2024 Frugal Living Challenge

florianatwobob

@suzeesu2000 I pick up bits throughout the year for birthdays/Christmas and stick a post it note on it to remind me who & what it’s for.

London_1

Good Morning chums well I woke with a very snuffly head cold, and today I have to go to the supermarket for some fresh fruit and veg so it will not only be my first shop of this year (:) ) but a very quick, short one.
 Luckily I live around a quick four minute walk from my local Tesco Metro so I will be in and out and back home ASAP.  I've tested and its not Covid ,just a head cold ,hardly surprising given the amount of rain we have had in Kent. But I certainly don't want to pass it on
My great granddaughter Ida is four today but I texted my granddaughter ,and said I was full of the cold and to steer clear, and as she works part time in a school as an SEN teacher she avoids colds as much as possible.I'll no doubt see the little one when I'm better. I shall get back from the shops and wrap myself up in lots of throws and drink lots of hot lemon and honey and hopefully this lurgy will pass. I think a quiet day on the sofa watching some of the films I recorded on my TiVo box is on the cards. I watched one yesterday afternoon called Nomadland which was quite interesting.and based on a true story about a lady in America who having been widowed set off in her RV to travel as she literally couldn't afford to live in her house any longer. If you YouTube Bob Wells one of the characters in the film its surprising how many 'Nomads" there are travelling round the USA. Not youngsters either but often retired folk who own their own houses bought and paid for, but the insurance costs mean they can't afford to insure them .An odd film but very interesting as well.

I have a good few films to watch as I prefer to record them and watch when I feel like it very nice on a cold winters afternoon with a hot chocolate and some Christmas biscuits 

JackieO xxx

Black_Saturn

Happy Monday morning. Six of my eight days have been NSDs, of which I am very pleased with. I have a small grocery home delivery this afternoon, and on Saturday we went out for fast food at breakfast. For the most part, we are continuing to eat from stocks, although there were a few items which needed incoming. I am slowly slowly working through the cupboards to either discard or reuse, which will take me a while, but it keeps me from looking to buy new things, which is my main purpose of this year. I’m going to start on making tonight’s meal shortly - dum aloo with Jeera bhaat and naan, which is a family favourite. Most of my day will be in the kitchen, although a park visit is planned for around eleven o’clock, for an hour or so. Hope you all enjoy your day ahead.

Debsnewbudget

For those of us who buy presents throughout the year I have found a brilliant free app on my iphone.
Its called Gift List and has the facility to track ideas or purchases against each person, along with total costs. 

Then every year you reset it for the next year.

Its a pink coloured app with a bow wrapped present logo, and comes highly recommended. 

annieb64

I have a gift box. It already has a couple of  presents in it for next Christmas.

Elisheba

I've stocked up on surgical spirit, vegetable glycerine, washing soda and green bleach this weekend. Already have bicarb and vinegar. Still have a little liquid soap but can't find any at a good price so I'll leave it for now.  These are the main ingredients in Nancy Birtwhistle's cleaning recipes form her book Clean and Green.

Although not frugal in the short term as I'm bulk buying, it'll work out thrifty in the end. My last stash lasted over 3 years. She also has a recipe for using ivy as laundry detergent. She just chops it up and puts it in a little bag in the drum rather than making a liquid out of it.

suzeesu2000

weenancyinAmerica said:

I always have a Christmas box going to gather up presents all year. Of course, I can't always wait for a birthday or Christmas to give the person the present, but since they usually haven't been expensive (mostly library sales or charity shops), I don't feel bad giving them to the person at any time during the year. 

I was very lucky last year at our local library - such an underused resource. Our library is literally on the corner almost opposite my house. They had a table outside with FREE, yes free plants. My friends daughter got me 3 pepper plants and they are still producing peppers. Have them on the sitting room windowsill. Saved me a fortune as we like peppers.

TooMuchSnow

Four NSDs this year. I bought groceries, some sweets and one song from iTunes. I've managed to stick to the budget even though January is a tight month financially. My DS turns eighteen and wants an expensive Lego set (he likes to build replicas of different cars). I contacted his dad and asked to go halves, he agreed so the gift is sorted out.

SecondStar

5/8 NSD’s so far.

My living room redecorating was getting expensive for reasons out of my control, so decided to put it on hold till Feb - that way I can plan the money for it, rather than doing it now and having to dip into savings (which if I do that, then I can’t really afford it anyway!).

Made a bunch of pancakes for breakfasts over the next few days, and 6 portions of butternut squash and sweet potato soup for dinners. Will take my prescription in today for my gluten free food for the month - 6 loaves, 1 box of pasta, 1 box of white flour, and 1 box of porridge oats. Need to alter my request as there is room to increase it slightly, and I’m not getting through as much porridge as I’d expected!

London_1

7/8 NSD s today Got the odd bits of fruit and veg and really pleased The clementines in Tescos were reduced to 33p for a net from 99p, and there were 6 gala apples reduced to 49p, they were fine and will be peeld and stewed in honey later this week.

 I also got 4 baking spuds on special offer this week for 49p,, and 6 small bananas for 65p also on special offer plus a few other odds and ends including a nice yellow pepper,
I spent .....Drum roll the huge total of  £4.31p.   I'm happy with that.

 No more shopping needed, so came home asap, and was glad to get indoors .

Started snowing a bit at lunchtime, and I wasn't surprised as its bitter cold outside. Weird though as it only lasted about half an hour then stopped and the sun has just come out, but its still very chilly.

I'm wrapped up in a throw on my sofa nursing a cuppa soup from a packet I found in the cupboard that according to the packet were OOD in 2022, but I boiled the kettle and made it, and its taste fine with some bread and butter for lunch. I grated a little parmesan on the top for a little 'kick' added a small drop of sweet chilli sauce to it as well.

  Nothing left on my shopping list to get so apart from my trip to Dobbies tomorrow morning for my freebie hot chocolate, no more spending needed this week..

Sometimes on a Tuesday morning the Waitrose outlet at Dobbies have reduced hot dog rolls if so I may get some to put in the freezer as my grandsons loves a hot sausage roll and ketchup when they come to visit. Usually they reduce them down to 29p for half a dozen which I think is a bargain from 99p. But if there are none its not important

Right, feet up and some TV this afternoon I think, maybe a couple of chocolate biscuits from the Christmas stash I was given from DD

I was given a book from a friend called Breadcrumbs and Banana Skins by Jacqueline Percival and I have been reading about the birth of thrift

Its an interesting book I think she found it on Ebay. Has a lot of social history in it and about how thrift really kicked in with the onset of WW1 and how women managed to streeetch their income out. Fascinating reading about surviving on around £200 a year !!!

JackieO xx