2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Balancinglife

Hi can I join please? I’m not as amazing as everyone on here but I’m trying. 

The few frugal things I’ve done in the last 2 days. 
 I cancelled my gym membership and will be running, using a fit ring ( got for Christmas) and YT for classes. 

Had a free days out with the kids both yesterday and today. We went on some lovely walks but I ensure I had snacks and my travel mug with me.
I was gifted 5 large punnets of tomatoes and some beetroot. This afternoon I roasted 4 punnets of tomatoes and made pasta sauce. I also made beetroot hummus. Really happy as they both taste delicious. 

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

We decided to do something nice today so drove onto the moors for a walk.  We did have to pay for car parking but took our own sandwiches and coffee so didnt spend anything else.

Evening meal out of freezer supplies and I cooked veggies in the microwave instead of the hob, washed up some of the pots to keep DW use down, heating has been on just for an hour and fire lit now.

Need to do mealplans and a food shopping list tomorrow, supplies of "proper food" are low.  I also need to freeze some of the cheese I bought.

pelirocco

never_too_old said:

I am an Olio volunteer and collect from a supermarket once a week,used to do 3 but on some weeks i dont get 1 request for food.

How do find being a volunteer ?
 I've signed up ,but yet to commit to start collecting  

EskarinaWeatherwax

@moll I use a John Lewis card which generates 5 points back for every £4 spent in J’L@wis or W8trose and 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. 

I use the card for everything I can, limit my spends to within my budget or transfer across from savings ‘pots’ and then pay in full each month.  I then use the vouchers to buy bras! The ones I need are easily £30 a time so I think of the card as getting them for me for free.

Baxtersmum

never_too_old said:

I am an Olio volunteer and collect from a supermarket once a week,used to do 3 but on some weeks i dont get 1 request for food.

I’ve just signed up and collect my first items tomorrow, I’m really unsure why more people don’t use it, the app is really easy to use, I’ll let you know how collection goes ☺️

cybertortoise

Good evening all.

We had beef and veg soup for dinner, I thought it was lovely but the kids moaned. I've got some left for tomorrow's lunch and maybe dinner for me too. I made a sourdough loaf from the starter I'd been carefully looking after for a couple of weeks. It didn't rise as much as I'd have liked but it went very well with the soup.

Cleared out the fridge today, wrote down everything in the food cupboards and planned meals for the next week with only minimal amount of grocery shopping needed. I managed to hang some washing out to dry but then it started raining so it all had to come in.

Another no spend day today, again an easy one as i have no money at all til Tuesday. I'm trying to eke out my gas/elec to last til I get paid my big money on Wednesday. We're on prepayment meters and I'll be calling them on Weds to change to monthly DD instead. It should take some stress off as well as save some money. They won't switch you over unless you can pay a month upfront and haven't been in your emergency credit for 3 months. I have managed the 3 months but I was in emergency credit almost weekly before that! Fingers crossed it saves me some money but at least I know I only have to pay it once a month then.

EcoIntent

Had a very productive morning, packing up and putting away all the Christmas decorations. We had the attic boarded properly last year and it was a lovely feeling getting everything out the way, and having the space open up again.

I did go out for a family meal late afternoon which was already arranged and had been for awhile, at one of our favourite pubs -  a Christmas treat from my mum. Kept to a main course each and soda water - and it really was very lovely to have that time together .Food was lovely too!

Tonight, set out to make focaccia, as my yeast had arrived. I bought a 500g bag this time, as like the results with this particular brand - and have put 100g in my old Allinsons tub, and froze the rest in three sealed tubs. Apparently it does reactivate from its hibernation if you allow it to come to room temp before using. 

Anyway, had a bit of a mare, as my kitchen digital scales have been playing up - I had realised in Dec at the post office as got told I hadn't put enough postage on a couple of items, which I had thought was odd at the time. I weighed the flour, and it just didn't look right. I tried weighing three different 500g items, then weighed water to compare to the mls on my pyrex jug - and it was def out. Battery checked and fine.

 I am on a no buy Jan but have used my Christmas money to buy the exact same ones again - as I do love them - and they have done us ages - albeit the new ones will be set number three we have owned over the last 15 years for so. Glad they still make them. Had a bit of a gift voucher still so cost £10.70 instead of £15. Just one of those things, most things I am happy to guesstimate but it just doesn't work for bread!  My 'no buy' is based on not buying wants, and as another goal I have is low waste and baking more, I am classing this replacement as a need. 

I have still gone ahead and made my dough, now on its 2nd rise (overnight in fridge) - I just did the consistency by eye (it is such a wet dough - looks like cake mix, and is therefore quite distinctive!) so hopefully it will be okish!!! It will get baked tomorrow so will be fresh - and give me time to go to the shops and buy Rosemary, as OH wants Rosemary and Seasalt on it - and I want to get a butternut squash to roast. Just saying, roast butternut squash, feta and chilli oil on fresh warm focaccia has to be my favourite lunch of all time. 

@cybertortoise how did you do your starter? I have been meaning to start a new one - I had a Rye one for ages, which gave a distinctive flavour but lost it when the great flour shortage hit in the first lockdown and never got started again . 

cybertortoise

@EcoIntent I bought organic plain flour, just S'burys own so it wasn't too expensive. My kitchen is very cold so I think that was a slight issue.

Day 1 - 50g flour, 50g filtered water and a touch of honey, mix and stored in a Kilner jar with the rubber seal removed

Day 2 - Stir

Day 3 - Feed with 50g flour, 50g water and a touch of honey, mix well

Day 4 - Discard half the starter, feed again with flour, water and honey

Day 5 - Discard and feed, flour and water only

Day 6 to Day 10 - Same as day 5

On day 10 I popped it in the fridge, it was in the fridge for a week and I fed it once in that time. The honey helps it get started but it needs to rise without any honey before it can be reliable for bread. I got the recipe from a Farcebook video. Hope it works for you. I'll be trying it again but need to find somewhere warmer to store it. By touch of honey, I just dipped the end of a butter knife in the jar and used it to stir the starter, not even enough to use a measuring spoon really. At a guess I'd say 1/4 tsp or less.

nannygladys

Mill - I have a tesco credit card and I think you get a point from each pound spent in store, not sure if that's from all shops though, I've had the card year's, if you use tesco then it's useful. I do use the card for fuel and online shopping but it gets paid at the end of each month - their not getting any interest off me but the vouchers come in useful for me!!!! 

It's been quiet here as I haven't seen or heard off anyone today or even been out of the front door! But I have washed my dog walking coat that was very muddy and it was hung outside to dry but now is hung upstairs to finish off. I've also put the Xmas decorations all away for another year and done some more sorting out, so feeling good oh and no money spent.
Nannyg

EcoIntent

@cybertortoise thank you! 

I remember it needing to be organic flour the last time. I got the Doves Farm Organic Rye last time. I remember I cheated and added a little bit of regular yeast to help it (blame James Morton - as his is the book I use for all things bread, and he said you could!) and I def used a touch of honey to feed it. 

You have me inspired I am definitely going to pick up some organic flour and get started again. I only use Lidl bread flour usually but happy to spend more to get a sourdough starter going - I mean the stuff is amazing!!