2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Day 2 - no household spends and all meals from what is in the cupboard. There's enough in to last quite some time, especially as every time I cook something it leaves enough leftovers for freezing. Prioritising leftovers into some sort of meal plan is probably the best solution for festive leftovers. I have to say that lentil soup with added carrots and pigs in blankets tastes OK and soda scone toasted with cheese and topped with cheese coleslaw also tastes OK. I call it frugal gourmet.

StrawberrySuze

I had a large haul of veg and oranges from Olio a few days ago so have been eating more veg ever since! I'm storing the spare in the garage. Tonight's tea was ys sausages, mash made with free potatoes, carrots 4p a bag, free sprouts and parsnips, gravy made with free onion and mushrooms and orange cake made with free oranges and free duck eggs. It was all very tasty 😋 I was on Olio for 2 years before actually collecting anything as there was hardly anything on there. It is scary to see the amount of food that the fwhs have been collecting around Christmas time, that would all have been chucked last year 😳
I don't have any fwhs near here though and do have to travel so it is only worth it if I'm collecting quite a few things. I usually take the dogs to the beach on the way back which I would do anyway so that justifies a few of the miles!

I also randomly collected household flea spray from someone which would have cost about £20 so did well there and we had a lovely sunny beach walk on the way home 🤗

Did a bit of money juggling today and managed another payment to the one remaining debt, have to do another balance transfer in a couple of weeks though as the 0% ends and hoping to pay it off altogether in the next 6 months. 

StrawberrySuze

Frugaldom said:

Day 2 - no household spends and all meals from what is in the cupboard. There's enough in to last quite some time, especially as every time I cook something it leaves enough leftovers for freezing. Prioritising leftovers into some sort of meal plan is probably the best solution for festive leftovers. I have to say that lentil soup with added carrots and pigs in blankets tastes OK and soda scone toasted with cheese and topped with cheese coleslaw also tastes OK. I call it frugal gourmet.

Or frugal fusion!

[Deleted User]

Checking in. Happy new year all.

1st - spent no money and used up the food leftover from the festive period.

2nd - had to spend some money on food today as I have stuff for me and the older boy, both doing veganuary, but nothing my mum and the younger ones would eat. Fussy things that they are. Spent £35.66. Didn't buy anything naughty for a change. Forgot the bags though so had to buy 3 at 50p each! Still we walked home and saved taxi money.

I have to buy a car next week, so I'm trying to weigh up the lower initial cost vs lower running cost of older vehicles. I need to be able to get to work and university which is an hour away. No public transport gets me there on time and so I'll be forking out for that. But I plan on doing the impossible (for me at least) and saving money each month towards MOT and emergency fund etc. Fingers crossed I can find something reliable!

balabooberlies

Sorry

what does 'fwhs' stand for ?

bala

House_Elf_2

Frugaldom said:

House_Elf_2 said:

ldee2111 said

I’m going to try out some extra frugal things  - old school tricks that would make my gran proud - dilute the fruit juice, dilute the laundry detergent, cut the exact amount of baking parchment I need instead of tearing off a whole sheet for a sausage roll, that kind of thing. Some things may not be worth it but I’ll enjoy trying them out anyway. I’ll have a search online for more ideas. And maybe some fellow frugalers have their own suggestions?

Hi Idee years ago I visited a factory that made laundry products for supermarket own brands......basically they were all the same recipe, apart from the colour! The chap showing us around advised us to use at least half the amount of washing powder recommended on the pack, and double dilute all conditioners, as the 'recommended amounts' were designed to make you use more......He also advised cutting dishwasher tablets in half.

I make 'Washing Gloop'. There are 7 people at home at the moment, and It saves a fortune in washing powder. (It costs about £1 per month, plus the effort of making it!).

Frugal On!

I posted link to the homemade laundry gloop on here yesterday - saves an absolute fortune over the years

Thanks Frugaldom: I times your recipe by 4 ........ I make mine by boiling half a bucket of water in a stock pot. Take it off the heat. Add 4 grated bars of soap, (Tesco 15p each). When it has dissolved into the water, add 4 cups of soda crystals. Pour back into the bucket, and top up the bucket with cold water. Give a good stir. This sets like blancmange. I use about 3 tablespoons in the washing machine drum. (I add a little spoon of Vanish For the white wash 😔). This will last about half a term 🙂

Mummy2cheekymonkeys: Totally agree with you. I have had the dreaded virus at the beginning of November, and I am still short of breath and have bouts of extreme fatigue. ☹️ 

Keep safe 🙂

2sonmum

Can I join please feeling really motivated to become more frugal this year waste far to much in our house x

shabbychic12

Had a look at my freezer and cupboards and lm going to try not to shop for the next 2 weeks. Will be hard but need to push myself to have ago. I don’t want to become miserable whilst being frugal so it is a balancing act for me as l can go too far with it.

mumof3.12kindebt

Morning everyone 
I hope you are all well.. I have a huge list of things to do today. What I don't get done today will roll over to tomorrow so hopefully I'll get most of it done 
Have a lovely frugal day everyone 

KatyLovesCats

willow_loulou said:

@KatyLovesCats I’m disabled and on ESA as well as working part time. You can do permissible work if its only a few hours per week. Eg. £20 a week and you can do that indefinitely without loss to your income. It’s up to I think £100 a week ish but that amount you can only do for a year. It’s designed to give you a break whilst trying to get back into more hours. Chat to your advisor, if they don’t know as for one that deals with disability. You may not class yourself as disabled but you’re certainly less able if you’re on ESA and need to do what’s best for you. Also consider applying for pip if you’ve not already and look for warm home grants from your utilities supplier. I get £140 from BGas as I’m in fuel poverty. 

Do PM me (and tag me in here if you do) if you need any help x 

Hi Willow and thanks. I don't have an ESA advisor as I get Income based and I'm in the support group, so I think I can earn up to £140 and not work over 16 hours per week, I did do a little bit of work last year but it was temporary but the money was very welcome as was the ability to get and and do something. I did also apply for PIP but didn't get it and there was very little point appealing as I feel like I'm coming out the other side of my health issues now (fingers very much crossed!) As for the warm homes grant, I've been getting that for the past few years with EDF, it came early this year which was very welcome as I've just moved house and am paying for gas as well as electric now. Thank you for all your advice, it seems like I'm doing and have done the right things I just need to get more money into the house.