Frugal Things We’ve Done This Week- November 5

We have not written a post recently about frugal things we’ve done. It’s not that we haven’t been doing them, it’s just that things have been really hectic and we’ve had to prioritise things.

I’m actually typing this post on the train during one of our long trips for filming. Last night I sat in the sofa and was typing and nodding at the same time! When I woke up, I found that I had been typing my dream! How cool is that! NOT!

 

Here are some of the frugal things we’ve done recently

1. After reading a post from the real Money Expert Andy Webb, I booked an appointment with him to talk me through how to actually switch my bank account to another bank and make some money in the process. I must admit that I had not really heard of this before and was quite impressed with this being even a thing. I will say more about this when I’ve actually met with Andy and done the switch.
2. We are away from home for at least 2 days each week and find it really helps to make and carry our own lunch and/or dinner with us. It saves us a lot of money as the meals and snacks on the train can be quite expensive. 
3. I am happy to report that I recently received a partial payment from someone I had loaned money to several years ago. In my mind, I had written it off as I didn’t think they would repay after so long of silence. Well, since I had been doing without the funds for so long, it did come to me to actually treat myself in some way or another. But then my better judgement kicked in and I used the hefty sum to pay down on my mortgage. This has been a blessing in disguise as I will be paying less in interest charges in the long run.
4. Meal planning has continued to be such a money saver for us. By just spending a few minutes on a Sunday to look through what we already have in and to plan our meals around this, we have managed to cut down on food waste as well. Recently we made a proper Nandos meal for the girls using the authentic Nandos range of products. They will last a long time if stored properly and so will be available to be used over and over again. When we go to Nandos, it usually cost around £13.90 for one meal. All the ingredients for 4 meals (with lots of leftovers) cost us less than that. In addition, just so that we had excellent presentation of the meal, we bought these cute mini wire baskets to serve the fries in. 
5. Christmas is such a fun time for us! We’ve started looking at, and planning our table decorations, colour schemes etc already! Well, this year we’ve decided not to buy anything new by way of decorations. We do have a lot, and just need to be creative with how we use them up. Last year I challenged myself to make a lovely wreath using just baubles and a wire hanger. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how simple it was to do it. I hope to outdo myself this year too. 

The frugal lifestyle is not just money saving, but challenging yourself to be creative too, and I love that.

What have you done recently to up your game in the money saving a frugal living department? Do share with us in the comments below.

This week, we are linking up with Cass, Emma, and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky. Check them out to see what other frugal things they get up to each week.