Frugal gift inspiration | Cactus |

Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you make yourself, they are usually that little bit unique and the thought and effort definitely outweighs the expenditure for me.

I am a big fan of all things natural and a lover of tiny plants, so when I saw this little cactus in B&Q for £4 I couldn't resist.

For me what lets this item down is the boring terracotta pot, we are currently in the throws of decorating our lounge so have purchased some tester pots,but they are something we usually have dotted around the house. So what better idea than to paint the pot a more appropriate colour.

This couldn't have been more simple and the cactus isn't actually planted in the decorative pot meaning I was able to remove the plant for painting, making it even easier!

So, here is the finished look, I love it and it took about 10 minutes to complete so all in all this is a really cheap, easy and satisfying project and it makes for a great little gift.

My little cactus now fits in beautifully with my other miniature plants!

Cookie x

Brand Vs Budget | Food | Crumpets

I don't know about you but I'm partial to a crumpet or two at the weekends. It's something I really only buy once a week as I don't have time usually in the mornings, but come the weekend they feature in 'Brunch'

I have always bought branded crumpets until last week when I picked up some Tesco Everyday Value crumpets just to see.

The first thing I noticed is that they contain less calories, because, yes they are smaller. With ordinary crumpets they are really thick and I think having tried the cheaper ones that they don't need to be so thick. I still have the same amount of crumpets but for less calories and less pennies, that can't be bad!

So, to be perfectly honest the cheaper ones are smaller but aside from that I didn't really notice a substantial difference and I am happy to continue buying the cheaper ones as opposed to the branded product. 

Whats the price difference you ask?

WARBURTONS

98kcals per crumpet
£0.89 per 6 = £0.15 each
£0.89 X 1 per week 52 = £46.28 per year
I have 3 per week X 98Kcal = 294kcals
294Kcals per week X 52 = 15,288 calories per year (not including the butter..)

TESCO EVERDAY VALUE

73Kcal per crumpet

£0.37 per 6 = £0.06 each

£0.37 X 1 per week 52 = £19.24 per year
I have 3 per week X 73Kcal = 219kcals
219Kcals per week X 52 = 11,388 calories per year (not including the butter..)

The saving from buying the Tesco own branded product 

Money = £46.28 - £19.24 = £27.04

Calories = 15,288kcals - 11,388kcals = 3,900kcals (nearly 2 days worth of calorie intake for women)

For me that's a great monetary saving which is also helping my waistline, whats not to like here? You still get your crumpets, you just get a little less and overall they cost you much less.

Cookie x

Brand Vs Budget | Beauty | Cotton Wool Pads

For years I used Boots for all my beauty essentials, including cotton wool pads.

I thought I'd write about these because they feature at least twice a day, every day (I use a minimum of 3 each day) in my routine so over the year they are something I get through a lot of.

So let's start with the more expensive cotton wool pads, these come from boots and cost £1.69 for 100 which isn't crazy expensive, also you can usually pick these up on Buy One Get One Half Price meaning you get 2 packets for £2.54 with the deal.

Without deal                            
£1.69 for 100 = 1.69p each pad            
X3 used each day =5.07p each day       
365 days =18.51 each year                 


With deal   
£2.54 for 200 = 1.27p each pad
X3 used each day = 3.81p each day
365 days = £13.91 each year

Now for Tesco, 1 packet = £0.55p for x 80 pads

£0.55 for 80 = 0.69p each

X3 used each day = 2.07p each day

365 days per year = £7.55 each year

The difference £13.91 - £7.55 = £6.36 (providing you get the buy one get one half price deal, otherwise that's £10.96 saved!) This might not seem a lot but think about how long you have been using cotton wool pads and how long you may continue use, for example over 10 years it could be a potential approximate saving of £63.60, which all adds up.

Also on the subject of the difference, I see no great difference in quality between the 2 of these products, they both do exactly the same thing for me, the only difference is the Tesco one is cheaper! and for me that is a win win situation, why pay more than you need to? That's an extra £6.30 (or possibly £10.96) to spend on the and other things each year.

Cookie x

My Mission Statement

Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd just go through with you what I hope to achieve and why I have set up this blog.

For starters, yes it's called Frugal Cookie and that is because I want to be frugal, not a complete cheapskate.. I think there's a difference.

Although I've always liked a bargain I haven't always strived to scrimp and save. This came about when I bought my first house 3 years ago. I remember having to provide 3 months worth of bank statements to get my mortgage, I thought that they'd see that I can't save - because sure enough my money would go in and then back out again (mainly on shoes, clothes, makeup).

Before purchasing the house I was working full time and living with my folks so of course, I had spare income and whilst I put enough aside for a deposit I was by no means careful with money not to the degree that I try to be now.

At the time the prospect of showing the bank my statements I thought I should implement some changes, small things really -I stopped buying shoes on a weekly basis. I applied this theory to a lot of purchases that I made, and thankfully when it came around to providing my statements I was able to show that I wasn't always spending more than I was earning!

So, the mortgage gets approved and I go from paying very little rent at home to paying almost £500 each per month mortgage with bills on top. This got me to thinking I will have to take the changes already implemented and go further with them. I had never really budgeted and I am someone who likes control so for me I see it almost as a game, I am constantly setting myself goals and trying to measure my efforts.

3 Years on and we have re-visited our mortgage, interest rates are better than they were when we purchased the property so we should notice a saving already in terms of our monthly mortgage payment. I am now setting myself another goal/challenge and this isn't exactly unusual. I am determined to pay off my mortgage before the end of our term (27 years left).

My mortgage provider is good in the sense that they allow 10% overpayment each year without penalties enabling you to pay off quicker and meaning we pay less in the long run. Check out this motgage overpayment calculator.

