Frugal Living 2010 -The Cost of Living Challenge, INTRO

rachelet

Fishcake_Random wrote: »

Just posted my first offered message on my local freecycle for some wool I don't want/need. I`m all excited.
x x x x

I've just signed up to the local freecycle where my husband works. Nothing on there that I need at the moment. I wish you were on my freecycle Fishcake, I would have the wool!!

loopychriss

looby-loo wrote: »

welcome to all the new names:beer:

count me in please, I'll keep on with the challenge - the challenge for me being that my house husband (one year into retirement) OH just doesn't get frugal living, reuse, recycle, renew, charity shops, combining journeys, batch cooking, (well any cooking!) the off switch on the c heating, etc

But I'll keep going, not really to save the money but rather to do my little bit towards saving the planet.

looby-loo

Can I join you all please? LOOPYCHRISS

I too have a house husband, 5 months into voluntary redundancy, and with no intention of finding another job. I encouraged him to take it, as I have been frugal/penny pinching/careful for years and said that we would manage. I think he is a little bit more aware now, and has even been known to step inside a charity shop with me (but only to look at the books). As for combining journeys and the frugal lifestyle, he definitely needs some training!

He got a nice redundancy payout (1 year's salary) and with this and our savings, should be able to survive until he can take his pension early in March 2012. Our lifestyle before redundancy was very nice: 2 or 3 holidays a year, weekends away, new toys whenever we wanted them (mortgage was paid off in May 2008). Now we have to plan our budget carefully every month so as not to eat into the savings too much.

I've no idea what our annual budget will be: he's budgeted for £1750 a month for everything, but some months we've had a couple of hundred left over, and I don't spend all my housekeeping (£650) each month. We're still very much in the 'novelty' stage, and I think once we're into January/February we'll have a better idea.

I'm still being very careful and won't spend unnecessarily. I shop around and find the best prices and try not to waste money. My one vice is fabric: it used to be craft supplies, but now I can go into a craft shop and not even be tempted.

So.... I'll put my own personal budget at £4,000 this year, to cover clothes, toiletries, hairdresser (my one big expense), shoes, presents, fabrics and craft stuff and any other personal spending. That comes to just over £75 a week! Hopefully I won't spend that much so I'll save it instead.

NualaBuala

Please could you add me?
NualaBuala

I wasn't sure if I should join but I think you'll all be a good influence on me. But apologies in advance if I don't report in regularly. I suffer from depression and I tend not to post when it's bad. On the plus side, it stops me spending money too as I don't go out when I'm low. :D

I've been working on my 2010 budget since last week and it changes every time I look at it! When I budget I usually over-estimate and then put anything leftover each month towards overpaying my loans. But that will make total look ridiculously high!

rozeepozee

JayneC wrote: »

Is anybody else hoping to save for something in particular?

Jayne x

I'm hoping to start to replenish our savings after buying a campervan recently. The theory is that any holidays and days out will be cheaper using the campervan as we will be mobile yet self sufficient. I'm hoping that instead of buying cups of tea and coffee and lunch etc while we're out, we'll be able to make our own on the hoof using our kitchen facilities. With one child and two more on the way, we'd have been lucky to be able to afford any holidays anyway! I reckon if we'd not bought the campervan now, in advance of the twins arriving, we'd never have been able to justify it to ourselves. At the moment, we keep saying it's instead of trading in our car for a people carrier

KCSunshine_2

May I join please?

HI this is KCSunshine we are a family of 4 myself, DH, DS(14), DD(11) and several smaller critters.

I have been lurking and in somewhat awe of you guys since November when I finished working after 32 years. :eek: :j

As I was the main earner we are in for some changes this year - I have already started following Martin's plan (insurances, cancelling all subscriptions; phones/internet); and have taken on the great advice from this and the Grocery Challenge forum. :T

I have read some very wise advice here that "there are always those worse off then yourselves" - and we do feel very lucky.:cheesy::cheesy: Please understand we are doing a jump straight from "Jerry & Margot to Tom & Barbara" so it will take time for us to adjust. Lots of new skills to learn. _pale_

Thank you in advance for your patience with us, and my possibly amazing joy at even the smallest steps.

little-lou-pink

please can I have a number for challenge I so want to join. Tried once but never got a number.
little-lou-pink

grandma247

Our freecycle is now realcycle. They changed because of political type wranglings with the freecycle people I think but the same ones run it so it has made no difference to me.
I have done my years accounts now except for April. I can only find a few receipts and I am sure I spent more than is on those. I must have put them away somewhere so I may have to either leave it out till I find them or just guess at the figures.
For next year I am going to get some A5 envelopes from either the pound shop or other cheapie shop and use one per month to put the receipts in.
I have put all this years in smaller envelopes and will open them in a year or two to see how prices have changed.

Buffythedebtslayer

Ok, its 20 to 3 in the morning and I have to go to bed BUT I wanted to make known my intention, I joined before in 2008 but was an utter failure, however I am more determined now.

I will set my budget at a generous 5,000 for the year.

and be back with details tomorrow. Hope that is ok

xxxx

DdraigGoch

I've just been woken by a very loud "crump" which, I hope!, was snow falling off the roof [either that or the V3lux window's gone for a Burton:rolleyes::rotfl:] Obviously I've come on here for a chat - silly me!

Anyway, just thought I'd post that a] still no chance of seeing any figures from me just yet, still in negotiations] and b] odd fact 37 - if you go to the header and click on "how much have you saved" you get to the forum itself. If you then click on the "number of replies" number, a popup appears with the list of who's posted how many times on the thread. Not fantastically interesting.... but it could be very useful. If you then click on the number of times someone's posted, it lists their posts. I found it handy to check up which thread I'd posted something on, without having to check back through ALL my posts. Anyway, another techie bit which a] you probably all know anyway and b] aren't interested in!

Hope it helps someone, all the same.
Happy New Year - I'll probably not be on the computer at midnight tonight :rotfl::beer: :j :j

ceridwen

NualaBuala wrote: »

Hi Ceridwen, what kind of stuff are you making? I've got really interested in that kind of thing. I'd love to make my own soap but I won't as I have so much already stockpiled!

I use oils to clean my face - I discovered the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) on the health and beauty board here. A mix of castor and olive oil does the job of cleansing with no need for moisturiser afterwards. A drop of tea tree and lavender mixed in makes it smell nice and helps keep away spots. And I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner: bicarb, white vinegar, coconut oil and some Indian herbs like amla and shikakai do the job just fine. I've switched to henna for hair colour too. And I put a bit of honey in most of my concoctions and with good results - really makes my hair shiny.

My next experiment will be using left over coconut milk (the low fat one is meant to work best) as a hair protein treatment.

Hi

I'm only just starting out on this compared to you:D

At the moment its only been a few of the most basic recipes I can find:
- 50 gr cocoa butter and 100 ml almond oil melted together in a makeshift double boiler
OR
- 50gr shea butter and 50ml almond oil ditto
being used as body lotion and moisturizer

Way back I made a few basic face masks

For right now - I'm trying to keep things as simple/easy as possible. Hence just been and got myself some coconut oil for instance - as I gather I can use that as body lotion, moisturizer, hand cream and hair conditioner - just as it is. Dual-purpose:D

I'm hoping I can find something very simple/cheap to make that will double as soap/shampoo/handwash detergent - but have done loadsa searching and only really found shampoo recipes based on liquid Castile soap - which is expensive in Britain (if one can find it in the first place). So - it would help even if I could find a shampoo recipe from readily/cheaply obtainable ingredients - as the ones I am currently using are £4 a bottle. I dont fancy going the "No Poo" route somehow...so other ideas welcome.