2024 Frugal Living Challenge

dND

Thank you @2Scratters I'll look out for that.  I find that the days that bags come up are generally the days that I can't get there on the allotted time.  But that's just life isn't it.🤣

willow_loulou

Well that was a crazy few weeks! I did plan my food relatively well, I still have some left but I had to shop as I missed the food share place as they changed days over Easter and this week they had it today. Today was a complete rest day so no way I was going out. 

But the increasing cost of food that I can eat/prepare is really frustrating me. So it’s basically sandwiches, salads and jacket potatoes for me. I do have some maggi noodles that need using to change it up a bit. 

Still waiting for my revised council tax bill - so I’m over due now and will probably get a red bill next week(!) 

Prudent

@willow_loulou the price of food overall does seem to be increasing still, albeit slower than it was over the last year. I

I have spent today trying to get some meals into the freezer to use up fresh food before I go away next week. I was at the allotment this morning and bought home some chives. I made cheese and chive scones with half the chives and froze the rest. I also bought home salad leaves and rhubarb. We had a rhubarb crumble earlier this week so I stewed this lot and froze it. I got three huge boxes of chestnut mushrooms with my veg bag this week so I have spent days turning it into soup and meals to freeze. Dinner tonight was (allotment) leek and mushroom risotto, salad leaves and some grilled tomatoes. I have lots of apples to use before I go away so I will make some baked apples tomorrow and freeze them too.

It has felt a bit of a rushed day. We have had endless weeks of heavy rain and today was sunny and windy. I got three loads of washing line dried and ironed and all the floors downstairs washed. I also managed to transplant some purple broccoli and plant some sunflower seeds. 

I have just spent a more pleasurable half an hour sorting out some craft stuff to take away. I am going to visit my daughter next week but can only spend limited time actually with her as she is autistic. I stay in a static caravan and craft, read and potter around the little gift shops. If the weather is good enough there is a fabulous beach for walks. I can also start the day with a gentle swim which is wonderful. My local authority closed our only pool during covid and I miss swimming as it reduced my pain.

London_1

Sound nice Prudent well done on your freezing and saving the stuff. I tend to do that if I’m away as I hate wasting food. (Too much of my late Mum in me I expect 😃 ) at the moment I’m running down my freezer and food stocks as much as possible and tomorrow will be the first shop of this month and that will only be fresh fruit as I’m also running down the tinned stuff as well. Hoping to move in about 7-8 weeks so don’t want to be packing foodstuff. I’ve got some beef mince in the fridge from the freezer that I will turn into a chilli and some cottage pies tomorrow to batch cook it up for ready meals to freeze to use it up. Should be able to turn 500gms into around 4-5 meals maybe even 6 if I add some lentils or oats to bulk it out a bit

my April budget so far hasn’t been touch as I’m on 11 NSD including today, will only be spending around £5-6 tomorrow on fresh fruit and perhaps some carrots as I still have a cabbage to use up and a red pepper. Plus a big bag of frozen mushrooms in the freezer ready prepped to go in the mince ( bit more veg will bulk it a bit more as well

JackieO xx

Siebrie

I had about 10 apples in the fridge before we left for Athens, because dds refused to eat them due to being 'too soft'. I cooked them into compote before we left and froze it.

AnimalTribe

I also try to freeze food rather than wasting it (even if it's just a small amount of fruit or veg). I have a large, industrial chest freezer and because I don't keep the odd bits together it makes it difficult to find them again to use in soup or mixed fruit crumble. I keep meaning to put a container in the freezer to keep the stuff together but never seem to get around to it (mainly because DH can't resist a bargain and the freezer is always full to bursting).

London_1

NSD 11/12 just spent £9.40 on fruit and a few extra veg which will keep me going for a couple of weeks at the very least. Got some nice leeks and a good head of broccoli and some carrots the rest was fruit, apples, oranges, melon, some blueberries a few green bananas (they will ripen slowly by next week) grapes, and a decent sized pineapple.
I'm pleased with my haul and now no more shopping required for at least another 10 days hopefully.

Managed to turn the mince into 4 cottage pies topped with cheesy potatoes and three decent sized portions of chilli all in the freezer now a good few ready meals in there now so less cooking for me next week  
JackieO xx

Frugaldom

dND said:

@cbsexec Ooh, I'm jealous about the blueberries 😁😋

I was thinking the same! 😆 But you did really well with your box. I'm nowhere near Lidl so have never had one from there but did get onions, turnips and celery free via Olio so there's plenty to add to last week's mushroom stash that got frozen.

Frugaldom

I'm so.pleaded that you guys are managing to find THTG bags and Lidl boxes plus it's great to read of allotment produce. I'm really trying hard to focus on what I can grow successfully that will contribute towards healthy meals but constantly find myself chasing my own tail because I find myself procrastinating.or simply lacking the energy. I know it's bad diet and way too many Olio sourced baked goods. 

Planted some potatoes and now want to get other things on the go. My compost bins need  stirred up a bit after getting saturated during the storm when the lids blew off them. Perhaps I could mix in somr straw then use it to sow things like peas and courgettes in if I transferred it all to a raised bed.

Rhubarb is growing well but it's not quite big enough stalks to turn into crumbled just yet.

London_1

In the potato plot where DGS Ben and I grew some spuds last year 13 new plants have appeared obviously from forgotten ones missed when we harvested.Sadly we shan't see the benefit, as by the time they are ready, I will have moved, but I'll leave a note for the new buyers to dig them up at least they will have something nice from the garden 

DGS Ben says he hope there will be a spot for him to grow stuff at the new house, and I said no worries I've already thought of a place for him. The garden is a bigger size than the one I have at the moment so finding him his own corner won't be a problem and all I will do is water it for him.

More kitchen decluttering today mostly plastic storage boxes to go to the CS

JackieO xx