2021 Frugal Living Challenge

willow_loulou

You can tell the untreated pallets as they splinter, so if you’re concerned look for the rougher wood ones. The less rough are fine too but it’s just more obvious of you need to show it’s untreated. 

What a miserable day, I need to get the chicken run covered better, poor girls are being battered by the wind! I’ve lent some plastic agains one side to give them a little protection but the tarp and that isn’t enough. 

I put some bubble wrap on the end as another wind break but it keeps lifting. Tarp hunting today! 

balabooberlies

Thank you Taff and Willow Lou

bala

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

£112 spent today, stocked up on food and put £50 of diesel in the car.  Nothing purchased that wasnt needed.  Heating has been on the absolute minimum, but its been really cold, wet and windy.  Have worked out that we will be OK with DHs income for October and November.  After that we will see, his back is much better but he earns less in the winter anyway. 

Made a nice arrabiata pasta sauce with tomato, chili and courgette out of the garden for tea.  Feel strangely worried about our finances today, but not really sure why.

zafiro1984

I know this is early ie the beginning of October but:....

I've pulled everything out of the cupboards and drawers that remotely has something to do with Christmas - dried fruit, sugars, spices, rum etc  - you know the sort of things I mean. I was quite surprised to see just how much there was. Next job is to decide what I'm going to make and freeze or store in tins/jars. Then to only buy no more than what is needed to make the things.

I can already see that I have enough of everything to make some 'Christmas Chutney', 'Rosehip/Orange Marmalade', 'pickled pears' as well as Freezer Mincemeat'  The first three items will be used as Christmas presents. The mincemeat won't store in jars as it uses too many apples in it but it's a good way of using the 'not perfect' apples or windfalls which I'm collecting at the moment.

I'm determined not to let Christmas spends get out of hand this year so a few 'festive' jars of things under the tree will stop any embarrassment should someone stop by with the usual chocolates or biscuits and maybe I'll have no need to buy biscuits or chocolates!!!

The next part of my  challenge is to see if I can get all ingredients needed out of my grocery budget. I've got £9.73 left from last month's budget which I can use as a start.

  

 

zafiro1984

MandM90 said:

All I have left in the fridge is 3 carrots and a small tomato! I call that a mealplanning win! I last went to tesco on 31st December, about to brave it now, wish me luck!

WOW and good luck

stirchleygirl

thanks balabooberlies
Yes I am now feeling much more upbeat
last autumn and winter I was very depressed as since becoming disabled in 2009 I’ve had no social/personal life as I saved all my energy to be able to continue to work (which I enjoyed and I don’t regret that decision) so all my identity was in my job which was now gone - it has taken a whole year since ending employment for me to be able to say the phrase ‘I no longer work’ and it not catch in my gut/heart/soul 
I have deliberately made plans and organised in order to get out of the depression and keep it away and to make a ‘new life’ for myself as best as my disability allows my team of PAs are real God-sends and they are always up for giving any task that I ask of them a go

i feel for all of you who are getting ready for winter and cold/bad weather 
it has been rainy here the last few days but for me this is lovely weather as the temperature is now ‘neutral for my body’ it’s 16c in my bedroom right now  (I’m stuck on permanently overly hot - so I suffer when temperatures are above approximately 18c) and I still have windows open I have today put some socks on and a nighty as a precaution to stave off risk of hypothermia as my body doesn’t tell me anymore when it gets cold so whilst part of me enjoys the cooler and colder weather as some of my symptoms lower and my brain works a little bit better I have to be very careful that I don’t become too cold without realising it - from a frugal point of view I do save a lot on heating as I rarely need the heating on for myself I usually have to put it on for the benefit of my PAs when they are on shift especially if the task they are doing is sitting down (admin/computer work) rather than physical tasks that keep them warm

Keep on frugaling ❤️😀

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

Well this weekend has not been very frugal. We haven't been out or spent any money but my 3 year old has been sick.The amount of washing I have had to do with quite a lot having to go in the tumble dryer yesterday because of the horrid weather has meant that our electric usage is probably through the roof. I've been trying to be really careful with it but sometimes its just not possible. We did avoid putting the heating on though which was good and its quite bright and breezy today so I have got some washing on the line. Never mind. Just want the poor thing to feel better. 

YORKSHIRELASS

Aww Mumm2 hope the little one is on the mend.  Sometimes life just gets in the way and you couldnt have done anything else, one day of using the drier isnt going to be too bad.

Stirchleygirl sounds like you have been through a lot but you still sound really positive.  I love the fact that you have plans to beat the depression.

Really nice day here.  One of the goals for us is to live a frugal life but enjoy life, and do stuff that we love doing.  We are lucky because we love walking and cycling and so long as we dont get sucked into buying loads of expensive kit that we dont need, it doesnt have to be expensive.  So today we downloaded a 6.5 mile walk from a free app and had a lovely time.  Took a flask of coffee and some chocolate biscuits from home for a coffee stop half way around.  Other than diesel to drive the few miles to where we parked it was a free day out.  

Came home, made pizza for tea, and while the oven was on also made shepherds pies for tomorrow nights tea.  Washing dried outside.  Feet up now.  

stymied

What app do you use for walks please @YORKSHIRELASS?

nannygladys

Yorkshirelass - I know how you feel about having a foreboding feeling about something, it happens to me and usually I never find out why I was feeling like that.Hope you're OK now.

The only frugal thing I've done today is made lunch and tea from what I have in with enough leftovers for tomorrow. And not  going out to spend anything!

Nannyg