2021 Frugal Living Challenge

RainbowHippie

@Marghirl thanks for the weedkiller recommendation, i'll definitely make a note to give it a go if/when we (fingers crossed) have a garden of our own again. @summertime_2 love all your frugal tips. i've just looked up lasagna composting and would love to give that a go at some point too!

I love how everyone on here seems to enjoy developing their skills and doing things themselves, whether it's growing veg, making socks, cooking from scratch, chopping their own wood or cutting their own hair. I love reading about your frugal exploits and they inspire me to learn more and do better.

Thanks also @Marghirl for the link to the cute knitted puds! I'm putting that on my to-do list for homemade gifts this year. They'll be a good challenge for me to re-learn how to knit. They'd be perfect for some family members we exchange small homemade gifts with. Normally i do jam/chutney but this year we won't see everyone in person and jars of chutney are not practical to post!

Having just said i never use a 'full' amount of detergent, the cat we are looking after in our current house-sit decided to prove me wrong almost immediately! He was sick all over his bed and blankets so it all went in on a hot wash with plenty of detergent! (The cat is fine btw, just a bit put out that he now has some folded old towels instead of his usual bed...)

I've finally given in and bought some new (to me) 'everyday' shoes. On the road i have with me a pair of hiking boots, a pair of everyday shoes (comfy and i love them but definitely not smart), a pair of flip flops, and a pair of smart shoes for the odd day i have to go into an office for work. The work visits are infrequent and i resent the work shoes taking up space, everything we need has to fit in one small car so space is valuable! But my work shoes aren't comfy enough to wear constantly, and my current everyday shoes are old, battered and too informal in style. So as they are starting to fall apart after a few years of wear, i've decided to make my next pair smart enough that i could get away with wearing them for work. So after much searching, some pre-loved black doc martens shoes are now on their way to me They were £30 including postage from vinted, more than i've spent on footwear in ages (£6 on walking sandals from ebay last summer and some freebies off fb marketplace have been the only additions in the last few years) but seems to be a good price for docs and hopefully they will last for ages. 

Hoping that if/when we do get a more permanent home again i will retain some of the more minimalist tendencies i've had to develop while travelling and not go back to my old ways of clutter!

Jellytotts

When DH was involved in a car accident 12 years ago it left him with disability and mobility issues, also with some major muscle spasms in his spine.  He felt he couldn't go to the barbers when he was jerking around all over the place and his usual one wasn't wheelchair accessible...so I picked up a pair of electric clippers at a bootfair for £1 and learnt how to use them.  So every 4 weeks for the past 12 years I've used that same set of clippers to cut his hair and beard (we can work around good and bad days and stop for an hour if he's particularly jerky that day) and around 4 years ago I started using them on myself as well (I've always had short hair so wasn't hacking off great handfuls) I run the clippers over the back and sides and then chop at the top until it looks presentable, in those past 4 years I've had more comments about how nice my hair looks than at any time I spent a fortune going to the hairdressers.  The clippers get cleaned and oiled regularly so that £1 investment was a very frugal win.

We only buy for our children and their partners and step grandkids now and luckily they're all very much of the 2nd hand is preferred school of thought.  I've managed to pick up a lovely selection of books from freecycle for the little ones and in a fit of madness I picked up a clothing set for the smallest who is growing like a weed (3 bottoms and 3 matching tops) for half price in sainsbos sale...realised I had some points to use up and on the way to the till found £1 coin on the floor...after sale reduction and points and £1 found I had to pay a whole other £1 for the privilege of taking them home.  I've got homemade projects on the go for them all too and they'll all have a nice few parcels to open on the day which will have taken time rather than money and will all be appreciated.

Off to collected a Christmas tree via a freebie FB page for DD2, she didn't have one last year due to overly boisterous kittens and asked me to keep an eye out for a good deal...free is far better 😀

AnimalTribe

Joedenise, Taff and pOO thanks for your suggestions about the jam. I made a few jars so I suspect once I get round to opening the others I'll be able to try out all 3 methods of rescue. At least the rhubarb wine turned out well.

Summertime_2 the potato cages sound intriguing. What kind/size of cage did you use? A gardener I know plants his potatoes in bakers trays to make them easier to lift. I was going to give this a go next year, having now sourced a big pile of free bakers trays, but I do like the sound of the cages as my garden has lots of trees, and I'm forever clearing the leaves in autumn.

I too use a candle heater, I know not everyone is a fan, but I think it depends how they are made. I made mine with three pots and a metal bar running inside with lots of metal nuts - so the metal heats up as well as the clay pot. In a small room I find it does make a difference.

Just in case it helps anyone - when my DH worked at the university he was eligible for a students union card. I think the scheme is still in operation for any university staff. Obviously you have to weigh up the cost of the card with the discounts you get. We also found that shops accepted the card, even though they didn't display such information. We eventually contacted HR and asked what other benefits being on staff had, and discovered that his university badge got him discount at lots of other local shops, but it wasn't advertised you had to ask.

summertime_2

my frugal plan for today is.. (not sure if im posting in the right section..please let me know if it should be on a different one on the mse forum.)

