Frugal Friends Facing Forward with Fortitude

[Happierwithouthim]

Here's a friendly space for new and existing frugal friends.

We have all different types of incomes and lifestyles but with a common goal of making the best of the money we have.

Many of us have experiences of becoming debt free or being in difficulty with money for one reason or another so there's no need for embarrassment, just join in, post as little or as often as you wish.

Some record daily spends, some record only spends that are unplanned, some don't record spends at all, the choice is yours!

Another no spend day yesterday but I've had to buy in another loaf of bread today as grandsons will be here for an extra breakfast tomorrow morning!! So £1.55 at the local shop.
It won't be a no spend day tomorrow either as I have a hairdressers appointment - but I might shop tomorrow so Saturday and Sunday can be NSDs!! 😂
Might have to check back through my threads and see a total of all my NSDs - think it's 5 or 6 out of 11 which isn't too bad I suppose!!
Still eating out of the freezer so doing okay there!!

They might go for it... Mine love it. In Tempura batter, pasta sauces or fish stews are the favourites. Also BBQ with lemon garlic and herb butter.

Thank you! Do you have a preferred recipe for the stew or is it like a bouillabaisse but largely based around octopus, please?

you've greatly amused me this afternoon with the octopus chat, thank you!

I can reveal that when I told DH we have @ 9kg of octopus, mostly in the form of tentacles, his face was a picture that would have entertained most people.

Hackathon** I can imagine!

I made kindling out of old scraps in shed this evening after bf did it yesterday
Checked my oil tank ahead of next weeks freeze, it's good. I'm marking it every time on a brush handle with that date. Not an accurate measurement but I used 3" since 21st Nov and I've 12" or maybe 16" left, I won't let it go below 4"

£98 unplanned vet visit. Bloody expensive dogs. £9 compensatory McDonald's visit between vet and parents evening

Looking at my Mum's/ brother's freezer it is an easy mistake to make. It is more tombola than informed choice

Can I say how apt I think your analogy is.

Another discovery that took me aback is a pack of kangaroo. The kangaroo is very lean.

Apparently, it's good in Rogan Josh so I shall offer kangaroo or paneer as choices with a cauliflower and pea vegan option. It's either that or I'll see if it will work well in something like a beef kangaroo bourguignon (with (dried) chestnuts as the vegetarian/vegan option).

I saw Peter Pan last night. It's a Dublin version of the play, so the cast all have Dublin accents and use Dublin phrases. I was supposed to be going with my Dad but he has a bad head cold, so he stayed home and a friend came instead. That's the last of the Christmas nights out. I met an old college friend at the theatre. She lives in New York but she's home on holidays and I'm hoping to meet her for coffee next week. It's 30 years since we graduated from college and I haven't seen her since!

I've lodged my first holiday payment and I'm calling to the Credit Union next week to open a dedicated Christmas account.

We did a book exchange at my book club the other night. We wrapped up a used book each (in good condition) and then did a lucky dip, so I got a free book out of it.

Sorry to hear about Covid em. I hope the kids don't go down with it also.

Amused at all the octopus chat and disappointed that they've no octopus emojis 😀.

Happier I love your method of measuring the home heating oil. I just ordered a half tank of oil.

Kangaroo makes a decent burger hackathon. You might need to add some bacon or pork fat though.

I would not be happy about finding octopus tentacles in my freezer. That would be a big no!

Half I need to join the fat fighters thread too.

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate I totally understand. Depending on where I am at then I allocate myself 2 bought lunches a week, then drop to 1 lunch per week plus any 'those' days (you know the ones).
Whilst homemade leftovers are great, sometimes I aim for what's achievable rather than perfect. This means stocking up on the multibuy M&S/waitrose ready meals, buying packs of ham and a couple of cherry tomatoes and then buying a baguette at work/out, using microwave rice packets with pre cooked chicken or those salmon fillets, instant korean noodles with then a bagged stir fry mix.
I also often buy a pack of hot Cross buns as a better snack than pret cookies or m&s muffins! 😂they do as a on the go between meetings snack. Buying kids size innocent/smoothie multipacks is good for a snack - one of your five a day! And much cheaper than the pret fruit pots.

