2021 Frugal Living Challenge

pregnancy_parking

I just walked to Aldi because I needed essentials and knew it would be quiet (and to try to reach my step goal) and found they do 75% off. I got a huge gammon for £2.50 and lots of fish now in the freezer. Made me very happy!
I’m in a Facebook group called latest free stuff and most of it is rubbish but I’ve had some good stuff like teabags, biscuits and expensive beauty samples, I don’t use my personal email and use autofil so applying doesn’t take ages. It’s nice to get some little surprises in the post. I got Lancôme perfume today.
I also used deliveroo for the first time recently. There is a code for £10 off a £15 spend. I used it for a takeaway but I noticed Aldi is on there and delivery is free for first timers too.
@OLaney I would use the beans in a chilli, or spicy bean wraps. Bean soup or a bean dip to go with weekend drinks is nice too.
Have you tried the ground coffee in a cafetière?
@willow_loulou I’d love to see your planting methods too. I’ve never had much luck growing and haven’t ever really found it to be economical to be honest. This year I have more time to invest so I’ll give it a whirl.
shpuld i be starting seeds now? Does anyone grow from kitchen seeds?

AYWG- thanks for the documentary recommendation. I’ll check that out tomorrow.
@roblou27- one more sleep! X

CraftyLittleLisa

Hello all.  Hugs to those who need it and well done to those who have had successes big and small.  I see there has been a lot of good advice on here on how to deal with debt.  I have nothing further to add really other than to say you are not alone.

I don't have a huge amount to report today but as we are getting to the end of the month I thought I should check my finances to see how it is all shaping up.  I have brought my food budget down to £188.00 per month (just to see if I could squeeze it down in small increments) and it looks as if I may be on target.  I have already been paid (26th of the month) but I try and do my finances for the calendar month.  I have one more veg delivery to pay for and I have added some bits onto a friends online order for Friday (I can't go shopping at the moment due to an injured foot) so I should be okay.  I am so surprised I have managed it and it has given me a confidence boost to think I have managed it this month.

This last weekend I spent doing cooking and baking to make use of oddments of veg and other ingredients that needed using up - carrot soup, carrot cake, oatmeal biscuits and a sausage casserole were made, portioned up and some put in the freezer as well as eaten.

When looking at my bank account I noticed that a new savings product has been brought in to encourage saving and it has a interest rate of 1% for 2 years.  I have opened up that account to try and encourage me to save the £50.00 a month I always "plan" to save but never actually manage it.  If I can keep to it for a few months with no dire lack of money I will set up a regular payment.  That will help increase my emergency fund I have been working on.

The only other thing to report is the fact I am using some left over fabric to make myself a t-shirt.  I have been doing a lot of crafting again and as I can't go to the shops for supplies I decided to go through my stash.  I have cut it out so I know I definitely have enough.  I just need to get on with the sewing of it.

Stay safe all.

willow_loulou

@AskYouWillGet
The biggest issues for sinus are allergies and dairy. Milk is known to thicken mucus making it harder to move and can be accumulative. Milk is hidden in lots of processed things but I do find processed less of a trigger in moderation so I do eat a bit of cheese and chocolate! 

If you’re intolerant to anything it can cause irritation so a regular anti histamine will help as will a humidifier at night and drinking a lot more water and green teas

My other triggers are raw tomatoes, bananas, and refined sugars and bread! I can eat all in moderation, the refined sugars I’m having to eat less and less. I don’t bother with bananas unless high season and try and eat organic/home grown as much as possible. Luckily organic is often y/s. This is why I’ve eaten more as I’m getting everything delivered so no y/s! Hope that helps! 

willow_loulou

@pregnancy_parking Yes start seeds now, the packs will have recommended sewing dates but if you’re not lucky enough to be on the south coast like me it might differ unless you have space indoors for longer or a green house. 

I’ve grown from kitchen seeds as much as possible but the fruit is hit and miss as they’re not grown for their seeds. It works but don’t expect as good a quality fruit - or indeed any! I’ve got saplings from Apple and lemons that I’ve grown just for the trees, if I get edible fruit in 10 years it’s a bonus. 

If you’re not used to growing start small with herbs and salad. A regular supply of salad leaves is better than nothing! Radish are ridiculous easy to grow too. 

If you look at @Frugaldom facebook and website you’ll see the lovely herb garden. It really inspired me last year.  

Frugaldom

@willow_loulou The herb garden at Frugaldom was one of our Covid lockdown projects. It's coming along nicely even in winter. I allocated space for some kale, potatoes, garlic and rhubarb and have some donated rhubarb seeds ready to be sown over the coming weekend. The composting corner has been set up and I restarted the wormery a few months ago. Now I'm hoping to get more strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and goiseberries planted. All going to plan with savings, the next big investment will be a hut and greenhouse.

wort

O laney,  can you tell your husband to feed at set times ? 8 am and 5pm say? Anything not eaten then cover and put in fridge. 
I feed raw 125 gram morning and evening,  if and it's a big IF he doesn't eat it , I put  back In  the fridge. Cats are not natural grazers they would eat only when they make a kill in the wild so aren't used to having food left out all day. Maybe stick a note on fridge saying what time to feed and if not all gone then put straight away. They soon get used to set times. Good luck

ldee2111

@OLaney I find using an envelope system keeps my spending in check. And I’ve found an online way that has worked for me for the past 5 years. I have set up my banking to work like envelopes.

I have a current account for all direct debits plus instant access savings accounts for:
- Food
- Transport
- Fun & frolics (eg takeaways, treats)
- Gifts
- Emergency

They are all with the same bank. I can see them every time I log in on the banking app on my phone. I can also customise the account names so they are actually called ‘food’, ‘transport’ etc.



Every pay day I transfer the budgeted amount for that month into each account like they were envelopes. I spend on my main current account, and then I immediately transfer the exact amount I spent from the digital envelope to my current.

For example, say I do a big shop on a Saturday and it costs £50.07. I will pay with my current account  and immediately transfer £50.07 from ‘food’ to ‘current’ via the banking app on my phone. Then say I do a top up shop on Tuesday spending £16.57. I pay for this on my current account and immediately transfer £16.57 from ‘food’ to ‘current’. It means I can see clearly what I have left in ‘food’ and the other accounts I mentioned, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. 

The instant access savings accounts pay terrible interest (0. 01%) but this doesn’t matter. Their purpose as digital envelopes are to help me manage my spending, not make any money.

It takes a wee bit getting used to but it really works well for me. x

welshspendthrift

@Frugaldom or any other green fingered gardeners. Does rhubarb disappear underground in the winter? I had a lovely rhubarb plant last year and lots of fruit but went looking for it yesterday ( haven’t really ventured out in the garden this year) and there is no sign of it? 😢

leftatthetrafficlights

@welshspendthrift - yep, the rhubarb will return, don't worry!! 😉😊 

mumtoomany

Hi all, yes @welshspendthrift, rhubarb has a dormant period over winter. The crown is still under the ground and will start to grow when the weather improves. Rhubarb is a hungry plant, so if you've got well rotted manure or compost, then feed it now, just throw it over the top. If you want rhubarb you can force it, get it growing early, by covering it with an upturned bucket. Mumtoomamy