There is a strange contradiction at the heart of modern frugality. We are constantly surrounded by advice about how to spend less, yet so much of that advice still involves buying something. We are told [...]

One of the unexpected things about becoming more frugal is that you may discover it costs you something you hadn't put in the budget.  Sometimes, it costs you friendships.  At the very least, it changes [...]

I don't want to live like a pauper. This blog is aimed at people who are new to the frugal journey, mainly. A lot of folks are having to stretch the purse strings due to [...]

I make my own baked beans sometimes, but always have a tin of baked beans in the cupboard.  They have quite a lot of sugar in them and so I try to make meals or [...]

This is the third in a series of blogs about what to do with cheap 'essentials' cans of food to make them more appetising. I wrote one about a tin of tuna, and one about [...]

I have people saying to me that they are scared about feeding themselves this winter if prices go up. Worry is just wasted imagination. The thing to do is to use that creative mind and [...]

I always make sure that I have some tins of tuna in my pantry. Once upon a time I only used it in a sandwich, or on the side with a salad, which I still [...]

We have a wood burning stove. I have been meaning to make some briquettes out of waste items for a while, to complement the wood that we forage. Today we finally got round to it [...]

Radish pods are a very under rated vegetable, and I didn't know about them until about 3 years ago. However, they are so versatile, and at this time of year I let a few rows [...]

Every ingredient is precious to me and I often stretch it to enhance several meals, or courses. That is how I keep my food budget at £750 a year. Last year I bought a tin [...]

I was having family over for a meal the other night. We had made various salads, and we had meat on skewers. It felt like the meal needed some carbs. Usually I have some of [...]

As a child, I used to gaze through the window of Skeltons bakery, and wish that I could afford a black currant tart. My mum would buy them now and again for a special occassion, [...]

I like to make the most of the free resources around me before I even think about doing anything that costs money. At the moment I am making the most of the sun as that [...]

We often make vegetable fritters at this time of year in order to use up the various vegetables that we are harvesting. They are a nice addition to our pickie meals, served with dips. We [...]

During this hot weather, we like to eat ice cream every day. How ever, it is expensive to buy the cream and the condensed milk that we need. We therefore make ice cream using the [...]

As I type this, the house is hushed, and quiet. The curtains are drawn against the mid day sun, and a jug of iced mint and lemon balm  infused water sits on the coffee table. [...]

At this time of year it is easy to feed ourselves using ingredients  mainly from our garden. I grow a variety of crops so that our meals don't feel restrictive, and are not boring. It [...]

Peas are one of the few crops that I grow that probably aren't worth the effort as you can buy them frozen for low cost. However, we love them as snacks fresh off the plant, [...]

Pickled radish is Mr S's favourite pickle addition to our table at the moment. I plant a continuous supply of radishes every few weeks as they grow so quickly. We use them in stir fry, [...]

I think that I have a bit of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, or something. I took my grandson out yesterday,  concentrated on keeping him safe and well, and didn't look after myself. Have you been [...]

It is important to stop plants shutting down during a heat wave. Unfortunately we can't  control the weather, but we can adapt and control how we deal with it. Most times, we get advance [...]

This is a recipe from my mum's note book and so I don't know where it is from originally. I remember eating them in the 1970s. The peanut butter cookie dough can be frozen in [...]

A bag of red lentils is surprisingly versatile. I have plenty stored in my pantry as they are cheap and I can use them in a variety of ways. They also store foor years. I [...]

I was given a few bags of oats that have short dates on them. We no longer eat breakfast and so I can't use them in porridge. I then remembered a chocolate tray bake that [...]

I reached into my hessian onion sack yesterday and found 3 stored onions that had started sprouting. Instead of throwing them away and feeling disappointed, I plant them as a source of tasty food, pollinating [...]

People who have followed me for a while know that I keep my food budget low by buying items when they are on offer, bulk buying, and, also preserving home grown or foraged food. Buying [...]

Frugal living is often sold as a challenge. You wake up at 5am, meal prep everything, track every penny, never buy coffee, only shop intentionally, and never get tired. My frugal habits are often extreme [...]

We live in a world that rewards noise. The loudest opinions rise first. The busiest schedules are worn like badges of honour. Notifications flash constantly, algorithms compete for our attention, and silence has somehow become [...]

I like to have a substantial salad as part of my summer meals. I am also trying to increase my protein as I age. A few people have asked me for the recipe  of my [...]

Keeping children happy and engaged during the school holidays doesn't need to cost a lot of money. If you do a quick search on line,  you can often find free places to visit, or free [...]

It is lovely and hot outside. I just thought that I would do a quick post with some easy, home made, freezer treats to cool us down. Home made no churn ice cream http://Strawberry and [...]

Knowing how to make simple, tasty meals from cupboard staples is a life saver. It saves on shopping as there are no expensive ingredients, and keeping it simple means no technical cooking methods. A few [...]

I made myself an omelette today. Before I added the eggs, I sauted some radish tops with garlic and onion leaves, and added a bit of spinach. There are so many second crops that we [...]

Everything is going up, except our incomes. Most people are having to tighten their belts. I find that reducing household spending works best when you target the few categories that usually consume most of a [...]

There’s something people don’t talk about enough when it comes to money, and that’s the embarrassment when you find it hard to make ends meet. I definitely felt it when I was younger. It is [...]

One of our favourite meals is chicken strips in a wrap with salad. These are some thing that we make regularly and these chicken strips make a great, healthy alternative to the McDonalds ones that [...]