Can I have your best frugal living tips please?

[MushroomTree]

I'm nearly back on my feet after leaving an abusive relationship and I'm looking to move into my own flat with DD (13 months).

I can afford it but money is going to be tight so could I please have your best frugal living tips? TIA

Not sure if you like Quorn but when my BIL was a student and couldn’t afford much meat, he used to buy a bag of Quorn mince instead of minced beef - loads cheaper and just as tasty in spag bol etc

Lidl sell skinless boneless chicken thighs that are briliant for curries, stir fries and casseroles.
Eggs are very useful, versatile source of protein and filling without loads of carbs.
Lentils are your friend. Filling, nutritious and good for the bowels.i make a very basic lentil and spinach dahl that everyone loves.
My "cheap food" recipies are the family favourites.

Really important- plan ahead for that week where you're desperate. Start using those online survey sites where you collect a cash balance- thinks like Qmee, YouGov etc. Save that up, and if you ever have a week where you're really short use that money to buy food. Also, save your small change in a jar for the same reason.

Foraging is a great weekend activity to keep you occupied for free and find food, especially through summer months. This website is an open-access map of public fruit trees: fallingfruit.org/

Sign up to Olio- it's an app where people list food they won't be eating. Works best if you're in a big urban area though.

You can pretty much do all your cleaning with white vinegar and elbow grease. Alternatively, just use a small dash of washing up liquid.

Get involved in your local community as much as possible- there are so many free events that are available to support you or just other people in a similar situation who get it. Quite often events offer free food or resources and there's no reason to feel guilty about taking them, and if you do you can always pay it back by volunteering.

.i make a very basic lentil and spinach dahl that everyone loves.

Do you have the recipe please? I have a spinach montain that needs using up.

Join Freegle/Freecycle groups based in more expensive neighbourhoods, as long as you're able to travel there to collect things. Some friends of mine joined a group based in one of the poshest parts of London, even though they didn't live there, and were shocked by the expensive, high quality furniture that was being given away for free!

Id also have a walk ard your local parks and see what trees there are... our local park has mulberries, apples, plums none of which are on that website so worth looking - blackberries should be starting in the next month or so

God this thread is depressing

Why is it depressing? It's full of practical advice, most of which is environmentally friendly and reduces waste. Even very rich people could learn a thing or two from this thread.

I'm not finding it depressing at all. I'm looking at the positives of all the money I'll be saving which means I can put it by to help secure mine and DD's future.

Plus from an environmental point of view I'll be reducing my impact on the planet.

Are you one of those idiots who burns fivers @firsttimemum889 ?

Haven't read all of thread yet but Placemarking for any hints and tips on this topic

@firsttimemum89 did you even read the op? She’s just left an abusive relationship and has the chance of a fresh start, nothing depressing about that!

Op I wish you all the best, I am sure there will be lots of happy times ahead. The silver lining of an experience like yours is that you learn to appreciate the little things

I know you are thinking veggie but you can buy a cpl of gammon shanks to braise, an onion, bay leaf, carrot, leek. Cover with cold water and simmer gently for a few hours.

Meal one: gammon, mash, carrots and the braising liquor

Meal two: chopped up gammon spread over suet (atora, flour, water), wrap in foil and steam about 90 mins and serve with parsley sauce and a veggie.

Gammon chopped for carbonara. My version is gammon, parsley, cheese, ladle of liquor and creme fraich.

Any gammon left can go in a pie. Puff pastry roll. Bit of onion, butter, chicken thighs (2), spoon flour, gammon, liquor or stock, cheese, add some cooked leeks.

The two bones will make a hood minestrone with and onion, carrots, shredded cabbage, cpl tins toms. Lunch for two to three days with cruaty rolls.

So that's probably £6-7 on meat and lots of yummy meals.

Greenfly those meals sound amazing!

Thank you everyone for the tips and best wishes.

forget tatmas, that is not being frugal. buy a few bits for the kids in late December. no adult presents ever.

serve smaller portions to kids, give more if wanted. stops food waste.

shop around for insurances. utility bills go up 10% or more a year but stil shop around.

