2025 Frugal Living Challenge

mumtoomany

Been to town as we needed a new bulb for the heat lamp for the chicks. Called into the cash and carry, to look for reductions. Spent £23.90. Got six chicken fillets in marinade. 8 huge haddock in batter, loaf, bag of around 20 ice lollies, huge bag of naan breads, 10 enormous potato bread rolls, and a large tub of chicken garlic mayo sandwich filling. Didn't need any of this, but can't turn down a bargain. 

I realised I put the wrong amount on the post the other day, should have worn my glasses. Total was £5.74. So far this month I've spent £29.64 on groceries and £3 on old/vintage beano comics for grandchildren as part of their Christmas presents.

Hugs to @Gem-gem for your aunt, I hope she recovers.

Well done, @Frugaldom on such a low grocery spend this year, despite the expensive coffee. Morrisons won't  deliver here, 8 miles away, nor Sainsbury's, 10 miles away. Tesco do, 8 miles and bizarrely Asda, who are nearly 40 miles away! I don't often use any of these as we are always needing town for other things anyway.

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xx 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Thank you @mumtoomany for your kind words. 

@Frugaldom well done on keeping your food spend down low. 

Another successful boot fair today £135 profit, which will be shared with my Mum. My portion will be used to fund wool - crocheting hobby. My friend and I have both picked a different crochet-along / advent calendar to do this winter. We are going to swap patterns. So we have the choice of two. 

My Mum had two Christmas wreaths. I am going to remove the old tired accessories and with one crochet different coloured Christmas baubles and attach them and create my own Christmas wreath. Our one fell apart last year after being used for many years. The second wreath frame I am going to crochet spring style eggs and create an Easter wreath. The filling is free to me - Mum had loads over. The wreath is free and where possible I'm going to use up odds and ends bits of wool / yarn. 

Good wishes to everyone for the coming week. 

Viking_mfw

Ooh I love the idea of a crochet wreath @Gem-gem!

MIA here too as we were abroad for work all summer but I have enjoyed catching up. I have missed my usual source of cooking apple windfalls as they ripened so early but have found a few new sources which I will add to next year's list as well. We make a lot of apple pies at this time of year as well as freezing stewed apples for the future. 

Back to Olio collections too. My first one back last week had flowers in it which was a lovely surprise - I've seen others get them but never had any myself before. Nice to have some yellow roses to cheer the place up. 

We are converting a fairly useless bed at the end of the garden into raised beds, so have been clearing away. Next stop is my first venture to the library of things to borrow an rotavator and a garden shredder. The soil quality in our back garden is so hopeless that raised beds are the only way to go. The tomato results in the first one we built have been spectacular, even if we were away for 6 weeks!

Gem-gem

@Viking_mfw how lovely to have six weeks away. I have twice enjoyed two six week holidays, once when we ventured to New Zealand and the second time I was on the east side of USA. My Mum used to travel south for five weeks away every winter. 

Have just switched our gas and electricity with the MSE energy club. Hopefully, we will save the £178 that it reports that we will save. Every little helps. 

Having a day in - NSD. Catching up on house work and to-do-list. Dinner will be homemade pizza and salad. 

Frugaldom

I've got some apples to stew and will freeze them for crumbles through winter. The visiting friend who brought the sugar had been into Farmf00ds fir their bargains and I have to say that I am tempted to make the trip there to stock up on some bits and bobs. It's near our local Tesco Metro so I could easily get everything. Trouble is, the 50 mile round trip never appeals to me when the time comes. 🫣

Yesterday, I submitted my bus pass application again and am now constantly checking emails for the next rejection of photograph. I don't know what I do wrong but I hate photos and selfies so dread having to do them for anything. 

Well done with the crafting, crocheting, olioing and gardening, everyone. We are currently topping up paths and mulching with the latest load of chipped tree and hedge trimmings. There is some amount of heat comes off the piles of chippings when they are tipped - I could warm water with them simply by running coiled hosepipes through them... If I had running water at Frugaldom. 😆 I considered trying similar with tin bins and buckets to keep the apple cider vinegar warm while it was doing it's thing but like many of my previous projects, that fell by the wayside as the years sapped my strength and energy. Debt free and buying what I no longer have the desire to make, mend or grow. But isn't that why we pursue and then maintain our debt freedom?

