It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

otb666

secret spenders is quite a strange watch. That same couple they were suggesting equity release and consolidating debts as an answer to their overspending rather than tackling his gambling The other couple was not claiming the UC they were entitled to approx £250 per week

JIL

Heres my Lakeland butter dish. I think it was £14 when I bought it, which was expensive but 8 years later and it's still really good. I wanted one with a lid on top, 

maryb

I looked at my pack of Lurpak spreadable and the proportion of rapeseed oil is 25%.  That would be about 85g for a 250g pack of butter making 335g in total.  At Lidl/Aldi prices that's the equivalent of £2.77 for 500g using sunflower or vegetable oil (their cheapest) whereas their own brand of Norpak/Danpak is £2.09 for 500g.  So can't be made for less than bought

Sainsbury's have got Lurpak spreadable on offer at £3.50 for 500g (normally £4) but 750g costs £7.25!!!!  So it definitely doesn't pay to buy bigger sizes in this case

Woolsery

Bluegreen143 said:

I made proper chocolate mousse for dessert tonight and have just realised what a frugal dessert it is for us chicken keepers who get free eggs 🙂

Err....free eggs? I like chicken-keeping too, but giving them excellent conditions, keeping them safe and feeding them is a long way from free where I live.

 Your mousse is probably a lot nicer than Tescos, but our hens cost us quite a lot more than they save us, to say nothingof rising at an ungodly hour at present to let them out!

Bluegreen143

@Woolsery our hens are pets we keep for the children so we have to feed and house them regardless 😅 As neither the cat nor the canary ever gave us a thing to eat I’m counting it as a freebie benefit! I’m not suggesting anyone get chickens to make slightly cheaper mousse - just that if you HAVE the eggs it’s a good way to use them up - I’d never thought of it or made mousse before.

in_my_wellies

Onebrokelady said:

t14cy_t said:

just bought sack of dog food, sack of corn and sack of layers pellets for the chooks and ducks, total up by £6. ouch. 

I've noticed the price of layers pellets and corn going up slightly, I do only buy 5kilo bags of each because I've only now got two elderly hens and I don't want to be stuck with loads left if they decide to pop their clogs 

I buy 20k bags of layers pellets. Up from £8.60 in March to £11.60 last week

Woolsery

Bluegreen143 said:

@Woolsery our hens are pets we keep for the children so we have to feed and house them regardless 😅 As neither the cat nor the canary ever gave us a thing to eat I’m counting it as a freebie benefit! I’m not suggesting anyone get chickens to make slightly cheaper mousse - just that if you HAVE the eggs it’s a good way to use them up - I’d never thought of it or made mousse before.

I understand you. However, this is a high-traffic site, so it's possible someone might misunderstand and think keeping chickens could be moneysaving. Initially, we thought we might just about break even, but we never got anywhere close.

Wellies, that's around what we're paying for pellets. Unfortunately, it's not possible to stock-up much, because the pellets have a shorter shelf life than many foods. I wouldn't be surprised to see £15+ by year's end.

t14cy_t

i keep around 30 ex battery hens at a time, 2 oap ducks and a rescue rooster. their food has gone up considerably but the pleasure they give far outweighs the costs involved. i love to share our eggs with family and friends. wednesdays i give out eggs to those waiting in the community pantry with me, really breaks the ice with others that maybe are shy or dont see many people in the week. xx

Flugelhorn

otb666 said:

secret spenders is quite a strange watch. That same couple they were suggesting equity release and consolidating debts as an answer to their overspending rather than tackling his gambling The other couple was not claiming the UC they were entitled to approx £250 per week

I agree - some of the advice  was rather odd

Bluegreen143

@t14cy_t we give a lot of eggs away too. 

I often take eggs to people’s houses when they are hosting playdates or small gatherings (just people I know appreciate them!!) or as a thank you for small favours. Cheaper than a box of chocolates or bottle of wine regardless of the price of chicken feed (again, only those friends who rave about the eggs and want them and for a bigger thank you or a formal event I’d buy them then wine!!). 

If I’m not actually giving them the eggs I usually make home baking using the eggs to take to people’s houses 😅 not always cheaper than buying shop cakes or snacks, but so much nicer and more personal. Being mindful of the cost of running the oven, ideally baking several things at once.

@Woolsery again, my apologies. Was just delighted to find a new recipe to use up the egg mountain and thought I’d share as others on here keep chickens and presumably also have a surplus.