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

Florenceem

We had £8.03 left from our 4 week grocery budget. Put it in our spare shopping fund.

littlemoney

With regards to washing, I have house clothes and going out clothes. The house clothes can be worn longer before washing. If I am going out I change into something I know is clean, once home I change back to house clothes. The going out clothes are aired and worn again the next time I go out. They become house clothes after several trips out. This has reduced washing machine to every two weeks, with an hand wash if needed between.

London_1

littlemoney said:

With regards to washing, I have house clothes and going out clothes. The house clothes can be worn longer before washing. If I am going out I change into something I know is clean, once home I change back to house clothes. The going out clothes are aired and worn again the next time I go out. They become house clothes after several trips out. This has reduced washing machine to every two weeks, with an hand wash if needed between.

It's what most Mums did back in the 1950s ,but then few folk had that many clothes as we all seem to have today. I have an old piar of cotton trousers that are past ever wearing to go anywhere in as they are too big for me for one thing.I look (to those that can remember an old comic strip ) 'My pal Baggypants ( rather arabian ) Its probably the corded wasit that keeps them up and an old tee shirt thats definitely seen better days These are my indoor house cleaning clothes,very comfortable anf get a wash about once a week. I'd prbably have to change before I answered to door to anyone But useful in that when cleaning or doing housework its not a problem if they get a bit dusty.

My late Mum had a set of stuff she kept for just house cleaning and once her chores were done she would change into a smarter dress .She had a wrap around pinifore that went over the top of her old clothes and she had two of theses so one on and one in the wash. Better clothes were for after lunch when the housework was done and she sat and knitted or sewed or we went to the shops. Always had to look smart when shopping though and never went out without her hat and gloves. But women back in the 1940s/50s were like that.

I keep my ratty clothes just for indoors or doing the garden, and would never dream of wearing them outside. I have far too many clothes and this winter I'm going to declutter a few bags and I have stuff that I'll never wear again so its just taking up space.Most will go to a CS as someone might find them useful. The house clothese get washed and certainly never ironed as they are my indoor stuff I keep nicer stuff for when I'm out But do try to cut down as much as possible with the washing machine I suppose around two loads a week and useually on a 30 minute wash. Sheets get done in a hot wash along with duvet covers,towels  and pillow cases. I use half the amount of liquid gel in the washing machine and top it up with a small handful of washing soda crystals the white vinegar goes in the conditioner drawer and that it job done . looking back to the days of the twin tub I think we seem to be washing clothes far more than we did back then in the 1970s as Monday morning was wash day for everything, Tueday for ironing, Wednesday for baking Thursday for cleaning, Friday for shopping and the weekend for the family , 


JackieO xx:) 

leftatthetrafficlights

LittleGem said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

amber03 said:

I did a stewed apple dish with a sponge topping. Had it with custard, even DH commented how lovely it was.

We used to know that as eve's pudding and I loved it! It's one of the only desserts that I'll eat - I tend to make it in the autumn when there are lots of free cooking apples available and I do vegan sponge so it's a dirt cheap option! 

I've got to go through and rearrange my kitchen cupboards this weekend as I am making some more pickles and chutneys along with flavoured gins and vodkas tomorrow- I don't want my worktops covered in jars and demijohns plus we've done pretty well at eating some storecupboard stuff so it's a good time to do the storage shuffle!

I'll do an inventory again but will be paying much more attention to it so that I plan more meals from it - we've used stuff but its just been what will compliment the veg plot haul over the summer, obviously we'll be making more use of it over the autumn and winter. 

The washing line use has continued in earnest and I'm beginning to get my head around doing fewer washes each week at a lower temperature- I was looking into getting a heated airer for the winter but we have the towel radiator in the bathroom which will probably do the job just as well 🤔 plus I am no longer working which means I can probably make reasonably frequent use of the line anyway. 

I've started the inside of the loo roll collection again to make the firelighters for autumn/winter - I've got plenty of logs and kindling along with a decent amount of coal and I'm hoping that once the new boiler is installed we'll use a lot less oil this winter due to the increased efficiency- I had an oil delivery this week into the new tank and it was 33% more expensive than last time I bought it (and the last time was 25% more than the time before that!! 😳).

