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I haven’t saved thousands this week, mostly because I am still spending as little as I can get away with! We have been really busy with work and DIY, so this week’s five frugal things celebrates some small money saving achievements.
Frugal Valentine’s Day
You can’t have missed the hype about Valentine’s Day on the 14th. It must be annoying as hell if you are single. Even though it is totally commercialised, we still make a point of doing a little something each Valentine’s. It’s good to remind your significant other that you love them!
However, we weren’t about to hit the town and spend a fortune in a fancy restaurant. Instead we went to Aldi and bought a nice piece of steak for Mr S and salmon for me. We had home made sauté potatoes (done in the oven so they were lower in fat) and some crunchy veg. Aldi also came up trumps with the booze – a decent bottle of Cava for a fiver – and a delicious French apple tart.
We spent about £15 in all. That would have bought a single main course if we had eaten out.
Keeping the greys at bay
I always dye my own roots. This is one of my regular money saving achievements. Even if I went to the college and got a student to do it, I would still have to pay a lot.
We popped into town at the weekend and I was really pleased to find some hair dye drastically reduced in Boots. It was £2.50 a box! I think it is an end of line. I thought I had better buy a couple of boxes at that price and wish I had bought more.
As I only mix up half a box to do my roots, it cost me £1.25 this time. Beat that!
DIY update and bargain cushions
Mr S has put our new tiles around the fireplace as we continue our budget lounge makeover. He has to grout them still, but they already look great!
We decided to stick with the art nouveau theme and managed to find some cushion covers on eBay with similar designs. I had been looking around town for some and couldn’t believe how expensive they are. £25 for a single cushion in Debenhams! It was pretty, but we need more than one and we are not about to spend hundreds of pounds on them.
The ones we have chosen work out at £4 each. They are coming from America so might take a bit longer, but there is no rush. I hope the quality is OK when they get here.
Filling our emergency fund
We are still determinedly putting every little bit of extra money earned into our emergency fund. I sold a few bits on eBay, so that money went in the pot, then a few more books on Ziffit. It is amazing how quickly it is growing in this way, little by little.
Everyone should have a decent rainy day fund. As Dave Ramsey says, it will rain!
My favourite thrifty dinner
In Aldi, tinned sardines in tomato sauce cost 36p a can. That’s a good sized portion of omega packed oily fish for an amazing price. One of my favourite easy and thrifty dinners at the moment is sardine spaghetti. It is minimal effort and maximum nutrition for a tiny price. I adapt this recipe from the BBC Good Food website. I sometimes add in olives but mostly I don’t. Capers aren’t an ingredient I have lying around, so I leave those out.
You might not think this sounds all that delicious but, believe me, it really is! As I have been too busy to do any complicated cooking this week, this recipe was perfect for an easy tea.
So these were my teensy but worthwhile money saving achievements. What have yours been? Big or small, share your money saving achievements in the comments.
I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s Five Frugal Things I’ve done this week linky. Pop on over to add your link if you are a blogger, or just to check out how other people save money.
Margaret Powling says
Those tiles look wonderful, Jane! Absolutely love them!
Not heard of spaghetti with sardines, so this is a recipe I will check out. We always have cans of sardines in the larder, cheap and nourishing (even if they do repeat on us!) I wonder if you saw the TV prog (BBC2) Back in Time for Tea, where the teenage girls didn’t know what pilchards were? So when I was in my hairdresser yesterday I asked the young woman shampooing my hair (after mentioning the prog to her) if she knew what pilchards are, and she said, “They’re fish … aren’t they?” She really wasn’t sure. Oh dear, soon pilchards will disappear, then perhaps it will be sardines, Spam, corned beef …
Hope the decorating is going well!
Margaret P
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
I hope they don’t, Margaret. We love them!
Julia says
The tiles look fantastic!
You’re moving a lot faster with your DIY than we are! This week I’ve been out most of the time, but that was ok because what was needed was removing a small partition wall and repairing a wall that had pipes embedded in it – in other words stuff for DH really
The wall went on Monday, and nothing else has happened since. 🙁
I suspect the small pile of tiles awaiting removal might be the reason, as a roll of black sacks was placed next to it, and is no doubt awaiting my attention. *bangs head*
Time for more whip-cracking.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
You need to stay in and offer encouragement (ie get on with it!!!!)
Margaret Powling says
I found praise is the best way forward … more carrot than stick, ha ha!
Margaret P
Tree says
I’ve pinned the sardine recipe so I remember to give it a try. We love sardines and this recipe is a little bit different to our sardine pasta recipe. It’s nice to have more than one idea for something as cheap, tasty and healthy as sardines!
Also, your fireplace looks fab!
Tx
Lesley Halliday says
Nice to see your photo & little piece in the latest “Prima” magazine.
Lesley H in Livingston.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Thanks Lesley
Eloise (thisissixty.blog) says
Sardines make tasty fish cakes too.
The tiles look great.
Gillian McMullen says
The fireplace looks really cool. We had Coq Au Van from Lidl on St Valentine’s day.I would have made it myself but have just had major eye surgery on my left eye. At 2.99 you can,t complain and it was excellent. St. Valentine’s day is a load of tosh if you asked me.
ratnamurti says
I shall look out for Prima magazine to read your piece, Jane, although I only know of 2 booksellers in my greater area in Auckland, NZ, who stock it. I dye my own hair too: either Miss Clairol 6a, or garnier 6. Must get into the 1/2 bottle for roots method, thanks for that tip
Cass Bailey says
Your tiles are gorgeous Jane – I don’t have a fireplace but I want one just so I can have tiles like that ha ha.
Thanks for joining in with the five frugal things linky this week x x
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Thanks, Cass!
Lee says
The tiles look fantastic! They fit in really well, you must be really pleased with them 🙂 I think your DIY hair dye is a whopper of a frugal win. You can’t beat that price 🙂
Emma says
Great buy on the hair dye – I do the same in between colours. I have one hairdresser job, then one home touch up. Saves a lot over the years.