* make a few silk(bedtime) hair scrunchies from a tan silk blouse this afternoon.  l had forgotten about  the damaged silk blouse in my fabric box l keep in the loft that l get down in the Autumn to make things.  l craft only usually  from November to Feb .
Autumn time ( oct to dec) l make things for the winter , ie hats, hand warmers, scarfs, house socks, sofa blankets, etc
and Winter craft time ( Dec to Feb) l make things for the  Spring/Summer ie market bags, lavender bags, hot pads and coasters, paper seedling pots, plant labels etc.
By doing it this way lv got the craft done for the season l need them..friends gave me this tip years ago.

l had a look on google search and found that silk hair scrunchies sell from £10 to £20 each !! So look out for cheap silk blouses or mens shirts at car boots nk year and make your self luxuary silk hair scrunchies for pennies.
* decided to update my price book to make it more useful by putting a note next to each product if l have already got the item in my store cupboard and how many and expiry date.
*ordered 5 fruit trees ( can be grown in containers) that are on excellent offer at 'gardening express'. They work out at approx £7 each, normally about £30 each to buy. l have  an apple,cooking cherry and plum tree in the garden already and read & we learnt  by giving a tbsp of blood fish and bone fertilizer  to each fruit tree monthly it increase fruit prouction..it worked and we got loads this year so now this offer we'v bought a dessert cherry tree, a pear tree and a gala apple tree..the other 2 trees( a plum and apple tree variety that lv already got) is going to my daughters garden.
* while in loft,  hubby got down my winter clothes that also had some new winter boots l bought from the £5 website. ( plus l get cashback ) l love that online shop..l buy all my and hubbys summer pj's, tote shopping bags, hubbys sweats shirts,  my winter ankle boots and teashirts etc from them.we looked in Primark yesterday and the boots l bought off the £5 online  shop are similar to mine that Primark are selling for £14 !
* will cash in my £50 iv earn't from microsoft rewards just for using it when l do website searches. Plus will check my cashback site to see how much lv got..we save it to put towards holidays. Plus have to check my Nector points l earn from ebay and our British gas as well.
* This afternoon will start my 'comping & freebie hunting ' hobby again, along with my crafting, that l do in the Autumn and Winter. Me and hubby love comping. we've won many things over the years, but not many comps available  this year iv noticed

hope you all have a frugal money saving day.
 

marionmgcars

I was just thinking yesterday that I do this with toiletries. It's almost as if I dont use up something because I dont want it to be gone and not have it anymore (especially pricier products) so I keep hold of them and start using something else which is ridiculous. I think a new years resolution next year will be to finish up all the odds and ends before starting something new.
Also with food I like the safety net of having full cupboards so as soon as I use something I replace it. With the way things have been lately I don't think its a bad idea with food.

Last year I took all my travel size lotions, and bits and leftover creams and popped them into an empty hand cream pump dispenser, it tidied my dressing table up not having lots of little bottles cluttering up the space.  When I came downstairs my partner asked what the lovely smell was - so it was a success, and I had a great "free" supply of body lotion.

summertime_2

AnimalTribe;.... we attached together 4 wire shelves  from an old  damaged plastic greenhouse we used to have. We was able to make 4 cages from the left over wire shelving, l think they are approx 2 ft high. We have a very large ornamental cherry tree  in the garden and as it drops its leaves we fill the cages up and bury the supermarket potatoes in the bottom of the cages in Oct. We then just keep filling the cages up with the leaves.By the time the tree has dropped all its leaves the cages are full . l tried it after l read potatoes will grow in leaf mold.. and they do.We have done this for the last 2 years in the Autumn and we get lovely clean potatoes to harvest next year plus the free leaf soil.
My candle holders are large tealight pottery Cottages..l have  8  so far which we put on the living room mantel at beginning of October. The side tables l light up large scented jar candles that hubby buys from l think Homebase for l think £2.99. He buys them every time a new scent comes out.  They have lovely scents ie gingerbread scent last year, bakewell tart scent, etc, he loves them lol. When lite they all get really hot so each one has a coaster under it. They look magical when we light them. l got the idea of buying  the cottages when l read about the terracotta flower pot heater ideas a few years ago.  

Wraithlady

willow_loulou said:

I’ve been going through my recipes and my goodness they’re all so complicated. It’s no wonder I end up googling options. Does anyone have a suggestion for a useful simple book please? 

If you can get hold of it 'The Radiation Cookbook' (don't worry, it's from the Radiation brand of gas cookers) - my edition is from iirc 1927, but there are later editions. I tend to ramp up the spicing in them, but it is very useful and  relatively straightforward - it has a section on 'full oven dinners' which is quite useful if you're looking to save fuel.

skogar

Willow - I meant to reply to your question about a cookbook. I like

The Complete Farmhouse Kitchen Cook Book editor Mary Watts.

You can pick up a decent second hand copy for not much. Just make sure if you do decide to get one you get exactly that title and not the earlier much thinner paperback one Farmhouse Kitchen.

I never saw the original YTV series it was from but the earlier cookbook Farmhouse kitchen was the first cookbook from the series and then later they did the larger cookbook The Complete Farmhouse Kitchen which is much more extensive.

My friend had a copy of it years ago (it was pretty much the only cookbook she used) and I liked it so much I was delighted when I found one for sale second hand for the princely sum of £1. It's my go to book for a lot of things.

AnimalTribe

summertime_2 said:

AnimalTribe;.... we attached together 4 wire shelves  from an old  damaged plastic greenhouse we used to have. We was able to make 4 cages from the left over wire shelving, l think they are approx 2 ft high. 

Thanks for this I will definitely give it a try next year. I am bound to have something suitable lying about to make the cages.

willow_loulou

Thank you for the suggestions- I’ll look out for them 🥰 

I’ve had a lot of annoying spending this week. Pay day tomorrow and I’m not touching it apart from £10 I’ll get out for bread etc and £20 petrol. The rest is going in my savings to pay tge cc when it comes in. Adulting is hard. Sigh.