2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Siebrie

I, too, shower twice a week, when I was my medium length curly hair. It needs conditioner, which needs some time to do its work before its rinsed out. So, it's a quick shampoo, then conditioner, then wash, then rinse all out/off.

When dds have a bath, we use the water to rinse the toilet in the bathroom, wash the car, water the garden.

Bluegreen143

Re baths/showers… I must admit to showering daily and also daily hair washing. My hair looks rubbish if I leave it a day. I don’t drink coffee and really don’t feel awake til I’ve had my morning shower… I’d go without a lot before I’d give that up!

The children usually share a bath every school night, sometimes at the weekends but we are more relaxed then and sometimes skip if we are busy. I’ve got plenty of friends who don’t bathe their children daily, but mine are both very outdoorsy, always playing in mud, as well as doing lots of messy crafts/painting, and my 3yo daughter can still be a messy eater at times too. So I really just can’t cut their baths down as they genuinely do get filthy every day (I was a really sedentary, indoors child as had no garden & wasn’t allowed to play out, and I love seeing them so engaged playing in the mud/sand which I never got to do!). I could give them a strip wash with a flannel but I’m maybe a bit soft, they do not enjoy that 😆

My husband has suggested switching them to a quick shower most of the time once the energy prices go up in the autumn but I feel mean. My 6yo wouldn’t mind (sometimes he chooses a quick shower rather than share his sister’s bath) but my daughter is still of an age where she LOVES playing in the bath with bath toys for ages. I think it’s not too bad as they share, but allowing the eldest to shower then the youngest a bath probably uses far too much water. 

florianatwobob

@Bluegreen143 I’m not sure of your set up but if you have a shower over the bath rather than a separate shower cubicle could you put the 6 year old in the shower with the plug in the bath? That way you’d get a part filled bath for the 3yr old? 

2Scratters

@Primrose I did read somewhere that some official body was asking for manufacturers of larger appliances like washing machines and dishwasher to create a much larger inventory of spares so that appliances could be repaired rather than replaced but everything seems to have gone quiet on that front  We need to be more resilient as a country on this issue.  Currently all the spare parts for domestic appliances seem to be manufactured in China or Taiwan, or other distant places.   National self sufficiency doesn't seem to be very high on our national agenda.

This is true of Miele appliances - they hold replacement stock for 16years 

boxer234

Last month I tracked every penny.  I managed to cut my food budget and the dogs by being careful.  This month’s challenge is to spend less.  

Kerry_Woman

I really need to get back onto the frugal living.  Sadly I have fallen off the bandwagon as so to speak for the past 3 months.  My food budget was fine, but most of it was the general spends. I did not really think about my spends.  For the rest of the year I really have to cut down.  My fixed term contract at work has been extended until the end of the year, which I am grateful for. Still bringing in my own lunch to work. My medication for my mental health has been increased.  I have a couple of days out/events to attend which are free - I will bring my own lunch and only have to pay for the train fare. I have made a note of somethings(non food) I need to get next month, along with the price of them.   

YORKSHIRELASS

Boxer234 I know that our electric shower costs just over 4p per minute on current prices, so just by keeping the time down you will really make a difference.

I cycled to work today but forgot my lunch so annoyingly had to spend £1.69 on a sandwich, still at least I have saved on diesel.  I have started trying to reduce laundry but needed to do sheets today so they will go out on the line tomorrow.  I have never been one for washing things after one wear, but I could get more wear out of my work stuff now that the weather is cooling off.

I read my electric meter every week and have done for a long time, so I know exactly how much I should be paying and I know that our direct debit payment is about right.  We have not been putting the boiler on for hot water very much, we have a dishwasher and electric shower and its surprising how you can manage with what is left over from when the kettle has been on.  We do need to book the chimney sweep and think about getting more heating oil soon. 

We are going away for a few days next week which was booked ages ago for our birthdays, probably the last trip away we are going to have for some time.  I have saved up some spending money so will enjoy it and not worry about spending too much.

joedenise

We always have a cup of tea after dinner so we use some of the boiled water to do the washing up.  Saves turning on the hot water.  We have a combi boiler so only heat what we need, the problem is that there is a long run from the boiler to the tap so a lot of water comes through before it gets hot so makes sense to use a bit from the kettle and just use some cold water to get it to the right temperature.

London_1

joedenise said:

We always have a cup of tea after dinner so we use some of the boiled water to do the washing up.  Saves turning on the hot water.  We have a combi boiler so only heat what we need, the problem is that there is a long run from the boiler to the tap so a lot of water comes through before it gets hot so makes sense to use a bit from the kettle and just use some cold water to get it to the right temperature.

I also do this especially if I'm not having anymore hot drinks at night ,no point in letting it just go cold,i also used the water in the bottom of the steamer tonight in the washing up bowl rather than chuck it down the drain my tank is in the loft and the boiler upstairs so a lot of water would go down the drain before it ran hot and its water on the meter that I am paying for,every biyt we can save will help in these tough times as daft as it may seem
JackieO xx

wort

I also do the same as Joedenise and Jackie, there’s usually enough in the to cover the bottom of the washing up bowl sometimes even less but as I don’t have a lot of washing up . With a bit of cold it does the job, and as a squirt  of washup liquid on the sponge to get rid of grease and a quick rinse with cold water. If it’s lunch time and I haven’t used the kettle I use cold water for a sandwich plate.