2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Blackcats

@Gem-gem - I like Lewes and Arundel for visits and mooching.  Sounds like a very good value for money mini break.

Gem-gem

joedenise said:

Sounds like you had a good time.  Where about in Sussex did you go and can I ask what restaurant it was?  Those are such good value meals and I never see anything like that when we go away so usually end up in somewhere like W'spoons to get a cheap meal.

We have a motorhome and sometimes visit places in Sussex as it's not too far from us as we live in Kent but certainly never found anywhere that cheap to eat!

The restaurant is The Star Inn, Sluice Ln, Normans Bay, Pevensey BN24 6QG
(01323) 762648

You have to book in advance. Last orders around 6:30-7pm. This one is next to a campsite. 

There is also a sister restaurant: Smugglers Inn

High St, Pevensey BN24 5LF
This one closes at 5pm at the beginning of the week. This one is not so much off the beaten track. 

There is also a place that has a campsite, fishing lake and a lovely cafe / restaurant - 

Lakeside Cafe, Off Powder Mill Lane near Battle, TN33 0SU
This is open for breakfast /lunchtime. 

Gem-gem

Blackcats said:

@Gem-gem - I like Lewes and Arundel for visits and mooching.  Sounds like a very good value for money mini break.

A lovely part of the world. 

Nelliegrace

The car breakdown cover had gone up a lot since last year. DH compared prices then telephoned and was given a reduction of about 30%. 

kimwp

Nelliegrace said:

The car breakdown cover had gone up a lot since last year. DH compared prices then telephoned and was given a reduction of about 30%. 

£237 to join the AA when my driveshaft broke yesterday. So lucky it didn't happen on the motorway, I'd been on the M1 for an hour and half and it broke when I was back in the city centre. Amazing AA person called in a favour to get it fixed on the same day at a local garage while I was looking after my niece.

joedenise

Gem-gem said:

joedenise said:

Sounds like you had a good time.  Where about in Sussex did you go and can I ask what restaurant it was?  Those are such good value meals and I never see anything like that when we go away so usually end up in somewhere like W'spoons to get a cheap meal.

We have a motorhome and sometimes visit places in Sussex as it's not too far from us as we live in Kent but certainly never found anywhere that cheap to eat!

The restaurant is The Star Inn, Sluice Ln, Normans Bay, Pevensey BN24 6QG
(01323) 762648

You have to book in advance. Last orders around 6:30-7pm. This one is next to a campsite. 

There is also a sister restaurant: Smugglers Inn

High St, Pevensey BN24 5LF
This one closes at 5pm at the beginning of the week. This one is not so much off the beaten track. 

There is also a place that has a campsite, fishing lake and a lovely cafe / restaurant - 

Lakeside Cafe, Off Powder Mill Lane near Battle, TN33 0SU
This is open for breakfast /lunchtime. 

Thanks for that @Gem-gem.  I'll make a note of those restaurants for if we visit Pevensey anytime soon.  Been a couple of years since we were there.

sams247

Just got back from lovely holiday with grandchildren, kept it as frugal as possible, lots of playing in parks, visits to scooter park, home made goodies, using the family entertainment in evening and making use of on site fun like swimming pool and bowling.  Had great time and managed to stick to budget without ever feeling anyone was missing out.  

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Another busy day. Started with cleaning both bathroom and downstairs lavatory and doing three loads of washing. Also spent two hours in the garden pulling weeds, planting more vegetable plants - leeks, tenderstem broccoli etc. Have also started to harden off the runner bean plants. 

After lunch, of h/m soup, I popped into town to do a few things plus go to the gym. Whilst in town, I found 6p on the floor and a load of coins in a change exchanger, someone had left behind 70p in five and ten pence pieces, over six euros and seven Canadian dollars. 

At the gym, I received a free banana. Our gym has free fruit on a Friday.

Once home, DH and I popped to the local shops, we got reduced eggs, half priced Stilton cheese, quarter priced trout plus three ready meals for quarter price, DH will eat these. In Lid!, I got a free Portuguese tart and because I spent £10 I have a voucher for another one. Found10p on the floor in supermarket no.1.
Any money we find we put into a tin and twice a year we empty it. Our aim is to get a free lunch. Some also goes to charity. The most we have found in one year was around £90. Three years in a row we have found this amount of money, but alas that hasn't been for a while. Post Covid we have found around £50 a year. Last year, it was no more than £40. Does anyone else pick up the money that they find? 

Dinner was sausages and mash with onion gravy, cabbage, broccoli and carrots - yum, yum. 
Now chilling out watching catch-up ITVX and looking at T0ft site. Deciding whether I want to use my 10% voucher that runs out this Sunday. 

weenancyinAmerica

@Gem-Gem - I pick up any coins that I see - but they are few on the ground. When I was traveling, my best money finding was when I sat on couches in hotels and felt down inside the edges. Maybe you can check out any locally. I used to find a lot when I traveled. Sometimes I think it was the leprechaun trying to help me as I was always short of money on my trips. I cut it very close and learned to travel on a very low budget as a result.

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone. 

@weenancyinAmerica I have also found coins down the edges of couches. However, it is less common and depends on the type of trousers men are wearing. Jeans don't normally give up their owners coins 😀
DH spent the day out with a friend. He left at six this morning. I was planning on Getting up nice and early, but turned the alarm off and went straight back to sleep. I got up nearly two hours after my alarm! I was planning on having all Thor housework done by 9am so to be ready to go to the shops and get my glasses fixed as the shop opened. 

Jobs done: 
bathroom 
hoovered throughout
kitchen / downstairs floor area all washed. 

Runner beans and remaining butternut squash planted
cards made ready to sell
turned out linen cupboard and wardrobe
dinner cooked
bought new tax disc
car packed ready to do a BF in the morning
jobs still to do: (will not be done today)
Glasses fixed
Mum's house insurance
buy a bag of compost
Evening going to be spent watching a film and crocheting. Bliss.