2026 Frugal Living Challenge

Sausageroll14 · 24 February at 9:34PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895966#Comment_81895966

I'm going to politely decline your buns! I have 4 tame ones at home and one is wannabe structural engineer. She loves stripping walls of paint, plaster and skirting. Cute as anything but destructive as anything. You have my sympathies!

mumtoomany · 25 February at 9:31AM

Thanks @Sausageroll14. I could have offered you some mice and rats insread, but they've now all been dispatched, I hope. Nothing worse than trying to get to sleep and hearing them running around above your head, in the loft. Note to self, never buy a house that is over 200 years old.

hugs, mumtoomany.xx

Frugaldom · 26 February at 10:32AM

Rain, rain, rain... All water barrels and tanks are full to overflowing, pond levels are up and the burn floods across the wetlands often. That last one is rather exciting as it means an increased opportunity to encourage wading birds to Frugaldom. We already have ducks, herons and the elusive little water rails.

Mo0rrisons order being delivered tonight as there was a £1.50 slot available so that should take care of the next few weeks. Estimate is around £65 but final amount will be added after the order arrives. I've been cooking with chicken mince, as a cheaper option, and finding it actually tastes ok as spaghetti Bolognese. Of course, everything else is still going up in price - lentils especially - but working 7 days at project means no time to take a couple of hours out to drive to town and visit a mainstream supermarket.

Mumtoomany, yes, about 4 years difference. I think Ravenscraig Steel Works was possibly the last one to shut. I don't even recognise the area as the entire site has now been completely developed, almost into a new village.

Finstickle · 26 February at 7:05PM

Hi all,

Feeling very unmotivated at the moment. I feel that I need to look at my gas and electric as they seem sky high and so know that they need attention but struggling with finding the brain capacity to do anything about it whilst the rest of life bimbles on.

I moved house last year and have only recently felt like I got the hang of the heating timer so am hoping to see a drop in this month's bill.

I got back from holiday this week and definitely spent more than anticipated on food / meals. It's been two years since I was last abroad (bar a visit to family) so I don't begrudge the spend, it's just the thought of all the money leaving my account!

I recently used most of my savings to re-do the bathroom in the new house so while I still have specific pots for things like car maintenance etc my general non-specific savings savings have been decimated and obviously take a while to refill. As a single parent I find that the 'essentials' part of my budget is higher than it used to be, for obvious reasons, and my ability to save much reduced. I also feel a greater need to create good memories with DD as I don't have her all the time. that doesn't always mean spending, but it does mean that I tend to be more relaxed about stopping for coffee/hot chocolate etc when with her than when by myself.

In reality, my desire to be more frugal is to enable the trips and adventures I want to have with her - every pound spent on the heating bill is a pound I can spend on taking us somewhere new.

I have a standard overpayment on my mortgage (rounding up from the actual value) and have recently started using Sprive to accumulate small rewards for overpayments.

I'm not sure what the purpose of this post is, I mostly wanted to engage and acknowledge that I am taking some small sparodic actions but mothing feels overly purposeful or impactful right now.

Auti · 26 February at 7:27PM

@Finstickle - totally un der stand and think you are doing well - am also single parent and memories are very important :)

Money is tight but overpaying mortgage is saving and bringing security even closer - making sure all essential bills are paid is good - having a reason for saving (memories) is special and I think you are doing a great job :) Be pleased with yourself - you are doing good :)

Frugaldom · 26 February at 8:03PM

FRUGAL INVESTIGATION INITIATED

A frugal friend and I have just done a quick check online and found an anomaly of sorts so I'm now here asking for your help in this frugal living investigation. Please search for 'red lentils' and then post the prices and your general location.

SW Scotland prices online at Asd@ as per screenshot and these are all that's available.

Carlisle prices showing £2.50 for a 2kg bag.

I've just paid £5 for a 2kg bag from M0rris0ns.

Thank you... These price comparisons really help us understand what is available where and for how much.

Frugaldom · 26 February at 8:25PM

@Finstickle The purpose of your post was to get your words out there and I'm confident that there are many others who feel the same was you do right now, so you most definitely are not alone. You are doing a fantastic job of teaching your DD the importance of budgets and that can also be made into a fun learning curve that will set her up for a successful future. Memories don't need to cost a fortune. In fact, precious time spent together in a fun and relaxed manner needn't cost a penny. You could sit down with DD and make a list of things she would like to see, taste, make, do, hear or have. You could make it fun for her to help achieve the goals while enjoying the company of a happy, stress free mum. There are so many things you can do and places you can go for free, or that are relatively inexpensive. I'm almost sure your DD won't be equating memories to money, only how she feels at the time. 😊 Right now, it is frog chorus time of year in UK so perhaps a picnic outing in search of a pond where she can listen to the frog choir. If you take a look at my FB or YouTube pages, you'll see what I mean. We have visitors travelling from miles away just to witness this annual spectacle. I don't know how old your DD is but the frog chorus is definitely something worth witnessing at any age. And it's free once you find the frogs. If you were within reach of SW Scotland, I'd say come visit soon while the frogs are singing loudly. (This applies to anyone else who is within easy and affordable travel distance.)

Nelliegrace · 26 February at 8:54PM

@Frugaldom

Split red lentils,

Asda 2kg £2.50

Aldi 2kg £2.99 as a special. Normally 500g 99p.

Greying_Pilgrim · 26 February at 9:06PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81901231#Comment_81901231

I agree with this - it's part of their offering for Ramadan. T3sco have similar - channa dhal, red lentils, and chickpeas for a similar price (cluBcArd), again it is for Ramadan - and I think T3sco have this offer going until 18/3/26. Al's would be more likely until they sell out of stock.

Greying X