2024 Frugal Living Challenge

Katiehound

I think the jellies in Aldi are 85 pence now.

I noted recently that smaller Tescos- I mean still reasonable sized stores that sell clothes too- do not have their own cheaper range items. Found at least 6 different items where I know they make cheaper- but do not stock.

Nelliegrace

Looking at the ingredients and the price it might be worth buying a pack of gelatine powder, £1.30 at Asda, for enough for 3 pints. It looks easy enough on youtube, puréed fruit, water, sugar and gelatine.
Old recipes for trifle didn’t use jelly, just sherry to soak the cake. 

Bluegreen143

You can use the gelatine and fruit juice cartons rather than pureed fruit which is easy too.

Frugaldom

I did a blog update late last night after looking up the previous version. I've done these comparisons using the same items since 1999 so this year is my silver jubilee of publushing moneysaving and frugal living 'stuff'. Here is the price comparison done to include1999.
https://frugaldom.blogspot.com/2024/10/food-price-comparisons-over-25-years.html 

Viking_mfw

Frugaldom said:

I did a blog update late last night after looking up the previous version. I've done these comparisons using the same items since 1999 so this year is my silver jubilee of publushing moneysaving and frugal living 'stuff'. Here is the price comparison done to include1999.
https://frugaldom.blogspot.com/2024/10/food-price-comparisons-over-25-years.html 

WOW! 25 years!

missymoo81

Hi @Frugaldom I’ve just read from start to finish! So inspiring and so nice to find like minded people. Please can I have a link to your blog?

Prudent

@missymoo81 Frugaldom is an extremely inspiring person as she has put everything she writes into practice.

I have had such a busy few weeks and it is lovely to sit down with a cup of tea and have a catch up with the Old Style board. I haven't tried jelly with fruit juice, but definitely will. It probably gives more control over additives and colourings. I still make trifle using sherry and some runny jam, no jelly. I think it is a legacy from my mum who was a jam maker. If strawberry jam turned out too runny then it went in the Christmas trifle.

I have a glut of lemons and limes just now. I made a self saucing lemon pudding this afternoon which is something that I haven't made for years. In fact OH says I have never made it for him and we have been together since 2007. I like to have the radio on when I am baking but it died yesterday. The kitchen is just too quiet without it so we have decided to treat ourselves to a new one. I think it is 12 years old, as I bought for OH when he was renovating his house in 2012. It has had a good innings. Less impressive is the 5 year old fridge freezer which decided to stop draining water again. I only defrosted it about a months ago and needed to do so yet again today. After lots of googling and trying other fixes it looks like a will have to replace the door seals. I know other people locally can't source a refrigeration engineer so it will need to be a YouTube job. If anyone has done that then tips would be welcome.

I am off to visit my family for a week and I am really looking forward to the break. I picked the wrong week though as it looks as if the weather is going to turn quite chilly.

Frugaldom

Hi Fruguys and gals, hope everyone is doing ok and staying afloat. Lots going on here to keep me ultra busy - too busy, if truth be told, but not much I can do about it. I managed to get hold of the energy company to alert them the cottage is empty so that should stop any bills from them, council tax is suspended temporarily while the house is empty and having work done but at last the roof has been fixed, new fascias and outside the house all picked out, repointed and painted. Now needs some frugal interior decoration, some carpet and then a new tenant. Hopin to get the garden cleared this month at some point but weekly babysitting duties for DD, pony-sitting for a friend and cat sitting for neighbours all on the cards to be fitted in between Frugaldom daily work. I've posted onlne asking for help in the hope that I can find some friendly, helpful campervanners who can come along and park up in exchange for helping keep an eye on the place.

Blogging... I've had next to no time for it recently so have doubled the blog up as my website and incorporated the Frugaldom 'aire', sanctuary, ecoart and wildlife projects but many of the original blog posts are all still there at www.frugaldom.blogspot.com  Sadly, I lost everything from the time it was transferred onto a different server when my software and computer just couldn't keep up with the upgrades. I do hope to return to blogging but things just don't go as planned sometimes. Age catches up with us all, time passes faster and drags energy levels down, while trampling all over motivation. My motivation comes from being challenged and I've allowed the micro challenges to fall by the wayside. (Must establish a new 'to do' list and set myself some new challenges.)

I'm now 60 and that's scary, considering many of my original personal challenges were 'things to do before 40', then it became 50, then it became 60 and now it's like, is it really worth counting? Next year is DGD1's 21st birthday and I know there are readers here who remember things from back then. From the start, I said I would save £1 a week whatever was saved would be gifted for her 21st birthday. I now have 5 grandchildren so doing the same thing for each of them. Who knows how little that will be worth when the youngest gets to 21 but I'm sure there will be extra added along the way, saved into premium bonds or similar. I did manage to grab a new savings account while interest rates were at 5.5% but it's restricted to a maximum £250 pay-in per month. (My premium bonds are doing far better even on small wins, working out at 13.5% this year so far)

Kerry_Woman

I have been really trying to cut back on my spending. Finding some free events locally and in London to attend. If need be I will bring my own refreshments. Only my fares into London to pay. Having been checking my bank balance regularly, also making a careful records of my spends. Stepped back from some purchases, asked myself if I really wanted it. Did buy winter jackets  they were needed. Am not going to work Christmas do, as going to see a play(paid)in the afternoon in London and would be a rush to get home, changed and to get to event. Saved £30. 

Frugaldom

Good evening from a clutterbuck who is attempting to declutter. Being so pushed for time, it is going to take a long while to undo all the clutter gathering that has gone on over the past 10 years here. (H is an absolute hoarder) I can only do about an hour in the evenings now and again so I'm starting with clothing and footwear. If it hasn't been worn for the past 12 months then out it goes to the clothing bins. I simply have neither the time to launder everything for charity shops, nor the inclination to list in online auctions. Family commitments along with cottage renovations plus the 60+ hours a week normally put in at Frugaldom simply do not allow for that - must find help while others are away. 2 bin bags filled tonight, which is a start. I've also started clearing out kitchen cupboards, the freezer desperately needs defrosted, the fridge needs cleaned out and the ducks need some major repair work done to their pen. On the plus side, I managed to buy a few more premium bonds and account is set to automatically reinvest any winnings. Of course I rounded up to the nearest 100, it would be wrong not to 
Olio dinner tonight again - this time it was spinach and wild garlic ravioli, but I indulged in some extra grated cheese over the top. I need to tally up my grocery budget for year to date! I feel like I've been living on free Olio carbs for months but we have had a supermarket delivery approximately every 6 weeks. There have also been some ridiculously impulsive corner shop spends that probably account for about £100 year to date - mainly wants and very few needs.