2024 Frugal Living Challenge

Katiehound

Nelliegrace said:

Home made decorations, like home made cakes, are far better than anything commercial. When DH’s loaf looks a bit wonky I tell him it is Artisan and he would pay extra in a bakery.

Now look- it's not 'home made' it's  Hand Crafted which immediately bumps up its street cred, oh, and price!!

Working_Mum

Prudent said:

I had a first attempt at making a Christmas wreath from foliage I had gathered on a walk. Not nearly as professional as @Working_Mum’s beautiful sphere but pretty and jolly enough to put on the front door. It cost me 80p for the metal ring and I used some left over decorations and some bits of ribbon from my sewing stash. My neighbour bought one from the local florist for £60. It is about the same size and does definitely look more professional. Next year I will watch some YouTube videos and get the hang of making them.

Well done Prudent for giving it a go - I am sure your wreath looks wonderful and you have a sense of pride every time you look at it. YouTube is a great source of knowledge isn't it. I supported a pal about 5 hours ago when she started doing wreath making classes. I made a ring out of dogwood and I am still using it today. I have taught friends how to make the rings and some stay after pomander making to do a wreath with the leftover greenery.

You sound super creative and feel sure this time next year you'll have a professional looking wreath on your door

Frugaldom

@Prudent - Absolutely fabulous CS bargain with the cashmere cardigan, well done! 

Not much to report from the lands of Frugaldom as spending has been focussed on filling the log store. It's ironic that we are surrounded by commercial forestry that's harvested for the timber crop and yet we need to have cut, split, seasoned logs delivered. Today was log day but there was, thankfully, help on hand to get them all stacked before the torrential rain returned. This year's price for the load of logs from our usual supplier was £300 Having already spent the best part of £200 over the past few months, this little will need to last right through winter. We do recoup a little of that as we are now providing fuel for the Friends of Frugaldom who stay in the off-grid huts, which have log burners in them.

Hoping to get a few more bits and pieces from Olio this weekend. I've been looking at the origins of the company and their business ethos so fit 2025, I am going to subscribe to the app more in support of what they do than anything else. I'm sure I'll save more than £24.99 over the space of a year and if not, it is still a deserving cause.

Nelliegrace

We made another bucket of laundry liquid yesterday. It set into a gel overnight and I blitzed it with the food blender and we poured it into bottles today. It costs about a pound and will last us about three months. We have to use borax substitute in the UK, sodium sesquicarbonate, which is sold as limescale prevention powder. DH’s job is to grate the soap.

 https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2010/08/homemade-laundry-liquid-revisited.html

Prudent

@Frugaldom what is different about the subscription version of the olio app? 

I am hoping my wreath is still okay this morning. Storm Darragh is causing heavy rain and high winds. Yesterday I had a lovely rare treat. A friend took me for afternoon tea at an extremely posh hotel in Perthshire. The decorations in the grounds and hotel were exceptional. It had been done on a woodland theme with abundant natural foliage. I tried hard to absorb some ideas for next year. The weather was wild coming home with blizzard conditions over the high ground. I probably should have bought my wreath indoors at that stage. 

@N@Nelliegrace is the laundry liquid mild? I have sensitive skin and have to be care about detergents. 

Katiehound

This one uses washing soda, soap, eco friendly washing up liquid only- so I assume that would be fine for sensitive skin. It's the first 'hack' in the video
see here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzCuYZtaYu4

and another from Nancy- dirty clothes washing with ivy (this is very impressive):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jde0uNk3pdY

conker detergent
https://www.facebook.com/Nancybirtwhistle/videos/conker-detergent/511402654801626/

assorted cleaning
https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/nancy-birtwhistles-guide-to-creating-cleaning-products-with-nature

Nelliegrace

@Prudent, I use Waitrose essential sensitive soap £1.70 for 4 bars, or Sainsbury’s Pure soap, £1.35 for 4, both fragrance and colour free. The other ingredients in the laundry liquid have been around for a very long time. We try to avoid sulphates and parabens which make my skin sore. 

Dizzycap

Prudent said:

I had a first attempt at making a Christmas wreath from foliage I had gathered on a walk. Not nearly as professional as @Working_Mum’s beautiful sphere but pretty and jolly enough to put on the front door. It cost me 80p for the metal ring and I used some left over decorations and some bits of ribbon from my sewing stash. My neighbour bought one from the local florist for £60. It is about the same size and does definitely look more professional. Next year I will watch some YouTube videos and get the hang of making them.

Prudent! It's not an easy thing to do but once you've created the first, they get easier. The best part is how much of the materials you can save and recycle for the following year. I've also kept my eyes open with post Christmas rubbish left oiut for collection and also asked neighbours after Christmas if they have any decs or Christmas bits they intend to throw away to please let me have them If you don't look or ask, you don't get

This year I topped up my own Christmas wreath and made another for a neighbour down the road. As both wreaths are unique for the house design, people keep stopping and asking me where did you get your Christmas Wreath from? It's always a pleasure to answer, "I made it myself"

My neighbour 2 doors down has just paid over £50 for what I can only describe as a basic fan twig with basics on. I'm far too polite to say anything. Whilst less is often more, in this case, you can't get any less

Frugaldom

@Prudent The main difference with Olio subscription is not having to sit through pointless adverts before requesting each individual item. I think they will really struggle to raise advertising revenue as the target audience is all wrong for consumer goods of any description.  Subscriptions will be needed to keep the company ticking at this stage, IMHO. The folks running it have very diverse backgrounds, make interesting reading and also made me wonder if either of the founders have been on here at any point.  

Frugaldom

Mince pies were the major theme of our Olio food rescues this weekend - enough to share with friends and freeze some for Christmas.

I hope everyone stayed safe during the storm. Our delivery of logs got partially rain-lashed after the winds whipped the tarpaulin loos on one side of the store. Hopefully, the next couple of days will be dry and breezy.