Took delivery of our first load of winter logs (£80) and split a basket of them to try. Thankfully, they split and burned really well so I'm happy with that. All that's needed for final winter preparations is a back-up cylinder of gas for the gas fire, and the winter bedding aired. Last night was quite chilly so autumn changes in the weather are becoming more apparent.

kayannie

My nearest FF is about the same distance away as yours, but I usually have to go to that town about once a month or so.  Did you know that you can download money off coupons? I think they start at £2 off a £20 shop.
KA

mumtoomany

Hello everyone, hope you are all keeping well and not being blown away in the wind! 

Got son in law to pick up a bottle of milk for us, midweek, as he was taking one of the DGC to cubs. £1.65, I think.
Went into town on Saturday as Dadtoomany had a eye test. Only the second time we've been in this month. Spent £8.20 in the veg shop, now have enough fruit for the rest of the month, getting fed up of raspberries! £26.54 in Aldi, they have an offer on the decaf teabags, £1.29. (I paid £1.39 each in April, but I think they are now around £1.50.) So I bought 6 boxes. Also carrots in their super 6 are cheaper per kilo than the wonky ones, 3 bags bought. Bought a new washing up bowl, £3.59, this one is to replace the one DD1 knocked onto the floor, it shattered! It was around 20 years old. We also filled up with petrol, £46. Total spent so far this month is now £115.62, if my maths is right. 

Still picking raspberries every day, huge bagfuls now in the freezer and lots of jam in the pantry. The French beans have almost finished, but the runner beans are now producing well, picked around 2kg yesterday. Peas are now forming in the pods, but the rabbits are attacking them again! Still picking brocolli, kale and sprouts. The courgettes are still producing and the squash too. A few more peppers left to ripen and tons of cherry tomatoes. 

We are looking to move in the next few years. This is a very rural area and we live on a road without pavements and a 50 mph speed limit. OH will be 70 in just over 2 years, and me not far behind him. There are no buses, the nearest is over half a mile walk away along said road. If we cannot drive, we will be totally reliant on DD1. So we are saving for when we move, probably back to England and nearer to the other children/grandchildren.

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx 

Viking_mfw

@mumtoomany I'm so impressed with your raspberry harvest! Also I think you are allowed a new washing up bowl every 20 years or so!

A mere 4 late night olio collections later and our freezer is completely full again, though admittedly with many packets of finger rolls that noone wanted. So much on the late night ones cannot be given away and there's only so many sandwiches the assorted children, husband and dog can eat. I have started collecting salmon out of "poke bowls" and freezing it until I have enough to do something useful with. At least I have a large composting set up including a hot bin so remainders don't just get chucked. 

I have managed to find quite a lot of windfall apples or nicer ones people have given away so there is a small stock of frozen stewed apple flat packs. 

I think it is probably time to pick the conference pears. We have one of those gimmicky 2 varieties trees but actually it's worked well this year - the comice were ready probably 3 weeks ago and have now all gone, so it staggers the crop. 

mumtoomany

Thank you, @Viking_mfw for permission to buy a new bowl. I've been thinking about since we moved here, 12 years ago, as the old one matched the previous kitchen, (it was grey), the new one is the same duck egg blue shade as the walls here. Of course this will cause a dilemma when we next move. Maybe we should buy a house to match the bowl. 

Thanks for reminding me, we still have apples on one or two trees that need picking. And of course more raspberries! I think the trick with raspberries is neglect. We started with around 6 canes left by the previous owners. We transplanted them twice, as various work was being carried out. Now we have around fifty or more, growing in amongst nettles,  thistles and brambles. Each year I find new ones growing far from the "raspberry bed", probable planted by birds. I eat a handful each time I pass, several times a day, as does OH, and of course the DGC eat as many as they can pick. I usually collect them in old 500gm yogurt pots. I fill upto two a day. I dug up the last of the potatoes yesterday, around another 20kg. Might see us out until the cheapest Christmas veg in the supermarkets. 

Off now to pick more tomatoes! Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xx 

mumtoomany

Back again. 

Thanks @Frugaldom, read on the 2008 thread that you kept biscuits mixture in the fridge. Never though to do that before. I now have twinks hobnobs mix in the fridge and a box full cooked. 

OH needed to get a key cut in the village, so I called into the shop. Spent £3.86. I got a French stick, 2 sweet and sour chicken with egg fried rice ready meals, 2 lots of tika chicken and 4 donuts. All 75% off. Total spend now, £119.48.

Collected the remaining apples from the trees, almost half a wheelbarrow full.

Hugs, mumtoomany.xx