2026 Frugal Living Challenge

RavenRover

@sheilavw sorry about your brother x

My mum gifted me her soup maker as it wasn't big enough for her(like me lives on her own but feels that it is easier to work with a 3 litre soup pot and arthritic hands🙄).  I LOVE it!  Really good if I have good Olio leftovers and I can use them up making soup.  Really recommend it.

Penny2myName

@Sheliaavw, like others I am sorry for your loss.

Today I spent £5.23 mainly on milk as my son is a milk demon even in his mid 20's.

All Shopping/Spending
1645 - Monthly £137.00
1 Jan - 2.00, 2 Jan -2.00, 3 Jan - 36.57, 5 Jan 5.23

Frugaldom

Good evening to all.
I've not much to catch you all up with today as I'm using up Olio stuff and hope to see a few more items listed. If you don't have an olio food hero near you, check out areas where friends or family you see regularly stay and arrange for them to pick up on your behalf. This is the only way we can rescue any of the food on a fairly regular basis. Even if I have friends visiting from further afield, or if I'd to go visiting, I would check their address in case anything was nearby. ln the past, friends and I got a full case of dried spaghetti to share among us and that lasted us all for months, possibly the full year. 

Last week's Olio included a big punnetnof red plums but they'd gone a bit dry and wrinkly. Today I screwed them in a big pan and decanted them into a sealed tub to have at breakfast time for the next couple of days. They taste almost prune-like. I have another pack of tiny sausages to use up so I'll fry them with some of the cooking bacon, which I find much better value at £1 a 500g pack than buying a small pack of back bacon. I can get a pot of soup out what's left of the cooking bacon plus enough meat to add into pasta or a pie. 

No cash spends
No extra cash earned
No tatties dug as ground is frozen 

ladybird1106

Back home from our holiday and time to pull my frugal pants on
love🐞

mumtoomany

Sorry for the loss of you brother @sheilavw.

Loving the pages from the book, @Gem-gem. 

Hope you enjoyed your holiday, @ladybird1106. 

If anyone wants some snow, we still have more than we need, 6 inches deep on the fields. Free, but must be collected.

Not been out today, other than to the barn and the chickens. No money spent, none made either. Didn't win on the premium bonds. Next month, I hope. 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xx 

amber03

I’ll pass on the snow, I have enough of my own. Here’s hoping for a heavy rain shower to wash it all away.

TryingHarderSW

Hi everyone, I’ve been reading this challenge since last year but only just made an account and wanted to say hello.

I’m based in Scotland with my husband, young daughter, and dog, and need some accountability to save more seriously. Over the last few years we discovered some serious structural issues with our property and had to move to a rental while they’re sorted. All a bit stressful (and expensive, as we’ll have both mortgage and rent to pay for around a year!). Hoping that joining in here will help me move from reading about good money saving tips to implementing them. Thanks @Frugaldom for continuing to run this challenge and encourage us all in the right direction!

Jojo77_2

January going well so far, first shop of year done but only £5.85 on a few fresh bits.  We've no snow yet which is very odd as we usually have it when others do- we're high up on North/West Yorkshire border. Frosty but no actual snow,  very cold though was -5 first thing ! Been keeping sn eye on the smart meter all day as we're using more gas ; electricity as a result. 

RavenRover

Had my first Olio collection of the new year.  Mum has suggested I keep a note of how much I have saved on my food.  This is to include my ten percent that Olio allow us to keep as collectors and then what ever I can use up from the leftovers that no one wants. 

Last night's grand total is £49.30!!! That includes : a bacon and chicken festive wrap, 2 pastries, black pudding bon bones, smoked bacon, large tray of mango chunks, 1 litre of milk, 3 pots green veg medley, 2 butternut squash and 6 tubs of hummus.

Soup was made with the green veg in soup maker before bed.  I will roast up one squash for the next couple of days and mash up the other into portions for the freezer.  I will also roast up the seeds for a healthy snack. 5 pots of hummus are in the freezer.  And yes my poor freezer is bursting at seams literally.

joedenise

You could just keep the butternut squash in a cool cupboard and will keep for several months.  I've currently got 4 in a cupboard which will get used over the next 3-4 months probably.  Just have to remember to get them into my meal plan!