2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Gem-gem

Thank you everyone for the heads up on the reduced joints of meet. Much appreciated. 

Another £108 made at the boot fair on Saturday.  I now have regulars who buy my homemade jam 😀. I've been ask if I have a website. Alas, I don't, I only sell a few jars of each type, so to make the jam cost neutral for us to make / eat.
Have been to four quizzes in eight days. One we pay £1 to enter. We won a free drink. We bank that till next time we go. We also buy another drink if we win as it is only a micro pub. 

Last week's quiz we won two boxes of shortbread. These we will give away at Christmas. Friday's quiz we came fourth. I score so we don't pay for me. Saturday's quiz we won two chocolate oranges, my niece and nephew will receive these at Christmas. 

Tried a recipe from the Grumpy Cook Club website- Oat, Pecan and Cranberry Cookies - very tasty. I made 32 out of the mixture. https://share.google/W82OVhChjhhGy5da7

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone,
This morning, we went to the gym and then to Sainsbury'$ and bought half priced shoulder of NZ lamb and pork. Hopefully the gammon is still at Tesc0 as DH forgot to pick it up when he popped down to the local shops. 

This afternoon, we dealt with admin a) passports renewed online, we took our photos outside using our white wall as a back drop. No shadows to contend with. We were cheesed off because they said that if a couple (or family) are renewing at the same time, you can place your passports in the same envelope and they will be processed at the same time. We thought great - postage saved. But when we processed mine it gave me a different to send it to, DH to Hemel Hempstead, mine to Corby, so no saving was made. 🤬
gave instruction to an ISA that is maturing. 

C) booked dentist for both DM and myself. I have booked at the same dentist as my DH as it is a NHS dentist and I have been with a private on for the past 30 years. My dentist retired a few years ago and even though my new dentist is very nice, my appointments keep getting cancelled. Last time, they were cancelled four times before I actually saw her. 

Heating still not on. Sitting on the couch wearing my 100% wool homemade poncho and my hot water bottle. With the blanket that I am crocheting on my lap. 

Gem-gem

fionaandphil said:

I think the Sainsburys pork joints were £3.75 per kg, I will have to clear a bit more space in the freezer first

Yes they were. 

Prudent

Thank you @Sockfairy, this is an avenue I have been thinking of exploring. I will start using it as I want to make more efficient use of the food I buy. I definitely need to up my game as prices are still on the rise. I also need to return to the allotment after ill health and make much better use of the space and my polytunnel.

I am just back from an early morning run to Lidl as this is when my local has veggie boxes and reduced stickers. Sadly the veg boxes had gone up to £2 today. I didn't notice until I got my receipt. Over the last month they have reduced both the physical size of the box and the contents. Now it seems to be just five items. It is really disappointing. A year ago I could pick up all my fruit and veg quite cheaply between veg boxes and my community shop. Then it was £1 for a big bag of fruit and veg (mainly veg) in the community store and now it is £2 for a small bag. Last time it was just an iceberg lettuce, a couple of courgettes and a white cabbage. I haven't seen any Olio listed for a while other than people passing on the odd item. 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
The other week I took two retro 1970 lampshades to an auction house. Today I found out that they sold for a whopping £5.75. By the time they took off their commission and £1 fee I took home £3.25. You have got to laugh. I probably would have got more at a boot fair. Once again, it reminds me that something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. You see all sorts of prices online but that doesn't mean that is what it is worth. 

£3.25 is better than no sale. It will help pay for some Percy Pigs for my nephew for Christmas. 

fionaandphil

Just for anyone who is interested, the pork joints are still £3.75kg at Sainsburys this week and plenty in stock.  We did small aldi shop today but put quite a few things back as prices seem high, interesting then to be asked at the till whether top priority is price or service.  I have shopped at Lidl the last few weeks as the prices have been a little lower there, not as many fancy things to tempt us, and the LIdlplus helps a bit with reducing costs further.

Eating from freezer again today, we have done quite well with it this week and I've had a cold so nice to have some home made ready meals in there.

maryb

Bought three half legs of lamb at Sainsbugs this week half price with Nectar.  Lamb is so expensive that's a really big saving

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
This afternoon we got back from another football weekend away to Grimsby.

Hotel two nights £108 (Weth€rspoon hotel)
Train £66 (£88 minus £22 return due to delay coming home).
First class was made available to everyone the train was delayed and lots of us missed previous train. So the standard class was VERY full. £90 extra it would have cost. The seats were very comfortable.
Friday, we took up a packed lunch to have on the train. I made cookies so we only bought one drink for the journey. I also baked a small fruit cake to take with us, so we didn't need dessert or cake whilst away.

Friday late afternoon, we had fish and chips on a bench overlooking the sea at Cleethorpes. It was huge and very tasty. We could have shared one. 

Saturday, porridge pots and fruit bought for breakfast. Asd@ ones only 40p and no added sugar. Just two ingredients. We walked around the local area for a few hours seeing what Grimsby had to offer. 

Saturday night, we did treat ourselves to a meal in a Greek restaurant. We had a main meal each and two soft drinks £2. They asked us if we wanted any sauces with our meal and then charged us £1.50 for a tiny dollop in a bowl!
Sunday, had breakfast at the Sp00ns. We ordered a traditional breakfast with an extra sausage and share it. We got our coffees / hot chocs free all weekend as we were staying there.
Whilst DH was at the football I crocheted a pair of woollen socks for the winter. My first ever pair of socks. 🧦🧦

kimwp

Gem-gem said:

Good evening everyone, 
This afternoon we got back from another football weekend away to Grimsby.

Hotel two nights £108 (Weth€rspoon hotel)
Train £66 (£88 minus £22 return due to delay coming home).
First class was made available to everyone the train was delayed and lots of us missed previous train. So the standard class was VERY full. £90 extra it would have cost. The seats were very comfortable.
Friday, we took up a packed lunch to have on the train. I made cookies so we only bought one drink for the journey. I also baked a small fruit cake to take with us, so we didn't need dessert or cake whilst away.

Friday late afternoon, we had fish and chips on a bench overlooking the sea at Cleethorpes. It was huge and very tasty. We could have shared one. 

Saturday, porridge pots and fruit bought for breakfast. Asd@ ones only 40p and no added sugar. Just two ingredients. We walked around the local area for a few hours seeing what Grimsby had to offer. 

Saturday night, we did treat ourselves to a meal in a Greek restaurant. We had a main meal each and two soft drinks £2. They asked us if we wanted any sauces with our meal and then charged us £1.50 for a tiny dollop in a bowl!
Sunday, had breakfast at the Sp00ns. We ordered a traditional breakfast with an extra sausage and share it. We got our coffees / hot chocs free all weekend as we were staying there.
Whilst DH was at the football I crocheted a pair of woollen socks for the winter. My first ever pair of socks. 🧦🧦

Gorgeous socks gem-gem!

Your sauce experience reminded me of being in a cafe with a friend when the owner came up to us and told us the last two cinnamon buns needed eating, would we like them? They weren't that nice, a bit hard and dry, then she charged £4.50 for each one (pre the recent col increases)!!

MrsCD

Lovely socks, @Gem-gem! Did you have a pattern for them? I've knitted quite a few pairs but never managed crochet ones successfully.