2026 Frugal Living Challenge

2Scratters

@Debsnewbudget thankyou for the visual of the cup weights. I have been overthinking some of the numbers but now I get it. Hope it's an easier day today as my head is now mashed 😜 off to make some rhubarb jam.

2 Scratters xx

2Scratters

@Prudent do check the fridges for the butter offers in FF that's if you don't make your own. It is usually 99p a block of either salted or not. There are two brands and the Grahams is 250g compared to the other at 227g. I have purchased either brand at those prices and added on buttered bread a sprinkle of Himalayan salt to taste and it works out lovely. I did the same with a coffee syrup where I had a gifted one to use up but was a caramel flavour but my favourite is the salted caramel so I added the same salt to that which I then used up otherwise was to be likely left lingering in the cupboard.😉

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Prudent

@2Scratters thank you :). I noticed last time I was in the butter was 2 for £2 so they have changed the offer slightly. The butter deals have made OH happy as I now do more baking. Plus he gets to eat it all as I am on a weight loss journey. @Frugaldom's ponies made me realise how much I missed riding. I prefer riding ponies as I am not very tall and I also love the personality of the British native ponies. I have lost 10LB. I want to lose just over another stone, so no home bakes for me. I have been following Dr Alex (an NHS A&E doctor) on YouTube. I have found his healthy eating advice so budget friendly. I haven't spent any more money, but there has been a real shift in my health and fitness.

leftatthetrafficlights

@Prudent - sorry you're going through such a tough time at the moment 😔 I hope things improve for you quickly 🤞

We bought more ericacious compost over the last few days so that we can put our blueberries in larger containers - they did well this year and they're very tasty! 😋 We're going to try strawberries next year and see if we can get a larger crop from the raspberries 🤞

I've been mainly re-purposing leftovers for food which means my shopping bill has been low so far this month - what I have bought has mainly been for the freezer 😁

Despite dh being a little chilly on an evening, we've stuck with our sofa throws rather than pop on the heating which is good - dh runs cold these days so it's normally down to him and I thought he'd have caved by now! 😉😂

I had a look this morning at all off the things that I want to replace with home-made frugal versions and it's quite a list! It's going to take a lot of trial and error with recipes and testing but that's fine - I'm sure it will be fun! My frugal choices still need to be ethical so making my own stuff as far as possible should be the best option most of the time 🤔

I need to investigate log providers- I have to have dh with me to do price comparisons though as I get confused with them being advertised in different ways! 🤦‍♀️😂

Nonnadiluca

@leftatthetrafficlights , Nancy Birtwhistle's book Clean and Green is great for recipes for homemade cleaning products and they’re pretty good.

leftatthetrafficlights

@Nonnadiluca - thanks for that, I'll have an investigate! 😁

fionaandphil

You have a lot on your plate at the moment @Prudent. Have you thought about a heated blanket for OH?

I did laugh at your loo rolls, that will take a while to use 😄 We had friends who stuffed the artic with some many years ago, so many that they blocked the air vents and the rolls got damp.

What about doing some batch cooking of soups and stews, to help keep costs down, but also to give yourself a bit more time while they are unwell? If you are in FF they also have mix and match 3 tins of beans for £1, they have a good variety.

Thanks for the cup information @Debsnewbudget. I would happily share my thousands of new strawberry plants with you @leftatthetrafficlights they are multiplying daily! Thanks for the chicken tip off @maryb I managed to pick some up today. They also had 20% off clothing

villagelife

processing/preserving @lurkeralongtime Well done!

I’ve had one of those full-on weeks at work, which left me pretty brain dead by the end of each day. Fortunately, I could resort to some very simple meals that didn’t require much brain space (e.g. baked Feta & Tomato Sauce served with pasta). Having finished early today, I’m now wondering what to do with my free few hours before DH gets home. I’m both restless

I know I’m very late but after a hard week at work anything other than a sandwich is a positive. Think of yourself.

Arrietty

Sending hugs and hope for better times for you @Prudent

Not too much frugality has been happening here due to YD's birthday last week; we had a lovely lunch at our favourite cafe and then a wander round a few shops in Windsor. Alongside a couple of small gifts she had asked for money so she can start her investing journey which I was happy to give.

On Friday I had to stock up on feed for HRH and was delighted to find that I had £24 on my loyalty card so the bill was reduced to £67.66.

I then had to do a supermarket shop as the fridge was bare (again) so spent £73.74 which was mostly bakery, vegetables and dairy. I bought a couple of pies for the evenings when I can't be bothered to cook as they were on offer and am delighted that it's now soup season which means fun brewing up various concoctions. I find it easier to spend less in winter as I batch cook more meals.

My grocery shopping has now reduced from an average weekly spend of £60.17 to £57.72.

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Does anyone here air dry food to be made into powder for longer term storage. I haven't bought any special equipment yet or would using the electric oven (only have this due to new kitchen and would have preferred gas as had for many years and is cheaper) which have you found to be most cost effective please?

I remember my dad back in the 70s bringing home dried eggs. He worked for BRS British Road Services if anyone remembers them. There would also be times he would get loose tea from broken wooden tea chests and loaves of bread some times, they would go into the freezer. This all came in handy when we had the power strikes and meals had to be timed before the utility went off for so many hours. I remember the pressure cooker having to go onto a coal fire to be finished off cooking as someone had miss timed the power off. Great as a young teenager maybe not so for my parents at the time. We managed to play games together keeping it all simple and had a wireless too for entertainment.

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