Welcome to this week’s five frugal things round up, where I share with you my money wins for the week. More bargain gifts this week, a dog with a bad tummy, a frugal find in Lidl and a shed makeover!
Progress on the shed
You may have seen on my YouTube channel what a sorry state our little shed was in once Mr S had cleared it out. The roof was damp and mouldy and there were big gaps between the planks on the sides. The mice loved it though, and the spiders!
He has been hard at work on it this week. The roof has been replaced and re-felted and he has placed panels along the walls inside. It is now watertight and usable again!
To finish off he gave it a coat of the same paint I used on the bench a few weeks ago. It needs a second coat, but we have run out now. Homebase no longer sell that range, which is annoying. Fortunately, I found a very similar colour in Wilko and it was quite a bit cheaper too! Their DIY range is very good value, I find.
Mr S is now painting the fence panel on the other side the same colour, and it’s all looking much nicer.
Poorly dog
Poor Archie hasn’t been quite right for the past month. Mostly it’s his tummy, which seems very sensitive. The vet examined him a few weeks ago, but couldn’t find anything obviously wrong. He gave us a probiotic to give him.
A couple of weeks later and he wouldn’t stop sneezing. He does have a habit of charging through long grass, so I was concerned that he had a seed stuck up his nose. We trudged back to the vet, who again couldn’t find anything wrong and suggested he may have hay fever!
This dog really is my spirit animal. Not only do we have the same hair style, we have the same ailments!!
This week he got another very runny tum, and even woke us up two nights in a row as he needed a poo. As a result, we are changing his diet. We have cut out any treats, apart from ham, as I suspect that some of them upset him. We also decided to find dry food for sensitive digestive systems.
Whilst I was in Wilko I spotted some Scrumbles dog biscuits, which are gluten, dairy and soya free and contain a probiotic. This is quite an expensive brand, but better than dealing with the consequences of food that upsets Archie’s belly. So far, he is enjoying it and it doesn’t seem to be causing any issues.
I went online to see if I could find it cheaper, but the Wilko price of £10.50 for 2kg was the cheapest place. My daughter is home this week and will be in town, so I will get her to stock up for me.
This week’s plant based meals and weight loss
If you have been following me for the past few weeks, you will know that I have cut out all processed food. I am also aiming to eat a more (but not exclusively) plant based diet.
So far, it is going well and I have lost 2.5 lbs. This is without feeling hungry, which is good. I have been snacking a bit, but only on fresh fruit, oat cakes and nuts.
I do have to be careful, as I said in last week’s meal plan. Because I have IBS, too much fibre, especially in the form of pulses, can be bad. This week I have eaten more eggs and a small amount of meat. We had minced beef once and some chicken breast. I am still making sure that my plate is always two thirds full of plant based food at every meal, though – at least.
I think this is a good way to eat if you want very healthy meals on a budget. Our food bill has stayed about the same as usual.
I found a wonky box!
When I was in Lidl this week, I finally found one of their elusive £1.50 wonky boxes. I have been looking for months, and had started to think they didn’t really exist. But first thing Monday morning, there they were, stacked up by the till. This is clearly a daft place to put them, as by the time you are at the till you have probably completed your shopping.
I ended up putting back a bag of potatoes, some salad leaves and all the fruit I had chosen as this is what was in my box! Maybe that is why Lidl hide them?
Second hand bargain gifts
I got some great second hand presents for my gift box this week. Regular readers will know that I am buying only second hand during 2021. This includes Christmas, so I am getting ahead and looking for bargain gifts!
I found a beautiful pink pottery bowl for £1, a brand new floaty scarf, also £1, a new Caitlin Moran book for £2 and a Kirsty Allsopp china cup and saucer for £2.50. I am thinking I will fill the last one with chocolates or maybe put a candle with it.
Are you on the hunt for bargain gifts for Christmas yet, or is it far too soon?
If you enjoy chatting to like minded souls about all things frugal, come and join my Facebook group here.
I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.
Vicki says
Brilliant renovation! Annoying that you needed more paint and that you couldn’t get any from the same range. Inspired by your bench and indoor furniture upcycling, I decided to tackle the wooden seat which came from my mother’s when she died a few years ago. It looked awful as what had been used to preserve and colour it was peeling off but the wood was sound beneath it all. I spent hours sanding it down and then applied 2 coats of undercoat and 2 of matt black which looks a charcoal colour now it’s finished – quite smart and after all that work, I’ll definitely find somewhere to store it undercover over the winter! I have been hanging on to 2 cushions from a broken sun lounger for 4 years which I intend to join together and recover for the bench (pinched that idea from your collab with Frugal Queen!) Have a good weekend, Vicki
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
That sounds amazing! Yes, Frugal Queen’s bench renovation was a great idea