2025 Frugal Living Challenge

MissRikkiC

@Frugaldom sorry it was meant to say bread! 

Frugaldom

MissRikkiC said:

@Frugaldom sorry it was meant to say bread! 

This is the very basic, cheap and cheerful mix that can be used with plain flour. I keep meaning to try this as small loaves or bread rolls baked on the stove top.

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (approx.)
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp oil
• 4 cups plain flour

Frugaldom

Another easy recipe so you have something to eat with your freshly baked bread...

Bean Pate Recipe

1 Tin of kidney beans, drained

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Finely chopped onion

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 Teaspoon Chilli - finely chopped or powdered

1 Teaspoon Paprika

Lightly fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil then blitz everything in a blender. It's so easy to make that you can adapt the recipe to suit your own taste. 

With kidney beans (or the mixed beans) now costing from 49p per tin, you can possibly buy pate for less that you can make it. The beans were less than 20p per tin for so long that I think many of us stocked up enough to last a decade. 😁

zcrat41

Evening all. That bean pate sounds delicious. 

Quite an expensive day here today. £85 on couples counselling. I’m regarding this as an essential right now! It’s expensive but really helping our relationship. Also £200 on our big holiday as a deposit. £10 in Aldi on fresh veg and bread. 

Cas

Evening everyone. It's been a quiet few days as DH is getting over flu. He had his flu jab over a month but according to the doc a combination of DH's asthma plus the jab being less effective this year has resulted in him getting flu for the first time. Thankfully he's much better as he wanted some hearty grub tonight so we had a paella style dish made using veg and prawns from the freezer, some leftover shredded gammon plus rice and spices from the store cupboard.

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Started the day at home with at 40 minute spine stretch and mobilise. Had fun with the cat playing with my yoga mat. 
My aunt and I swapped two jigsaw puzzles and books today. 

Took Mum to look at an assisted living place. This was our second visit and mum has signed up. It has a lovely restaurant there with an a la carte menu, We were given a free two course lunch. 😀 
Meanwhile DH got a neighbour to come and look at our loft ladder - where it is fixed to some wood. Our neighbour managed to fix it. He went away with a jar of homemade blackberry and apple jam. 

Dug out eight books to take to pass on to others. 

EcoIntent

I’ve very little to report today as overslept this morning, barely made it in front of my screen for the first meeting of the day and prob overworked finishing late. I’m in bed now reading the forum. 

On a frugal note it was a no spend day and used up macaroni cheese from the freezer, and had the treat of having it with creamed spinach and thin steaks with peppercorn sauce. 

Frugaldom

@zcrat41 Over spends are less painful if you look on them as essential you can afford because you live a frugal lifestyle. My reasoning and I'm sticking to it. Make the most of your couples counselling and if OH is onboard with everything then here's to your future together being bright. 😊

Friend brought along lunch today after her yellow sticker shop. While doing that, I'd asked her to check my Nectar points for me. I now know that there's £17 odds that can be redeemed. 

@Gem-gem the assisted living sounds good to me. I've actually considered the possibility of a little bungalow within an assisted living community as a future retirement option. First, I need to find help running the project and then find homes for the rescue ponies. 😆

Bluegreen143

My MIL moved to a flat in an over 55s community (one of the ones with a warden on site, pull cords for emergencies in the flat etc) and she loves it. 

I can best describe it as like living in student halls for old people, but you get your own one bedroom flat rather than sharing 🤣.

There is different social stuff going on daily and as she had violent/abusive neighbours previously, it’s lovely to see her with a vibrant social circle around her again and she has a routine of which coffee mornings and events she goes to and several
pf her neighbours have become close friends. 

There is accommodation on site for families to book to stay in if visiting residents and a big shared room you can book out for dinners etc if you have too many guests for your flat which are both good to have. 

Prudent

I love the student halls description @Bluegreen143. I had so much fun in halls and was never lonely. It sounds perfect for older age. 

Thankfully the snow here has remained on the hills and I was able to get a walk in the sunshine. This evening I have been enjoying @Frugaldom’s photos of the pink skies and frosty ponies.

Not much money being spent here. I have spent about £13 on groceries so far this year and today I put petrol in the car. It was only £19 which surprised me as it is usually about £25 to £30. I think it is because I spent more time doing local things over the festive period.

I have had some nice wins from the advent comps including some hotel breaks in country house hotels (one of which my sister is taking) and on one my other sister is coming with me. I had an email today to say I have won £250 in hotel vouchers with a booking site. I will probably use these to visit family. The weather is to be much warmer next week so I might have a wee trip to the highlands to visit my daughter. I checked the website and even the nice hotels are around £50 a night just now, which is just a fifth of my voucher. In the summer even her local Travelodge can be as much as £200 a night.  If I take the coach I can use my bus pass so it will be a free trip.