2026 Frugal Living Challenge

mandy47

Drain the mango pulp and Mix it well in a food processor with a tub of marscapone and freeze. Better than ice cream.

Nelliegrace

Amber warnings for hot weather this week. We are not used to it and our homes are not designed for it. I open all the windows when it is cool first thing, then close them, and the curtains, against the sun to shut the heat out. I use damp flannels, to keep myself cool, a saved, large cardboard envelope for a fan, and splash my swollen feet in some cold water in a bucket. Cold water in my rubber hot water bottle at bedtime.

I drink plenty of plain fluid, a jug of water with a bit of lemon juice in the fridge, lots of pots of tea. It is so easy to get dehydrated when you are older, and suddenly realise that you haven’t peed for hours.

Salads and sandwiches for dinners this week, nothing stodgy, a few less carbohydrates. It will be too hot to cook. Plenty of books to read until the heat wave is over. If it gets unbearable, I read about novels about snow, ice and rain.

Arrietty

Solstice Belssings to all

and I hope your temperatures are a lot more enjoyable than mine right now; 29 today and due to be 34 - 35 in the middle of the week. There will lots of sheltering under trees and bathing of HRH and hoping it's over quick for me. For someone who spent much of their childhood living abroad in the Middle East and Africa, I really don't enjoy there heat now. Possibly because I no longer have a swimming pool in my garden and also possibly because I'm considerably older and also have work and chores to attend to!

I'm eating all sorts of things tfrom the fridge just to use them up - hard boiled egg sandwich this morning, sausages and mushrooms on toast yesterday evening and tonight will be mushroom rice.

All the fresh food I bought has gone aside from apples and the carrots I bought for HRH went all slimy and had to be thrown away which was very annoying

Earlier this week I attended a consultation with the home builders who want to replace the nursery next door, our yard and all the fields with 650 houses, 2 football pitches and a 'country park'. This will be the 3rd park within a ten minute walk and I suspect the only thing they can do with some of the land as they can't build on it as it's a historic landfill site.

That doesn't seem to bother the horses, deer, badgers, skylarks, buzzards, kites, swifts and bats etc…who all seem to thrive and co-habit quite happily … but never mind that - or the fact that they're destroying natural wildlife habitat and clean well kept land to replace it with manufactured pitches, paths and cycle paths and such … builders gotta build and communities, people's livelihoods, hobbies and safe places just get pushed out of the way.

Apologies for the rant; it's extremely upsetting.

dND

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82042462#Comment_82042462

Thank you for that @mandy47 I think I'll give that a go 😋 it will be a lot quicker and cooler to make than the kulfi I was planning on doing.

Happy Solstice all and welcome to summer! The days get shorter but, generally, the weather gets warmer. Like others, hot weather protocols being implimented here - too many older people died during heatwaves while I was in France so the government there really pushed looking after yourself in hot weather. Good training for what is begining to happen here.

Dxx

startin_again

@mandy47 sounds lovely must try it.

@Arrietty it’s very sad hearing about the destruction of natural habitats to make way for manicured lawns, houses etc. today I saw a fox run down my suburban street. I thought they were nocturnal.


Some more money saving this weekend.

Free exercise at the parkrun. 

Free baguette and butternut squash from oilio. I cut the baguettes up and put them in the freezer to use as and when. 

I made a gorgeous red lentil and  butternut squash Dahl. Leftovers put in the freezer. 

I had a £5 off a £30 spend in L*dl. Weekly Shop came to £26. 

I painted a wall in my daughter’s bedroom, using paint that I already had.

and I cancelled a two subscriptions saving me £21.98 a month.

Am I the only one who has problems with procrastination? I’m not exactly sure if I’m procrastinating or burying my head in the sand or if they’re one and the same. I keep avoiding completing paperwork. Instead, I’ll find anything else to do around the house, no matter how small or unimportant. 

Have a great week everyone. Stay hydrated!

KajiKita

@startin_again, I suspect every one of us has issues with procrastination as that is probably one of the main reasons we’re here! 😉

Could you do the paperwork in 5 minute chunks? something like:
Open envelope, straighten out papers, read them - stop.
Complete first page - stop.
Complete second page / second form - stop.
Etc.

Or, focus on the ‘why’ the paperwork needs doing and what benefit it will bring you?

KK

startin_again

@KajiKita thanks for the advise. I’m going to start with photocopying the form as I’m worried about making a mistake. Then as you say I’ll work through it in manageable chunks. It will definitely be a weight off my shoulders when I’m finished.

KajiKita

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82043233#Comment_82043233

Great idea, if the fear of errors is stopping you starting, copying the form will demolish that barrier. Good luck 😊

KK

Debsnewbudget

just picked up my free pack of cookies from Tesco

They have started doing a Thursday treat on the vouchers section of the clubcard app and if you click on it you get 6 days to redeem it

Nelliegrace

I made a dozen rock cakes and a malt loaf on Sunday when I had the oven on for a roast chicken.