2021 Frugal Living Challenge

AnimalTribe

Tanya12345 if only damsons would grow in my part of the UK.
QueenJess it sounds as if your garden produces well. Hopefully mine will next year once the rabbit holes have gone.
Someone mentioned rowan(mountain ash) chutney to me the other day. That is a tree that does well here, so I might give that a go. I've used rowan for jelly and wine in the past and they have both been good.
When I order heating oil I make sure I order less than 2,300 litres as below this VAT for domestic users is 5%, above this amount VAT is charged at 20%

Frugaldom

Hi guys, just popping in for a quick catch up and hoping everyone is doing ok, recovering quickly and resolving their money worries without getting overly stressed. Life goes on so no point worrying too much about anything that's out of our control.

We still don't have our panning permission though yet (almost 7 months) but we do now have an 'Aire', which the local council is agreeing to for anyone with the space to offer up to 3 campervans, motor homes or caravans overnight parking space. The Frugaldom one, like most things frugal, is being operated on a 'free to park' basis and I got one of those PayPal QR code packs so if anyone wanted to leave a contribution towards the project then they can. I'll sort out an honesty box by our 'Trading Post' for everything else.

0lio has been good recently so I'm trying to store potatoes for as long as possible, as we have loads. Currently, I'm trying them packed in dry shavings inside an 80 litre bucket, sat out of direct sunlight. I don't have any dry peat so this is the best I had available. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and plums being picked and the rhubarb needs thinning out again so I've asked friend to pick me up more sugar so I can make more jam to see us through the winter. There are thousands of rowan berries here and the elderberries are just beggining to come so I have no lack of choice. Just wish we could entice a few foragers here to help themselves.

Finances - I cannot believe the price of some things. The supermarkets' own saver brands are vanishing even faster now while other things have doubled in price. Time, once again, to stock up on pasta, rice, lentils, flour, oil, herbs and spices. And now I have just remembered that I forgot to water my cucumbers again, so I hope they survive this heat. SW Scotland has had incredibly little rain over the past 5 months so the water tanks are all almost empty again. I'd wanted a couple more tanks but cannot source them for love nor money, A friend has finally managed to track me down a secondhand one for £50.00 If it wasn't for things like Olio and the neighbourly swaps & shares (food and other goods) there is no way my monthly budget would cope with all the price increases.

Good luck to everyone as we get into September and I sincerely hope there are no further lockdowns. It isn't looking great for parts of Scotland at the minute.

willow_loulou

Evening all, busy busy here. 

I’ve been seriously decluttering again, very productive few weeks in that way. It’s making it easier to manage my life having less to clean and trip over. 

The girls are laying enough eggs for our needs. They have paid for their feed in kind! They’ve also done a fabulous job of weed clearing. Definitely a positive addition. 

I’ve rekindled my love for french onion soup so I’ve a few recipes to try out. Something to have home made croutons in as I still freeze crusts for that purpose. 

I’m still waiting on the council to tell me what’s what. So frustrating. 

Food budget is £28 this week, Ive spent £10 of it today. I’m back at work in the week so I want to get some salad stuff for lunches on the go. 

Blackcats

I've done a stock up of store-cupboard staples at L*dl which should last a while.  Plenty of bread and cake making ingredients and lots of tins.  I timed the shop to reach the £200 monthly spend there that means a £10 voucher to use within 7 days.  I'll use that £10 for a milk and fruit and veg top up on Sunday.  

Now I just need to make sure I meal plan with the ingredients I have in stock and use food from the full to the brink freezer.

Ellie79

Day 3 of eating out the freezer.  Sausages out for mash and yorkies tomorrow. I took oldest DD fir her food shopping tonight and got a reduced joint of pork which will do nicely for a few dinners. Had to top up packed lunch bits and I must knock up some scones and cakes to freeze for packed lunches.

Washed all the extra door curtains to hang for winter. It is feeling distinctly chilly at the moment. 

