2021 Frugal Living Challenge

balabooberlies

Thank you Wort

Think I should try without oil, only stones and stones to lose....

zafiro1984

Undercooked roast pots free really well as do cooked but not browned chips. 
 
I find that in June/July the new potatoes from the veg plot go soft after a couple of weeks so I have been known (if I have room in the freezers) to spend a couple of afternoons making chips, mash and roasties and open freezing them. It usually tides me over until the main crops are dug up starting in September.

I don't freeze onions, I use old tights or the net bags you get from oranges to store them. However onions don't store as well as shallots so I usually run out by New Year but the shallots will take me through until May when the first onions are ready again.

marionmgcars

bala - I usually do lots of jacket potatoes in the oven, cool and then freeze wrapped in tin foil.  just defrost and use them when needed and they do not take as long, as you are only warming them.

I got my first £1.50 Ldl F&V box today - went for one with more fruit in, granny smith apples, nectarines, gala melon, grapes, also had hug bag of onions in, so I wil be chopping and freezing as recommended.

zafiro1984

I think it's time I ventured out to Lidl, I haven't been in a supermarket since Feb. 2020, The only trips out have been to the docs, hospital or festival hall for my vaccination. Think of all the petrol I've saved 

Shopping has been all on-line but the frugal side of me is intrigued by the £1.50 F&V boxes. They sound amazing value for money. Do all Lidl have them and what do you have to do to get one? I think I'll pluck up courage and venture out, I'll be wearing my 'spacesuit' but it sounds as if it's worth using the petrol 

joedenise

@zafiro1984  I don't know if it's the same at all Lidl's but my local ones they are on the "packing" shelf beyond the tills.  Stupid place in my opinion but I go and look first before doing any shopping to see if there are any and then just carry back to trolley which I've left before the tills - wouldn't want anyone thinking I was trying get out without paying!).

I've only managed to get a couple and both times were about 9.30am but it seems that every store is different.  At my sister's local store she was told they're normally put out about 9.45am but she'd never seen them but went down the other day about 8.30am and got a box so it seems even the shops themselves aren't sure when they boxes are put out!  It's just a case of pot luck!

Good luck in finding one.

balabooberlies

Thanks Marion, didn't think of jacket potatoes.  And what a great box !

bala

elbree

You lovely lot are full of great ideas, freezing sandwiches blew my mind 😂. Finally made it into my new huge L*dl. It was VERY exciting. I was good though and stuck to the list. Spent £7 and had a whole lovely basket of F and V. Great value. Did nearly buy a tent! Frugal holiday? 

MazzieD

Just got back from a quick visit to Company HQ.  The original plan was that I would spend a couple of days a month there and stay with my Sister who lives much nearer and WFH rest of the time but it all went a bit pear shaped due to Covid!.  They paid for overnight studio apartment, not really a break though and didn't manage to see my Sister!.

Got back to total chaos, vans everywhere, more tree work and someone having a new driveway put in.  Normally it's a really quiet side road.

Anyway, all I'm going to add about L*dl boxes is that they aren't guaranteed so don't make a special journey unless you live close by and are going to shop there anyway.  My local has a really large fruit and veg section, so it's almost guaranteed that they have boxes virtually every day but it's a matter of timing it right.

balabooberlies

zafiro1984 said:

Undercooked roast pots free really well as do cooked but not browned chips. 
 
I find that in June/July the new potatoes from the veg plot go soft after a couple of weeks so I have been known (if I have room in the freezers) to spend a couple of afternoons making chips, mash and roasties and open freezing them. It usually tides me over until the main crops are dug up starting in September.

I don't freeze onions, I use old tights or the net bags you get from oranges to store them. However onions don't store as well as shallots so I usually run out by New Year but the shallots will take me through until May when the first onions are ready again.

Missed your post Zafiro

so admire what you do.  Have only ever grown one lot of beetroot in a wheelbarrow !

bala

jak

Hi guys, 
thanks for all the driving encouragement! Hunting for an instructor atm. Bit tricky with covid delays but I’m sure I’ll find someone soon... 
I also freeze onions. Very useful and helped a lot during lockdown when I couldn’t get out at all.  

Off to view 2 houses today! Greatly excited! Eek! Xxx