2022 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

Sweetlittledaydreams said:

Currently day dreaming about Skye, Bute or Orkney.......

I've been to Shetland 3 times - when I was 9, 11 and 13 !   One of my Uncles was working up there, so we went visiting.   The last visit was in the January (lots of snow, and very, very cold) as he already knew he was moving back to the mainland (all the way down to Bideford) and it was the last chance we had to experience Up Helly Aa - previously only experienced as an annual item on Blue Peter !!   I'd love to go and visit again, but I couldn't live there through the winters

There are other countries (and places in this country) I'd like to visit though, and would love to sort my finances so that I can afford to do some travelling when I stop working - before settling down to a genteel retirement at home

spudsmum

I'm really jealous of all the people who get good hauls from olio etc. I'm signed up to olio and too good to go but living in a small town there's never anything available unless I want to travel several miles which defeats the object.

Hopefully getting my car back tomorrow - the garage bill will be £300 so I've decided to go ahead and see how it does until its mot in March - the garage found out why it wouldn't start but weren't able to find any reason for it cutting out in the first place. They have thoroughly tested it so hopefully it will be OK. That said, regardless of the cost of replacing it, I'm not sure I trust it any more - at least this will buy me a little time to see how it does and maybe look around to see whats available.

Nearly had a a major spend day today but thankfully averted. I went to the dentist to have a filling replaced that fell out over Xmas - they tried to charge me £65 plus £9 for antibiotics. I stood my ground because the original filling was only done in September and should be guaranteed for 12 months as it was NHS - I had a heck of a battle but they backed down in the end and I just paid for the antibiotics.

Tea was more store cupboard leftovers. Kids had the eggs I saved from the bin yesterday with chips and beans - eldest is a fussy Veggie but he's a rugby player so eats huge amounts which cost me a fortune as Quorn etc is pricy - I'm trying to introduce a few cheaper meals that will fill him without breaking the bank. 

Think that's it - only working half a day tomorrow thank goodness 

Floss

I'm another with a local gas engineer doing the annual services (£50) but unfortunately my combi died before Christmas and the new one cost me £1980. The gas fitter turned the hot water down to 50deg before he left, but left the heating as it was.

Bluegreen143

I also use a local gas engineer and it’s £60 for the service which we get done annually. My husband is a meter fitter so well versed in gas (just doesn’t have his full gas ticket himself) and he insists on the annual service. When I used to sell services and insurance for BG many years ago (part time post uni job while I did a charity internship) I can’t remember exactly but I’m sure it was around £100 for a service then with them if you weren’t wanting the insurance. I can’t imagine the cost has come down any!

I said on my diary yesterday, we spent an hour in a drizzly playpark with friends after school yesterday 😅 and I’ve got my friends coming for a catch up once the kids are in bed tonight. Meeting people outdoors or having people over regularly is my number 1 tip for cutting costs on entertainment/socialising. I did have dinner and drinks out on the 2nd Jan and that was so much fun but cost an arm and a leg (I’ve not been out much in years so hasn’t realised how much it would all come to!). Having gatherings at home where people bring their own booze is much more our usual style. It’s all about getting as much enjoyment as possible from a lower budget 🙂

Re getting outdoors, I’m trying the “1,000 hours outdoors” challenge this year. It’s meant to be tracking family time outdoors but I’m still going to count it if I go for a walk without my kids as it’s really for my own health (the kids play in the garden a lot as it is). The premise is that the average child spends 1,200 hours on screen time a year so what would family life look like if that was matched by getting outside? I don’t expect to hit 1,000 hours as the family who set it up homeschool and have an at home parent so if you’ve got work/school you have less free time, but I want to get as much as I can towards that goal. The good thing about this challenge is it’s mainly free except petrol if we drive to a nice outdoors space.

MazzieD

MazzieD said:

I don't know if anyone else saw the on-line article (think it was the Daily Exp*ess) about how to reduce the cost of using a Combi-boiler.  Basically the factory settings are high for heating and hot water so reducing the settings on the boiler for heating to 55 degrees and 50 degrees for hot water will reduce your gas bills.  Only difference is that it takes a bit longer to heat up.  Always check after you have had a boiler service as well, they usually restore the factory settings   The lady who shared the tip reckoned she saved over £100.  I've  got a Combi-boiler and have just done this to see how much difference it makes.  

No idea if it works for other types of gas boilers but HTH.

No noticeable difference in hot water temp or heating after turning the settings down and my gas reading this morning after heating came off was already lower so I'm leaving these settings in place    It does take a bit longer to heat up but I can live with that.

Plenty of time to rest and recover now that I've done all the essential phone calls.  I work for a large company so they have been really good as I've been signed off sick for 6 weeks by the hospital.  There is no timescale for recovery it's just going to take a while.

I have never wanted to move to a remote location or small village.  I'm in such a good location with a major Hospital and A&E Department 10 minute drive away.  More like 5 minutes in an ambulance with sirens and blue lights!.  Only thing I would change would be my awful neighbours but that can happen anywhere.

