sour veg mix on top of the rice and then a ( from the freezer) tex mex nugget or 2 on top of that. 

so im good for another week meals wise - i know the items are more expensive from the little co op than i can get them from a food delivery shop but as there is minimum spen online and takes me hours to do online order it saves me money over all as i only buy exactly what i need to make up meals using what ive already got. 

my very tall fridge in my kitchen is empty apart from pickles and mayo and some half full bottles of alcohol from xmas 2018 that i am now unable to finish due to my new meds. the very tall (frost free what a god send for the disabled i highly recomend them if you need to get a new freezer) freezer in my kitchen is starting to look bare along with the cupboards. im going to have another look at my trusty blue 'write on wipe off' mini board that i keep by my bed with all my food listed on it to see if i can manage to get another week of meals out of what ive got with the addition of a few items from the co op there is probably enough food but it might not make 'meals' as such but could make for an interesting time for my PA when she does next weeks cooking next Wednesday we'll have to see ill let you know if we go for it or if i cave and do a food delivery shop.

hoping you all have a good and frugal rest of the week

stirchleygirl

as viv0147 and allie23 say use your local public library if you are able as they are often the first services to suffer when councils need to save money. although i work in an NHS library  (most people are shocked when i say where i work as they don't think of the NHS as needing/having libraries but how do you think NHS staff stay upto date on treatments etc and find info on rare condition or do research into new treatments or new services us NHS library staff help them with all that and we help the various types of students that we host on training placements)  i do want to support my professional colleagues who work in public libraries and do stirling work for the communities that they serve so go on visit them or find out about mobile libraries that go out to various areas or online access or home visit services - it really is use them or lose them

Finstickle

Thanks for the tips guys, I really like the idea of an instant water boiler (and planning to use a flask to save any excess until I get one) and could definitely do with looking at light bulbs. 
Some of the ideas are a bit too hardcore for us, but things like closing all the curtains early and jumping in the bath after the baby are easily achieved. 

willow_loulou

So tired today. My spend today was very low, £2.60. I have 97p til I get paid Friday! Will be getting reduced bread tomorrow if I can! It is all we need though, bread. But I’m quite partial to nevilles brand in Tesco which is 37p or 47p I can’t remember. Ohhh roll on Friday 😂

Frugaldom

Welcome back, stirchleygirl   

nat21luv

willow_loulou said:

So tired today. My spend today was very low, £2.60. I have 97p til I get paid Friday! Will be getting reduced bread tomorrow if I can! It is all we need though, bread. But I’m quite partial to nevilles brand in Tesco which is 37p or 47p I can’t remember. Ohhh roll on Friday 😂

Lidl sell their bread cheap first thing in the morning, I usually pick up a couple of 20p loaves for the freezer when doing the grocery shop before 9am.

willow_loulou

@nat21luv Thank you! 

2Scratters

Frugalistamama said:

Really inspired by you all.❤
 I have had 2 NSDs in a row going for a third today but then will have to go shopping. I feel a lot less anxious about overspending and feel more in control when I go to the shops so really happy about that. I looked in my account ( I've been avoiding it) and I'm £700 overdrawn and getting charged daily. This is terrible! I really went out of control when I'm usually pretty frugal.  It'll probably take me several months to get that back into balance before I can work of the other debts. Depressing, but I'm forging ahead....
Spent £40 on food shopping last week which is really good for me, plus making space in the freezer for some batch cooking. 
I need to look at ways of bringing some money in. 
Hi Frugalistamama,
are you in a position to do a balance transfer onto CC with 0%  interest? might be cheaper than the potential new bank charges that are set to come in. Good luck which ever way you do this.