2025 Frugal Living Challenge

zcrat41

Hello all. We are back from a very un frugal once in a lifetime Hogmanay break to a lovely family hotel in Scotland. Thing is, it’s quite expensive when there’s 4! Especially when I thought I’d booked a package that included all the food but the hotel thought it wasn’t included on Day 3. We both compromised and the hotel paid for dinner. 

So, I’m in my 40’s with tween children. I like to be frugal in everyday life as we are lucky enough that we can then do some pretty cool family trips. My children lead quite a privileged life and I’m very keen for them to learn to budget, enjoy simple things and not be bogged down by consumerism. To the poster who asked what do we do re holidays and days out - our holidays are from a pot I don’t tend to mention on here. It’s called “the business is going well so we will make hay whilst the sun shines”. We do however budget £1200 for a family holiday once a year as even if the business is going badly we need that. We’re lucky enough to have our own tourer but it would be enough for an off season holiday park if you had to. 

Hope no one minds but I’m going write down my 2025 goals here as I’m a few days into the New Year and haven’t actually put pen to paper. 

1) read with my kids every day 
2) get our family health back on track. I’m ashamed to say we are all a bit overweight now. I need to lose a stone.  Have done it before so can do it again. 

3) be more organized/buy less stuff/avoid consumerism. These are all linked eg I panicked the day before going on holiday that DS didn’t have a smart outfit so spent a fortune on a few last minute outfits. If id planned ahead I could have avoided the cost to a degree, got exactly what he needed and probably most importantly have got packed in the afternoon instead of nearly midnight!!! 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone. 

NSD nos 3
spent the day crocheting - making another Christmas present - just need to add the lining. Will post when finished. 

lunch was sourced from reduced stickers eggs and bread - egg mayo sandwich - didn't put any butter on the bread as there was mayonnaise. 

Dinner was curry leftovers - from when DH brother visited, the vegetables all came from a Lid! £1.50 veg box. It was a good one it only had one dodgy looking item...some bendy carrots. The rest were in very good condition. Inside it was:

Large tray of mushrooms

Medium tray of mushroom

Organic bag of spinach

Pack of three red / orange peppers

Pack of snack peppers

Bunch of coriander 

Pack of leeks (2)

Two potatoes

Six oranges

Four bananas

😀

I made: a mushroom, cauliflower and potato curry. (Vegan - Adapted Hairy Biker recipe)

Chickpea and spinach curry. (Vegan - see below. 

Spaghetti bolognaise

Chicken and peppers in a curry sauce. 

Vegetable mornay

Other peppers were chopped up and frozen. 

Chickpea and spinach curry

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• a thumb-sized piece ginger, chopped
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 400g salad potatoes (such as Charlotte) cut into chunks
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 100g spinach, chopped
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• naans, to serve

Method

• STEP 1Put the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and 3 tbsp of water into a blender or food processor, and whizz until completely smooth.
  
  
• STEP 2Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep, non-stick frying pan, carefully add the onion purée and cook for 10 minutes until reduced and golden. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, then tip in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
  
• STEP 3Season and add the potatoes and chickpeas along with 1⁄2 a tin of water and simmer for 30 minutes until thickened and the potatoes have cooked through. Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes to wilt.
• STEP 4 Stir in the lemon juice and garam masala, and serve with naans.

suzeesu2000

Had a nice win today. Am decluttering too so decided to load what Info I need to keep from old CDs onto USB memory sticks but couldn’t find mine anywhere. Think they have fallen into a black hole somewhere.

While racking my brain on where they could have gone, decided to purchase DHs birthday gift on eBay as there is a 5%off offer. Long story short didn’t apply the discount so, after speaking with eBay, got a £20 voucher to use. Worked in my favour as discount would have been about £13 and I got  £20! 

As I need the memory sticks, I got two of the biggest storage sized ones free! Lucky me. Just got to wait for them to come now and continue searching for the lost ones.

Duchess2

Haha @Frugaldom can’t help but put your last post to the tune of Ian Dury & the Blockheads’ Reasons to be Cheerful. Oh dear showing my age. 😂 Love reading everyone’s reasons for being frugal. With such wide-ranging hopes and aspirations I’m sure this thread will be the melting pot of tips and ideas to suit all of us on our frugal journeys, as it always has been.  Going to Aldi this morning, armed with a very much pared down list. Have only spent £7.31 since Xmas on milk, salad & fruit. Still have lots of 8p veg in boxes in the garage so hoping to save lots of pennies this month. February and March are “free” months for CT, so planning on spending that on decorating our lounge. Ever onwards frugallers. Have a good day and stay safe in this awful weather. If you're like me, at the latter stage of life, stay warm🔥 It’s not worth saving a few pounds if you’re not there to enjoy it!!!!

Sausageroll14

Yesterday was our main volunteering day. So my usual slot which has an average of 6 items per week came out with 13 Large black bags! I only had one person collect. 😔 Sadly the bread items aren't so popular. 

I think I may have found a solution for the remaining 50 loaves.....pig farm! I did try a few local charities but they were either full or didn't need the bread in time. 

Of course I will do the obligatory freezer shuffle and see what i can save 😁

So the end result was I managed to save some cream which was actually on my list. Bonus! 

mama67

morning everyone. 

Back into the frugal train again now the festivities have finished for another year. 

For those that don’t know DH (60) has reduced his paid working days this last year to 3 and we run our log business deliveries on the other 2. 

Both lads now have their own homes so we are empty nesters. I have to get out of the mind set of buying groceries for 3. There will be some major decluttering happening once DS2 has taken his last bits & pieces. 

We have 2 holidays booked for later in the year; one just for ourselves then the other with DS1 & family. 

I try to save wherever I can and am an avid cashback user. I also play Tesco when they give extra points especially if items are on offer as well. 

 Well the fire won’t light itself so have a good day  everyone. 

kayannie

I've had a successful morning, using some vouchers before they expire. I had 2 wins from Sp@r on their latest game - a free £1.50 bar of chocolate & a free carton of @lpro plant milk. The I popped into c00p to use 2 coupons, £1 off a shop & 20p off bread.  I bought a loaf of their irresistible oat, sunflower & pumpkin bread which cost me 40p instead of £1.60.  Nothing else spent & worth the (free) bus trip!

I just need to get to L!dl in the next few days to use my £10 voucher that I won on their latest game.

KA

Quantaqa

No spends in the New Year so far fo me except a stock up of bits from my local butcher.  OH and I will head out this afternoon to stock up on Laudry bits (on offer in Lidl) and bits for a pantry stock up like Sharwoods curry sauces (on offer in Asda).  Happily no takeaways so far this year!!  Dinner tonight is Beef Stroganoff which OH makes from a Joe Wicks recipe. 

Only other spend for me today will be an order of Yarn.  It's my Mum's 80th in July and I am going to make her a crochet blanket.  I need to get cracking with it soon.

zcrat41

£75 Tesco shop last night for me plus £13 in Waitrose today a a few bits I forgot. 

I’ve got a huge slab of Stilton that has a BBE of today. What would you do with it?  

mama67

zcrat41 said:

£75 Tesco shop last night for me plus £13 in Waitrose today a a few bits I forgot. 

I’ve got a huge slab of Stilton that has a BBE of today. What would you do with it?  

Chop into usable size pieces and freeze.