Looking at the figures for 'average' energy costs really doesn't take into account those of us who have no access to mains gas - the 'new' figure given for October is pretty much what we've spent in the past 12 months! Heating oil prices have been increasing dramatically over the past 18 months and are incredibly volatile 😔

Would love to know how you make your fire lighters please?

@LittleGem - I stuff the loo roll innards with a combination of td fluff and shredded paper then pour in wax (basically the remnants of any candles I've used - I go through quite a few during the year!) If I don't have any td fluff I'll use shredded paper and very dry broken twigs. I leave them to solidify then cut to size. 

Siebrie

Small moneysaving tip: I turn the thermostat knob on my shower to 0 after use. It prevents 'accidentally' turning on the gas boiler whenever we turn on the shower for short times, for instance when spraying the bath to collect my hairs after brushing (I brush my long hair with my calves against the bath so the hair collects in the bath tub), or when filling a small bucket to flush the upstairs loo (the cistern is leaking and I can feel the calcium built up there, but can't reach properly to remove it).

linz

Hope everyone's having a nice bank holiday weekend. Will likely be a NSD here. Small things that are making me happy today are;

Boiled the kettle once and filled my Stanley flask so have the rest for cuppas throughout the day

Don't know why it's only just clicked but have started to wash my hands and some of the dishes in cold water so the boiler doesn't fire up. Think I read this on MSE somewhere yesterday.

Breakfast of a lovely bacon baguette from a 14p baton and some of a 90-odd pence YS pack of bacon I defrosted.

Dinner will be a 50p YS lentil cottage pie with some extra purple carrots from my garden

Gathered some poppy seeds from some wild poppies that grew in my garden to scatter somewhere else, not decided where yet.

Been watching some of the videos off the Simple Living Alaska YouTube channel. I can't remember if someone posted it in this thread or the 2022 Frugal Living one but am loving them. Sometimes I wish I could live off the grid in the middle of nowhere but I doubt I appreciate how much hard work it must be. No eye-watering fuel bills this year for those in cabins with wood burners though!

London_1

Just finished off the last of the spicy celery soup I made from the left over celery my DD gave me last Sunday,it was delicious, and I think I will use up the carrots from Tuesday that I got reduced to 12 p to make some carrot and coriander soup this afternoon for some lunches this week

 I used a few, diced and steamed last night with some cabbage, new potatos and one of the large chickem thighs I got from Asda's for dinner last night and have enough veg left over to have with dinner tomorrow night which will be stuffing coated pork steak from the freezer.

So the rest will be turned into soup for several lunches this coming week.Still abstaining from the shops as its almost the end of the month so my new monthly budget starts on Thursday.

I have a bit to squirell away of left over cash towards a 'big shop' added to left over cash from July its £32.55 so I'm quite happy with that.Steering clear of shops and the temptation to spend is extremly healthy for my purse at the moment, and every thing I can thing of to use up has been used this week, I even managed to use up the opened four pints of milk my neighbour gave me as she didn't need it.I made a huge rice pudding in my slow cooker and its been eaten at various times during the week. All gone now and really pleased that noting was binned at all  

JackieO xx

annieb64

Just been over to DDs to feed the pets while she is away. She'd left a few things for me in the fridge-milk, plums, a packet of ham and a couple of courgettes.  I also picked up the windfall apples from her garden. We had the ham for lunch and I have stewed the plums.

JIL

leftatthetrafficlights said:

LittleGem said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

amber03 said:

I did a stewed apple dish with a sponge topping. Had it with custard, even DH commented how lovely it was.

We used to know that as eve's pudding and I loved it! It's one of the only desserts that I'll eat - I tend to make it in the autumn when there are lots of free cooking apples available and I do vegan sponge so it's a dirt cheap option! 

I've got to go through and rearrange my kitchen cupboards this weekend as I am making some more pickles and chutneys along with flavoured gins and vodkas tomorrow- I don't want my worktops covered in jars and demijohns plus we've done pretty well at eating some storecupboard stuff so it's a good time to do the storage shuffle!

