2026 Frugal Living Challenge

Arrietty

Morning all,

I've had 5 NSDs in a row now and aiming for number 6 today!

It's still in the - temperatures with a hard frost so not gardening weather for me but I will get some plants for the pots once a bit less frosty as I remembered I have £10.25 credit on my CC  which was cashback earned last year so I'll use that towards the cost. 

Spent a fair amount of time smashing ice in the field water troughs yesterday. They had all had still been refilling until about 4 o'clock when they gave up.  Girls filled a load of containers with water to truck up to the fields with the feeds this morning.  So very grateful to them. 

I've taken a batch-cooked macaroni cheese out of the freezer for dinner and still have a portion of parsnip soup left which might be lunch. Have some leeks in the fridge so they will probably become a batch of leek and potato soup. 

Back to work on Thursday and I have plenty of bread and cheese for sandwiches and some satsumas for lunches; it's just the motivation for getting up at 6am that's currently eluding me 

moneywastingexpert99

I've discovered the joy of cashback sites, getting a little bit back on things I need to buy anyway is amazing.

ShazzaDazza

ooh! this is a great group! im a newbie here and started the challenge on 2nd Jan..4 NSD but im timing my visit to the supermarket today to take advantage of my loyalty card offers (things I actually need!) and the magic yellow stickers. 
thanks for the ideas on here ! 

Viking_mfw

RavenRover said:

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.

This is a great idea. I will have to start. I've had 2 collections this year. The first I had 29 tubs of creme brulee flavour extra thick cream and last night 67 mince pie Wensleydales! Slightly more than half of the cream went and I made 9 pots into ice cream last night by the laborious beating it every 30 minutes until it froze method. It's delicious but there's no way I can use that much cream. I might try making a pot into butter to use in baking since there's some left. The cheese appears to be popular in that half of it has been requested but that's still a substantial number left!!

On the other hand I've had no need to buy veg yet this year. 

ladybird1106

I live in a very cool house and need slippers. I have checked local charity shops but nothing I liked or in my size. Checked V and they have the same ones I had previously, brand new with tags and in my size. So made an offer after checking what the company was charging for brand new. Offer accepted (£8.50) looking forward to having warm feet again. 

Love 🐞

Frugaldom

Good morning from the not so sunny Frugaldom - pouring rain on top of yesterday's ice and snow so not so great for working outside. Needs must but I'm having a catch up on here while having my cuppa and Olio almond croissants in the hut. 

Welcome newbies and thank you to all for your dedication to trying out frugality.

@TryingHarderSW - can I guess you're possibly in the Southwest? If so, feel free to come along for a meet up. We've had several here. 

@RavenRover Thank you! I had no idea that I could freeze hummus and I often see it listed it received leftovers from our Olio food hero friends. 

The freebie wrinkled plums that I tried rejuvenating by stewing turned out really well. Had a couple for breakfast this morning so that's another free meal helping save some pennies and save more food from being binned.

Our water tanks were all frozen again this morning so I had to boil a kettle to thaw one tap so I could water the animals. That's the most laborious part, carting it 2 buckets at a time on foot but I guess it helps keep me fit to some degree. If only all the Olio pastries didn't counteract the weight loss.

mandy47

ladybird1106. I got a bit fed up with the rising price of slippers so I have a pair of faux suede boots from Primarni.  Only £4.99. 

Fur lined. Super comfy and should last a few years.

Didn't intend to buy food today. I work in a supermarket and spotted a number of items heavily reduced. I couldn't resist. 

2 boxes of bread sticks 
3 boxes of assorted crackers for cheese
8 packs of pegs. Tiny ones shaped like Christmas trees. I use these to hang cards from string.
Frozen 
I pack of  doughnuts 
2 apple crumble tray bakes
2 apple pies
1 apple cobbler
2 bags of pork stuffing balls
3 packs of scampi.
All have long dates. Freezers now full.
Around £42 full price
Mine for £9.25
Although I prefer to home bake I couldn't make them cheaper.

ladybird1106

Those look comfy mandy47. Toastie toes
love 🐞

Gem-gem

Good evening, 
Spent the day either with my DM or dealing with things related to my DM. Cooked us both a small jacket potato for lunch. This saved her going to the restaurant on site - saving of £18 for the two meals. 

DM's heating bills are included in her rent (assisted living) so I took the opportunity whilst I was there and had a shower (after working out at the gym).
Sadly, no good bargains obtained today whilst going DM and my shopping. But I did downshift a couple of items to supermarket own brand to make a saving. For dinner tonight I used a section of the butternut squash that my BIL gave me in November. I also roast the butternut squash seeds. They are delicious. I will have the leftover roasted veg and couscous for lunch. 

As I have another busy day tomorrow, I prepped a sausage casserole using up most of the veg that I didn't finish tonight. Sausages are ys as is the streaky bacon.

Road kill: 5p
Pocket money earnings: £10 

Cat fact: 
Cats are short sighted and so will not be able to see your hand movements from the end of the garden. You will just look like a blurry blob to them.

kimwp

I also roast butternut squash seeds, they are very yummy.

Loving the animal facts, I wonder if that's why cats can be lost quite close to home if they get a scare and run - they can't see familiar markers. My Phoebe was lost for a week after she got a scare and bolted - she was only three gardens away and was often out roaming so she must have been just outside her normal patch.