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Five Frugal Things I’ve Done This Week

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I’ve stopped living the American/English dream! You read that right! No longer am I content to work long, hard hours every day, go home exhausted, frustrated and burnt out, only to do it again the next day!

I’ve finally convinced myself that this is not what quality life should be about and so I am living as frugally as possible. This does mean cutting back on stuff. And you know what, I had too much stuff! I enjoy living this way and this has now become a lifestyle. I will share with you 5 frugal things I did this week, in the hope that it will inspire you to adopt a more frugal lifestyle too.

This week not only did I sve money on electricity and gas, I got is some exercise too. See the other frugal things I did this week.

Mini Meal Planning

I planned out all the meals I could make with the food I already had in the fridge and cupboards for this week. It was quite easy really. All I needed to do was to make one breakfast and one dinner that would last for 2 days. If I didn’t think about it, I would have bought more groceries and then eventually some of the food would have gone off, forcing me to bin them. Here’s a gist of what my mini planning looked like:

Breakfasts

  • Sunday-Monday: Oatmeal porridge with chia seeds and dried fruits
  • Tuesday-Wednesday: Boiled eggs, tomato slices and toast
  • Thursday-Friday: Cereal, chia and flax seeds with Almond milk
  • Saturday- Omelette

This week I used up the eggs I had as part of my attempt at meal planning. This frugal tip really works.

Dinners

  • Monday-Tuesday: Chicken (leftover) and veg stir fry
  • Wednesday-Thursday: Vegetable soup with toast
  • Friday-Saturday: Steamed Fish with quinoa and mixed vegetable salad
  • Sunday: Baked chicken, oven cooked spicy potatoes and coleslaw

Have you noticed anything with my mini meal planning? I don’t cook every day so that does save on fuel. Also, when I use the oven, I make sure to use it for more than one item, rather than using the oven and the hob to make one meal. Also, If I have leftover chicken from one meal, it is properly cooled down and chilled in the refrigerator for another meal. Freezing foods like soup is also a Godsend for me, especially in the cold wintry days.

Bring out the Winter Clothes!

No, I don’t mean to go shopping for new clothes. In fact, did you read my no clothes post?

What I mean is that I carefully wash and put away all the summer clothes, and unpack my winter stuff for use now. No, I don’t have any ancient clothes and as far as I see so far, what was being worn last winter, are still quite in vogue now. Do you blame me for not throwing out my last year’s winter stuff? My boots are still looking good, I have enough varieties of scarves, and the tops will do just fine under any of my coats.

In my former life, I would have chucked most things and gone shopping for brand new clothes! I don’t miss that lifestyle at all! In fact, I think it is quite wasteful (the landfill sites are bursting) and pretentious!

Close the Blinds!

I figured out that as it was getting really cold here, and the days are dark anyway, it would make sense to close the blinds at the back of the house. This is in an attempt to save energy and keep the cold out. I find that the rooms stay warmer than if the blinds were left open. I am making a definite attempt this year to save on electricity and gas. I have definitely begun to see an impact. I was given £55 back by my energy suppliers NPower. It’s a good feeling to actually get money back for cutting down on energy use and protecting the environment. What have I done to cut down? Well, meal planning and cooking for several meals in one go, wearing warm layers rather than putting the heating on, except when it is really very cold, unplugging every electrical item that is not being used, switching off room lights when they are not being used, and taking quick showers. Try it and see if it pays off for you too.

This week I found that even closing the blinds on the windows would keep in some of the heat. Frugal tip #3

Walking for Errands

I hate the cold and I don’t go out in it unless I have to. This week though, I realise that I am sometimes fooled by how it looks outside. I sometimes think that it ‘looks cold’ without even venturing outside to check. I was pleasantly surprised one day this week when I ventured out to put the rubbish out. The air was nice and fresh, inviting even. So I donned my jacket and went on a short, brisk walk to pick up a few items that I needed from the shop. This has saved the wear on the car, as well as the money I would have spent on petrol. This activity could also be the thirty-minute exercise I keep promising my body. Do you walk a lot? You could save some money this way.

