2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Prudent

@Nelliegrace I have dried fruit soaking in brandy to make Stollen. I had meant to make it this afternoon, but I am down with some lurgy and just wanted to curl up under my heated throw. I made a big fish pie last night so there was plenty over for dinner today too.

I have been eating my way through the freezer as some things have been in there for a while now, so the food bill has been quite low so far this month. I will put any saved money aside for the restock. I struck lucky in Aldi yesterday with a few bits for Christmas. OH wanted Salmon on croute for Christmas day and I like to have chicken breasts with mozzarella. I manged to get both the salmon and some organic chicken breasts with a 50% off sticker. We usually have a Maltesers cheese cake for desert, but I read this week that Maltesers cost more than steak. I have decided to make a Queen of Puddings instead. It is something that I haven't made for years, but find it nice and light after a heavy roast dinner. 

@kimwp that is a hefty vet bill, given that they didn't get to the bottom of what was going on. Some years are just expensive. We are looking at a year like that next year as we need to do quite a few jobs to the house. 

Arrietty

Hello,

thank you @Frugaldom for sharing your story - apologies to all who already knew -  I really appreciate you taking the time to do that and although I don't use fb I have researched your set up and yes, you are indeed googlable  It  looks like a wonderful place  If I had land I would love to fill it with ponies and goats and selected visitors!

Sorry to hear of horrible vet bills, they can be mind-flowingly expensive; I know I've had years like that and am thankful that despite many other frustrations, this year hasn't been one of them.

I did however, have to call my farrier out as HRH managed to lose a shoe and a good chunk of hoof on Tuesday. He was also wearing the hood of his rug as a necklace - as in it was no longer attached to the rug  - and one of the other horses had managed to remove his entire rug whilst all the surcingles and straps were still done up.  I know this because I'm the one who found it half way across the field and had to drag it back along with a shamefaced and wonky HRH.  Goodness knows what went on that night but there were definitely shenanigans!!

Farrier came out and we both wondered how it went as he'd only had them on for 10 days and hasn't lost one in years - there is a lot of mud though so a decision to remove the other shoe was taken, to give hooves time to grow and heal.  

I've spent quite heavily on Christmas gifts this year - all from my savings  - which is my own fault for asking people what they would like! after I'd already bought some things during the year. I will not make that mistake next year! I had budgets but lost the list with amounts already spent so it's been rather more spendy than I would have liked.  My car is having its MoT on Friday, road tax is due on 31st January  and the insurance is due on 15th January so this ia always a costly time of year for me.  I will pay for the insurance before the end of this year as I like to start the year with nothing outstanding and  I do  have savings to cover it all but haven't been adding to specific savings pots each month so which I will reinstate that practice or 2026 once I've worked out how much for each one.

I don't think I'll achieve some of your levels of frugality but I'm implementing small changes to improve my circumstances and savings!

daisy_1571

Get 6 months tax this time arriety, to split some of the costs over the year? Then you'll have 6 months to save the yearly cost ready for July

Dxx

Arrietty

Thank you for that idea @daisy_1571 but my tax is only £20 for the year so actually the cheapest of all my car costs 
I do appreciate your suggestion though and if it was hefty I would be looking at doing that

Prudent

@Arrietty my car tax is £20 and it makes me reluctant to replace the car as I know the next one will be more expensive.

I have started making Stollen. The dough is proving, and the frangipane is made. I used the BBC recipe Good Food for Stollen bites for the dough and Tom Morton's recipe for frangipane, as the shop-bought marzipan seems to have a lot of unwelcome additives. I will put most of it in the freezer for Christmas. OH doesn't like Christmas cake, so Stollen works better for us.

Frugaldom

Thank you for all the sultana updates. I'll take a look at the Asda site to see if they are listed for delivery. I should have elaborated slightly on my own grocery budget because I'd overlooked the fact that £20 of food for the feral / barn cats was included in the total I posted. Oops! 

Another little tip I keep meaning to post about is my regular purchases of cooking bacon... It went up to £1 per pack but one pack can provide you with bacon butties for 2 (in our case), then the remainder used to make stock for ham & lentil soup. If you are really frugal with it, the meaty chunks can be strained from the soup and used in cheese & ham pasta. I always try to have a couple of packs of cooking bacon in the freezer. Latest pot of ham & lentil soup is simmering on top of the log burner just now.

daisy_1571

Arrietty said:

Thank you for that idea @daisy_1571 but my tax is only £20 for the year so actually the cheapest of all my car costs 
I do appreciate your suggestion though and if it was hefty I would be looking at doing that

Ah yes, thats not the helpful suggestion that I thought I was coming up with😆

Dxx 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Decorated two sherry C. Cakes today with marzipan and then almonds on top. Held together with a h/m apricot glaze (jam warmed and watered down). One cake has been quartered. 1/4 for my husband's brother, Quarter for my brother, Quarter frozen for Easter. A big thick slice for my mother (that will do her for three servings). The rest I have chopped up and my DH can enjoy before Christmas. We won't start the second cake till 28th when we have family over. I will freeze half of it. I will cut some pieces in wedding cake portions, otherwise it goes too quick. He who should not be named cuts large chunks of it e.g. 1/8 of the cake!!!! I have known for the same person to eat a third of an 8 inch all butter sponge cake in one day!! 

@Prudent, like you I have a very low tax disc and am putting off buying a new car before of it. 

Arrietty

I think any suggestions are helpful  😊
They may not necessarily be relevant to a particular situation or person but I certainly appreciate someone taking the time to think about what's been said and come up with something. 

I try to keep a car as long as possible and although mine is now 10 years old, it's relatively low mileage and cheap to run... fingers crossed the service and MoT this week don't disprove that! 

I'm waiting for my insurance renewal offer and I think they'll struggle to beat the £188 quote I've found which will then reward me with £45 cashback.  I guess if I'm going to be a proper Frugaller  I would put the difference between the renewal offer and the price I pay into my savings?

All these posts about bacon butties, soup, sherry cake and stollen are making it hard to concentrate on money😄

Nelliegrace

Aldi Christmas mixed dried fruit was reduced to 99p today, so I have stocked up.