I really wish Olio and TGTG yielded anything here but never managed to find anything yet. I hear about other people's success and wish!

YORKSHIRELASS

Siebrie said:

YORKSHIRELASS said:

We are going away soon for five nights and I am slightly regretting booking this, had I known that our finances were going to go so pear shaped I wouldnt have done.  We are self catering though so can be frugal with food and activities at least.

Make sure you enjoy your days away! They may be the last in a while and need to 'fill' you with good memories for a long time!

Thank you, that really cheered me up!  Those who know me on here will know that we nearly lost our 21 yo son to Lymphoma in 2019 and I spent 4 months living on a teenage cancer ward which was a very sobering experience.  DS is doing really well but we decided that although we need to throw everything at paying off our debts we want to live life a little too.  So some of the money that I would have once spent on unnecessary clothes, make up and the like goes in a fund for cheap holidays - and I am a pro at organising a cheap holiday!!

I have the car back from the garage but no bill yet.  Doing well with no unnecessary spending this week.  Still harvesting bits and pieces from the raised beds, and eating out of stores.

nannygladys

During August I made three slightly different banana loaves, I gave half one away and froze all what was left in slices. (I had a cheap buy of bananas).Tonight I had the last two slices, I was beginning to think that they were multiplying, as they never seemed to be any less. So tomorrow or possibly Friday I'm going to make some sultana loaves and do the same thing, having a little bit of cake with a cup of machine coffee just hits the 'want' spot for me. Tomorrow I am doing a bit of shopping as its over a week and I need some milk and a couple of bits. 
I have also been chopping chillies and freezing them, May be giving them to dds as I don't really eat them and I have four plants, why????? 
Nannyg

willow_loulou

@YORKSHIRELASS every happy memory made is a precious thing. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices to get them and then it’s really all the sweeter xx

@Frugaldom I forgot to tag you in my free wood post. I got what I’ve worked out to be £100 of eco logs for free!! Im loving the goat art and the space you’ve made for overnight stays. You’re such an inspiration. 

Another win for me, was just given a pile of hand made cards to choose as many as I wanted. I have now covered most birthdays and have a few spare. Even at cheap card prices that’s quite a few quid saved!! I have a few birthdays coming up, I’m sure they will be surprised by the beautiful cards! 

oystercatcher

nannygladys said:

During August I made three slightly different banana loaves, I gave half one away and froze all what was left in slices. (I had a cheap buy of bananas).Tonight I had the last two slices, I was beginning to think that they were multiplying, as they never seemed to be any less. So tomorrow or possibly Friday I'm going to make some sultana loaves and do the same thing, having a little bit of cake with a cup of machine coffee just hits the 'want' spot for me. Tomorrow I am doing a bit of shopping as its over a week and I need some milk and a couple of bits. 
I have also been chopping chillies and freezing them, May be giving them to dds as I don't really eat them and I have four plants, why????? 
Nannyg

I freeze chillies whole, they chop very nicely while still frozen , saves a small chore!

Living_proof

Our local Olio network is amazing here, and by using time and initiative and a modest amount of petrol I generally save enough food for 90% of my needs. It's staggering how much bread and pastries are chucked out, and loads of fresh veg and a little fruit. Sometimes there are bananas by the crate or dozens of punnets of strawberries or mushrooms. I have already dehydrated a year's supply of bananas and mushrooms and frozen dozens of other food products. There is also a local community food larder within walking distance and another a few miles away. I only go along every couple of weeks as I don't need any more than that but it's a terrific resource if you can locate one near you. I plan to volunteer myself over the winter. All my bills seem to be increasing steadily and looming inflation really worries me for the future. The crisis with HGVs and deliveries, combined with continuing Covid cases and the resettlement of Afghans, the NHS funding required all point to severe economic difficulties to come. I'm amazed Rishi Sunak manages to sleep at night, with all the demands being heaped on the Exchequer. Still, one foot in front of the other and just get on with things!