2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Bluegreen143

I’ve got a little net bag to put soap in when it gets small. You can then keep using it til it’s totally gone. I switched away from hand wash to bar soap a few years ago and we much prefer it now. 

Beshki

We have started batch cooking for the week on a Sunday. It means we only have to use the oven once and actually it is quite useful in taking away the pressure of thinking what to cook during the week. 

London_1

gill5blue said:

London_1 said:

I too use a bar of soap, but then I also save the end bits and remake them into new bars .As I use the same soap all the time (dove) it suits me and I have zero waste

JackieO xx

Hi JackieO,
How do you make them into new bars. I've previously thrown them away , but would like stop doing that.
gill5blue

I have an old soap travelling dish with a lid and any scraps I have left i just put into the dish with a little water and keep popping odd ends in until its full then by that time its got pretty soft and squishy. slightly overfill it and put the lid on and press down and once its bar shaped I take the lid off and pop it into the airing cover to dry it out a little then shape it with my hand squashing it as much as I can and leave in the airing cupboad once dried out its ready to use. As I only use one sort of soap I usually get at least a bar or two from end bits over the year so zero waste
I know you can put it in an empty jam jar with a little water and put to melt in a simmering pot of boiling water until really soft and malleable then shape with your hands (but wear rubber gloves if its still a bit warm)

JackieO xx

Beshki

My next money saving trick to try is making my own oat bars for breakfast. I currently buy them and they’re expensive. Found a no bake recipe online so will give those a bash next weekend

Soontobeoap

@Beshki if you find a sucessful recipe for cereal bars I would love to hear it as that is my next goal too.

@London_1 I had forgotten that I used to make new soap out of the scraps. Must start squidging the old bits together again.

LovingLifeOnLess

Beshki said:

My next money saving trick to try is making my own oat bars for breakfast. I currently buy them and they’re expensive. Found a no bake recipe online so will give those a bash next weekend

We make a couple of no bake breakfast bars & protein balls.

Dates, raisins, cashews and peanuts blended to a pulp and then formed with your hands. Very similar to the Nkd bars.

Or my children's favourite: 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of chocolate spread. Melt in microwave for 30 seconds. Mix together. Add 100 gms oats. Mix well and then roll into balls. Leave to set in fridge for one hour.

gill5blue

London_1 said:

gill5blue said:

London_1 said:

I too use a bar of soap, but then I also save the end bits and remake them into new bars .As I use the same soap all the time (dove) it suits me and I have zero waste

JackieO xx

Hi JackieO,
How do you make them into new bars. I've previously thrown them away , but would like stop doing that.
gill5blue

I have an old soap travelling dish with a lid and any scraps I have left i just put into the dish with a little water and keep popping odd ends in until its full then by that time its got pretty soft and squishy. slightly overfill it and put the lid on and press down and once its bar shaped I take the lid off and pop it into the airing cover to dry it out a little then shape it with my hand squashing it as much as I can and leave in the airing cupboad once dried out its ready to use. As I only use one sort of soap I usually get at least a bar or two from end bits over the year so zero waste
I know you can put it in an empty jam jar with a little water and put to melt in a simmering pot of boiling water until really soft and malleable then shape with your hands (but wear rubber gloves if its still a bit warm)

JackieO xx

Thankyou, brilliant suggestions, but I probably won’t use cooker as that would negate the money saving part. I could put in glass jar in oven when it is cooling down.
gill5blue

gill5blue

No bake breakfast bars. I do add vegan butter to make it more pliable.

Beshki

@gill5blue they look fab. I’m going to try a very simple recipe of peanut butter, agave & oats first. And see how they turn out, as they’ll be fairly cheap with the minimum ingredients. Fingers crossed they’re good! 

zafiro1984

Beshki said:

We have started batch cooking for the week on a Sunday. It means we only have to use the oven once and actually it is quite useful in taking away the pressure of thinking what to cook during the week. 

I live by batch cooking and my freezer. Over last winter I made loads of casseroles in my wood burner with attached oven. Froze them in '1 portion' sizes. Also did loads of crumbles and puddings the same way. I still have enough portions left for about another month.
Most days I take out 2 portions in the morning to defrost. We don't always have them as a 'casserole' I turn them into a pie - put potato on the top - scone mix on top - over a baked potato - into a large Yorkshire pudding - some are used with pasta/rice - etc, etc
The last time I used my big range cooker was last Christmas. I use a microwave, small mini oven and if needed the hob. I'm sure I have saved masses of electricity as well as time as I always cook from scratch. 

Another trick I use is:-
I freeze cake mix before it is cooked.
DH likes something sweet at lunchtime and a cake is too large so-
I use a Mary Berry tray bake recipe, make it as instructions but before cooking divide it into 4 portions, and freeze three of them. I get about six muffins or buns out of the fourth portion and they only take about 12mins to cook in the mini oven.
The other frozen portions of cake mix bake beautifully. I usually defrost them first but on occasion I have baked them when still frozen.

Frozen uncooked biscuit mix works well. I freeze it in the shape of a log so it slices easily when i come to use it. 

I don't make my own puff pastry but when I use it, any bits left over, I score a diamond pattern on it, cook it, and make the old fashioned 'cream and jam between pastry' that I used to know as a treat when a child (over 70yrs ago) I try to waste nothing.

Todays offerings from the freezer are:-
Lunch:- soup, leek and ham - leeks from garden last year
Tea:- cooked mince as a pie with veg, rhubarb/orange/ginger crumble - rhubarb frozen earlier this year from garden