Over the last three years I have made several tweaks to my lifestyle and spending habits, it's not happened overnight and there are still areas that I can improve upon.

My blog is designed to showcase what I've learned so far and to share with you my tips and tricks. This is a general lifestyle blog so will cover all topics money related from cooking to cleaning and beauty too. As I'm still learning I hope to have much more to share with you lovely readers.

I welcome comments, questions and queries. If you have any tips and advice that you would like to share that's alright too!

Cookie x

Excuse the mess, here's a bargain I picked up a long time ago in a charity shop. I think it set me back £35 (the cat cost more!)

Saving on lunches

One area where I save big is lunches. I used to go to M&S and buy lunch every single day and spent a minimum of £5 per day (5 X 5= £25 per week, X approx. 48 weeks = £1200 X 2 = £2400). Going into M&S every day also meant I was tempted to buy 'stuff' every day, whether it be snacks in the food hall, lingerie, homeware or makeup -If I see it I want it!

So I got to thinking a tenner a day between myself and my boyfriend is a little excessive and decided to make our lunches. I buy things that are easy that I can cook alongside our evening meals, etc. For instance if I am using the oven then its so easy just to chuck some sweet potatoes in to bake alongside our dinner. If I'm using the hob its quick to boil some pasta, rice or potatoes for salad. If I'm feeling super lazy then I can use store bought ready made coleslaw or potato salad along with some ham, chicken or tuna.

It's a great way of using up leftovers and incorporating it with the evenings cooking means it's not labour intensive.

Below is an example of what my weekly lunch shop can look like. It does tend to differ week by week, sometimes its cheaper sometimes a little more expensive than this. I think the below is somewhere in between, if you are really stretched you can definitely do it for less than this. I have forgotten to put our yogurts on their but usually for the week I spend £2-£3 on this and there would be 1 more multipack of crisps, usually whichever are on offer so call that another £1, so we can safely say that the shopping comes to approx. £25, which is for the 2 of us and is so much healthier than buying a sandwich every day. You could argue that I have to factor in the cost of cooking the food but as I've said I like t incorporate this into my usual cooking routine and it is usually just a case of assembling multiple items and also using some leftovers such as:

1. I usually have left over roast chicken, its not enough to make into a meal but is perfect to add to lunch.
2. Rice, potato or pasta can be made into salad.
3. Sausages or other meats can be mixed with pasta and veggies to make a nice pasta salad

If you are currently buying lunch every day I would urge you to try this, maybe just for a week. It's such a great saving and what I love is that you have total control over the foods that you are putting into your body.

What do you do for lunch? I'm always looking for inspiration and usually I turn to Pinterest.

Please feel free to comment and share your ideas, tips and experiences.

Cookie

5 Quick saving tips

Here are a few of my fool proof saving tips that I have followed over the last year

1. Swap/cancel - Asses your outgoings such as Gym memberships, utility bills, mobile contracts and regular spends such as hair and beauty appointments. 

I made instant savings by switching to Pay as you go on my phone, swapping my gym membership to one £10 cheaper per month and going back to my natural hair colour to cut out my monthly hair appointments. Apply this logic to home insurance, car insurance etc, even shop around for a better interest rate on your bank account(s). I never used to shop around to get the best deal but over the course of a year I have found it really is worth it!

2. Pack lunch - I go to work with a little picnic these days and it costs me half the price of supermarket lunches - I also have twice as much (sandwich/salad, crisps, fruit and yogurt). I previously bought lunch every day spending a minimum of £5 per day (which stretches as far as a sandwich, bag of crisps and a drink ), £25 per week X 48 = £1,200. I make lunch for myself and my partner so it's a good saving. I tend to go for easy, quick fixes. What's great is that you know exactly what your eating and also when it was made. You could make large batches of things like potato salad and Greek salad for a couple of days and put different meats etc. with them each day to mix it up a bit. I buy coleslaw and some other pre-made items as its still cheaper but is so quick and easy to just assemble. It's also up to you, completely your choice, but I find when buying a sandwich I sometimes end up picking the tomatoes out or not liking a certain aspect/ingredient. Also I can make my lunches as low cal/fat/carb as I like whereas you are really limited at the supermarket/sandwich shops.

 







3. Don't call the caterers - You can make a good saving by preparing buffet food for parties and gatherings yourself, or having a dinner party as opposed to having a meal out. Yes, you have to cook, this could be a downside but for me that's half the fun. You also have total control again when it comes to budget, nutritional value and ingredients. I have been to so many events where the catering has been disappointing and hasn't come cheap either.

Buffet for my boyfriends birthday with homemade lemon cake

4. Use online tools - I used to buy several glossy magazines on a regular basis, I probably spent in excess of £20 per month on them until I came across pinterest and etsy - these sites are fantastic for inspiration and rule out the need for my fashion, home and cooking magazines! 

5. DIY - There are so many things that given a little time and effort most individuals can achieve. I will say creativity is a great tool for living a frugal lifestyle as is a passion for cooking as per the above. With regards to DIY I do a lot more than I used to, I have learned to do my own shellac nails using a lamp that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas, I wax my own legs and occasionally will dye my hair. 

My boyfriend is a cabinet maker so is pretty useful when it comes to DIY jobs around the house and I am always willing to muck in. 

I am a keen crafter and love to create bespoke gifts for my friends and family which can cost less than store bought but are labour intensive when it comes to time and effort. I also collect items, I do throw things away too but if I think something will have a future use then I keep hold of it.

recycled fruit box, painted using a left over paint tester - Keeps my windowsill dry!

I would love to hear any frugal tips or money saving advice that you can with me and my readers. If you have any questions or comments please fire away and leave me a comment.

Cookie x