2022 Frugal Living Challenge

chanie

basketcase said:

Delurking to ask a really silly question:

What's the difference between an air fryer and a halogen oven?

Not sure there is much difference.  I think they do a similar job, just using different technology.  In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have bought the air fryer, but everyone was raving about them.  I only realised how similar it was to the halogen, after I had bought it. 

basketcase

@chanie

Thanks for getting back.  I thought they looked pretty much the same.  Don't think I'll bother buying one. 

Sorry for your wasted expenditure though...

lindatoo

chanie said:

Lots of great tips on here.  My efforts:

Making much more use of my halogen oven, air fryer and instant pot.  I haven’t used the oven for about 2 weeks (although OH still uses it).

we’ve recently had a water meter installed so I’ve started using the bath water to flush the toilet. 

My big frugal fail was blackberry picking yesterday.  They’ve all died, so I only got a handful of ripe ones.  I still have a small bag in the freezer from last year, but am very disappointed. 

Hi hope you don't mind me asking about your onepot. My son bought me one last year, he swears by his (He lives in Canada and they seem to very popular over there) but I feel a bit nervous about using it. I understand that it is a modern day pressure cooker My mum had a big old steel pressure cooker which always frightened me a bit. How do you find it and what sort of things do you use it for?
 I have an airfryer which I use sometimes and a SC which I rarely use (don't like the smell when cooking meat) I had a halogen oven which I used all the time but sadly it stopped working and I couldn't find an affordable alternative with a hinged lid which is a shame as I don't find the airfryer quite as flexible but maybe that because I haven't used it for things other than fish, chicken and fries. I need to be a bit more adventurous as I really done want to use my oven unless absolutety neccessary. 

AnimalTribe

It's interesting reading about air fryers and all the other methods of cooking. Unfortunately, being off-grid my main concern is electricity usage, so I can't use any of these. I cook using calor gas - the two recently delivered 75k bottles will last me about 18 months and cost £130 - last time they cost £90. In case anyone is wondering using calor gas requires a specific calor gas oven (different jets and pressure set by the manufacturer) and a thicker connecting hose than a normal gas oven. I suspect this makes my gas costs less than most, but my heating costs, because I use oil, will probably be much higher. 
One of the smoke detector batteries began to fail this morning but my DH replaced the battery and checked all the rest of them in the house - so that's a good job done.

Siebrie

To get an early start on next summer: look into 'solar cooking', where a pan is brought to a boil using the sun's reflection off an aluminum shell or box.

kiloranbay

Good morning frugalites, bidding everyone a good and frugal start to the week.

I'm delurking alongside @sunshineli and @Soontobeoap in hopes of putting a bit more of the time and energy I spend obsessing over pennies into this positive and inspiring environment   

Over the next six months I may be moving in with my other half which will present its own frugal challenge - my partner very understandably never wants to go back to childhood days of no heating or hot water and not being able to pick up a bottled drink if thirsty while out, etc. (I had success demonstrating mathematically why my electric kettle had been replaced by a camping stove one, but so far evangelising about shorter showers and rags in place of paper towels has not led to any conversion. Conversely I've been increasingly gratified by shiny new things during our relationship). 

I already have to compromise in some areas due to having paying guests on my living room sofabed, who expect heating on and nice soap and clean tissues and fluffy tumble-dried towels. Before the current cost of living that all paid for itself but now I am using the "extra" income for groceries and dog food.

So, six months of "no buying" and frugal energy use are ahead. Budgeted food, hard-to-find spare/replacement parts, services (including post), prescriptions and transport are exempt from my no-buying rule, and energy use is contingent on not letting Morag the (non-energy-monitoring) pug [mix] get too cold 🤞

I am looking forward to feeling like I'm part of a community succeeding in our frugal goals, rather than just struggling lonesomely to afford things or save. So, hello! 

