2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Soontobeoap

Checked with Sainsburys bank re nectar points on House insurance today. Apparently they just give a discount not points as they used to, so that is very disappointing.

still not turned heating on. The sun has dropped today so not naturally warming our living room through the bay window but we have not caved in yet. Winter Woolley’s and crocheted blanket coming in useful. Off out tomorrow so another night without heating too. We still haven’t had our first £66 towards winter fuel costs but I am keeping an eye on the bank account.

still getting a few runner beans off of plants in garden. Can’t believe that they are still producing.

filled The oven today with a picnic pie ( sausage and egg) and a couple of loaf tin cakes. The last thing that I felt like doing was making cakes but am now pleased that I pushed myself and didn’t waste electricity. It also had the added bonus of warming me up.

using up food from freezer and cupboards so definitely getting a cheaper month food wise and the freezer will be clear for a few treats at Christmas.

looking into making a few Christmas presents with my stash of craft stuff. It is very tempting to buy more but I have only spent about £10.00 on hobbies which is a vast improvement on other years.

My biggest luxury is buying little bits and pieces for the Grandchildren but that will be the last thing we cut down on.

in_my_wellies

Soontobeoap said:

still getting a few runner beans off of plants in garden. Can’t believe that they are still producing.

filled The oven today with a picnic pie ( sausage and egg) and a couple of loaf tin cakes. The last thing that I felt like doing was making cakes but am now pleased that I pushed myself and didn’t waste electricity. It also had the added bonus of warming me up.

I've been saying 'that's the last of the runner beans for this year' for the past two weeks but every other day there's been just enough for our meal. I'm hoping for a few for Sunday lunch tomorrow.
I've just picked a bonus punnet of autumn raspberries to use for a flan if I put the oven on to make a cake, otherwise stewed and popped into yogurt. I must make the effort to bake a cake for the week. 

Onebrokelady

Primrose said:

The comments re people being in credit on their energy accounts are interesting and pause for thought as it seems to me there are two ways of looking at this.

It's obviously a huge comfort in these difficult times to know that you don't "owe" money on your fuel bills, but then it struck me that if there are millions of us up and down the country in this situation the fuel suppliers must consequently be sitting on millions of ££s of surplus cash.

The savvy accountants in those companies will surely be having an eye on the short term investment market and be putting those millions in short term interest accounts?  I would dearly love to know how much interest that money is earning them, especially now the Bank of England has once again increased the Bank Rate.

Don't get me wrong.  I completely understand that all companies need to be able to make a profit to survive and thrive  (and the reality is that most of us are members of pension schemes whose money is invested in shares of many of these energy companies which makes us shareholders who need the best returns these companies can provide ) - but I'm curious to know how much extra profit all these "in credit" accounts might be earning.

It's difficult striking a reasonable balance, isn't it, between staying credit on your fuel bills and perhaps putting that cash away in a savings fund of your own rather than an energy company investing it?

This is why I cancelled my DD because they are sitting on huge amounts of peoples money and making massive profits with it and I think the money is better off in my bank. They wanted to take £187 from my account on the 1st of September for a bill that ended up costing £49 🙀I am now paying on receipt of my bill but I put the extra they suggested I pay away in savings for the winter bills just in case 

zaxdog

Our Three service has been down since the 5th October and will be off for another few days as they repair a mast. Contacted them and negotiated up from their first offer of £2.92 compensation to a month's free service next month which works out to £42. Very chuffed. I was polite in the live chat but just kept repeating myself until I think they just gave me the credit to go away.

Weapons grade leek & tattie soup made (lots of chili, garlic and ginger in the stock) so a bowl of that just now and then Super Six jacket tatties in the air fryer topped with YS and haggis and YS salad on the side later on. Stove lit and curled in an armchair with hot tea, hwb and crochet blanket...............bliss.

Need to pop to town tomorrow so will check Oilio and TGTG before we head out.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and warm in this cold blustery weather xx

HelenaPinky

Got the oven on for the first time (for pizzas) since we purchased our air fryer a month ago - been using the air fryer twice a day (sometimes three, husband has sausage sandwich before work to keep him going). Found a new solution to those times when you’re sat at home in the day and consider putting the heating on - going outside! Walk, litter picking (I’m a volunteer so have the kit), it’s really been warming me up much more than just sticking the heating on would do and the warmth lasts when you get back inside! I look back to those days when you’d sometimes realise you were hot and the heating was too high… surely there’s les chance of that happening for even the non-frugal so this winter? 

We’ve ditched the V1rg1n this month and, since being disconnected, have found our tv has all the iPlayer, itv hub, all 4 on it already. The only thing we’re missing out on is the tv channels guide, it still allows you to see what’s on live right now on lots of channels. Frugal win! 

cw18

Onebrokelady said:

This is why I cancelled my DD because they are sitting on huge amounts of peoples money and making massive profits with it and I think the money is better off in my bank. They wanted to take £187 from my account on the 1st of September for a bill that ended up costing £49 🙀I am now paying on receipt of my bill but I put the extra they suggested I pay away in savings for the winter bills just in case 

I've just changed my Mum over from a budget account (regular monthly DD payments) to a 'pay on receipt of bill' - but it's still set to be taken by DD.    With her supplier it doesn't matter whether she pays DD or card, but all the others have a different tariff if you don't pay by DD (either way).   If I cancelled mine and paid by cash/card/cheque, my annual bill would be 8% higher!

So I see that saving as being the return for letting them hold on to some of my money (my aim being to have a credit balance of 2-3 months payments which would hold me inreasonable good stead if I hit money problems again).   Having checked my expected bills for 1st Oct to 31st March (the ones that are higher than my payments) I need 3 months payments in play so that I'm not in debt come 1st April.   I was there before the prices shot up - but have a bit of work to catch up again !!!!   But I'm not too worried at the moment as we know the prices won't be going up again until October 2024.

Soontobeoap

I am finding it harder and harder to find more ways to cut back. However today i recieved my new tesco credit card. I clear my  card every month so will cut up and cancel old card and hopefully gain a few extra tesco points whilst doing essential shopping. 

Primrose

Our  rotary washing airer in the lawn is now in a situation where, as the winter sun declines  and neighbours' trees grow taller, it is shaded from what little winter sunshine there is.

i think if we want to continue drying laundry outdoors as much as possible to save fuel, we need to put another hole spike  in the lawn  in a sunnier spot  so we can move the airer to a better drying position in winter months.  I,m all for grabbing whatever free drying solar power is available!

HelenaPinky

i think if we want to continue drying laundry outdoors as much as possible to save fuel, we need to put another hole spike  in the lawn  in a sunnier spot  so we can move the airer to a better drying position in winter months. 

Last year I dried clothes outside all through the winter, even when it was freezing, as long as there was a little breeze. I then transferred the clothes to an indoor clothes airer in the afternoon before it went dark, and they were dry by morning. I found it took the edge off them so they only took the 1 day to dry inside, rather than the 2-3 days. I suppose if you have a dryer, being outside would surely reduce dryer time

Tanya12345

Love drying outside, we have a rotary line but sometimes the wind here is so fierce !! Got the washing machine going, will put the oven on when that finishes - trying to use the energy from the solar panels when its there..... Saving energy feel like more than a full time job, looking back through my WWII books and getting great tips re cooking etc
Have a good day everyone and keep juggling those Frugal Balls xx