2020 Frugal Living Challenge

mumtoomany

PS love the horses, we don't have any, but our neighbours do. Often start the day saying hello to them and feeding them the odd carrot.

FrankieM

Hi Everyone
I'm back
Arrived back in the UK yesterday and jet lag has got me up at the crack of dawn...
Looking forward to getting back in the swing of things

shish100

Morning all!
It's been about over 6 months since I last posted, but have having reading regularly.  It's week 6 of working from home for me, and it has now all settled in to a routine and is starting to feel 'normal'.  With the extra time at home OH and I have started working our way through lots of jobs that need doing that we have been putting off.  Garden furniture has been sanded and re-treated, garage has had a tidy up, old tree root dug out that was starting to break the fence, borders have had a thorough tidy up.  The more jobs we do, it seems it uncovers more! 

I have also planted some veg seeds, for me it seems to be hit and miss whether I am successful or not.  Tomato, cucumber, broadbean seem to be doing okay. The lettuce, chard, courgette and chilli do not seem to be doing anything, oh well!

Due to having asthma I am reluctant to go in to the supermarket, so I send my OH. I write a list and I priortise what is urgent and what would be good to get if it is in stack.  I am happy with own brand coffee, and still had a bit left in, he was so keen to make sure he got everything on the list that he bought branded coffee at twice the price!!  I really do appreciate the effort and keenness as he has taken on the challenge of shopping under these circumstances, I'm trying not to complain about the items he picks up that are overpriced.  

Stay safe.

DawnW

shish100 said:

Due to having asthma I am reluctant to go in to the supermarket, so I send my OH. I write a list and I priortise what is urgent and what would be good to get if it is in stack.  I am happy with own brand coffee, and still had a bit left in, he was so keen to make sure he got everything on the list that he bought branded coffee at twice the price!!  I really do appreciate the effort and keenness as he has taken on the challenge of shopping under these circumstances, I'm trying not to complain about the items he picks up that are overpriced.  

Sometimes the only items left on the shelves are the pricey ones. And even basic goods have gone up in price. Not sure if there are genuine shortages, difficulty in transportation or just price gouging. Certainly the latter with some online sellers! Just check out some of the prices on Am*zon or Eb*y for really ordinary items

I can't go to supermarkets and best if OH doesn't either, as I am in the so called shielded group due to a medical condition, so I am having everything delivered. I struggle to get supermarket deliveries (as does everyone) so am making the most of the milkman and local butchers, whom I always use, plus various local farm shops that have started to offer delivery, to supplement the quite good store cupboard / freezer contents I always keep in, and bits from the garden which are quite sparse at this time of the year (it isn't traditionally called the 'hungry gap' for nothing) .... but my food budget has been well and truly blown this month.

Frugaldom

Welcome back, FrankieM! 
Mumtoomany, the lambs are gorgeous - dare I ask if they are reared for home use?

We have been keepng busy trying to create our allotment-style food garden and now have 9 raised beds but we're having to fill them with composted horse manure as there is a distinct lack of soil and all the compost we had is gone. Serious composting project needed here as well as everything else I want to do. My water barrrels and tanks are fast emptying with no rain to refill them. It that makes a difference from wet weather and mud.

Budget-wise, still not spending much on anything and saving extra on the heating as it isn't needed. Food shopping is at an absolute minimum while relying on local village stores. I have flour, eggs, porridge oats, rice, pasta, lentils, broth mix and cous cous along with a range of herbs and spices so we'll survive a while longer. The only thing worth picking from garden produce is the perpetual spinach beet so I may put covers over the salad leaves and spring onions to help speed them up a bit. (And hope the weather doesn't take a turn for the worst over the next few weeks.) Porridge breakfasts and soup lunches are almost daily.

FrankieM

Thanks Frugaldom

I've done a freezer inventory and have got a meal plan for this coming week.
Now that there's two of us, there's someone else to consider in all things homey. That's going to take some getting used to and some communication...wish me luck!

Siebrie

DD1 (11) was dreaming out loud: 'what if - after we renovate the house - we renovate the garden, and have lots of flowerbeds?'. Me: 'honey, what do you think I have been doing for the last few weeks???'

mumtoomany

Hi all, glad we all seem to be surviving this strange time. Frugaldom,in answer to your question. We do eat our own lamb and mutton, also pork (the piglets will be named sage and onion when they arrive) and cockerals when we've too many. We eat meat anyway, so at least I know we are eating meat that has had a happy life. Most of the ram lambs will go to market as fat lambs, (ready for slaughter) or store lambs,( to be grown a bit bigger by someone else) We usually either save two lambs for the freezer or, if any ewes are not producing or not good, e.g. always getting mastitus, we send a couple of them instead. I'm a big softy, in that we always send two, so they are not lonely on the way. Sorry if all this offends anyone. 
Right tea break over, back to the polytunnel, or as it is being renamed, the mouse larder! Mumtoomany.

CraftyLittleLisa

Its been a while since I posted on here.  I haven't been spending as much money as usual which is not surprising.  I'm still struggling a little to get into a routine but I guess I will get there eventually.  A few frugal things have happened to me over the last 3 weeks:

- I got given some plants to put in my garden.

- I used some half empty packets of baking ingredients to make flapjacks,

- I baked some fruit as it was past its best and had it as pudding over a couple of days.

- I turned some old courgettes into courgette cake.

- I discovered some potatoes that had started to shoot so I have put them in some soil to see if I can get a harvest from them later this year.

- I tidied up the edges of my allotment plot and path with bricks and slabs I had stored behind my shed at the allotment.

- To stock up my compost I sorted my compost heap to take out the compost that was ready to be used.

- I have done an inventory of my fridge and freezer to make sure I know what I have so I can do proper meal planning.

- I have also compiled a list of jobs that I can do over the lockdown period that don't need supplies.  Hopefully they will keep me going until the lockdown starts to ease and I can get supplies again.

- I've started running again and doing Youtube yoga classes to keep myself mobile whilst I cannot go to my usual exercise classes.

I think that is pretty much all the frugal things I have done.  Not much of a list I suppose but its something.

Frugaldom

mumtoomany said:

Sorry if all this offends anyone. 
Right tea break over, back to the polytunnel, or as it is being renamed, the mouse larder!

No offence taken, I grew up on a beef farm but i doesn't mean we are cruel animal killers. We have more than enough of them within the abuse, neglect and black market regions. I actually worry about what could be going on right now while on lockdown with no customers for the likes of puppy or pet farmers and if the lockdown doesn't lift before the likes of Appleby horse fair - or any animal sales outside of agriculture - then things look very dire, indeed, for many animals. Likewise with all the other animal-related businesses and projects who rely on visitor income & donations just to feed their animals. If so many people have lost their incomes or have them reduced to 80% then they won't be wanting to donate to any other charity apart from NHS-related.

We really are living in times of needs, not wants so there has to be a silver lining - think positive. The environmental may have a chance to self-heal, millions more people are discovering that exercising outdoors can be fun and free. People are having to learn to cook and clean for themselves, many youngsters are learning about health & hygiene and I'm sure many more will be educating themselves in the principles of frugal living, budgeting, recycling, making do & mending, composting, crafting, reading, creative writing, art, observing nature... frugality offers so much for so little and all the whiles saving or investing money for the next rainy day.

STAY HOME, STAY SAFE, STAY SANE, STAY CHEERFUL, LOVE FRUGAL LIVING