2026 Frugal Living Challenge

fionaandphil

I really need to give olio another try, when I've looked before it's quite far away and it's not really worth the trip for a loaf of bread.

In frugal news won £140 on the lottery today. Can I add this into my interest beater challenge?

I also picked up some of the Fuel 10K items from this weeks MSE tips. DH is working away so will take them with him for lunches.

Still working our way through Christmas veg so lots of healthy meals this month!

Foofoopuppy

Also don't forget to check if you have any friends or family members you can share with! I regularly pick up for my parents as well as they don't have so much near them, but a couple of years back when there was, they'd pick up for me as well

mandy47

Almost 3 miles to my nearest Olio pick up. Yesterday there were only 4 food items posted. Not worth the 6 mile round trip.

Good start to the year.

£26.93 refund from sky. I changed suppliers last June. Taken a while but it's now in my bank not theirs.

£62.28 cashed in on survey sites and mobile game app.

7 and half hours over time.

20% off new jeans. First pair in 2 years

3 massively reduced jumpers. Final sale reduction. Put away for holiday in December. Didn't buy any clothes last year. Not even from chazzers.

Still buying YS where available. Aldi super six and asda special offers. Lots of reduced bread and crumpets. Not many items purchased full price at all.

Still working through cheese and biscuits from xmas.

Still working through freezer and cupboards.

Next year's xmas cards, money wallets and tags bought in sale, dirt cheap and tucked away under the bed.

Booked a holiday yesterday. We didn't go away last year. DH then told me he has euros left from last holiday that he didn't cash in. Spending money sorted.

Penny2myName

Due to my mum being on palliative care stream, I haven't been able to daily keep a track, so I will put down my targets and put down what I spend on either a weekly or monthly basis, probably monthly for now. There is a couple of takeaways/eating out I am not including as these were to try and encourage my mum to eat, as she is putting her lack of appetite down to being she doesn't like the food in the Nursing home she has had to go in. These takeouts/eating outs has proved its just the fact she has lost all appetite in reality. She is getting closed to End of Life so her appetite will just keep decreasing.

Goal £14000

5400 Rent  2 Jan - 419.42

1440 Council Tax 2 Jan - 115.00

3480 Electric & heating combined (community heating with is 3-4 times higher than gas) (£290) 2 Jan - 314.78

684 Water - Metered so hopefully will be lower but this is based on present DD. 57.00

384 Internet - for just under 1Gig - family of gamers and streamers. Jan 35.00

240 Mobile Jan 8.00

323 Contents Insurance Jan 26.87

404 Critical Care Jan 33.62

1645 All Shopping/Spending Jan 309.55

The amount on shopping has really shocked me.

Frugaldom

Sorry to read about your mum, @Penny2myName I hope she is pain free.

Thank you for cat food info - I've ordered a months supply of cans and biscuits from M0rrisons for home delivery later this week and have split my monthly grocery shop between here and Asd@ For us, home deliveries at £1.50 each are cheaper than driving to town and back. I managed the whole of January without buying and groceries. In fact, other than my DDs, it was pretty much a personal no spend month.

Today we fitted the first of the new solar panels and got it hooked up to the leisure battery. It's been cloudy all day but the rain stayed away until after dark.

YES! I would cound and profit accrued from lottery winnings into the interest beater challenge but only the profit. If it is lottery, keep a running total of what you spend so that can be deducted. Winnings are great but the powers that be trying to make us think it's all a lucky gain.

My interest beater is stagnant so I'll need to start thinking about that and try to kickstart it.

Gem-gem

Good evening, First NSD of the month, may these continue.
Dinner was left over chicken, salad and a potato cut up into cubes and air fried. I left enough chicken on the carcass for a stir fry dinner for tomorrow. That will be eight servings from one chicken 😀

In the week, we had a few days in Cheltenham. We stayed in P.Inn. The room was lovely, basic but everything you need. My DH bought the meal deal breakfast and dinner for £27 each. All I can say is we won't bother with the deal again. The breakfast was okay. I did ask for fresh eggs and for the breakfast to be warmed up. The fruit was lovely. I didn't have the cereals or bread. My DH did and was happy with them. The dinner was carp! Mixed grill, gammon and pasta dish unavailable. My burger came with a rock hard bun - it had obviously been microwaved. I was offered a replacement bun, which arrived at the end of my meal. Another customer had exactly the same problem and didn't eat it. He was offered nothing, not even an apology. My DH food came with food items missing and no apology. When questioned they offered an alternative. The next night, same items not available. My starter came without the garnish. Salad was just lettuce, tomato and raw onion. There was a grill that looked like it had never been turned on. I heard a lot of microwave pinging going on.

RavenRover

@Prudent not worth complaining about whether the repair will work long-term, as I've read since that this is the way they the issue is dealt with. Replacing the sensor is cheaper than the whole catalytic converter. Learned about more driving techniques to try and clear the system, so a run down to Carlisle this morning on the motorway will start to help the problem. And what a shame that my turnaround place just happens to have a Hobbycraft - oh dear that could cause me a lot of other problems as I have a £5 money off voucher😇🙄🤣

On the Olio discussion, as a collector( I REALLY hate the food waste hero title) for 2 years now, I have got to know my regulars and know what they will like. I average 150 - 200 items at one of my collection spots and about 40-80 at the other. As I have an idea what folks will use and who likes what, I section out items as I am uploading the pictures. If there is something new I can usually predict who will request it. Most of my regulars get what they are looking for because of the relationship I have with them and more often as not they will get double or triple what they ask for. One even nick names me her personal shopper because I know so much about her eating habits!

Van_Girl

I've been collecting regularly from a local Olio FWH, usually every 2 or 3 weeks. I do tend to ask for a fair bit, and always get it all. I've noticed the last few times that they've not been particularly friendly with me, and I was a bit concerned that perhaps I'm collecting too much or too often? I don't expect to get everything, or even anything at all, I just pick the bits I'm interested in and try to leave plenty for someone else. They of course may well just be tired, or just feeling quieter on the last few occasions I've collected, but last time was so abrupt it put me off going again.

Am I missing any rules or etiquette in collecting? I always arrive when I say, double check the best time for them, bring a bag and load my own things into it, and be friendly and polite. And I've sent a thank you afterwards on the first time I collected and after that awkward last time. I'm just feeling a bit nervous about using it again!

Sausageroll14

@Van_Girl Speaking as an olio food collector.....I am absolutely delighted by collectors like yourself. I am usually absolutely desperate to redistribute the food. And I do mean desperate. I have had fair to many times of trying to re-home 40 loaves of bread.

If this is a regular place you collect from, might it be worth a message to ask their preferred etiquette? It would be an absolute shame to loose you.

Van_Girl

Thank you for replying, I'm probably just overthinking it! I just didn't want to be getting so carried away with my lovely free food hauls that I was inadvertently being a pest haha