My batch cooked meals in the freezer should last until the end of the month so I might get away without any further big shops.

Bluegreen143

Just been back and read the whole thread! So I’m late to some conversations 🤣

Mazzie, hope you recover quickly.

Re zero waste (refill/plastic free) shops, we have one very locally (my son’s school bus stops outside it!). So since he started school in August I’ve been trying to shop there as much as possible. It is a bit more expensive, but I want to support it because it’s more eco friendly but also as it’s a great wee social enterprise paying all the lovely staff living wages etc. As I’m not skint right now I’d rather pay a bit more to them instead of all my cash lining the pockets of Tesco executives. However not everyone can afford to make that choice. I’m going to take better notes of their prices from now on and if anything is really outrageously expensive probably will give it a miss but will continue to get staples there.

Re YNAB, I’ve been using it for years on and off and it’s a life saving. Worth every penny IMO - if I ever fall off the wagon I start wasting so much money so it really does pay for itself. It’s not for everyone though, it’s a little time consuming to use and has a learning curve. I have the You Need A Budget book too, which is actually really good.

joedenise

@Bluegreen143 I'm surprised that your zero waste shop is more expensive than the supermarkets.  I was in another town where there was a zero waste shop and popped in thought a lot of the stuff was cheaper than Mr Ts, particularly things like spices and pulses.  I wasn't sure which spices I was getting short of so just bought a couple that I use regularly and they certainly cheaper than buying the little 28g jars from Mr Ts (own brand not brand name ones!) and some pearl barley.  Was really impressed how cheap it was.

Unfortunately it's not a town particularly near to me but it's one we go to about 3-4 times a year so I have started to collect some empty bottles for next time we visit and I will make sure I write a list of what I need before filling them.

Bluegreen143

@joedenise I think it’s just a function of living in the west end (trendy/university/boutique type area - well I live just on the fringe in a more rough area but this is where the shop is). Rents are very high for businesses here because of that so I think that affects prices. And probably an element of it being such a middle class area and people are willing to pay. A lot of the other shops on that street are eye wateringly expensive gift boutiques.

Edit - it’s not ALL super expensive and the herbs, pulses etc are fine. Pasta isn’t as cheap as SM but then it’s a loss leader for the likes of Tesco. But it’s also the kind of place that sells honey by small local beekeepers at £10 a jar etc 😆

spudsmum

Bluegreen143 said:

@joedenise I think it’s just a function of living in the west end (trendy/university/boutique type area - well I live just on the fringe in a more rough area but this is where the shop is). Rents are very high for businesses here because of that so I think that affects prices. And probably an element of it being such a middle class area and people are willing to pay. A lot of the other shops on that street are eye wateringly expensive gift boutiques.

Edit - it’s not ALL super expensive and the herbs etc are fine. Pasta isn’t as cheap as SM but then it’s a loss leader for the likes of Tesco. But it’s also the kind of place that sells honey by small local beekeepers at £10 a jar etc 😆

I've found the same @B@Bluegreen143

I live in a fairly affluent area and our zero waste shop is quite pricy for things. 

Herbs and spices are a fair bit cheaper so I, always get those there but pasta and pulses and other things are a lot more expensive than the supermarkets.

I would love to shop there more as it appeals to the ethical side of me but its definitely not money-saving so I try to be selective and compare prices 

elbree

Bluegreen143 said:

I also use a local gas engineer and it’s £60 for the service which we get done annually. My husband is a meter fitter so well versed in gas (just doesn’t have his full gas ticket himself) and he insists on the annual service. When I used to sell services and insurance for BG many years ago (part time post uni job while I did a charity internship) I can’t remember exactly but I’m sure it was around £100 for a service then with them if you weren’t wanting the insurance. I can’t imagine the cost has come down any!

I said on my diary yesterday, we spent an hour in a drizzly playpark with friends after school yesterday 😅 and I’ve got my friends coming for a catch up once the kids are in bed tonight. Meeting people outdoors or having people over regularly is my number 1 tip for cutting costs on entertainment/socialising. I did have dinner and drinks out on the 2nd Jan and that was so much fun but cost an arm and a leg (I’ve not been out much in years so hasn’t realised how much it would all come to!). Having gatherings at home where people bring their own booze is much more our usual style. It’s all about getting as much enjoyment as possible from a lower budget 🙂

Re getting outdoors, I’m trying the “1,000 hours outdoors” challenge this year. It’s meant to be tracking family time outdoors but I’m still going to count it if I go for a walk without my kids as it’s really for my own health (the kids play in the garden a lot as it is). The premise is that the average child spends 1,200 hours on screen time a year so what would family life look like if that was matched by getting outside? I don’t expect to hit 1,000 hours as the family who set it up homeschool and have an at home parent so if you’ve got work/school you have less free time, but I want to get as much as I can towards that goal. The good thing about this challenge is it’s mainly free except petrol if we drive to a nice outdoors space.

I love the 1000 hours outside idea! Will definitely look that up and use it. We live on the seafront so we're out all spring and summer but tend to hibernate too much in the winter.