Your best frugal tips needed!!

[Linda Pattison]

Gosh you hope the poverty years are over when you're young but then things happen. Try to buy with cash as much as possible and hoard your change all week to have something without worry at the end of that week, even a special treat. From what I remember of UK cash it can be a huge amount. After a week in London last year we decided to give our change to the buskers and museums. It was nearly a hundred pounds.

Even now when things are far easier, we buy some baked goods at the day-old and freeze it. We don't notice much difference. The very best to you and may your circumstances improve. *hugs*

[Spreckly]

I confess to using T...co's storage bags again and again and again for my baking. I do use new ones for splitting up mince or cutlets, or chicken.

We do half our shopping in A...di, and what we cannot get there is obtained from T...co, with an occasional shop in Son of Morris.

Have just re-discovered liver as an alternative to everlasting sausages and mince. I try and make a pizza once a week, which is very filling.

The price of chicken breasts has shot through the roof, and veggie prices are also rising. We use little frozen veg, but at present it is much cheaper than fresh.

I do hope that your OH soon gets a job, it is a difficult time, and from personal experience, I know how worrying it can be. All the best Boosmummy.

[Stef]

I know what you mean Spreckly. We noticed the price of chicken breasts this week...OMG

So we bought a couple of whole chickens and took a knife and the kitchen shears to them.

We ended up with 4 large chicken breasts, thighs, wings and the two caracasses.

The wings were added to the bag in the freezer, I will confit them shortly - something we saw on Great British Menu that took our fancy.

The carcasses were roasted off and stripped of meat. We made stock (reduced and frozen back) and used some of it and some of the stripped off meat to make a chicken noodle soup, chicken and leek pies and a chicken Caesar salad.

I think we may do this much more from now on as totting up the costs was horrifying... chicken breasts are now officially off our shopping list.

It has certainly made us look again at what we buy. With Himself out of work still we are trying to make shopping 'frugal fun' - anything to take the sting/fear out of the whole experience.

Good luck... and I too will go back to the Frugal Feb threads for more ideas.

[bmpsands]

Stef - what a success you've had. I like the phrase "frugal fun" and realise that we are in that mindset, too.

We've acquired some really cheap netting and have been using the cobbles that we dug up when preparing the veggie patch to hold it down. There are 2 problems. One is that the beautiful ones have all be used up and half-bricks are less pretty (beggars can't be choosers, says OH) but also they are taking up quite a lot of room.

Tomorrow I am going to dig out the box of metal coathangers (the old fashioned ones that used to come from dry cleaners) which I'm sure are in a box somewhere and turn them into tent peg type things to hold the next load of netting down.

[Spreckly]

Just lost my lengthy post, so more briefly. On another thread, Stef has written about buying a chicken instead of just the expensive breasts. We make a medium chicken last for three days between two of us. OH is currently making a gent's single wardrobe for one of our grandsons, who specifically asked for one with drawers underneath. The wood is recycled from a canvas wardrobe and a bed and originally given to us for the fire, but OH thought it too good to burn.

I make a pizza each week, which we enjoy more than a bought one.

Anything we can re-use we will - smiled at Bea's coathanger tentpegs. OH rescued a broken fire damper a few years since and made a bracket for the type of door curtain rail which rises as the door opens. Painted and no-one would know its original use.

My charity jumpers are mainly knitted from wool left over from other garments, and donated to me.

So all the best, boosmummy in your quest to make the pennies go a lot further.

[Mo]

Frugal can be an environmentally friendly challenge when it's done because you want to or to 'save for a rainy day'.
It can be a chore when you need to be frugal all so time.
So for Mr Boo's new job.

[Stef]

I'm off for the long hols shortly so I will be trying to frugally holiday!

First thing is - I need new clothes! I have lost almost 2.5 stones and must replace my work clothes!

So, I will be visiting local towns/cities, like Hereford and Worcester, and having a lovely day out with my camera. PLUS hitting the charity shops for materials. I bought a maxi dress last week, loved the material but it won't fit me, as is! I must have looked weird, turning it inside out and inspecting the seams. But I think I can match the pattern well enough to make a skirt that I will attach to one of those cheap sleeveless tops to make a dress. That'll be a new dress for about £7 and an interesting hour or so. If it works I'll make more...

I'll do piccies and a tutorial, just in case it turns out well

Hopefully I'll be able to make enough over summer, though I will probably still need cardi's! Wonder how cheap I could find them? Challenge....