I must admit that being frugal is an art and skill everyone needs to learn in order to be on top of their finances during the difficult months.
This month started with unexpected bills such as parking tickets and putting a deposit down for my sons’ nursery which set us back nearly 2 weeks worth of my pay. So I had to be frugal this week in order to make the little we have stretch further. I have compiled a list of 5 frugal things that occurred this week.
Read: 16 things we stopped buying to save thousands
1. No spend days
I did a very big food shop ensuring I had all the staples in our cupboards and freezer so that we have food to eat. With that, I haven’t spent any money in over 10 days.
2. Bulk Cooking
Due to the lack of finances to buy a lot of meat. I opted to get a large pack of mince and made a big pot of bolognese sauce which can be the foundation of at least 5 different meals. I included soaked lentils and grated vegetables (carrots and courgettes) to bulk it out and make it healthy. The same mince can be used to make:
- Chilli con Carne with rice
- Spag bowl
- Cottage pie
- Curried mince with potato and rice
- Mince pasta bake
3. Cheap Birthday Celebration – Under £20
I was actually panicking worrying about how we will find the money to celebrate my son’s 3rd birthday and I was spending hours on Pinterest, looking for ideas then my husband shared a word of wisdom which put my mind at ease. Children at this age do not care about decorations and fancy birthday parties. So with my renewed mindset, I headed to an area full of good charity shops to find everything we needed to have a good birthday celebration. I managed to get 2 coats, a police car, three truckers, a fisher price puzzle game, a cake, a Thomas and friends balloon all for £18 which would have cost over £155 if I bought everything brand new.
Next Coat – £20 (New) – paid £3
Stafford quilted coat – £59.95 (New) – paid £4
Fisher Price Police Car – £1.50 plus a free Trucker gift – I was shocked to find out the price of this truck online. A shocking £175.15. wow.
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Fisher price Matching Puzzle – £18.40 (New) – Paid £2.50 because 1 piece was missing
4. Free Kids clothes
A lady at church asked if I wanted clothes for my son as she is about to give it to charity. I got 5 tops, 5 jumpers,3 shirts, 5 pairs of trousers and 2 jackets. I had to thank God because I was praying the week before about how I need to get my son a new winter coat.
This means we went from having no coat to having 4 coats in excellent condition in less than a week.
5. Free food
My mum called me and offered to cook us dinner in celebration of my son’s birthday. She also gave us nearly £40 worth of food shopping which was amazing.
I share this just to show that in times of difficulty, God makes a way but it is also important to manage with what you have. My son was over the moon with his gifts and he loved his balloon and cake. I was worried about how we will survive but God always makes a way.
Matthew 6: 20 -27
What frugal things do you do when money is tight? Comment below. Plus don’t forget to pin me
