Frugal Living 2010 -The Cost of Living Challenge, INTRO

Frugaldom

Thanks for the input Penelope Penguin, I did PM this board guide, as you suggested. Just awaiting a response now. I do appreciate you all have a very difficult task in keeping all the boards on topic and spam free and I have tried to explain that the choice is not mine to make, so let's just hope everyone bookmarks, subscribes or links from the 2009 challenge when it is completed in a few weeks time. (But I still think of traditional household budgeting as 'OS', sorry. )

looby-loo_2

The only thing I'm trying to save is the planet, I'm doing that by following an OS lifestyle - using the household methods of previous generations. I'm certainly not saving up for anything which will add to the chaos of the planet e.g. flying, bigger car, bigger house, etc. So it has to be the OS board for me please.

(I did save seeds for the Garden Organic heritage seed bank, 5p's in a jar to send a cow to Africa and collected some hand sewing machines which were sent to help women in Africa set up a business - all OS rather than DFW or the other one)

Iheart2poundcoins

I would love to join in please!

Iheart2poundcoins

edit to add a bit about my situation.
I don't have any debt, have paid all that off and I never want to be in debt ever again.
My dh likes to spend and I prefer to save and do without for myself but I do like to spend on my dd but she does get quite a lot of 2nd hand/charity stuff, and I recently joined freecycle.
My dh is the cook of the house but I want to learn in 2010 and especially to make up babyfood as it gets expensive buying babyjars.
We also spend alot on food for ourselves, maybe £5-£10 a day, which is pretty steep going.
For 2010 i would like to get our food spending right down for one, and carry on with the charity bargain hunts!
And also be more frugal with the gas and electric - right now I dry my washing on the radiators and will put them on in the summer to get the washing dry - so I need a washing line in the garden, cos again, we spend too much espeically as we have pre payment meters (were already in when we moved in, plus I dont like bills).
I will carry on saving my £2 coins, and am thinking of saving 50p pieces too, maybe for Xmas 2010.

Frugaldom

Good morning and welcome to our frugal cost of living challenge.

I've been trying to sum it up in a few words and the best I can come up with is that we make as little money as possible stretch as far as possible by employing very traditional methods. Success depends, very much, on the theory that (A) A PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED and (B) EVERY PENNY COUNTS. This is obviously not what is meant by 'old style', as far as the MSE forums are concerned, although we do all the things that they embrace here.

The challenge will be placed wherever the board guides agree to put us.

All names added to the challenger list and good luck to all who are preparing to take part It's a roller coaster ride but our frugal community will stop to welcomes anyone onboard at anytime. Have fun!

oldMcDonald

pink_numbers wrote: »

I'm also going to be doing the Compact Challenge (buy nothing new) so that should really help with cutting the costs down.

Not heard of the compact challenge. Is it something on the boards, or is it elsewhere?

BigMummaF

Iheart2poundcoins wrote: »

I would love to join in please!.......

My dh is the cook of the house but I want to learn in 2010 and especially to make up babyfood as it gets expensive buying babyjars.
........
For 2010 i would like to get our food spending right down for one, and carry on with the charity bargain hunts!
And also be more frugal with the gas and electric ........
I will carry on saving my £2 coins, and am thinking of saving 50p pieces too, maybe for Xmas 2010.

Hello I:heart2:...hope you don't mind my abbreviating your monica &/or post I too try to save my two pound coins, along with any £1 with the dragons or more unusual designs on the back but because I keep them in my purse 'just in case', they dunn'arf make it 'eavy :rotfl:
I found baby food really easy as most of the time it only meant leaving out the salt & use virtually the same principles now in cooking for Pup. Me muvva is real old school SIZE=1]of course![/SIZE still adding salt when she steams or boils the veg & tatties for dinner, whereas I stopped using it when the offspring were old enough to empty the salt cellar over their plate before even tasting :doh:
When they were bubbies, I would cook sausages & scrape the meat from the skins to mash into the veg, ditto fish fingers cuz I knew there were no bones in them! We were not very adventurous with "exotic tastes" back then & our menu was 'meat & two veg' so I couldn't comment on how much flavour you should add for a baby's meal, but Pup does like his herbs, lasagne & totally home-made version of meatballs in bolognaise sauce
There's a few other threads--just like here--for helping reduce costs on all areas, from Gas & Electricity; gifts & special occasions; laundry & household cleaning & even a monthly challenge to help you spend nothing at all on some days so if you'd like a link or two, just ask.

ifonlyitwaseasier

ok so after working out what we spend a month (not including food but to cover debt repayments, mobiles, rent etc) i am almost ashamed to say that we need £15k a year to cover it, however this means we could live as we do now on one salary, not ideal but worth knowing.
hopefully an interview i have coming up will mean we'll have more than double that coming in which would mean that we could afford to double the debt repayments and clear that down (please!!!! i have my fingers crossed!!) so until i know how that goes i'm going to reserve judgement on how much i can set our budget at, mainly cos if we can "snowball" the debt down then we'd be able to live on about half that amount

good luck all and i'm really looking forward to seeing how we all do (and for the moral support!!)

ioiwe :-)

BigMummaF

I can't remember if I've actually said why I came looking for :money:& as others are introducing themselves, I thought perhaps I'd best do mine. I don't mind if you scroll past & not bother reading, but don't want folk to think I've got something to hide
I have been a single parent for almost twenty years--altho I'd prefer the term Deserted Wife --& my three Offspring are all adult [as in age but not always action :wall:] & living at home. No1 did make an attempt to live independently but a mixture of dodgy housemate & loss of overtime meant a move back home. We have Pup for whom I cook & Iggie, a vegetarian Green Iguana who lives in a purpose-built vivarium under the stairs!
Two of the Offspring were Statemented for special educational needs whilst at school because our local educational authority did not believe there was such a thing as dyslexia :mad: The elder was fortunate to attend a school that developed sense of self worth & has now spent ten years working in an industry they love. Unfortunately the school changed their entrance criteria in order to accept children with greater learning issues; my youngest was denied a place & as such it has left deep psychological scars. The third was involved in a potentially nasty road traffic accident in five years ago & now has chronic back pain & the possibility of surgery that is equally balanced between making things a bit better OR a whole lot worse.
I am registered--I think --as Carer for me muvva who still lives in total independence but I go to all her medical & professional appts, take her shopping..that sort of thing.
I am currently not working as I was released from my contract after a bout of bad health so I am concentrating on getting myself as fit as is possible in Mind, Body & Finance.
Think that's about it...I THANK YOU EVERYONE, for your continued friendship...very much appreciated & so refreshing to not have to make excuses as to why I don't buy Xbrand bog cleaner:rotfl:

plzhelpmesave!

Hi all

Challenge sounds amazing and life changing.... any advice on how to get OH on board??

Also what would be a realistic target for 2 adults and 3 kid (3,5,and 7)

Would love to join in but dont know where to start!

JayneC

Hi,

Would just like to add to the 'where should this thread be' debate. I definately think it's about as OS as you can get - I have watched and now joined because of it's OS appeal about living frugally and with respect for the environment and not as somebody else has said to save for more 'stuff'. I certainly wouldn't have found it on this thread. I've actually been looking for it today and only found it through tracking down Nyk's posts!

The grocery challenge was mentioned as more OS but that too is about using coupons and buying value brands and 'whoopsies' as much as old style cooking.

Anyhoo - that's just my opinion....

Still haven't decided on budget yet - I did note down all my outgoings as a starting point but have lost it:mad:!!!