Composting

In this post, I’ve told you about how composting is saving me money. Although it is winter now, I still put food peel, paper and cardboard into the compost bin. I don’t have to do anything else to it. Come Spring and Summer, I have this awesome, light compost exactly the same as that sold in stores. My flowers and vegetable plants benefit greatly and make me a proud gardener. Why not give it a go? It’s never too late to start a compost heap. Sign up here to get your free flower seeds and be the envy of some of your neighbours.

This week, although it's cold, I added more food peel to the compost which will be fine, nice and rich come spring.

I find that you sometimes don’t need to go too far out on a limb to keep up with a frugal lifestyle. The fun part is to sit and check up how much money you are actually saving by enjoying this lifestyle. Share with us anything you do that will help us to enjoy this even more.

 

 

 

 


Grammarly

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Filed Under: Frugal

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Comments

  1. Meaghan Dawson says

    November 17, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    I want to start composting so much but am afraid and don’t know where to start. This post makes me want to overcome my fear!

    Reply
  2. Jen | My Healthy Homemade Life says

    November 17, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    I’m trying to meal plan a little better too. I just started doing this last week by making double of a dinner meal and sticking the other half in the freezer for another meal to use the next week. I’m loving this so far. Not only does it save money but it is such a big time saver for those days when I’m super busy!

    Reply
  3. Amber @ penandparent says

    November 17, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    Hi Jo & Leisa,
    I was seriously impressed and surprised by your frugal tips. I’m one of those people who wants to be frugal but has a really hard time. But, your reminder about saving energy and looking at your winter clothes as new clothes were great tips. I also liked how you made meals out of what was in the fridge. Rather healthy meals too. Thanks for the great tips. Amber

    Reply
  4. Rawlings says

    November 21, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    cutting down all excesses and living below your means to flee paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.

    Reply
  5. Ali says

    November 26, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    Great post! Since starting our budget, my husband and I always meal prep for the week. Thanks for the other tips!

    Reply
  6. Lydia Samson says

    December 7, 2017 at 4:27 am

    Love this! Great ideas! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Anton says

    December 10, 2017 at 3:30 pm

    Neat ideas, your lifestyle and is definitely something which I’d like to incorporate slowly into my own. Composting is something which I really want to get into. Also, I like how your meals are very simplistic. I noticed that you’ve noted your breakfasts and dinners – does this mean that you don’t eat lunch?

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      December 10, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Anton. The frugal lifestyle is certainly one worth aiming for. The meals I listed were just to give you an idea of how things can be done. The choice is yours.

      Reply
  8. stephen says

    December 11, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Great post love your page five frugal things what a great idea

    Reply
  9. Sarah says

    December 12, 2017 at 12:14 am

    Firstly, congrats for choosing to be more frugal! It’s fantastic to see that this kind of a lifestyle isn’t holding you back , and that it’s actually encouraging some creativity! It’s rather funny actually- closing the blinds is something my boyfriend always reminds me to do nowadays and although I always forget, it does make a lot of sense! And composting…not something I’d thought of before but hey, thank you for sharing! A little vegetable patch come Spring would be great. I’m going to start trying it 🙂

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      December 12, 2017 at 10:47 am

      Glad you approve. Hope things go well for you and the garden idea. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  10. Seema says

    December 12, 2017 at 12:15 am

    These are useful tips. I’d think they’d help the waste line too

    Reply

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Hey guys and gals!

Hi, we're Jo and Leisa, twin sisters and authors of Joleisa.com. Originally from the sandy beaches of Jamaica we now reside in England where we followed our calling to teach. But sometimes that call changes and our new passion is writing. We're here to give the ups and downs of it all with our lifestyle tips and tricks to help you avoid the sour lemons that can get in our way of frugal budgeting, intentional living and happiness. Join us and learn more about how we found the simplest ways to achieve easy living. Read More…

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