2024 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Good evening, frugallers. I've not much to post this week, so far. The logs I ordered last week are due delivered tomorrow so I'm hoping the lashing rain we've had today doesn't return. The logs are loose do we well need to stack them but we built a 'nee' log store from old pallets and a heavy duty tarpaulin right next to where the little tipper dumps the logs. I'm hoping this load will see us through the year as I've zero intentions of buying coal.

Pet food prices are getting ridiculous, as is pony feed. We've also been discussing car insurance as some people's policies have almost doubled in price. 

Elisheba

No injuries with the hot water bottle, thankfully @Cheery_Daff . It was a near miss. I'd just filled it up with water just off boiling, and was putting it in its fuzzy cover when water just poured everywhere. It was a rip of about 10-15cm that had just burst open. It went all over the kitchen but not on me, but if I'd been holding it closer to me it could have been quite serious. Not sure how old it was - at least 10 years I think, but could have been more.

Regarding car insurance The Guardian reported this morning it has gone up 58% on average this year so I typed my details into a comparison site just to see for myself (although I'm not due to renew until July) and it was nothing like a 58% increase - maybe 15% at a push. Could depend on the car and driver though.

fionaandphil

I've just renewed car insurance for DH and it was only £30 more. I did look at several comparison sites and also got cashback and 'free' excess insurance,  might also get clubcard points but I haven't checked that

suzeesu2000

Thankfully I replaced our hot water bottles at Christmas last year. - received three new ones as Christmas gifts. Mum just bought me another new one in her local charity shop, brand new £1, very grateful.

Katiehound

Are you aware that rubber hot water bottles have the date of manufacture on their funnel?
 There's a flower design which shows year number in the centre (and month round the edge)

quote
This flower symbol, found on hot water bottles, indicates exactly when it was made. The number in the middle is the year it was made, the flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks.
(can't cut & paste the image)
  

Elisheba

Katiehound said:

Are you aware that rubber hot water bottles have the date of manufacture on their funnel?
 There's a flower design which shows year number in the centre (and month round the edge)

quote
This flower symbol, found on hot water bottles, indicates exactly when it was made. The number in the middle is the year it was made, the flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks.
(can't cut & paste the image)
  

Just dug my burst one out the bin and it says 03 😳. Oopsy daisy - not 10 years old then 😂

Katiehound

Elisheba said:

Katiehound said:

Are you aware that rubber hot water bottles have the date of manufacture on their funnel?
 There's a flower design which shows year number in the centre (and month round the edge)

quote
This flower symbol, found on hot water bottles, indicates exactly when it was made. The number in the middle is the year it was made, the flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks.
(can't cut & paste the image)
  

Just dug my burst one out the bin and it says 03 😳. Oopsy daisy - not 10 years old then 😂

Probably didn't owe you anything then!!

Blackcats

Thank you all for the warning/info on hot water bottles.  Just checked ours - 1 is much, much older than I thought.  I'd swopped it's cover a couple of years ago and that was tricking me into thinking it was fairly new.

otb666

@Madbat60 My DH recently diabetic type 2 Its been ok food wise after we got airfryer he actually enjoying cooking for himself now and eats alot of veg and some fruit.  He still has meat but portions it up monthly and freezes it.  Really the airfryer made it all a lot easier Previously he eat bad processed stuff but now he cooks from scratch He has porridge for breakfast and he never used to eat breakfast before.  When he has a full english he actually gets good results as well because he grills it in airfryer 

Cas

Is anyone else having luck with the supermarket yellow labels?  I usually don't get many bargains but I'm just back from M@rkies and it was very quiet in store with lots of reduced items such as sandwiches, soup, sushi, haggis, cod & chips, curry, olives, milk, pre-prepared veg and salads, apples and orange juice amongst others. I've run down my freezer supplies recently so I stocked up on haggis, pork kievs, beef olives (all will do Sunday dinners over the next few weeks), pork pies (for DH's lunch so he won't buy meal deals), apples, cauliflower, houmous, haggis bonbons plus a full price fennel (£1). Should have cost £37.60, reduced to £12.98 and I used £10 of vouchers = £2.98 spend so I'm very happy.  I only bought what I knew we would eat straightaway or fit in the freezer and the shelves were still groaning with discounted items. Not sure if it's sign of the times or the very cold weather keeping people away.