Five Frugal Things Round Up for Mid October

It has been a few weeks since I have done a five frugal things round up, so I thought it was time for a catch up. Life is pretty busy right now, as we are gearing up for our house move. It seems to drag on and on. We had a bit of a last minute wobble from our buyer, but hopefully it has been resolved. I hope so, as half the house is packed up already!

Anyway, normal life goes on amongst the bubble wrap and boxes. So here are some of the frugal things I have done this week.

Keeping warm

It really does make sense to heat the person rather than the whole house at this point in time. I am certainly not looking forward to paying a lot more for our energy in the future, so I am constantly aware of what I am using.

One of the best purchases I have made this year was back in April, when I used some birthday money to get a heated blanket*. Of course, as we had a heatwave that lasted months, I haven’t had to use it at all. Well, not until this week, anyway.

But it has been so lovely as the evenings have got colder, and during the day when I have been sitting at my laptop. It’s even nice to use without plugging it in, as it has a warm, fleecy lining. 

I have noticed that the price has increased since I got mine, though. Spring/summer is the time to buy winter stuff I think!

Cooking differently

I continue to use my air fryer to cook pretty much anything I would usually do in the oven. When I do have to use it, I make sure I cook more than one thing, but I really notice the smart meter whizzing up. It’s shocking!

I am cooking differently altogether to save on gas and electricity. This week I cooked this meal. The jacket potatoes were started off in the microwave and finished in the air fryer, taking about 16 minutes overall. The little peppers went in alongside them for the last eight minutes.

The salmon was done in the microwave. I find it great for cooking fish and only takes three to five minutes. Fish cooks very well in a microwave I find, and doesn’t dry out.

The salmon was a yellow sticker reduction, and the peppers and potatoes came from a £1.50 too good to waste box I picked up in Lidl on Monday.

Drying laundry the frugal way

As the weather has turned, I miss being able to peg our laundry on the line outside. We don’t own a tumble dryer, and don’t want one, but I certainly would be trying to avoid putting it on at the moment.

When laundry needs drying inside, out come the airers. I keep the window open a crack, to keep the humidity levels lower. It takes longer than drying outside, but we get there in the end. Sometimes I finish it off in the airing cupboard.

It makes financial sense to hang laundry to dry, but is also better for the climate, which is important to me.

Buying on Vinted

Vinted really does throw up some bargains. It’s so much cheaper than eBay, or even the charity shops, for second hand clothing. This week I purchased this pair of M&S jeans for £4. Nothing fancy, but they are fine for dog walks and general day-to-day wear.

However, you can buy more than just clothing on Vinted. This week, I noticed that I was running out of the quite expensive concealer one of my daughters got me for Christmas last year. I checked the price, and it was £20-22. 

Thinking that was a bit steep for a tiny tube of makeup, I checked Vinted, and found the exact same product for £6. The seller had used it once but it wasn’t her shade.  Bargain for me!

I love finding second hand treasures, as you will know from my year of buying only second hand.

Bargain book

Another find for just £3 including postage was this book on curing arthritis through diet. This came from Abe Books. I have been struggling for several months with pain in my hands and feet in particular, so I want to try to resolve it and not just put up with it and just keep taking painkillers.

This book suggests you cut out alcohol, gluten, sugar, all processed foods and caffeine. I have cut gluten almost completely now anyway, and now I have given up alcohol too. My caffeine intake is down to one cup a day – my tea first thing in the morning. My sugar intake has been greatly reduced, but I haven’t stopped eating it altogether yet. I am opting for a gradual weaning off of these items, rather than stopping everything at once.

Already the pain has started to ease. However, it hasn’t gone altogether, so I will continue to work through the book and take on some more of the advice.

I was really pleased with my book anyway. Bargain!

So that concludes my five frugal things round up for this week. What have you been up to? Have you found any good bargains, or been striving to save energy?

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