2018 Frugal Living Challenge

sinkorswim2018 · 3 January 2018 at 6:38PM

Hi,

I'd be grateful if I could join this thread. After struggling in the past and getting my finances back on track, this year I have bought my first home - hurrah.
My outgoings have gone up due to my mortgage and my eldest went to university so my Tax credit stopped abruptly. I'm around £400 down a month (£200 less in and £200 more out).
My fixed (ish) outgoings (mortgage, utilities, insurance etc) are £1000 per month and my income after tax is approximately £2000. So my budget which I have been exceeding monthly is £1000 on everything else. I have some credit (on very low interest) and I'd like to pay that off rather than it going up. Therefore I would love to come in at £800 a month on spends (includes groceries, fuel, daughter!)..

I plan to try and use up the stock in my cupboards a lot this month. I also have copious amounts of alcohol from Xmas (a lot brought by visitors and received as presents.

Bought a frozen turkey from Aldi today reduced to £4.49. Going to cook it tomorrow once defrosted and see how many meals I can make from it.

A bit about me, single mum, 2 girls, one at uni (has full bursary, phew) and one at college. Her bus trips will eat into my budget I know.

Going to read through the whole thread now and see if I can wok out how you guys are doing this.

Happy New Year

Jane

FrankieM · 3 January 2018 at 6:52PM

Evening All

Had my first day back to work yesterday...the 6am start was tough! But it allows me to cook that night's dinner. I never feel like cooking when I get home. Leftovers of tea for lunch the next day and then anything else portioned and put in the freezer.
I'm wondering if come February I might have enough 'leftover tubs' in the freezer to not cook at all and so stock up again when I do my shop. I'll see how it goes.

I've started not taking my purse to work, which did me well yesterday on the way home from work when I nearly popped into the shop to buy crisps. I remembered at the last minute that I didn't have my purse and that was that.

I went to the cinema with my daughters last night. We watched Pitch Perfect 3. Got Showcase Insider tickets. £6.75!! I can remember when they used to be £5. Still a lovely night out and not 'too' expensive.

I had a couple of utility bills to pay on my previous property. Not sure they were mine to pay but my daughter (who now lives in the house) and my ex weren't paying them so I just got it done. £80 odd that I could've done without spending but there we go.

I think this month is going to be quite the learning curve and I'll be shifting money around all over the place covering shortfalls that I hadn't expected.

bustiblondilocks · 3 January 2018 at 7:01PM

:mad: May have to rethink my veg garden this year....only have a few planters in tiny yard but enough to grow a decent crop of potatoes and tomatoes and raspberries etc. However the new neighbours cats have now decided it's their litter tray!!!
9 Spades full in 2 days.

On a positive note last January I spent a total of £656.74
This year so far £79.97 (dd needed new pe kit as outgrown over hols so spent £13.60 on shorts and jog bottoms)

Frugaldom · 3 January 2018 at 7:15PM

1Saver wrote: »

My Mother told me about this thread. I'm looking forward to joining the frugal living. Can you add me to the list please?

Welcome on board! Hope you enjoy taking part - feel free to ask any questions.

simplelivingislandlife wrote: »

...I do have a question though as I am sorting out the budget do I include things which I cannot change at all? Like our Phone/Internet there are only two providers here of which they charge the same fee so I cannot change this, also we rent a garage month, again this cannot change.

I use spreadsheets for every penny I spend, so know exactly from one year to the next how much acually comes in and how much goes out or into savings & investments. My challenge budget does not reflect my income or expenditure, it is what I've managed to maintain as my cost of living.

That's the fun of the challenge - it's about getting to know your own budget inside out and then attempting to drive it down far enough to clear debts faster and get onto the next step - saving for the wants.

Last night's storm did a bit of damage here but nothing that cannot be fixed, thankfully. I haven't been in any shops, so haven't spent any cash but my savings / life assurance policy DD would have gone out today. Those payments should stop soon, as the 10 years since starting it is up in a few months. :j

Frugaldom · 3 January 2018 at 7:33PM

bustiblondilocks wrote: »

:mad: May have to rethink my veg garden this year....only have a few planters in tiny yard but enough to grow a decent crop of potatoes and tomatoes and raspberries etc. However the new neighbours cats have now decided it's their litter tray!!!
9 Spades full in 2 days.

You have my utmost sympathies! One of my previous houses had neighbours who had 8 cats and I think 7 of them used it as a litter tray. I tried everything - pepper, lemon, citronella, dried holly & hawthorn, bottles with water, cat scarers and even tried a water pistol at one stage of despair. Sadly, nothing worked and I'd to fence off whatever I could and built up a portable polytunnel. It would have been easier turning my veg garden into a walk-in veg cage! :mad: It was soul destroying! I can't remember which year it was but it will be in the old threads somewhere - it drove me potty!

