2026 Frugal Living Challenge

twopenny

Just to hark back to Palm Oil there used to be a list of products without it but I guess they keep changing recipes now so it's a case of checking. But the markets are aware people avoid PO.

I'd like to see a list started again.

Oxo stock cubes don't have it.

Tesco sliced bread doesn't.

Butter doesn't.

I buy from a local cake business. bigger cake than supermarket but only real ingredients for £1 more.

I used to make my own biscuits. Takes same time as trying to find supermarket bargains. 10mins to make, 10 to bake while you have a coffee.

Iceland used to not have palm oil in its products but had to change with the energy crisis. Some are still free.

I travelled 3hrs through palm oil plantations in Borneo to get to the small reserve for orangutan. Forest cut and left empty for sale. Indigenous tribes kicked out so there's big profits.

mandy47

There's a Lidl within walking distance of my work. So today I left the car on the works car park and had a strole over to Lidl. I got

1 bag of carrots

3 bags of parsnips

3 bags of shallots

1 bag of spuds

I swede

And a cucumber all for £1.39 and no petrol cost.

Bargain! Tomorrow is my day off so I'll be busy freezer prepping. If I get the chance I'll pick up some more after work on Saturday.

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81946138#Comment_81946138

I'm heading to L!dl after work today. Fingers crossed for some great YS bargains as well as some cheap veg.

• Pip

lurkeralongtime

been a bad 12 days for me as I injured my back, chopping logs!
ok as long as I didn’t move. Once the painkillers kicked in I managed to go to Aldi and get some veg, though I haven’t finished the Christmas and even pre Christmas ones yet. Bought some extras to try and thwart the effects of Donald’s war-coffee beans, marg,dog food.

I drink real coffee usually as I drink fewer mugs per day of that than instant.

I cook a pan or Pyrex dish of rice once a week either in the Remoska or the wood burner’s oven.I don’t salt this so I can share it with the dog. I also, once it’s started cooking lay some veg on top.whole carrot.parsnip etc.Some for dog,some for me. Green veg can be added too but later on

Finished knitting a sock with some bought on sale sock yarn, and cut a disintegrating towel up into disposable rags.

And that’s the extent of my frugality this past two weeks!

lurkeralongtime

Thanks for the heads up about Lidl sock yarn.

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81948415#Comment_81948415

My pleasure. Hopefully, you won’t have to wait years before they bring it back into stock. (I did. First spotted in 2008. Stocked up in 2012, then no sock yarn until 2 years ago. They did do other yarns, though.)

Hope your back recovers soon.

• Pip

amber03

Nearest Ald: or L:dl is at least a 20 minute car journey for me. The joy of living semi rural village. I do know both want to build around this area with there not being many SM here, but they can’t find any land available/ suitable to build on. Just found out that a f@rmfood opened about 10 mins away , heard good things about this store , so will check it out.

2Scratters

Morning All,

As I have now caught up with you all, I am really pulling the strings back on the water usage here. We are in a bungalow so it helps with bringing in buckets to use to flush the loo. There had been a crack in the roof guttering for a while but only at the end of lots of rain did I realise I should have been collecting it a lot sooner in the trug bucket. Anyway got some collected and used. We currently have no kitchen and are in slow process of getting it together. The kitchen sink is now in the bath. It is a pain in the bum having to kneel down. So making use of water twice I save the washing up water to go into the bucket for flushing to loo. Also any rinsing of items gets put into the bucket too 😉 The loo a short time ago decided to not want to flush so DH purchased a new valve system which has the double flush function. I would advise anyone with an older toilet with a large flush tank to check if a new flush system would would in it. Ours is a 1963 original full bathroom suite, especially if you are on a water meter. Our last bill was £157 for 6 months it is usually about £105.

I got some spritting potatoes out of the sack to put into a plastic tub to grow them on. Fingers crossed on that one.

Have a good Easter weekend all

2 Scratters xx

Quantaqa

Happy Easter All, I hope you are having a nice Easter weekend.

DH won an Easter Egg at his work and we opened it on Thursday night to try it. It was the worst chocolate I have ever tasted. The consistency was all wrong - the chocolate for the egg was weirdly bendy and tasted really sickly sweet. I'm assuming this is due to a change in recipe, including the addition of palm oil. Not a change for the better. It'll be interesting to see what the Easter eggs I bought for my nieces are like, I have a hunch they'll be the same. I have been feeling for a while that consumers are paying more for not only less product but also poorer quality across a range of products - food, clothing, household items etc and these Easter eggs are part of that trend.

Today is a cooking day for us as we prepare for the family potluck tomorrow. Our contribution is a Tuna Crunch, HM Sausage rolls and a Chocolate Orange cheesecake (a special request by by niece).

I had a win on the Premium Bonds of £25 this month. That will go into buying more Premium bonds.

Sallyp2

quiet easter Saturday - no spends! Only a dog walk and allotment visit

first trip to allotment since october - first step back in is always hard but gut feel is that this summer the allotment and my small greenhouse at home might pay dividends. Spoke to a few allotment holders about what they were planning to grow … they were all worried about theft of food that they've grown as it looks like veg prices will increase due to fuel & fertiliser costs rising