Budget for the rest of the year for eating out, clothes, shoes, furniture, household items, toiletries, entrance tickets, gifts, gadgets, alcohol, dog toys, bike accessories, other personal spending, and the like: £0 

Sweetlittledaydreams

I have to admit one area I am not frugal in is gift buying. I'm already getting excited as to what to buy my family and friends for Christmas. Within our friendship group we do secret santa so that means only one person to buy for then I have a large family but only buy for 10 of them now, but I have to say I will be taking on extra-extra shifts (I already work extra so these extras will be on top of that!) so I can treat them. I know Christmas shouldn't be as consumerist as it is but I also have a habit of buying people presents throughout the year anyway, so Christmas is just another excuse to treat people
But I will buy them useful things, so baby clothes and toddler shoes the two littlest ones, pjays and drawing things for the middle one, beer and gift card for the older one, then grandparents usually get food or perfume/ bath smellies as that's what they ask for plus some flowers, alcohol for my aunt and uncle, then parents is where I usually go a bit over budget but it's nice to treat them. Ooh plus pet presents, I didn't think of that before, food based for the quail and food and toys for the pup.

House insurance is due soon and my renewal quote is just over £100 more than last year, so I will be shopping around as I'm not paying that unless I really have to. Road side cover is also due soon but the renewal price on that seemed OK but I will have a quick check and see if I can get it cheaper elsewhere. 

I did a week's shop yesterday, still came in under £20 (except i forgot coffee so will have to get that today which will push it slightly over £20) but overall can really see prices have gone up. Heating has stayed off so far but I did run the dehumidifier for 2 hours yesterday because the house was looking like a laundrette! Bonus was it heated the bedroom up too. Trying to make meals that mean I only have to cook every other day to reduce my energy usage. Other than that just plodding on and trying not to waste money.

Beshki

So after a few weeks of crazy spending I’m back on the horse. The oven went on yday for a freezer dinner and chips, a lasagne that will do us two days and some jacket pots. The other evening we’ll have something microwaveable. I’ve bought a slow cooker (for some reason I got rid of ours last year as we didn’t use it, however of course I didn’t anticipate calculating costs of oven usage!) so will start to utilise that. I have paid off all of the money I racked up over the last few weeks, last night, so there is little left but at least there is nothing owed now. Trying not to spend on anything now that I don’t have to… 

Elisheba

London_1 said:

So in 1961 I , having grown up going on holiday by coach, decided to go 'abroad' This involved careful saving from the year before and doing without a great deal to have every penny saved by myself to pay for it.
 I remember it cost 35 guineas. The coach went again from Victoria coach station ,down to Dover, then a very worn out ferry with wooden slatted seats to France, where we were driven by coach to Brussels. A night in an hotel ther (first time I had ever stayed in one) it was so exciting and I saw my first ever tea bag which was given in a glass of hot water in a metal holder (I was far too young and broke to even consider wine ). I also saw colour TV for the first time ,wasn't impressed as it was more asort of blue/green colour,couldn't see the point to be honest  

Next day off through Belgium and into France again and lunch at Luxembourg ( tray of frites as it was the cheapest on offer), then on to Germany to stay the night there. Better hotel than Belgiumm but seems to be an abundance of sausge type evening meals. The next day onwards agin to Switzerland where we syaed for a week returning the same way in reverse. I learned an awful lot about things,mainly that I wasn't keen on tea without a tea pot and the ideaof going to bed with a huge pillow to keep warm under (a continental quilt) seemed very odd. 
I remember that my British Visitors passport cost 7/6d (36p) and you were only allowed to take £25 in foreign currancy with you out of the UK at that time. I actually came home with around £4.00 odd in currancy and was chocked that a lot of it couldn't be exchanged back into english currancy.in those days you had to have separate currancy for each country so Belgian Francs,French Francs, German Marks and Swiss Francs had to be taken with you, and each country would only taken their own money.But I was a young teenager and it was an experience I never forgot. 

When I look back on how I scraped together every penny of that holiday it was probably what made me realise to value of saving for things .Obviously no credit cards or 'tick' when you went on holiday ,everything was paid for in cash.

At the time I was working in an office in London and my wages were £5.4s.00 (£5.40p) a week and after paying for my 'keep' which everyone did in those days to your Mum, and fares there wasn't a great deal left over .but somehow I did it. No cinema's or clothes for almost a year and when you are young its what you want to spend you wages on,especially at the beginning of the 1960s. I used to walk two stations closer to work to save an extra two shillings a day in fares. No nights out at the local dance hall with my friends and a coke had to last all night in the local coffee bar. 

