I have had a bit of a week of it. It feels like it has been a series of unfortunate events! Still, I have attempted to be both thrifty and green, despite everything. It has been an expensive week, one way or another. Not at all frugal – I got a ticket for driving through a bus lane. I blame Google Maps as I was using it as a sat nav. It took me through a part of town I never drive down and I didn’t notice the bus lane signs at all.
This isn’t one of my five frugal things. I guess it could be as if I pay in the next two weeks it is £30 rather than £60, so I will do that, but hardly money saving overall. Still, onward and upwards!
A new fridge freezer
The fridge freezer, which has been making strange noises for a while, decided to stop being cool – just as the weather turned really hot. It was a really nice, big one but we had had it nearly 10 years. We decided that now the girls no longer live here we would go for something a bit smaller and looked online. We chose what we thought was a good deal as it was a summer clearance model.
However, when it arrived, it was dented and wouldn’t stand up straight. We agreed that the company would leave it in place but send us a replacement. But when we started to fill it up we realised just how small the fridge section actually was. Too tiny!
So we have now chosen a different model altogether – a bigger one – and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. It’s still a reasonable price. Mr S made me look at loads! A fridge is a fridge to me and not very interesting. As long as it does the job and we can fit a reasonable amount in that’s fine by me.
One good thing about all this is I had to focus on whittling down what was in both the fridge and the freezer. I pulled out all of the bits of cooked and frozen vegetables I save for soups and stews and made a bucket load of the former, with all the fresh veg from the fridge chucked in too.
Getting the car repaired
My next mishap was the car. Part of the exhaust started to come lose and I sounded like one of those boy racers – so loud! I took it into a little independent place I have used many times as I know they don’t rip you off. Fortunately they could do a repair rather than replace the exhaust, which cost £70. Could have been much worse.
The frugal part of this is that this car is ancient: 2002, in fact. I keep thinking I need to replace it but every year it gets through the MOT so I keep hanging on. I thought a new exhaust would be the final nail it its coffin, but at £70 we trundle on.
Avoiding plastic
I have been trying to avoid plastic where I can for a while now, but watching War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita has made me determined to do better.
It isn’t easy to find most items in cardboard or glass, though, especially on the high street. This is why I generally buy online, but I thought I would support my town centre and walk in whilst the car was being sorted. I trudged round for ages trying to find a deodorant stick in a cardboard tube, as well as moisturiser and hand and body lotion in glass. I finally succeeded in finding the first two in the health food shop, but had to buy body lotion in a plastic container.
No wonder people don’t bother. It really shouldn’t be that hard. The plastic free alternatives are always more expensive too, but I am including them here as the deodorant actually worked out cheaper than those I have previously bought online. It was nearly £10, but almost twice the size of the ones I have got for £6 or £7, with no postage. They do last a long time too, so I am happy to pay that.
The moisturiser was £10 as well, but that’s fairly average for a decent one, and it contains nice organic ingredients. I used the Aldi £1.99 one for years, but it’s in a plastic tub. You may say that’s not thrifty to spend a tenner instead of two pounds, but sometimes you just have to put your money where your mouth is.
Reusable coffee cup
As I hadn’t intended to be so long in town I didn’t take my reusable coffee cup. On top of that I completely forgot my water bottle! I didn’t want to buy water in a single use plastic bottle, so I compromised with a reusable Starbucks cup and treated myself to a coffee. It is plastic but so lightweight I plan to just leave it in my hand bag. This means I will have a container for a drink with me all the time. At £1 this didn’t break the bank.
A new frock
I don’t go to lots of parties so don’t own lots of posh frocks. Despite buying loads of clothes to sell on eBay, I didn’t have a dress that fitted me for my official leaving do, which is tonight! I looked in the charity shops but couldn’t see anything that I was happy with. In the end I bought a really lovely, brand new one. It will be good for any smartish occasion so I expect I will end up wearing it a lot. I got it in the ASOS summer sale. It was still quite expensive (£35, but that’s expensive for me!), but I got money back using my Top Cashback account. I have around £120 in there at the moment, which I am saving for a rainy day. (If you click through and sign up through my link I will receive a small credit.)
