We like keeping a check of all the ways we manage to save money and be frugal. It not only helps to keep us accountable but also helps our readers too. So this week we are sharing five frugal things we did this Easter week. We hope it inspires you to be mindful of the way you spend money too because every little bit you save can help you to achieve bigger and better things.
Take, for example, our kitchen makeover which we did ourselves. The money we save can be put towards our investment portfolio for bigger things later on down the line.
Securing the bins
Do you have a designated space for your wheelie bins? Admittedly we do have problems with ours sometimes. It’s mostly when it is quite windy and they get blown over. It’s just such a hassle when this happens because if it happens overnight, you can be sure that some fox or other animal will get into the bags searching for food.
Waking up in the morning to see the rubbish all scattered out is not a pretty sight at all. And we certainly don’t want to be the cause of our neighbourhood looking untidy and unsightly.
Leisa came up with this clever idea to place the bins to the side of the house and secure them to the wall with a bungee rope and hooks that she bought on Amazon. I don’t know why we didn’t think of this earlier but it not only looks better but will save us the hassle of having to go out, sometimes in the cold to clean up the mess.
Is this frugal? Well, I think so. The time we spend out there on this chore could be used more wisely on our business, blog, or our YouTube channel.
Easter bun and cheese
Our Easter bun recipe on YouTube was a hit during the month of March and also in early April. We were so happy that we made ours in February and froze one for Easter. Jamaican Easter bun is one of those things that taste better long after it’s made. It’s the same thing with things like gingerbreads.
We love to have real Jamaican yellow cheddar cheese with the bun and thankfully this year we were gifted with one by a brand that we worked for in the past.
This saved us some money as the buns and also the cheese is quite pricy in the shops at this time of the year. The kids aren’t fans of this treat (they don’t know what they are missing) so we didn’t have to buy any more. The cheese was only 300g and this was enough.
Gardening
Easter week wasn’t the sunniest in our neck of the woods and one day we even had snow flurries! We continued to plant what we could indoors and wait for warmer times.
Leisa wanted some petunias for the hanging baskets at the front of the house this year and we did see some at the corner shop just by the pharmacy. When we checked on the price it was £7.99 each. Luckily we know that these don’t do well in the cold so we didn’t buy them.
When we checked with our trusty ‘Alexa’, we found out that we still have quite a few days of frost left so we would have wasted our money to buy them so early.
We then called up Hall’s Garden Centre nearby and we were told that they do have them in stock but they are keeping them indoors until the last day of frost is past. So we still have some time to get those.
Meal Planning
We are trying to revamp our regular dinner menus a bit. We want to include some things that we can prepare ahead of time, things that offer more variety to the younger ones who seem a bit tired of our same old same old menu.
We are making the changes because we want to avoid as much food waste as possible. And also we are gearing up and heading towards a more summer menu and jerk chicken on the BBQ will feature soon.
So here are some of the ‘new’ ideas that we have in mind for the younger palettes:
- Enchilada
- steak and kidney pie
- creamy chicken pasta with parmesan
- fish and festival
- sweet and sour chicken
- chicken stroganoff with tagliatelle
- fajita
I know we will be in for some fun times including days when we will have to prepare two different meals. Let’s face it, we don’t all like the same things. But thankfully, we always have some sort of leftover in the fridge or freezer to serve an odd meal or two.
Giving
We are true believers in giving and it comes back to you so this week we celebrated this aspect of our belief by giving to our church charity and also sending some cash to two special little girls who celebrated their birthday recently.
Our mom is very kind and we grew up seeing her not having much but always still giving to those who were less fortunate. We would like to think that some of the good deeds we do will return to bless us and our children someday. It is a truly good feel-good factor.
I must check out how this relates to paying our taxes. When I complete my tax return each year, the form always asks if I give to charity and something about gift aid. I always say no, because I just feel that if I say yes, the form is going to be prolonged and it will start asking me for details that I haven’t got to hand. Call it lazy, eh? If you do know how this works, do let me know.
We are linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in sharing Five Frugal Things we’ve got up to this week.
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That is a good idea for the bins. Mr Shoestring made us a wooden screen to keep ours secure and out of the way. Your bun recipe sounds interesting, I will check it out.