Makes you appreciate the value of a pound that's for sure, and instills into you a steely determination that if you want something hard enough you can get it.
 

JackieO xx

Oh Jackie, you've just made me think oh my grandmother, who would have been about 10-20 years older than you I think. I remember her telling me that after the war sometime when she was a student teacher (so 48-51 maybe?) her and a friend went to Europe and hitchhiked around. I recall she said people were massively friendly as the places she went had been freed by the Brits, and that everywhere was still very war torn, but I can't for the life of me remember where she went. And now I want to know how she managed to pay for it - getting from Scotland to Europe and back, and accommodation etc, couldn't have been cheap.! 

London_1

Elisheba said:

London_1 said:

So in 1961 I , having grown up going on holiday by coach, decided to go 'abroad' This involved careful saving from the year before and doing without a great deal to have every penny saved by myself to pay for it.
 I remember it cost 35 guineas. The coach went again from Victoria coach station ,down to Dover, then a very worn out ferry with wooden slatted seats to France, where we were driven by coach to Brussels. A night in an hotel ther (first time I had ever stayed in one) it was so exciting and I saw my first ever tea bag which was given in a glass of hot water in a metal holder (I was far too young and broke to even consider wine ). I also saw colour TV for the first time ,wasn't impressed as it was more asort of blue/green colour,couldn't see the point to be honest  

Next day off through Belgium and into France again and lunch at Luxembourg ( tray of frites as it was the cheapest on offer), then on to Germany to stay the night there. Better hotel than Belgiumm but seems to be an abundance of sausge type evening meals. The next day onwards agin to Switzerland where we syaed for a week returning the same way in reverse. I learned an awful lot about things,mainly that I wasn't keen on tea without a tea pot and the ideaof going to bed with a huge pillow to keep warm under (a continental quilt) seemed very odd. 
I remember that my British Visitors passport cost 7/6d (36p) and you were only allowed to take £25 in foreign currancy with you out of the UK at that time. I actually came home with around £4.00 odd in currancy and was chocked that a lot of it couldn't be exchanged back into english currancy.in those days you had to have separate currancy for each country so Belgian Francs,French Francs, German Marks and Swiss Francs had to be taken with you, and each country would only taken their own money.But I was a young teenager and it was an experience I never forgot. 

When I look back on how I scraped together every penny of that holiday it was probably what made me realise to value of saving for things .Obviously no credit cards or 'tick' when you went on holiday ,everything was paid for in cash.

At the time I was working in an office in London and my wages were £5.4s.00 (£5.40p) a week and after paying for my 'keep' which everyone did in those days to your Mum, and fares there wasn't a great deal left over .but somehow I did it. No cinema's or clothes for almost a year and when you are young its what you want to spend you wages on,especially at the beginning of the 1960s. I used to walk two stations closer to work to save an extra two shillings a day in fares. No nights out at the local dance hall with my friends and a coke had to last all night in the local coffee bar. 

Makes you appreciate the value of a pound that's for sure, and instills into you a steely determination that if you want something hard enough you can get it.
 

JackieO xx

Oh Jackie, you've just made me think oh my grandmother, who would have been about 10-20 years older than you I think. I remember her telling me that after the war sometime when she was a student teacher (so 48-51 maybe?) her and a friend went to Europe and hitchhiked around. I recall she said people were massively friendly as the places she went had been freed by the Brits, and that everywhere was still very war torn, but I can't for the life of me remember where she went. And now I want to know how she managed to pay for it - getting from Scotland to Europe and back, and accommodation etc, couldn't have been cheap.! 

My late husband said to me he did his 'Grand Tour' of Europe courtesy of the RAF as he was called up in 1951 and was mainly stationed in Germany, and occasionally in Holland for some reason but as he said, he got paid (not terribly well) ,learned to drive , (admittedly a 10 ton truck at first),drink ( dicovered that cherry brandy made him very ill in large  quantities, it was the cheapest drink at the time ) and discover the opposite sex,(I didn't enquire too closely about that )   which as a country boy from the IoW in Hampshire in the village he grew up in would probably have been frowned upon. Travel certainly does broarden ones outlook on things  

JackieO xx