2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

emilysmile said:

How can i join ?

You just did. All it takes is an interest in the topic and trying the lifestyle for yourself. Welcome on board and may your moneysaving and/or debt busting days be fun but frugal.

willow_loulou

Booked another To good to go magic bag today for a M&S, I’ve widened by collection distance by just moving the area circle left, Although it’s technically the same distance it’s a better road and I can get petrol on the way which I will need tonight. I’m really interested to see what is in a Marks bag. 

I’ve been listening to the carbon reduction target chat on BBC, it’s made me rethink how insulated my house is. It’s almost 100 yrs old and was badly maintained before I got it. It’s not much better now lol but it’s improving. I’m thinking of more insulation and putting the front door replacement up on the priority list. I don’t have gas in my house, I don’t like it, so now is probably a good time to look at other upstairs heating methods 

MazzieD

Think there must be some sort of opt in or out for national supermarkets and food halls on Too Good To Go.  Despite having a Waitrose and 2 M&S food halls locally, neither are on there.  We also have loads of Greggs and Costa's but not every branch is on the app.

Just eaten a pink grapefruit, it's good to try a few different fruits and veg courtesy of my latest box. The only slight problem is the amount of onions in every box, usually at least 4 but this one had 16 onions in it!. Looks like I'll be making some French Onion Soup and other recipes with onions as the main ingredient or I could just give them away.

angela110660

Onions- chop and freeze in bags til you need some for a recipe is what I would do. 16 is rather a lot, 

willow_loulou

MazzieD said:

Think there must be some sort of opt in or out for national supermarkets and food halls on Too Good To Go.  Despite having a Waitrose and 2 M&S food halls locally, neither are on there.  We also have loads of Greggs and Costa's but not every branch is on the app.

The ones I’ve got are smaller ones attached to garages rather than full supermarkets, maybe that’s the difference 

MazzieD

angela110660 said:

Onions- chop and freeze in bags til you need some for a recipe is what I would do. 16 is rather a lot, 

Thanks, I always forget raw onions can be frozen.

@willow_loulou  think you're right, none attached to garages here as far as I know.  Interesting about insulation, my semi-detached was built in 1890 and does tend to be a bit cool despite central heating and double glazing due to the cottage style layout.  There is a dg porch but it seems to let drafts in through the wood front door   My last house had cavity wall insulation and loft insulation and it made quite a difference despite being around the same age.   Both had been installed by the previous owner so no idea of costs.

Living_proof

I just cannot help myself. I went to Lidl to buy tomatoes and cucumber and came out with yet another box! I could justify it because there were 8 large vine tomatoes in there, and the £1.50 for the box is about 40p cheaper than buying them in the plastic wrappers. Then there was the added bonus of two aubergines, a courgette, several beetroot, head of celery,5 bananas, 2 peaches, baby carrots, new potatoes and one manky brocolli which went straight in the hotbin. I also took the opportunity of using the Lidl Plus app although I don't think I will ever spend enough to get a discount!

@MazzieD we don't have M & S or Waitrose etc. here and most of the TGTG produce is Greggs, Costa, etc. I did discover today however that Bookers Cash and Carry are shortly joining the Olio group which might be interesting!

MazzieD

@Living_proof  You don't need to justify getting a L*dl box, it's food waste and you are doing your bit by buying it and saving yourself some money in the process.  Sounds like a good one as well.

Sadly had to chuck the nectarines in the compost bin from mine, they had all rotted inside but I still think it's good value and that's the first time I've had to do that, most of it is reasonable quality and lasts a few days. Chopping and freezing onions later, had a good look at them and they seem to be in really good condition so not sure why they end up in the boxes.

willow_loulou

I always chop and freeze half the onions I get. I tend to buy the bigger packs because they are smaller onions so always have more than I could use. I love having it chopped ready to go, it makes meal prep on work days much easier. 

Have actually sold something on ebay! and listed a few more bits on FB marketplace. I will get this garden financed!

elbree

Good work @willow_loulou! Every penny helps! I'm interested in the Too Good to go - is it an app you're using?