I'll do an inventory again but will be paying much more attention to it so that I plan more meals from it - we've used stuff but its just been what will compliment the veg plot haul over the summer, obviously we'll be making more use of it over the autumn and winter. 

The washing line use has continued in earnest and I'm beginning to get my head around doing fewer washes each week at a lower temperature- I was looking into getting a heated airer for the winter but we have the towel radiator in the bathroom which will probably do the job just as well 🤔 plus I am no longer working which means I can probably make reasonably frequent use of the line anyway. 

I've started the inside of the loo roll collection again to make the firelighters for autumn/winter - I've got plenty of logs and kindling along with a decent amount of coal and I'm hoping that once the new boiler is installed we'll use a lot less oil this winter due to the increased efficiency- I had an oil delivery this week into the new tank and it was 33% more expensive than last time I bought it (and the last time was 25% more than the time before that!! 😳).

Looking at the figures for 'average' energy costs really doesn't take into account those of us who have no access to mains gas - the 'new' figure given for October is pretty much what we've spent in the past 12 months! Heating oil prices have been increasing dramatically over the past 18 months and are incredibly volatile 😔

Would love to know how you make your fire lighters please?

@LittleGem - I stuff the loo roll innards with a combination of td fluff and shredded paper then pour in wax (basically the remnants of any candles I've used - I go through quite a few during the year!) If I don't have any td fluff I'll use shredded paper and very dry broken twigs. I leave them to solidify then cut to size. 

I saw a really useful tip, cant remember where but it was basically an egg box and where the eggs sit went a piece of coal. 
Light the cardboard.
I think this was for bbq s but thought it a good idea (but only when the egg boxes are past reusing)

CKhalvashi

JIL said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

LittleGem said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

amber03 said:

I did a stewed apple dish with a sponge topping. Had it with custard, even DH commented how lovely it was.

We used to know that as eve's pudding and I loved it! It's one of the only desserts that I'll eat - I tend to make it in the autumn when there are lots of free cooking apples available and I do vegan sponge so it's a dirt cheap option! 

I've got to go through and rearrange my kitchen cupboards this weekend as I am making some more pickles and chutneys along with flavoured gins and vodkas tomorrow- I don't want my worktops covered in jars and demijohns plus we've done pretty well at eating some storecupboard stuff so it's a good time to do the storage shuffle!

I'll do an inventory again but will be paying much more attention to it so that I plan more meals from it - we've used stuff but its just been what will compliment the veg plot haul over the summer, obviously we'll be making more use of it over the autumn and winter. 

The washing line use has continued in earnest and I'm beginning to get my head around doing fewer washes each week at a lower temperature- I was looking into getting a heated airer for the winter but we have the towel radiator in the bathroom which will probably do the job just as well 🤔 plus I am no longer working which means I can probably make reasonably frequent use of the line anyway. 

I've started the inside of the loo roll collection again to make the firelighters for autumn/winter - I've got plenty of logs and kindling along with a decent amount of coal and I'm hoping that once the new boiler is installed we'll use a lot less oil this winter due to the increased efficiency- I had an oil delivery this week into the new tank and it was 33% more expensive than last time I bought it (and the last time was 25% more than the time before that!! 😳).

Looking at the figures for 'average' energy costs really doesn't take into account those of us who have no access to mains gas - the 'new' figure given for October is pretty much what we've spent in the past 12 months! Heating oil prices have been increasing dramatically over the past 18 months and are incredibly volatile 😔

Would love to know how you make your fire lighters please?

@LittleGem - I stuff the loo roll innards with a combination of td fluff and shredded paper then pour in wax (basically the remnants of any candles I've used - I go through quite a few during the year!) If I don't have any td fluff I'll use shredded paper and very dry broken twigs. I leave them to solidify then cut to size. 

I saw a really useful tip, cant remember where but it was basically an egg box and where the eggs sit went a piece of coal. 
Light the cardboard.
I think this was for bbq s but thought it a good idea (but only when the egg boxes are past reusing)

We have done this on the beaches of Odesa and Kobuleti (and before that Gagra) as a child for barbeques.

Naturally I wouldn't recommend doing this at the moment due to the severe lack of rain.