2021 Frugal Living Challenge

girlybags

jak said:

Hi guys, just been catching up with the thread. Everyone is doing so great. It inspires me to see what you are all doing. I had the Horrible Job of working out spends for food shopping etc for my full mortgage application..... Very Bad. However, it’s been 3 weeks of no food deliveries at all and we Still have food in the house! Crazy. I’ve spent about £20 in total on fresh stuff but still have at least 5 full meals I can make with no shop. We are away over half term to visit my Grandma so that will help. It’s looking like I’ll have to do one delivery before we move at least as it’ll be at least 12 weeks! 

Blimey, this house buying business is long winded. However, my plan is to do a huge meal plan and Only get what I need. One treat a week for £1 for my son who is being great about the new budget. He told me yesterday when I was stressed that we are in this together and he will do whatever he can to help. What a sweetie. 

Off to raid the freezer to plan dinner. Thankfully we only have a few tins of beans left. I am Over beans....
J x

Oh, bless your son, what a good lad!
I could eat beans until they came out of my ears!! Beans on toast has been a favourite since I was a kid 😁 
We're still eating out of the freezer, trying to get it emptied but think it will take a couple of weeks. Cheap shopping bills in the meantime though 👍

MazzieD

You haven't mentioned what happened about your water bills asparklyblonde.  Did you get the reduction?.

My water bill has just arrived and I've managed to save £20.04 on consumption compared to my last 6 months bill and a credit of £67.20 where they kept increasing my DD if I used slightly more water so I'm more than happy I cancelled the DD!.  I had already planned for water bills in my budget so I'll pay twice yearly for actual use now.

MazzieD

Oops, I should mention I have a water meter so it is actual useage and not based on the other system, can't even remember what that was!.  I've had a water meter for years and it's now compulsory with my water company.  You can imagine the screams and moans from larger families who were using gallons of water and not paying for what they actually use!.

@jak house or flat buying is a nightmare timescale particularly if there are surveys and mortgages involved.  Can take even longer sometimes if the property is leasehold.  I'll think of you every time I buy tins of beans!.

QueenJess

Hi all. I've started following this thread with interest. I'd love to join in, but I am very much hampered at the moment juggling a 4 year old and an 8 week old; the latter of which point blank refuses to sleep not on a person right now... So I am extremely sleep deprived right now and can't do much food shopping/cooking.

I think where I am is that I don't mind spending money on good quality things, but I don't like spending money where it is just unnecessary or things I am just not interested in. For example electricity is dull, but unfortunately necessary so I like to try and keep it to a minimum and spend my money elsewhere. I am also mindful of waste from an environmental perspective and want to work on that, which should tie in.

I'd love to be able to have the option of not working, but need money to do that into savings/mortgage/pension.

As I am not doing the food shopping and almost none of the evening meal cooking, I am currently just concentrating on wasting no food and using lunch times to do that (along with the trusty freezer). I do a little baking in the mornings with a little one strapped to me asleep to keep DH and DS away from the expensive snacks and to provide filling desserts.

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

Queenjess I was going to suggest a wrap to carry baby but I see you mentioned you have one. I had my 2 boys 15 months apart and the only thing I found that gave me any freedom from constantly holding them was a joie 360 swing chair. It was expensive but the best purchase I made. I had it in the kitchen/diner and they could see me whilst I got bits done in the kitchen. 

willow_loulou

So I’m sitting here writing a shopping list and I’m trying to decide between delivery and actually going shopping. I lurch between the 2 because I hate my deliveries coming not in bags. It’s such an effort for me as I can’t lift or bend well. I wish they would just use paper bags or boxes or something if you need it. Sigh. So I’m thinking maybe a click and collect instead so I can pack my bags at the collection point. I’m just so tired I want it delivered 😂 honestly I need to get a grip! 

So who do you all use for delivery options? 

DawnW

willow_loulou said:

So I’m sitting here writing a shopping list and I’m trying to decide between delivery and actually going shopping. I lurch between the 2 because I hate my deliveries coming not in bags. It’s such an effort for me as I can’t lift or bend well. I wish they would just use paper bags or boxes or something if you need it. Sigh. So I’m thinking maybe a click and collect instead so I can pack my bags at the collection point. I’m just so tired I want it delivered 😂 honestly I need to get a grip! 

So who do you all use for delivery options? 

I agree @willow-loulou it is such a scrabble at the door when shopping deliveries arrive, trying to unload crates on the ground while attempting to socially distance from the invariably unmasked delivery driver - especially if it is raining as well! I am not disabled, but not as good at bending and lifting as I once was.

Iceland still deliver in bags if you have one in your area, and are good value too. Sadly their range is a bit limited, but it is less of an effort just picking up the 'extras' at another supermarket if most of the bulk stuff is delivered.

willow_loulou

Ah just discovered Ocado still do bags and free delivery for tomorrow, so they have my business. They also have a better free from range. Very impressed. 2 weeks of crazy working I’ve no hope of managing a shop so phew! I can rest today and tomorrow and hem my bargain net curtain. 

I just compared the price of my shop to my Tesco basket - there’s 1.50 ish in it and that’s cancelled out by the £4.50 delivery charge from Tesco. Blimey. 

Also got another box of gifted books to send off when I go for fuel, £6.87. Nice! 

QueenJess

Mummy2cheekymonkeys said:

Queenjess I was going to KOsuggest a wrap to carry baby but I see you mentioned you have one. I had my 2 boys 15 months apart and the only thing I found that gave me any freedom from constantly holding them was a joie 360 swing chair. It was expensive but the best purchase I made. I had it in the kitchen/diner and they could see me whilst I got bits done in the kitchen. 

I was given a carrier free by a neighbour (2nd hand) when I had my first and it was a lifesaver as he had really bad reflux and needed to be upright all the time.

I'm less worried about the daytime at the moment, but the nights are killing me. We have to hold her in shifts.  I feel like she will sleep on her own, but I just need to keep trying (unlike DS who I never had a chance with). Going to ram the cot right up against the bed later so she feels like she is sleeping next to me and will see if that helps at night.

willow_loulou

Ahh @QueenJess I feel your pain, my daughter couldn’t lay flat and I had to carry her. I ended up putting her in a car seat so I could sleep as she would eventually rock off in it. It’s not ideal, but the longest she slept in it was about 2 hours so it wasn’t bad for her. It just gave me a chance to sleep between night feeds. I hope you get it figured out soon!