2021 Frugal Living Challenge

willow_loulou

Aw thanks Blackcats. It’s taken a long time to get here and I slip often! I post it here so I keep a check on myself! 

Ellie79

Cheers @Blackcats! 

Done my food shop online. Last week of spending a bit too much. But am cooking a nice meal for the OH on Saturday. He hasn't complained once about all the things. He has now got a permanent stoma and it's a big shock to the system for him. I think we deserve a bit of a treat. 


DD2 back to school soon and I will be back to work (1st time since 1st lockdown) so need to clear the freezer a bit for batch cooking. Now I feel a bit more on top of things I can face it again! 

I always think with the darker nights drawing in it is that bit easier to wrap up and crochet or craft, or just chill with whatever your favourite pastime is. I'll not be sorry to see the end of this year for obvious reasons. Chin chin 

elbree

Congratulations @Ellie79 on your good news, so pleased for you and the family. I think from your username we might have weirdly parallel lives! I've been following along and inspired the last few weeks but not being very frugal, it's so hard in the holidays. Plus I've had to lend my ex £600 which has knocked a big hole in my little savings pots.

Just need to make it to payday/start of term without making things too much worse. Not easy when my brother, wife and 3 kids coming to stay today and it's like feeding a plague of locusts! 

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

Blackcats said:

 I was surprised how much recipients liked them - homemade with love seems so much more meaningful than shop bought.  So relaxing to sit and crochet in the evening.

I got a few blankets when my 2 boys were born and the ones I loved the most were the ones that people made for me. My neighbour crocheted them one each when they were born that were lovely. They were a pram size blanket and when they had outgrown them I didnt want to stop using them so I asked her very nicely if I paid for the materials if she could make them bigger. She put a border around them in a different colour and made them single bed sized. I can now use them in the winter on the boys beds and I love that they are still getting used. 

Tanya12345

Good News Ellie79.
Well done Kitty, first time is always the most scary - it gets easier !
By the end of the summer I actually look forward to Winter evenings, love being snuggled up in front of the woodburner !! Will try Youtube and see if I can master some skills this year - it's all too easy to veg out mindlessly in front of the TV. Am determined this year to make gifts for birthdays etc not leave it so late I end up buying something....
Had a frugal win yesterday when son came home from work with 2 cooked chickens !! 
Going to check out the blackberries today and see if there are enough to start some wine - first time for this, but if it works I'll be a very happy/tipsy bunny !!
Have a great Frugal Friday everyone xx

leftatthetrafficlights

I don't think I've been on this thread since the end of January!! 🙈 probably a good job really, it's been an expensive 8 months - much of it planned and budgeted for but an awful lot of frivolous spending too! 😔 Oh well, can't change the past but I can shape my future so that's what I'm aiming to do 😉 

On the frugal front, I have grown quite a bit of veg this year - although I hope to do more next year 😊 - and have been very good at using it all. I've made random things with leftovers and I've wasted almost no food at all 🙌 I'm currently working through my enormous food stockpiles (changes in living arrangements means it's a slow process) and taking a 'mystery' box out of the freezers weekly to use up! 😂 I've also made plenty of preserves etc for winter use so hopefully I'll be able to reduce my food bill quite considerably over the next few months. 

I got blinds for my kitchen windows this year which I am hoping will reduce the need for heating in there - and I've been squirreling away wood and coal for the winter too 😊 

I intend to think before I buy- thankfully, I'm pretty much set for 'needs' now so there is no excuse for not being as frugal as possible for the next six months at least! 😉

Jazee

I've been to the community fridge today.  I got runner beans, mange tout, plums, blueberries, salad tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, and a bunch of lilies.  

Lunch was a sandwich with salad from the garden.  We've been using what we harvest as we go and I've just had a bowl of raspberries and blackberries.
We had £40 left in the budget for this week and have just spent exactly that on emergency denture repair for DH so we will definitely be eating from stores this week.

Tanya12345

Oh Jazee I feel your pain, I thought I'd salvaged some funds for my emergency fund then the pig got sick ...... I guess at least it means we had the funds to cover the costs !!
Hi Leftat, I also jumped back on the thread after a long absence, so glad this is a place free from judgement !
Unexpected offer of dinner out tonight so the pasta sauce will live to feed another day !! xx

AnimalTribe

Hi

I’ve been reading along for hints and inspiration to keep me on the straight and narrow, but not posting. I could do with being a bit more frugal as I’m trying to increase my gardening pot. A tree surgeon has felled and reduced the crowns on some of my trees this year, but I need to start rabbit proofing the garden, which will be costly as the garden is fairly large. Although I love to see the rabbits they’ve eaten the majority of everything I’ve sown this year. They’ve even managed to eat stuff I was growing in old baths, raised on bricks, and protected by old net curtains.

On the plus side I now have plenty of wood for the wood burner, and lots of wood chippings for mulching.

My frugal wins today have been freezing an overstock of eggs, and reaching the £25 mark on Microsoft Rewards.

Ellie79

Tidied food cupboards. I have enough pasta, packets of cous cous, mixed grains and rice to last a lifetime. Better shuffle the meal plan around to suit and see what works for OH's dietary requirements. Next is an inventory of the chest freezer. I know we have too much of a food stash. This is my doing as I get a bit panicky when we are not stocked up. I think knowing this and working with it is a good way to cope. 

Trying to work up the confidence to attempt a blanket for the my new grandaughter as an Xmas present. Not convinced I am anywhere near good enough but I can manage a more than passable granny square, so perhaps I shall try with my yarn stash and make a practice one first. The weather certainly makes you feel like bunkering down, drinking tea and crafting!