When I was in town I also bought some jewellery in the charity shop to go with the dress – two pretty necklaces for £1.25 each. Bargain!
So this is my five frugal things round up, attempting to be both thrifty and green. Hoping for a less expensive period ahead. How has your week been?
CurlyTop says
Hi…I too am desperately trying to cut back on the plastic. Great programme with Hugh and Rani…certainly makes you think.
Lip balm….I am using the end of my plastic tubes by Burts Bees and when they are gone, will switch to the small lip balm in a tin, again by Burts Bees and not that expensive, which at least isn’t a plastic container.
Body moisturiser ….I’m wading through tubes of plastic containers bought as presents but again when I’ve used them up, will switch to one in a tin….like Nivea…found on many dressing tables of mum’s when I was younger ☺
Footd will remain my biggest gripe with plastic packaging. Peppers single again loose …price difference is madness. Even if I go to small greengrocers the stuff comes in packs. Will seriously have to think about veg box delivery but I’m not sure they will serve our needs as there are just 2 of us. There’s a town I can head to which has a Saturday market so I’m thinking of going there tomorrow because then I can buy smaller quantities NOT in flipping plastic.
Onward and upward …Small steps
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Sounds like you are doing well. I can’t use- veg box as there are too many items that my system can’t cope with, like onions and cauliflowers
Su says
I am trying very hard to cut back on plastic, but it is very difficult, almost everything is packaged in it. There is a plastic free shop not too far away and it’s not that expensive, but because I don’t have a car it is a 2 bus journey that takes over an hour, so I try to do other things whilst I am there.
I am beginning to make some of my own toiletries, predominantly from vegetable glycerine and rosewater, not entirely plastic free, but a big reduction and I enjoy doing it.
I have recently started using a veg box and I live alone, I have tried 2 different ones and they weren’t suitable, I’ve just ordered from Abel & Cole as they do substitutions. If you sign up, but delay ordering, they currently are giving a £30 saving (£10 @ week for 3 weeks) so I am trialling it. Incidentally, the deliveries are not entirely plastic free, most though, they will reuse and they are aiming to be completely plastic free, by the end of the year, I think.
Julia says
Ouch! Hopefully that’s your run of bad luck over with for a long while!
Our washing machine needed a new filter earlier in the month. DH had managed to get it out and I cleaned it, but then the drainage hose broke (we didn’t realise until there was water all over the floor!) so we had to call in A Man after all who ordered a new filter.
Then a week later he told me not to use the dryer, when I called him about loud noises it was making That was finally repaired this week as he went on holiday the day after I called (rude!), just in time for the sun to return so I don’t need to use it! That needed new rollers.
Our fridge often stops cooling, though the freezer is still fine. The fan stops circulating the cold air and DH now just takes the inside back off and defrosts the ice that’s accumulated round the fan. He learnt this trick years ago after watching the repair man we called when it first happened!
War on Plastic. Excellent, but very depressing.
Sal Stanbury says
Well they say things go in threes so that being said, you’ve had them all this week but hopefully your fortunes will turn now. .
I hope you had a good night at the leaving do. I was hoping we’d see a lovely photo of you wearing the new dress and jewellery!
I’ve found the Neals yard deodorant very nice; I like the rose one, it comes in blue glass but as you say they’re not cheap. I think it’ll last a while though. I’m using Holland & Barrett Dr organic rose face cream in glass (but with a plastic lid!) it was on offer as a buy one get one half price. They last me 6 months so that’s a years supply! I agree – It’s crazy that it’s so hard to find good products in glass at comparable prices.
Have a nice weekend!
Sally
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
We don’t have a Neals yard here. Wish we did!