Spends
£1 chocolate bar

Sorry for everyone I've missed but I've read along.

Looking at summer holidays but waiting for family to confirm dates we can visit.

@2024Hackathon bouillabaisse esq. Make a fresh tomato sauce with plenty of garlic, add fish or veg stock, add a couple of tins of tins of white beans, cook until they are soft and add octopus to the pot and hope for the best. Put the octopus in at the end.... It gets tougher the more it is cooked. Parsley and a squeeze of lemon works well too. Crusty bread to serve.

Sounds a fun trip happier

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate Neo definitely has a yeast infection now. You can see there are bubbles forming that can't be my imagination.

I have added his daily 80g of goo, flour and water and put him in the jug with the starting line on. I want to know how far up the jug he rises ( there is a sea shanty in there) . I will keep refreshing until he doubles between refreshments. Then I will make bread.... He is looking vigorous so I have high hopes he should be ready tomorrow.

Yesterday no spend day. Yeah

Nice one @Wineisnottheanswer I need a couple of those to get me to pay day without dipping into my savings.

@Unescorted January is always such a long month

Happy Friday Frugaleers

It is the Christmas overspending that has got me.

Yes I try and set a budget for Christmas but emd up going over - especially those rushed over panicked food shops where you go to pick up something you forgot and then overbuy and get enticed by the Christmas goodies. I get carried away with buying for the DDs too - it's just too easy to spend money on our children.

£115 in from insurance for dr and osteo. Paid to credit card.

First full Friday off in quite some time (I do not work Fridays). Can't go far due to poorly dog so I'm going to finish my book and do my cleaning. First wash underway already. £65 dog food order. Need to shuffle some money around from the annual budget pot to pay for vet bill and ds's driving lesson tomorrow

£5 yesterday on another dance class, but it keeps me away from the wine bottle!

Today I am at the hairdressers, needs done and it will last 6 weeks.

@Wolfcub sounds productive. A good reset is so satisfying
@Sandytoxic a great change! Keep it up!

Spends
£5 breakfast but I have homemade lunch

I would not be happy about finding octopus tentacles in my freezer. That would be a big no!

When I was little my father brought home an intact conger eel for the freezer. It was huge. None of us would willingly open the (chest) freezer to retrieve anything. It lay across the top and the whole width of the freezer, looking menacing.

My mother refused to dress and portion it into something less menacing. My father didn't do it. It was an age until we wrestled it out and buried it in the back garden.

At least these octopus tentacles are coiled and vac-packed!

catching up.

YUM octopus! cook it off in a tomato garlic onion white wine sauce. serve over rice.

also throw it in a thai curry.

bread it and serve with garlic mayo

i love octopus.

🐙

i've sold a clothes rail on marketplace (£20 in); a stand mixer (£120 in), and a car seat (£80 in). have also returned a second screen i bought for my laptop - which wasn't compatible with it. annoying. so that will be £75 back to my card.

paid the cleaner yesterday £72.

I genuinely didn’t know that you could eat octopus 🙈

Pottering around here. Walked DD2 to school, then onto M&S as I had a free pastry treat on my card. Back home then off to the supermarket and pharmacy. I meant to walk to the pharmacy but my leg was hurting.

£13 M&S
£73 Tesco
Posted calpol syringes off for recycling and dropped 2 books off at the charity stall.

I’ve then received the medical report from my accident and estimated compensation. Leg is still not 100% but the expert reckons the pain is now age related 🙈 and not accident. Hmmmm.

Feeling a bit melancholy too, having a quiet day has meant I noticed the lack of visit to Ddad more than usual. Miss him 🙁

I want to be suprised by this. But I grew up by and on the sea. Ddad worked the fishing boats so octopus was a staple. Also conga. Those things are terrifying.

but conga curry. Yum.