2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Bluegreen143

I too am longing for the hen lockdown to end. They do have a very large roofed run (about 3x the size of the greenhouse) and I’ve only got 3 so they are OK in there but I miss them pecking and clucking about the garden and my 2yo keeps asking to let them out bless her.

I used to always shop at Lidl and it saves so much! When I was pregnant with DD (2.5y ago) I developed pelvic pain and couldn’t push a shopping trolley, especially as I had a toddler in tow too. So switched to Tesco deliveries. Then I ended up staying with the deliveries as found the baby (who didn’t sleep) + preschooler combination also quite hard work. 

I’d just gotten back into shopping at Lidl when she was about 1 and then when lockdown happened we switched back to deliveries (with a few Lidl trips in the summer)! But I went to Lidl yesterday and only spent £57 on the food portion (£75 altogether but included wine on my fun money, beer on husband’s, cleaning stuff etc) whereas a while back my Tesco shop had crept up to £75 just for the food bit!

Think I need to switch back to Lidl permanently except nipping to Tesco for bits Lidl don’t do (eg ethnic ingredients), I’m just trying to get the into a good routine now I’m working and figuring out when is best to go - now I’ve only got Friday/Saturday/Sunday with the kids I don’t really want to use those days at the supermarket. 

zafiro1984

Hi, Note to all folk who keep hens.
If you sell the eggs as I do - from the 14th of this month you have to call them  'barn eggs' not 'free range eggs' as they have been in lockdown since the 14/12/20 ie 3 months. I've drastically cut back on hens this last 3yrs and now only have just over 60, including one pet which broke it's leg last year and now lives with the horses. I've tried to put her back with the others several times but she was not happy, I'm sure she thinks she is human. However, I'm still on the gov radar for regulations.
Good job I decided not to have Christmas turkeys last year due to Covid, keeping them under cover would have been a nightmare. 

willow_loulou

I wish our Lidl fruit and veg was worth buying, nothing has any longevity much beyond day of purchase and as for the state of the spuds 😳 the only thing I bought in my last shop was asparagus tips. I moved the box for new ones as the top ones were slimy. I don’t mind imperfect stuff, but I do object to paying not much less than Tsco on bashed, old and withered stuff. It’s a new store yet seems so grubby! I cannot wait for A’di to open and hope it’s run as well as the one I currently drive out too. 

joedenise

That's the exact opposite to us @willow_loulou - our Lidl is pretty good but the Aldi is really grubby.  I have to drive to whichever I go to but I would always choose Lidl over Aldi.  The fruit and veg doesn't last as long as from Mr Ts but I just buy enough for 2-3 days at a time and it lasts that long.

MazzieD

Not getting much done this morning.  Live next door to two very noisy dogs who bark at anything and everything.  A tree is being felled nearby and the combination of petrol chainsaws and dogs barking is driving me to distraction. The owner has just shut the dogs up for a few minutes until they kick off again so  I'm sitting here with a cuppa deciding what to do with my veg, I'm scoffing nectarines today, there were 11 in the box.

@elbree no you don't need to get out more (difficult in lockdown anyway!).  A brand new L*dl is a cause for excitement, we had a small one for years, they extended it twice and then built a big new one further along the road and re-located.  Actually whilst on the subject,  one of the branches I visit is a small one in the city centre and I've never seen a F&V  box in there.   I've noticed sandwich bar and restaurant vans parked outside when they open so it might be about location, you see people pushing trolleys round full of milk. digestives, fruit and veg and all sorts so they probably don't get much left over.

There are no food share, community fridges or anything else here that I can find, so I'll be concentrating on getting 2-3 boxes a month if I can.  There is a new 'out of date' warehouse open to the public (no fresh food, just tins, bottles and dried goods by the look of it) probably large bulk buys more suited to families but might have a look if I'm passing as it's out of my way. 

MazzieD

@willow_loulou That's appalling, L*dl are really hot on hygiene, quality fruit and veg etc here.  The Area Director does a weekly visit to all 5 city stores and the Manager gets an earful if anything is slightly amiss. (I used to know the Manager of my local one but sadly he has transferred to another branch).  A friend of mine is a Senior Produce Manager at Sainsbobs, he thinks L*dl is much better and fresher for fruit and veg!..

I used to only shop at A!di, I got put off at the beginning of lockdown due to the huge queues and kept getting stuck in rush hour traffic/school run before lockdown as I have to drive there and it's not a good location, always seem to be roadworks going on!.

elbree

Thanks @MazzieD! It's nice to be understood on here, my other friends would think I'm barmy to be excited by a L*dl but most of them are private sector, not single parents and have more money! Been really interesting tracking my food spends this month and making an effort to shop from my cupboards instead. Also applied for a tax rebate on union funds I never knew I might be entitled to (thanks MSE!) 🤞

annieb64

We have just got a Lidl. As I said to DD the other day the high spot of my week was my shopping trip. I only went in for a couple of things and spent £17!

[Deleted User]

It's a glorious morning here today and I am feeling quite virtuous.  Got a washing done and hung out on the line before leaving for work to take advantage of the best of the weather. 

It's interesting to see the chat regarding Lidl.  There has been a Lidl in my town for around 12 years now and I shop there for everything other than certain meats as I get that from a local independent butcher shop.  A couple of years ago an Aldi opened up next door to the Lidl and I was delighted.  I still shop mainly in Lidl but get a few things from Aldi too.  In both shops the quality of the fruit and veg is excellent.  Having these shops local has been a godsend in terms of frugality as, not only do they offer better value, before they opened I'd need to travel into other towns to access the supermarkets, so I am saving on petrol too.

Frugal plans this weekend for me are:
Photograph chair to sell on gumtree.
Food plan and shop.  It's the final shop of the month for us and we have done well with our grocery budget this month.  
Tidy the garden and housework.  May do some baking.
Declutter and sell what I can.

Living_proof

There were masses of boxes at my big Lidl this morning and one had two vines of small tomatoes so I took that one as the box at £1.50 was cheaper than buying these alone. Also in the box 2 caulis, beetroot, 3 nectarines, 2 leeks, large orange, red pepper and potatoes, 3 lemons and a corn cob which I have given to a neighbour. Now off to make soup.