2025 Frugal Living Challenge

pennywisepoundstupid

Morning, frugality continues in the PWPS household, it needs to as i might of booked another short break away but life is for living and when i was diagnosed 8 years ago with cancer one of the things that hit me was what was important to me, of course the first was my family then i just sat thinking about the places i had wanted to visit and see and hadn't. So travel is my non-negotiable.

Onto frugality I spent Sunday in the veggie garden planting potatoes which i had bought with an amaz0n voucher so free, I'm trying the bag method to free up the raised beds for other things, DH brought me home a load of animal feed bags from work to plant them in so we will see how it goes.
Managed to forget about the flapjack i'd made and put in the oven which ended up rather well done. Had to cut off the edge pieces as they were rock hard but did whizz them up in the blender and now have a lovely topping for on top of my morning fruit and yoghurt.
Couple of items sold on v1nted over the weekend, £25 made and once i receive payment it will go to the holiday pot. Parcelled these up using recycled packaging.

Twolabsandacat

Just de-lurking to say thank you Frugaldom for saying about the Merlin bird app.  I have downloaded this and it has made my day, recording all the little chirpings and finding out who they belong to. 

mama67

Yes Ive not done much today either sat in garden seeing which birds pop up on app and which ones we haven’t seen before. Lots we do see on feeders. 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
A NSD here from me. 

Started the day with two loads of washing and hoovering. I also managed to was the inside of the drawer that holds our plates and bowls. Then I sorted through more card / craft stuff and spent the early afternoon making cards from old cards - quick and easy these ones. 

DH cooked dinner so I was able to get on and do the ironing when I would have normally done the food prep. 

Spent the evening watching tv and crocheting. 

Prudent

@Gem-gem glad everyone enjoyed your cake.

@startin-again, you are making lots of progress. What lovely weather for getting the garden back in shape. I got a veg box today too. As you say, lots in it and so fresh. I got a large bag of potatoes, a pack of two leeks, a courgette, an aubergine, 2 carrots, an avocado, a cucumber, 2 red peppers, a pack of 6 salad tomatoes, 2 large nets of tangerines, 2 bananas, 5 apples, a mango, a melon and a packet of radish. My local community shop has just put its veg bag prices up to £2, and it wasn't such good value.

@sams247, so sorry about your car and the incredibly long wait. 

What glorious weather we have been enjoying this week. I have had a busy couple of weeks, and time in the garden and at the allotment feels a bit squeezed in at the moment. I am hoping to take my cucumbers to the polytunnel tomorrow as they are still on a sunny windowsill. I have sweet peas and runner beans ready to plant out. I transplanted some spring onions yesterday and sowed some more salad leaves in the polytunnel. The first lot and the radish are coming along well. I have sweetcorn, some flower seeds and some cantaloupe melon seedlings in the heated propagator. The melon is an experiment as the seeds came from a melon in my last veggie box. I am hoping they might grow in the polytunnel. Has anyone tried growing melons?

Yesterday I managed to squeeze in a quick charity shop potter and got four lovely summer tops for £11.50. I am going away to the beautiful Moray coast in a couple of weeks so I am hoping the sun will shine and I can use them.

I have just selected a new gas and electricity tariff. Mine ends in May and I read about another British gas deal on MSE which is cheaper than the one that BG were suggesting that I select for renewal. It is still £29 a year more than my current deal, but in these days of scary increases that doesn't feel too awful.

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, just got back from urgent care with DM. Thankfully all okay and panic over. 

Another busy day, morning at the gym, afternoon cleaning, pottering in the garden and doing the final sort of card making stuff - matching envelopes to cards. Dinner was basic - homemade chips, half priced gammon, egg and peas. Followed by a ys toasted hot cross bun. 

Frugaldom

Late night update from me. Sorry to hear about your car @sams247 and I hope you can get back on the road soon.

No spend today again but did gave a run out to the beach - first time in a long time. Used the Merlin app to record some sea birds, which we don't get at Frugaldom. It really is a great little app. Tonight, watched the fox and badgers. Visitors kindly bring us extra food for them and we ask out fellow wildlife watchers to bring peanuts. 

I've a young helper coming to stay for a few days so I'm planning to fill up more raised beds after riddling the stones from the freebie topsoil and moving more if the composted manure. Friend who comes along on a Thursday will be here so I'll get the nettle & garlic recipe.

Good luck for tomorrow's premium bonds draw to all who save there. 

annieb64

Prudent, a couple of years ago a mysterious plant started to grow in one of our borders. At first we thought it was some kind of squash but eventually realised that it was a honeydew melon! 
We only got one fruit from the plant but it was a decent size and very sweet. 

Prudent

annieb64 said:

Prudent, a couple of years ago a mysterious plant started to grow in one of our borders. At first we thought it was some kind of squash but eventually realised that it was a honeydew melon! 
We only got one fruit from the plant but it was a decent size and very sweet. 

That sounds hopeful, thank you.

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone. I hope you are all managing to enjoy the sunshine. Today, DH and I went on a walk planned by a friend. We started off at Paddington Station, walked down to Little Venice, Regent's Canal then to Camden Lock and finally to a nature garden near King's Cross and St Pancreas. Both my DH and friend get free travel in London so it was only the cost of my fare. Plus we all treated ourselves to a hot drink at the start. A very enjoyable day had by all. It is amazing what you can find in London, at times you would never know that you are in the middle of the capital. 

Dinner was ys curry meals and h/made vegetable curry. 

Tomorrow we are going down to my DM to empty two sheds and a garage. We have hired a skip. It is going to be very dusty, dirty, cobwebby work. Yuk!