Rosesandrainbows · 3 January 2018 at 7:47PM

Good Evening everyone,

It was back to work for me today but I quite enjoyed it as I am the type of person who is better suited to a bit of routine. I took my lunch with me so no spends there.

OH was at home today so I left him a list to do a basic grocery shop and I was amazed to find he had actually stuck to it without adding any little extras!! So todays spend and our total food spend for the year so far comes to £6.55. We shouldn't need any more food bits for a couple of days now. I'm actually finding it quite fun to see how long I can make it all last without buying more.

Tea tonight is a homemade soup with lovely fresh bread and then its a quiet night on the sofa with my book.

Well done to everyone on the frugal efforts so far.

Have a great evening.

Frugaldom · 3 January 2018 at 7:52PM

simplelivingislandlife wrote: »

... Hopefully this is ok? I'd love to do what Frugaldom managed to do and live of 4K for a year and maybe after this year where I learn what I actually need vs what I actually want I might be able to do it next year. Fingers Crossed!

My word for 2018 is Less, so hopefully I can keep that going throughout the year, anyho back to reading the 2008 4K a year for inspiration . Really looking forward to this challenge!

Everything is OK and all budgets are different because they depend on personal circumstances. I base mine on £4k because those are all the things I need to live plus some luxuries like TV, telehone, internet, gifts etc, but I don't have any debts, dependents, rent, mortgage, car or work-associated costs. My personal challenge budget is a very siple one and I don't do much else other than live and work for myself.

Savvy_sewing · 3 January 2018 at 7:56PM

Yesterday I managed to only spend £2 because a Neighbour bought my bread and milk for me.
Today I did the menu plan, shopping list, and then went to Aldi. The shopping list was stuck too. Nothing extra, but I didn’t buy the Sausages on my list. However I did buy 2 x 38 wash powders as surf was on offer.£3.99 each. It should last me 3 months. I also had to get a new trolley token as I lost mine. But it was only 89p and means I don’t have to try and remember a £1 coin.
Aldi £30.37
b&m £2.49 new dustpan and brush as I broke the last one before Christmas
McD £6.08 for DGD on way home ( but I did get £20 returnedfrom Brownies, as when Dgd gave it up I had already paid for the pantomime.
I am happy with that, but I will need to be careful as I am trying to keep Food/toiletries etc to £140 this month. I have started to mata note in the back of my journal on the cash spent.
I managed to sort a balance transfer out to clear one credit card, intime to cancel the DD due out tomorrow. So I will pay that to the other card.

Buffythedebtslayer · 3 January 2018 at 8:04PM

I have the potential to build three raised beds but I would have to partially fill them with clay. It is very frustrating. The clay is left over from building a pond over a year ago. The person doing the work became very angry with me and whilst I was at work moved the clay away from where I wanted it left and instead wedged it between two low walls either side of the path thus blocking access to part of the garden and making it almost impossible to get it out. I have moved some of it but it has ruined that part of the garden and really upset me. I had so much work done last year and it should have been finished but no gardener or handy man that I can find will move it and I can do it myself but you know when it is winter and dark all the time and you can't get out in the garden apart from the weekends and it is taking so long. sorry it is a big bugbear of mine. I still get very angry about it.

If I could have moved more and got it into the raised beds it would be further along breaking it down and mixing it with soil and compost. The one I got half way on I planted tomatoes, peppers and lettuce and they did well - especially considering one side of the bed was missing!

Can you randomly stick canes in the soil - of varying lengths and see if that puts the cats off?

xx

sinkorswim2018 · 3 January 2018 at 8:53PM

So since posting earlier this evening it has really made me think about my spending. Agreed to 2 x 8 hour overtime shifts this month as a consequence so that should help. Looked at what need to come out of my £800 a month that I have set as my target. Within it is £46 in bus fares for my daughter to college. She told me buying multiple tickets didn't save her anything and there was no bus pass to buy - I had taken her word for it. Now I've looked online and although they don't give the price they say they do them so I've fired off an email to see if I can save anything. Potential saving there. She's also agreed to take a drink each day rather than buying the £3 meal deal at the local Tesco (£55 based on 4 days a week on an average month). We'll have to negotiate what she will buy and how much she can spend. Obviously stuff from home would be cheaper, little steps might be the best way. Perhaps if she were to see some of the savings? She also wants to 'be healthy' for the new year so maybe that's my road in.
I also bought her a pattern and fabric for a dress a few years ago as she was doing it at school. She never started and the fabric is nice. I've put the pattern on eBay and I'll buy one I like when it's sold. Then I'm going to make a dress for myself with it, with my mother teaching me. I'll learn new skill and we can spend time together without spending money in shops and coffee shops.

To the green fingered amongst us...is it too late to plant my winter garlic?

I'm finding this thread is focusing me, thanks.

2018 Frugal Living Challenge

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