Five Frugal Things we did this Week

The first thing we did was park one of the cars on the driveway and decide not to drive it until we get paid again. There is plenty of petrol in the other car, whereas the little one is almost out of fuel. This way we only need to buy a single tank of fuel for each car once a month.

The second thing we did was travel into London all week at off peak times and avoid Zone 1, this makes the daily commute cost £5.80, much cheaper than driving or the cost of taking the direct route at peak time which would be £14 a day.

The third thing was we bought a few items to stockpile, tinned tomatoes at 4 tins for £1, so 25p a tin as opposed to 33p for the cheapest own brand. If they are still on offer next week I shall buy some more as this is the cheapest they ever get. Also corn oil at £5 for 5 litres whereas normal price if £6.49 for 5 litres.

The fourth thing was to ask Miss Shoestring to sort out the muddle with our LoveFilm subscription, this costs us £7.99 a month and we watch about 8-10 films a month for that. Sorting out the muddle meant that this went back to being a gift to us rather than us paying for it.

The fifth thing was we checked our pension forecast online and Mr Shoestring was delighted to discover that he will qualify for a state pension as long as he goes on paying national insurance for another 7 years. We have big gaps in our contributions because of all the voluntary work we did so this was a big boost in terms of saving for early retirement.

What frugal things did you do this week ?

Maling Leaf Mould

With all of the leaves turning beautiful colours and starting to fall now is the time to make leaf mould. Leaf mould is an excellent conditioner for your soil, especially clay soil like we have.

Leaf mould is also very easy to make. Just gather up the leaves and leave them to rot down safely in an out of the way bit of the garden. Mr Shoestring has made some bins at the back of the garden but you can also use very strong garden waste sacks. You just fill the sacks with leaves, tie them off and then leave them in the garden until next Spring.

Mr Shoestring's other favourite thing is to the run the lawnmower on fine over any leaves which have dropped on the lawn. This chops up the leaves very small and makes a sort of instant leaf mould to fertilise the lawn. It only works with very light coverings of leaves. Heavy falls have to be cleared away with a rake and put in the leaf piles otherwise they will smother the lawn

Good luck with your leaf mould making !

Lawnmower Care

Mr Shoestring has been busy this week taking care of the lawnmower so that it will be in good order next Spring. Having a big petrol lawnmower, like we have, serviced can cost well over a hundred pounds, so a bit of care now is very cost effective.

First of all, after the last cut of the year, add fuel stabiliser to the fuel that is left. Then fill up the mower with fuel. Run the machine for a few minutes to circulate the stabiliser throughout the engine. If you don't do that the fuel can go sludgy and make the mower difficult to start next year. Filling the mower up stops moisture getting into the engine. Also, use the service kit which came with the mower, or get one from a garden service machinery outlet so you can sharpen and grease your mower. This will mean that it does not rust and get blunt in storage over the winter. Finally, store the mower in a dry place as moisture is the enemy of mowers !

Do all of the above to ensure an easy start to Spring mowing with no expensive bills !

Pancakes and Syrup

My Dad was over from the USA last week and very kindly brought us some high fructose corn syrup free pancake syrup, two big bottles so we just had to make pancakes. They were also very nice with the Autumn fruiting raspberries which we are still getting a small bowlful every day.

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Mix all together with a whisk. Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed pan ( lightweight pans often mean the pancakes stick) and when it is hot add 1/3 of the pancake mix. Cook until set on one side and flip over with a spatula to cook on the other. Store under silver foil to keep hot until all the pancakes are cooked. This amount makes 3 large oatcakes or 4 medium sized ones, multiply the recipe to make more ! Yummy !

Leek and Potato Soup

We have decided to break into the leeks still growing in the garden now that everything else is starting to die off. We also have some little potatoes from the garden so a nice batch of leek and potato soup was on the cards. This is so easy to make and is a favourite with everyone, especially with some homemade rolls.

2 leeks

500g potatoes

herbs to taste

salt and pepper

1 litre chicken stock, preferably homemade

Chop leeks and potatoes and fry in some oil together with herbs and salt and pepper. When nicely brown add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Keep on a slow beta for 20 minutes then blitx with a hand blender.

Delicious !

Pause for Reflection

The study course I have started at the local college is all about caring for others but the session this week was also talking about caring for yourself. It made me think that so often we go and buy something to make ourselves feel better, to give us a lift but actually all we need to do is practise self-acceptance. God made you and loves you just as you are. God does not care whether you have a lovely handbag, drink organic wine or what kind of gifts you give. Give yourself the gift of knowing that you are loved today and knowing that you will be able to go and help others feel that love !

Frugal Things we did this week

It is the things we do to save money day in and day out which make a difference to our bottom line and enable us to save. I thought it might be interesting to make a list of them. Some of them you may do as well, others you may not have thought of !

Only put the central heating on when the thermostat gets down to 16C and only have it on long enough to bring the temperature back up to 18C.

Hot water heater only on for an hour at a time and then we use the hot water until it is gone.

Washing clothes at 30C and hanging them to dry.

Bringing our own food and drink to work and days out.

Travelling by the cheapest route to work even though it takes slightly longer.

Looking after our own pension money so we don't have to pay a fee.

Opening tea bags to use the tea rather than the bag.

Maintaining a healthy weight so we don't have to eat so much or have so many clothes.

Cutting our own hair.

Saving for big ticket items.

Investing for the long term.

Learning new skills so we don't have to pay for others to do jobs around the house.

Have a water meter.

Shop around for utilities, car and house insurance, telephone and broadband etc.

Don't have a smartphone.

Use open software.

Make your own entertainment or have it bought as a present.

Enjoy the beautiful countryside by rambling rather than paying for attractions.

Vary where you shop and what you eat to pay the least you can.

Pick wild flowers rather than buy them.

Use the library for best sellers.

I think that we have done all of these things this week and we enjoyed the week very much !