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!

@RumBananaSundae I had a dessert last night at a friends and she said there were some sharp pieces of dried candied peel in so to be careful, I didn’t notice at the time but maybe it was that.
happy birthday @Taytocrisps 🎉 hope you have a lovely day
It is so cold here, it says it’s 2 degrees but it feels far colder, brrrrr

Congratulations mini-unescorted

There's a ginger cake in the oven, chilli on the hob and a curried salmon traybake prepped for tonight's dinner sat on top of the oven. Need to sweep again though as it seems impossible to bake without getting flour and sugar somewhere

Ds has put some washing on and is talking about revisions cards. Not sure this will last but currently feels like he may have listened to Thursdays post-parents evening talking to

Sped read through posts to catch up. Grossed out by the octopus tentacles and eels. Fascinated by the chemistry experiments with the sourdough starters. Hurrah to unescorted's daughter's entry in the exhibition!

A frugal week food wise - £22 in Aldi, £13 in Sainsbury's, £7 in Middle Eastern supermarket, a tenner or so in the bakery and on yesterday's FT. DParents over for dinner today, so cooking one of the Christmas chickens (serving with giant couscous and various roast veg, then Jamie Oliver's hazelnut torte for pudding, and crack open the Hotel du Chocolat box received from houseguests).

Treats this week: Canary Wharf on Tuesday with DS to shop for Timberland boots (him, not me) and pootle around the light show, then meet DH for dinner somewhere. Friday, evening slot for the Impressionist exhibition at the Royal Academy, then ramen at Yokocho in Heddon Street, which I've been meaning to try for the last 4 years. That will be pretty much my going out budget for January gone, so it's hunker down for the rest of the month.

Agree that having savings supports more frugal spending choices. I am sometimes aware that my frugal life is probably rather quiet and dull compared to some of my peers, because days and weeks can go by where I'm not doing much. But I'm hoping that the next decade will be a reward for the quieter one I've been living!

Wahoo unescorted DS

@RumBananaSundae @Unescorted @MrsShortbread Thank you I do feel much better today.

Happy Birthday @Taytocrisps I hope you had a nice time with your family.

NS today, we had froached eggs for breakfast with toast, and beef hotpot, with broccoli and carrots followed by a jam sponge pudding with custard for our Sunday lunch. A bit 1970s school dinner, but just right for the cold weather. Also DH doesn't realise its Sunday without a pudding. Don't know about tea yet, but possibly a kind of ploughmans with crusty roll and some cheese and apple, I don't want to make soup today.

Looked through the stocks in preparation for tomorrow's shopping, and although I've left it 10 days I could still do a couple of days of food. It would mean toast and cereal/porridge for breakfast, and a bit pot of leek and potato soup for lunch over two days, evening meals could be a sweet potato (1 sweet potato left) and chickpea (tinned chickpeas and tomato based sauce) curry with rice and a cheese and broccoli quiche (small bit of broccoli left over and three eggs left) with new potatoes and peas., or an egg curry with the sweet potato and a macaroni cheese with the broccoli in.

I wont leave it though, it makes me anxious, and I need to buy some picnic things for the journey to when we go to the funeral on Wednesday. We still might eat those meals early next week so things are used up while they are still in date(ish)

Ohhhh @BigSkies2022 - the Impressionists at the RA - please could you report back? I’m undecided. Hope you have a fab time.

I want to but I’ve frugally given up all but two of my memberships and the ticket price is making me wince. I’ll end up at Pizarro’s so I’d have to tag the cost of that on too.

I’m team macaroni cheese @Nellieinthebarn.

He was just cold....

I will refresh him now and make bread tomorrow. Even if he doesn't double overnight he has proven he can if it is warm enough so should be good to go.

Congrats on the exhibition @Unescorted

@BigSkies2022 I really enjoy your posts, especially those related to food!

Going home to hunker down in the warm and do interview prep and hope that this horrid throat feeling goes away before tomorrow afternoon 😳

DH is making a roast chicken and trimmings which will be yummy 😋

Best if luck for tomorrow @Gensola

This is Brutus after 2 days in the fridge without feeding. It shows why you should never store a starter in a screwtop jar.

I'm loving the Brutus & Neo updates

Today has been a NSD

Good luck @Gensola . I am also a lecturer

There's been so much meal prep and use of the oven that I've had to run the dehumidifier downstairs to remove the condensation from everywhere (and that's with an extractor fan).

