2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

London_1 said:

Last 1 kilo bag I bought was in Savers about a month ago, as I only whizz it up in my blender to make Caster sugar/icing sugar as I don't use it on anything else and then it was 62p a kilo I have no idea how much it is now  
JackieO xx

It was 65p a kilo on my last stock up but it's now gone up to £1.19 (A$da) and none in stock even if I'd wanted to buy it. That is a shockingly massive hike!  Checked M0rris0ns and it's showing as in stock at 95p there and 'only' £1.49 for 2kg so I'm off to stock up.

newlywed

Granulate in Tesco is .62p a kilo if you buy a 2kg silver spoon… maybe they haven’t t updated their app yet tho as sains is showing an Aldi match price of 95p for a 1kg bag

Primrose

Probably worth stocking up now if you're planning a home made Seville marmalade making session in January!

Frugaldom

Food prices

Prices for the basic essentials of a cook-from-scratch store cupboard are looking pretty grim from my viewpoint. When you are on the bottom rung of the ladder in the 'brand' stakes,there's no place left to go and many of us have become fairly reliant on store basics. If homegrowing, bartering, swapping or he likes of Olioex.com aren't options then a complete change in diet may be the only affordable option. My own grocery budget is based over a year to average out at £1 per person per day but having tallied up everything spent over the past year, it's looking more like £1.50 per person.  I do know that this can be cut as I have been allowing more and more non-essentials to slip through the checkouts but now that winter is here, this could prove not to be an option. It's looking like the heating versus eating debacle is getting worse instead of better so perhaps it's time to look in other areas to help cut costs. Find a frugal friend who will share.

Soapbox alert - animals are lifelong commitments.

Pets and animals need to be cared for so please always factor their costs into your budgets. Sanctuaries and rescues are absoulutely overrun with unwanted, abandoned, neglected and ill-treated animals of all descriptions and I would never advocate breeding any animal, ever, in the hope of earning money from it. Routine vet fees, emergency vet fees, insurance (if you subscribe to any) and any extra costs involving third party care in the event you aren't able to look after them while elsewhere or indisposed - these are all essentials. 

Soapbox alert - New Year resolutions

I gave up on these a long time ago because I couldn't see the point of allocating 1st January to begin making changes for the better in my life. If you really want to make a change then just do it. Whether it's learning something new, taking up a new hobby, saving for something special, paying off a debt, losing weight, getting fit, quitting smoking / drinking / gambling / any other vices... just go for it right now and don't put off any longer. Life waits for no one and no one knows what's going to happen in the future. Do your best right now and help those around you to do the same. Share support, friendly advice, helpful suggestions, coffee and cake... don't become one of those who are all talk and no action. If you say it, mean it and follow it through, otherwise you are simply lying to yourself and others.

Free activities - check out all your free to attend local groups, clubs, warm spaces, projects and associations, consider volunteering.

Extra income - home based - there are now dozens of options for finding paid work from home aside from the traditional make and sell route. Check out the freelance sites such as upwork, fiverr, peopleperhour, cambly, freelancer and for online selling, there are plenty options other than just eBay, eBid, Etsy etc. I signed up free to ko-fi as an additional fundraising platform and it now offers a shop facility for anyone with anything to selling. Extra income needn't just be about earning, it can also be about decluttering and simplifying life around you. 

Bluegreen143

95p for a kg of sugar yesterday at Tesco. 

pepsi-kins

 Hope you don’t mind me butting in. In my local Sainsbury’s they do 5kg bags for £3.75, so 75p a kg. 

willow_loulou

Hello. 

Manic couple of weeks here, work and home has been crazy. Budget bathroom renovation is under way. I now have hot water for the first time in 5 years! Bath shopping tomorrow, I was to get a second hand one but I need a specific style now I’m unable to get in a normal bath safely without assistance. I want my independence. 

Would be wonderful to go whole hog but it’s a needs must choice as I’m not getting any debts again. 

kayannie

After being 62p at Savers for ages, last time I bought granulated sugar there it was 65p (but that was a month ago). I stocked up then so haven't bought any since. I have cut down on the amount we use,  my OH takes sugar in his drinks & I have started putting slightly less than usual in his cup. He hasn't noticed yet! I also use less sugar than the recipe says in cakes or biscuits.

DawnW

kayannie said:

After being 62p at Savers for ages, last time I bought granulated sugar there it was 65p (but that was a month ago). I stocked up then so haven't bought any since. I have cut down on the amount we use,  my OH takes sugar in his drinks & I have started putting slightly less than usual in his cup. He hasn't noticed yet! I also use less sugar than the recipe says in cakes or biscuits.

I always cut the amount of sugar in cake and biscuit recipes, as we prefer them not too sweet. I will be cutting further now! Sugar is now 95p a kilo locally - I must admit hadn't really taken this on board till I read about the price rises here! Last time I really looked it was 65p, £1.20 for 2 bags. I must admit that until this week, I haven't bought any for a while, as I bought loads earlier in the summer for jam and chutney making to use garden fruit and veg. I only use sugar for baking and preserving, as OH has artificial sweetener in his drinks and I dislike sweet drinks.

mama67

DawnW said:

kayannie said:

After being 62p at Savers for ages, last time I bought granulated sugar there it was 65p (but that was a month ago). 

Sugar is now 95p a kilo locally - I must admit hadn't really taken this on board till I read about the price rises here! Last time I really looked it was 65p, £1.20 for 2 bags. 

I haven’t bought any for a while but last time I looked it was 95p/kg bag or £1.25/2kg bag