2023 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

@2Scratters - I don't have a water jug or coffee machine, but I've used some of the initial run-off to get my kettle to the level I'll need for the next boil (rarely a full kettle) for a long time.    I do very little watering in the garden, but when I do I pull water from the butts I have out there.   So cistern is really the only viable option for me.

I'm another washes hands under cold - started that when I reduced the heating of my immersion tank to an hour a couple of times a week, as I wanted to hold onto the hot for my shower and kitchen sink.

willow_loulou

Could you store the excess water in a few 2 litre bottles to heat for hot water bottles - obviously only practical in the winter. If you don’t have any I’m sure a friend will have an empty fizzy bottle. 

I can tell winter is coming, my feet are cold! With my menopausal stuff going on that’s not happened in ages! Got my bed socks out to wear. 

cw18

willow_loulou said:

Could you store the excess water in a few 2 litre bottles to heat for hot water bottles - obviously only practical in the winter. If you don’t have any I’m sure a friend will have an empty fizzy bottle. 

Storing some in bottles isn't a bad idea......   and during my clear-up I've dug out a few bottles of pop I need to get used    I do use a HWB during the colder months - even if only on my feet during the evening (my toes and ankles are the first thing to get cold too!).  If I rinse the pop bottles out well I should be able to use it for drinks and cooking as well, which means it's an all year use.

My OH took a look at the cloakroom pipework today, and he reckons he can put an isolator on cistern inlet.   He couldn't understand why I was wanting one done as a matter of urgency - but he did catch on eventually !!    I got one quote from a plumber, but at £100 it was rather more than I'd anticipated and would have taken a long time to pay back (my annual charges for actual volume of water is only £40-50 now).  OH says the isolator valve/tap will be around £7, so I can justify that as it also means I can turn off just that toilet if it springs a leak somewhere.

I completed a review on A***on on Friday evening and got a pop-up inviting me into their Vine program which I'd never heard of before - and am still surprised to have had the invite.

As a member I can order 3 items up to a value of £82 each (at no charge to me) every day from a selection of almost 3,000 items.  I then have to write reviews on them within 37 days of ordering (they allow 7 days for them to arrive, and I then have 30 days to do it).  If I write a minimum of 100 reviews (and on at least 90% of the items I order) in the first 6 months I can then order up to 8 items a day with no maximum value!!   If I write reviews on less than 50% then I'm likely to be kicked off the scheme.   Anywhere between 50% and 90% and I stay on the 3 items/£82 level.

If the item is a "sold and shipped by A***on" item it's mine to keep as soon as it arrives.   If it's sold by someone else and only "shipped by A***on" then I could be asked to return it - but if it's not asked for within 6 months it's mine to keep.   So far everything I've asked for (and been allowed) has the potential to be recalled, and I've not actually seen any that they're selling themselves.....

My first item arrived on Saturday (one I can use a few times to review and then gift, so I've now started my Christmas shopping for 2024 ), and the next 2 arrived yesterday (one consumable that I'll use over the next 2 months, and one for me to keep which OH has his eyes on even though it's pink!).   I've just checked the other items I've ordered so far, and 6 of them are due to land today !!   Two of them are aids to try and help my sciatica, so those are (at least initially) keeps - but if they don't work for me they'll be offered to someone else once I know I don't have to return them, probably via Olio.   3 of the others are potential future gifts, although I am eyeing one up as a potential keep.  The last is a keep, but will be packed in my 'holiday bag' so I don't have to keep remembering to take an essential from home with me.   That leaves another for my 'holiday bag' to come tomorrow, another health type 'keep' somewhere across next weekend, and a kitchen storage 'keep' (which means I can throw some tatty jars) to come in a week.   Total value so far is over £170 !!!!    They have quite a few toys for younger children that I'm probably going to start trying to request, and after I've checked them out (and removed batteries where they have them, so that they don't degrade and leak) those will be put away for a Christmas appeal I donated to last year and have a couple of boxes full of bits for this year - but they'll have to be kept until next year because of the potential 6 month recall on them.   The potential to do that has cheered me up, as my finances are currently looking like I'd have been pushed to get them more than a couple of small items next time.

willow_loulou

Woke up to a damp feeling house, the change in weather is incredible! Dehumidifier on and a second ordered. Crazy. I’ve put the oil heaters on low to help dry out the rooms and yep windows and back door open in the room the dehumidify isn’t in. 

I think this winter is going to be a bad one, so I’ve re jigged my budget to buy a 3rd dehumidifier and up the heating allowance. Really looking forward to the next cost of living payment to cover this. 

cw18

@willow_loulou   I ran my heating for a couple of hours late morning yesterday, and it went on again around the same time today.   I don't think it's automatically kicked in this week, but I've got to keep an eye on my new system!

My old controllers have all had 'off' times, but the new one (not yet figured out putting a smart controller back on) won't let you have a setting lower than 5c - so if it gets cold overnight it's going to kick in and run!!    It was only when helping a friend learn how to use his system early in July that I came across this being a 'thing' - and I don't like it when I'm trying to reduce my usage.   I can understand it if I'm away, but there's no need when I'm home and the house will be automatically warmed up twice a day if it falls below 15c.

joedenise

I think you'll find that because the house is being heated during the day it's unlikely to kick in overnight even being set at 5c.  When we go away we leaving our heating on 12c as otherwise our house insurance won't cover water damage and we're not prepared to not keep it on.  The other alternative is to turn it off and drain down - no thanks to that.  Having said that we go away for a month at a time (in our motorhome) and the heating never seems to come on in that time judging by the app which goes with the CH boiler.

Asparklierblonde

@willow_loulou we run a dehumidifier in our kitchen at it’s a god send (damp comes up through the stone floor). Meaco one so not cheap but by goodness it’s a work horse. 

I didn’t know there were any more COL payments coming up but that’s super if there are and you can get support to cover the cost. Best  wishes xx

willow_loulou

@Asparklierblonde Thank you, yes it’s due the end of this month/early next month. It was a surprise to me to hear about it too. I’d budgeted to not have one obviously and it was going to be a tight season so it’s a real blessing. 

I’m always surprised how much water the dehumidifiers collect, it’s amazing my house wasn’t covered in mould previously. This new one was on a flash sale online. 

I got cash back on my credit card - 1-38 I’m back to using my cards and paying off in full to collect avois and cash back. 

Pennypincin

I might try using the kettle for washing up as I've a combo boiler.
I've the same issue of washing water until I get the water got enough and it's them too hot.
I've been dreading winter as I'm still waiting to on benefits to be sorted one way or another.
Been waiting to see if I will need to go to an appeal or if it will be settled before or still told no.

Madbat60

Evening all
I've managed to survive my first 4 weeks post retirement in one piece.  I decanted my peapod wine into a demijohn today.  It smells like wine.  Just got to wait for it to clear.  I've pickled beetroot, made chilli jam with the last of the tomatoes and our chilli's, 
made tomato and chilli sauce for the freezer.  Thing that strikes me is I'm really busy.  Being frugal is a full-time job.  I need to start making Christmas presents.  I'm going to make my son's girlfriend a tote bag, with a matching make up bag and fill it with lots of girly things.  I'll also make one for the other ladies I have in my life.  I love being creative.  Trying to avoid the heating being on.  It's quite mild in the south east, but the fire has been lit at night.