2026 Frugal Living Challenge

dND

Re collagen, I do both. I freeze every bone (along with any skin and trimmings), I get, usually chicken, even if it's been cooked with various flavours. When I get a large bagful it goes into the pressure cooker for 20 mins and the stock strained off. I then do the same again but cook for 30 mins. I combine the 2 lots of stock and reduce by at least a half. I then put what usually becomes chicken jelly into the freezer to be used for soups.

That said, for some reason I began to have a problem with cuts and scratches taking forever to heal. This was while I was in France and couldn't really talk to my doctor. After a lot of reading around on the internet and trying to avoid influencers and paid for magazine articles I read up on collagen and decided to give it a go. I found some capsules that contain 5 of the many different types of collogen you can get, (maximise my chances), and started taking them and they seemed to do the trick.

I came off them about a year ago and after 3 months I began to have problems with healing again so went back on them. Do I now look 15 years old - of course I don't. 🤣 Dx

chocomonsta

i have an apple tree in front garden, last year was terrible for apples, all the blossom blew off so only cropped a handful. This year fantastic crop, and mine too are all over the the garden and the street. I love it when people knock on and ask for the apples. we often get delivery drivers stopping by and picking them too. I reckon lots of neighbours are having apple pies at the moment. I cannot store any more as freezer is full. Be brave knock on the door 😊

boultdj

Apples are by-annule bearers fruit wise if you don't thin the crop in June, so if you use a lot of apples but don't get time to do that job knowing that fact might help with planning of what to do with the glut years. hth

PipneyJane

@Frugaldom most collagen supplements, etc, exist for marketing men to make a living while peddling half-truths. Yes, skin is made of collagen (as is most fleshy tissue), but it’s a protein and, since all proteins must be broken down into their component amino acids in your gut before being absorbed, it makes sod-all difference if you eat them via home made stock, via a steak, or in a highly expensive supplement. Excuse me while I get on my high horse….

Very few people in the western world suffer from a protein deficiency. Most of us consume enough/too much of it and the excess is converted to glucose with the nitrogen excreted in your urine (ketosis anyone?), possibly ending up stored as fat if you don’t burn through it all.

As well as skin collagen, marketing men have latched onto the idea that muscle is made of protein and are busy selling us the idea that we all need more protein because we all want more muscle. (Only people training for Olympic weightlifting need protein supplements and, historically, they used to use milk powder.). Also, protein is absorbed more slowly than carbohydrates, which is a slight advantage, but doesn’t justify the 50p extra charge for the “protein” version of a certain nut bar.

Collagen molecules are too big to be absorbed through your skin, despite the beauty industry’s best attempts for decades to convince people otherwise. Injected collagen is absorbed gradually over 3-6 months, so anyone relying on such fillers becomes a repeat customer to be milked.

< / gets off soap box >

• Pip

ETA: 35 years ago, I worked in the marketing office of a cosmetic surgery company. It was eye-opening.

Nonnadiluca

All these ads amount to telling us the same message:

"Ladies, do you have a face? It's wrong!"

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140581#Comment_82140581

Anyone remember “Affirmation” by the Australian group Savage Garden? “I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem…”

It cracks me up because if these beauty products did what they claim, they’d require a drugs licence and a prescription.

• Pip

Nonnadiluca

Low self esteem sells!!

(Love that song and love Savage Garden)

Frugaldom

😆 I think my thoughts on supplements mirror a few of you on here - but I still find it interesting what the algorithms throw up on my timelines when I mostly post about animals, wildlife and off-grid related stuff. It's such a clever marketing ploy to be able to pick up on key words of 'interest' and formulate a list of things to present to individuals as they scroll... Makes me want to torment the algorithm monster and call it a frugal game.

Can someone tell me what a wonderbag is, please?

suzeesu2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141451#Comment_82141451

Hi @Frugaldom a wonderbag is akin to the old hay box. You heat a pot of food on the stove and then pop it in the wonderbag where it continues to slowly cook. But, at around £60 a pop, it’s not for me!
https://www.souschef.co.uk/products/wonderbag-non-electric-slow-cooker-red

maryb

If you can sew, they're not hard to make. But have someone helping when you come to fill it with bean bag pellets!!