We use empty, closed Tupperware dishes to fill freezer space – might be easier than newspapers and card.

You don't need any cleaning products except washing up liquid and Zoflora - washing up liquid cleans everything, smells nice cuts through grease: Zoflora disinfects everything and can be diluted much more than they suggest then used as a spray for surfaces or a floor cleaner. Baths can be cleaned with a bit of bubblebath - no need to buy kitchen or bathroom cleaning products - they're so harsh anyway.

Meal plan. It really does cut your food bill in half.
Keep sliced bread in the freezer compartment so it doesn't go off in warm weather.

Best tip I ever had when broke was to save a set amount each week - aim for 5% of whatever income you have, and spend it on fun. If you can't afford 5% then at least set aside £5. Even with just a fuver you can buy a couple of dvds from a charity shop and a bag of pop your own pop corn and have a movie night, or buy yourself some nice smelling bubble bath, nail varnish and a face mask if you want, or spend it on craft stuff for the kids at Poundland or Wilkos, or have a coffee with a friend.

It's really important to have fun when you're broke. Being frugal out of necessity can get you down week in week out, so look out for free activities for DC over summer, and if you live in or near a city look out for free exhibitions, museums, festivals and events that you might enjoy.

Most of my cleaning is cut up School polo shirts and a basin full of hot soapy water, you can clean a lot of your house with just that.

Very similar to Greenfly's suggestion.

Buy beef brisket. It's cheap and tasty.

Braise it and have it for Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puddings and mash/roast potatoes with the braised vegetables. Save any leftover braising liquid.

Dice some of the beef and add potato, swede and onion to make pasties with some shortcrust pastry. Great for picnics, cheap work lunch or school pack ups.

Chop the rest finely and add to some chopped onion, carrots, celery and lentils with a stock cube and some braising liquid. Use with mash to make cottage pie.

If you have anything left, chop up the rest of the meat, add the rest of the braising liquid and any veg you have. Throw in some pearl barley. Beef and veg soup.

Remember a freezer is your friend so you can make all the above, but to avoid repetition of having beef every day, simply freeze and have a day/week later.

Lentil and spinach Dahl.
Gently sauté tablespoon of ginger and garlic (l buy jars of paste from Asian grocer) in oil
Tablespoon of turmeric
Chilli if wanted
250g red lentils
500ml boiling water
Salt to taste.
When lentils are cooked, fold in as much chopped spinach as you can.
Add knob of butter

Eat with rice or roti.

Thought of another.

Remember you can "unskin" sausages.

Might sound a bit odd, but 2/3 sausages can go a long way if you unskin them, form into mini meatballs with pasta for example, with either a tomato or carbonara type sauce. Add to a veggie soup.

Or a breakfast sausage sandwich (rather than use many sausages you can form a patty from just one - like McDonald's and add whatever toppings you like - egg, cheese etc).

Spanish omelette is lovely. Sauté onions and very thinly sliced potato until soft and pour over seasoned beaten egg. It should be quite deep (5cm plus) cook over a low heat until cooked (I use a plate to help turn it over).

Serve with salad. It's also yummy cold so can be used as a pack up next day.

Can make a box of eggs stretch to multiple meals.

Bags of Kale are cheap in the winter but I find it hard to cook it all. I found a recipe for Kale pesto that simply involves putting Kale and a bit of oil and garlic into a blender. A few pine nuts/almonds and parsley if you can afford it. Volia!

Mix the cheapest fizzy water ( 17p) with squash rather than buy expensive carbonated soft drinks.

Food shop online. You can plan every meal and don't end up tempted by offers and over spending. Asda get slated on here but are the cheapest with a low minimum spend and £1 delivery slots.

I'm going to try online shopping. Am totally sick of traipsing round aldi

Sorry some of the things i read were depressing "puting water into milk to make it last longer " no one should live like that but i know is not possible !
Good luck op

firsttimemum889, or you could look at it that we should be trying to cut our Dairy consumption and that's a way to do it, that we wouldn't notice.