2022 Frugal Living Challenge

amber03

I save a £ a week on two SM savings cards for each of my DS’s, which I don’t miss until I have £50 on both cards. I give them the cards as part of their Xmas presents the week before Xmas so they can buy food ready for Xmas. 

I’ve started getting food each week for Xmas and the weeks after. In the freezer I have got the veg ready and put a yellow sticker on the bags. My family know if it’s yellow stickers don’t touch it. Will look out for any pieces of reduced meat ie, pork/beef to get put away.

When my dad was alive I used to do him a massive hamper which he loved and saved him having to go shopping ( which he hated) for a few weeks around Xmas .

JinJinBlue

ladyholly said:

JinJinBlue said:

My Christmas presents to my family are all things to wear. Fingerless gloves and neckwarmers all picked up at craft fairs. I like Jackie O's idea of food baskets but my family are all in the South East and it would cost a small fortune to send. 

You could send gift cards for whatever is their preferred supermarket.

That's  an idea. Thank you. 

London_1

I had a refund from my travel company as they had changed our destination for my short break with DDs ma-in-law in October from Porthcawl to Ilfracombe and the second destination was a bit cheaper, so I spent in on the Lidls little air fryer at £29.99. My Remoska is still OK and works well but the lid is beginning to flake a little, so I only use it to cook stuff that wrapped in foil or covered.Mind I have had it for about 6 years and its been used almost daily. The cost of a new one is quite high so the air fryer will do for smaller things.its 1.5 ltres so just ideal for me.

I only use my main oven for baking now as a rule and that's perhaps once a week. Doing my bit to cut down on using too many gadgets.

I have been thinking of other ways to cut back on costs as much as I can. I am zero waste foodwise now and have been for several years and its surprising what can be made from very little.

I don't often eat snacks and never eat crisps , and when I was in Dobbies last week I was amazed to see a packet of crisps costs £1.00 !!! I could never warrent paying that sort of money for around a quarter of a potato. Their marketing them right by the tills so children see them and obviously ask their Mum and harrassed Mums perhaps don't look too closely at the price surely this can't be the usual price ,they wern't an extra large bag either just a normal Walkers one. 

Had a nice forage in the week for some blackberries, and now have a decent sized bag of them in the freezer for after Christmas when the weather is grim and a nice apple and blackberry pie with a dollop of custard will remind me of warmer summer days. One of my neighbours gave me a bag of apples from her tree so they were peeled ,sliced and cooked in a little honey with some cinnamon and once cooled portioned up is flat soup bags in the freezer as well. I have some rhubarb coming my way this week from a friend so that too will be cubed and frozen for winter time puddings. I am definitely becoming more  squirrelike by the day

When I last shopped I bought a nice head of celery at 43p, and if not all used up it will become soup at some point this week, for several lunches or maybe even made and frozen ,but it certainly won't go to waste.

Food, and the cost of it seems to be the top talking point at the moment, making the most of every scrap and not throwing stuff out seems to be more of the norm now. I go to a coffee morning every Tuesday with 5 other friends and we are all swapping things that we perhaps may not use much. I am quite happy to bake a cake in exchange for produce from my friends allotment and she is more than happy to see her surplus veg  being used. 

My youngest DD is a property manager and last week she had to oversee one of their properties that had been abandoned as the tenants had done a midnight flit.The clearers have to come in to empty the places out and clean before it can be relet. She dropped in with two dozen strawberry scented tea lights as she rescued them from their big sacks they use to empty stuff away .There had been several packs of these that had never been opened so she had a pack and she gave one to me. They smell lovely and my sitting room smells lovely and summery at the moment. As she said they were going to landfill so better to be used. its amazing what folk leave behind when they vanish ,apart from owing thousands in rents.
This particular landlord had been really good to the tenant,and had helped during lockdown ,even though the tenant had been working. Not all landlords are evil ,this chaps house had been his late mums, and he rented it out to supplement his pension. She said it had a good deal of damage done and it would need a complete redecorate before it could be rented again.She said it was likely he would just sell it as he had become disheartened by the experience.

Sad really as it means another house will disappear from the rental market and there are too few of them as it is.