Between that and the laundry, today is a high fuel use day but I feel that's unavoidable.

Prepped some freezer coleslaw using dried vegetables as well as the fresh cabbage. I've done it before so I'm reasonably confident it will be OK.

I soaked the almonds for the granola yesterday but I had to dry them today which means I can't bake the granola until tomorrow. I'm annoyed because I had the oven on this afternoon but the almonds took forever to dry.

I've got a couple of business trips into London so I'll see if I can combine those with an exhibition visit and maybe a meet-up with family. (I don't live far from London but can only travel by train and the cost is a deterrent.)

Wow it’s been a good time for the mini unescorted!
happy birthday tayto-
I’ve done lots of cooking with lentils today. Here is a link to a recipe which was dead cheap to make, couldn’t have been simpler to prepare and vegetarian AND teen DS liked it!
https://www.platingsandpairings.com/instant-pot-cheesy-southwestern-lentils-brown-rice/

I did it in the instant pot, but if you don’t have one or a pressure cooker, if you scroll through the recipe there is an alternative way to cook ot I think. Shall definitely be making again.

Happy birthday Tayto

It’s hopefully going to be a frugal and quiet week here as I’ve got Covid 😩 My head hurts and back in bed.

@SingToTheSky there is a lot of it about.

Thanks @marthasmum It has been a busy few weeks.... You wait 20 years for a proud parent moment and then 2 come along together.

Great news on the exhibition!

NSD, I think that’s only my second or maybe third this year.

I have been successful in saving money on Coke/Pepsi though, even a can or so a day adds up but this month I’ve stopped having it at home at all. Was relying on it too much for caffeine on WFH days!

H still hasn’t found anywhere, waiting to hear about a flat viewing though

Neo heard me bitching

We are so making bread. This is the recipe I use.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

It is 75-76% hydration. I have reduced the amount of flour to 500g because I only have one le cruset and one stomach.

That is not the recipe because it is too early and I have an in head version with 76% hydration.... Ignore the attached recipe...I will find a better one.

But as I have started we will keep going with my in head one.
I am going to add a tablespoon of Neo to the scrawled figures. Once the the starter works and it has been fed in the last week I don't find I need to do a traditional starter to poolish step. Because he is new I will have to keep my eyes on him as he rises.

Also once the bread is going I will refresh the remainder and put him in the fridge. I am going to keep him because he has a different taste to Brutus.

Just bring it together and let it do it's thing

Keep it covered .... These bowls came from Aldi. Set of 3 nested. DS is eyeing them up so Aldi if you are following along can you restock them.

@Taytocrisps Happy birthday 🎂

@Unescorted congratulations to DS. Is it something he does as a hobby or hoping to turn it into a career?

Am hoping today is fairly spend friendly. Have to go out in lunch for an errand and will need to pick up milk on the way home but I have lunch packed so hoping to stay away from paul/pret croissants

Spends
£165 theatre tickets (for half term)

for those looking for exhibitions to visit - a client of mine has curated a "Sargeant in Fashion" at the national gallery starting in Feb i think. i'm going to go and see it next time im in london. he has said he will give me a tour. i am not artsy at all but have had a few tours of things from this client and he is so engaging.

credit card balance is down to under £4k. woop.

working from home still as banned from the office. still testing positive. feeling ok. snotty. but for me right now its nothing more than a bad cold. at least its coming out.

@Chile1978 it is a hobby/ side hustle / something that distinguishes him from others in the job market.There are very few sports that pay enough to make a living. He is sponsored but that gives him equipment (expensive) I pay for the trips away. Which (alongside Dad's art supplies) is why I am perma broke.

@Unescorted I am intrigued as to your sons sport as I think I may know of him. We're the National Championships in Scotland last weekend- if so I saw the race as it's a sport my DH was involved in

@Unescorted yep makes sense. I've had a few friends compete nationally and it's a similar set up. Sponsors for kit and the odd match/tournament, but most travel is paid personally. I think only one friend of a friend made it big time (championship football), but really depends on how commercialised the sport is.

Errand run. I didn't buy any croissants! Go me!

Worked out I have approx £30 left until payday so I'll see how far I can make it stretch. And then start Feb with my new budget I hope (have a priority roof fix that I have some savings for but it may go over)