2021 Frugal Living Challenge

AnimalTribe

MandM90 said:

@Siebrie reminds me of these Wonderbags: https://www.wonderbagworld.com/

There are lots of instructions online on how to make a wonder bag type oven. I've been meaning to make one for years, but still haven't got around to it.

Siebrie

The thing is: I don't think you actually have to 'make' one, it just takes assembly: find box, add sleeping bag, done!

[Deleted User]

Frugalling is continuing at full pace here. I have taken advantage of the warmer weather over the past couple of days and been out in the garage chopping wood - my least favourite task when it's bitingly cold outside, so I am glad to get a bit ahead of myself. Logs have risen from £80 per bag to £100 in the last two weeks in our area. 

Also did a tip run which a friend kindly let me use their car for, in exchange for some HM cake. 

The heating has not been on here at all, I have lit the stove as required. Literally everything is turned off at the plug save for the fridge/freezer, boiler and internet router. A flask is filled in the morning with hot water for the day, and if I don't have many cuppas I use it to boil pasta for dinner / wash a few bits by hand. The DW is going on every second day as an absolute maximum. 

My personal challenge is to raise enough money through egg sales and outgrown kids clothing sales to purchase a Kelly Kettle, meaning we won't need electricity to boil water. It will be cost neutral if I do it this way. 

I don't think scaremongering in the media is of any use, but we really are living in challenging times and frugal preparation now will stand us in excellent stead going forwards. 

@MandM90 - My budget began at £5k per annum (excluding mortgage and council tax), but is now nearer to £4,000. This is broken down as follows:

- Gas and electricity - £1,000
- Water - £400 (we are on a meter, and I expect this to be even lower next year as we are so careful with our usage)
- Internet - £300
- Mobile phone - £30 (pay as you go deal with 1p mobile)
- Netflix - £72
- Insurance - £100
- Food including for the animals - £1500 (this is for three, plus a dog and a multitude of chickens)
- Clothing / school trips / presents/ DS football subs / anything else - £400

Total: £3,800. 

No car, no TV licence (we only stream Netflix and we watch lots of DVDs), two young children. We visit the library lots, use the local foodshare groups that have been set up to reduce food waste by redistributing to the community, we go on long walks with the dog, we eat picnics, we have movie nights, we have fun. It isn't for everyone and sometimes I hanker for a treat, but nowadays the nicest treat for me is fish and chips from our local chippy, and a £3.50 bottle of wine. I purchase such things with my egg sales money. We eat veggie a lot of the time, but when we do have meat I buy it from the local butchers. 

The children don't go without anything, we are lucky that grandmas buy the school shoes annually and winter coats. I use car boot sales and charity shops which we love searching at.

I started living this way through choice 18 months ago, now due to health reasons it is a necessity. HTH xx

Scottiedog_3

I've just googled Kelly Kettles. Would you use one indoors- or in your garden?

mumtoomany

How of us are now googling hay box and kelly kettle? Mumtoomany.

Siebrie

...and solar cooking

[Deleted User]

Scottiedog_3 said:

I've just googled Kelly Kettles. Would you use one indoors- or in your garden?

I will personally use it in our stone front porch then bring through to kitchen once boiled x

prepareathome

Any advice on good thermos flasks to have in? - just checked mine and found both leak if shaken, which means not sealing fully so inside will cool quicker - they are years old and stainless steel inside and out and cost a lot when first bought all those years ago but had my use out of them.   Now there are so many different types (back then it was glass inside or SS inside) and all just ordinary flasks.  

Typical not been a frugal week as car needed its MOT and other half had forgotten to tell me that last year when it passed there was an advisory given on a few things so they had to be done this time and so a few hundred pounds had planned on using for something else had to go on car but it passed now with all work done plus one of my dogs has had spotting on and off since her last season - vet has decided she basically went from season to phantom pregnancy.  Vet hoping this actually proves a positive as I have wanted to get her and her sister spayed since they were a year old, they are 6 now but they would always have phantom pregnancy exactly when it's the only real time for them to be spayed.  So, hoping as it come earlier it hopefully should be over, for her anyway, within the time frame to be safely spayed.  So that is now in next month's budget and if her sister follows suit (she always comes into season a month after) it might be both having the op next month.   

Managed to fill the car up after its MOT - was basically on fumes going in but thought no point trying to get fuel to fill her up if she failed totally, usually just keep half a tank in as he is retired and me basically stuck in bed so not used as much, mainly to take dogs out - had travelled 1,823km since last MOT, but thought in case of anymore fuel hiccups better fill up and then let it run to half full then top up again if can.  Had not filled up in a couple of months.

Siebrie

@prepareathome If the thermos flasks are from proper brands, maybe you can buy new lids? My aluminium drinkbottle (not thermos) is a SIGG, for which I could buy new rubber seals.

MandM90

@Deleted_User that is impressive! Although I feel less bad now I've noted it excludes mortgage and CT - our CT is £200 a month (including discount for paying upfrornt yearly) and we have two mortgages totally over £2000 a month, plus full time nursery fees - if you exclude those things our household costs average out at £1,800 according to YNAB, including fun money, holidays, home maintenance etc. Still a whopping 4X your impressive frugality but not as terrible than the 10X I originally thought.