Right I'm off to prep my veg for the week,my Sunday monig job every week

Take care all and hang on to your purses and cash 

JackieO xx

cw18

London_1 said:

I don't often eat snacks and never eat crisps , and when I was in Dobbies last week I was amazed to see a packet of crisps costs £1.00 !!! I could never warrent paying that sort of money for around a quarter of a potato. Their marketing them right by the tills so children see them and obviously ask their Mum and harrassed Mums perhaps don't look too closely at the price surely this can't be the usual price ,they wern't an extra large bag either just a normal Walkers one.

Multi-packs are generally 6 x 25g packs.  But the single Walkers are normally 45g - and yes, 90p-£1 is the normal price for them

linz

Primrose said:

I think the cost of funding Christmas  this year is going to be a massive issue for many families so it would probably be a huge relief to many stressed people if as  many of us seize the initiate now and agree no presents, maximum of £5 useful gifts such as edibles, etc up front.  So many people are tempted to overspend to keep up with traditional customs and it just makes life miserable for anybody.

For those who feel embarrassed about taking the initiative,  why not say something along the lines of "we,ve decided no presents/minimum of £x per per person gift this year (or whatever) a nd would feel more comfortable if everybody else would do the same"

I grabbed this nettle some years ago with family and friends .  Everybody nearly bit my hand off with relief as they were all thinking the same but nobody wanted to appear looking like Scrooge for coming out and being the first to say it. They also found the whole present buying thing too stressful on top of all the other family stresses Christmas often brings. 

Me and my partner have done this - agreed max budget of £50 so i'll be on the hunt for little stocking fillers. We don't mind pre-loved stuff either so i will be looking to see what cool stuff I can find in charity shops no doubt. Better for the planet too to re-use

Primrose

Drying laundry without using power 

for anybody who has a bathroom with their bath in a recess between two walls I can recommend the Tidy Dry retractable roll away lines. You can fix it to one wall and roll it out to fasten to thie other wall.   Then close the bathroom door, open a window and it,s surprising how wuixkly laundry can dry without the risk of being rained on.  If youGoogle  TIDY DRY  I think you can find them on amazon.  This is probably a set up you could fix in a reasonably clear garage for emergency clothes drying on rainy days.
i see online that Lakeland and Briabantia are also offering them.

simplelivingcottage

Morning all, still reading back on the post but pottering along with our frugal living. Shamed to say I made porridge with water for the first time today. It was bland but I added in some jam and it was a ok. Packed lunches for today as going for a bit of a ramble and watching the racing which is over here.

RE, the Christmas thing, we decided a few years ago because we we’re getting items we didn't want or need that we all pay £20 a month from Jan to oct, it goes in a pot and does all 8 of us, and we have to state what we want otherwise it goes on boat/plane vouchers. It’s worked really good for us.

MazzieD

Weekends seem to fly past, been quite busy just sorting out where I am with everything at the moment.  Home and car insurance renewals are coming up along with car breakdown cover so always done the MSE way - there may be some haggling involved with current providers    Have noticed an increasing trend to put you on auto-renew and then say you need to contact us if you don't want to renew otherwise we will automatically charge you or something along similar lines.  Bit annoying but I do that anyway.

Really pleased with recent change of standard Broadband supplier, the router is much better and speed is faster.  Best bit is that I've had an email advising they are putting prices up for existing customers but they aren't putting mine up as I've only just become a customer.  

joedenise

simplelivingcottage said:

Morning all, still reading back on the post but pottering along with our frugal living. Shamed to say I made porridge with water for the first time today. It was bland but I added in some jam and it was a ok. Packed lunches for today as going for a bit of a ramble and watching the racing which is over here.

RE, the Christmas thing, we decided a few years ago because we we’re getting items we didn't want or need that we all pay £20 a month from Jan to oct, it goes in a pot and does all 8 of us, and we have to state what we want otherwise it goes on boat/plane vouchers. It’s worked really good for us.

I always make my porridge with water.  To make it creamier I soak it in the water for at least 10-15 minutes before cooking;  I agree it can be a bit bland but the soaking seems to help.  I usually serve it with some defrosted mixed frozen fruit which helps to sweeten it, bit like using the jam.

Pollie

I soak mine overnight in water and then stir in about half tsp milk powder before microwaving and adding fruit or golden syrup.