Five frugal things we’ve done this fortnight: oil changes & autumn wear

We can’t help but wonder where the time went in between this post and the last one! Really, it doesn’t seem as though two weeks has gone by, but it has. I’ve been doing even more spending for my art projects and I’m glad to have found a few bargains, because things could have been much, much pricier. So here’s what we’ve done to keep things thrifty.

Oil change – and making tools

Our car was in need of an oil change, so of course Ste was going to do it himself. However, he needed to get the sump plug unscrewed, and didn’t have the right tool for the job. He noticed that the key was a square shape, and he managed to make his own by grinding down an unwanted socket extender from a large square to a smaller square.

He did it with my dremel-type rotary tool, which has been getting a lot of use recently. Definitely one of the handiest household tools we have!

Telescope research

Astronomy has always been one of Ste’s interests, but it’s been on the back burner for years. He made up his mind to get a telescope last year but put it back until we moved here – and now we’ve saved enough for him to get it.

The problem is, buying a telescope is a lot more complicated than you might think when you know absolutely nothing about telescopes. There’s just so much to learn! Ste has been putting in the hours in researching different mounts (now we both know what alt-azimuth and equatorial mean) and the difference between refractors and reflectors.

One of our friends lent him his reflector telescope with an equatorial mount, and we’ve been practising stargazing with that and some binoculars. Our first look at the moon with the scope was absolutely exhilarating, and now we know exactly what we’re after!

Substituting generic silicone for Mold Max 60

I had a semi-success with my first ever lost wax casting, but I didn’t put enough sprues in and so I had lots of steam trapped and causing havoc with the sculpture’s surface when I poured the pewter into the plaster mould. It was still a great way to learn but it was a bit frustrating as well.

As a result of getting halfway there and spending the best part of a week fiddling with something that wasn’t 100% right, I realised I had to cut out some of the steps and get some different materials. When I was hunting around for high-temperature silicone I found out about Mold Max 60, which would let me pour pewter directly into my mould, but guess what? It was sold out on Amazon!

I found another high temperature silicone on eBay for a great price, and I’m looking forward to testing it this weekend with an even better version of my sculpture.

Aldi for autumn wear

There’s something about jumper dresses that I absolutely love, especially cable knits. My problem is always that they seem to be too short – I want them at knee length, as that’s how I like to wear skirts or dresses. Aldi’s Specialbuys this week had the absolute perfect version of my dream jumper dress for £14.99!

Add to that their fleece-lined tights and men’s thermal tops and we’re as ready as possible for the freeze.

Wombling yet again…

Since Asda’s Price Guarantee has ended, the golden age of wombling has come to a close, there’s no denying. But it’s not all doom and gloom – we still managed to womble a few Tesco Clubcard points from found receipts! Hey, every little and all that.

Over to you…

Any frugal things you’ve been proud of this week?

I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky.