Frugal Living 2011 - the preparation stage

hattifattener

Hi Guys!

I'm going to try doing this for 2011! OH and I are in for quite an expensive year all round, I'm starting a new job in January which will mean I'll probably have backlog with first pay etc, we're getting married in April, we're hoping to buy our first home asap dependant on job start and we're expecting our first baby in July. It's going to be a really crazy (but hopefully rewarding) year. I've thought long and hard about it and I'd love to stay at home after my maternity leave ends - I'll only get the lowest rate of maternity pay too, as I won't have been in the job long enough to qualify for employer contributions of any sort. But, this means, I'm going to start living frugally now, in the hope that I can burrow some money away while the going is good, to hopefully have a more even transition into living frugally when baby arrives, and to hopefully supplement my decision to stay at home also.

I'm going to use the next few weeks of 2010 to get a clearer picture of my budget, what I want to save etc, and I think in terms of my budget, I'm going to take it month by month and decide as I go along, as I am really one of those clueless people who has no idea what they spend on day to day essentials.

I'm looking forward to chatting to you all as we try to keep on the frugal wagon.

Erme

grandma247 wrote: »

Erme the explanation is on this page, just scroll down till you get to ssk. It helps with shaping and helps to eliminate holes.

Thanks SO much for that Grandma...my SSK was like slip first stitch knit wise, slip second knitwise, turn work round and then knit back to front......Kind of messy to say the least....and then it would get tight...and then...well...not good

Anyhow went to a meal last night and got given a food parcel :j....Yay.... So pleased...

Also finally got my ironing board I'd ordered (to stop me from buying any more that would inevitably get ditched) only to discover that yes it's a second (and a bit pricey @ £17) but it's a bentley and you only have to go on ebay to see how much they normally cost

Yeah rainy day fund; rainy day fund; rainy day fund; Think this is lesson no. 1 from frugal living 2011. I had to dip into mine prematurely this last week when I lost my purse so am adding more to it for next few weeks to top it up.

Anyhow off to knit sock then read....

Blessings

E

seriouslyfrugal

Hi

May I join the 2011 challenge there is just me at present and due to redundancy ln 2009 i'm living back with mum ( which helps ) I have a budget for 2011 of approx £3,000 I have been looking in over the past year and have been amazed at what tips ive picked up !

good luck to everyone

cw18

seriouslyfrugal wrote: »

May I join the 2011 challenge

Welcome aboard

summertea

Hi,

I'd like to join in again and i need some advice.

I am terrible for over thinking last years budget was too complicated and i got confused as to where spending should go. e.g. i have a budget for food but also one for entertainment if i eat out say a sandwich i don't know where to put the expenditure. I want to simplify to encourage me to record more regularly and not end up doing it all at the end of the year (like this year) but if i make it too simple i won't be able to see where i should be cutting back.

Anyone else have similar issues?

X
ST

NualaBuala

summertea wrote: »

Hi,

I'd like to join in again and i need some advice.

I am terrible for over thinking last years budget was too complicated and i got confused as to where spending should go. e.g. i have a budget for food but also one for entertainment if i eat out say a sandwich i don't know where to put the expenditure. I want to simplify to encourage me to record more regularly and not end up doing it all at the end of the year (like this year) but if i make it too simple i won't be able to see where i should be cutting back.

Anyone else have similar issues?

X
ST

Oh yes! I have categories for just about everything and often end wondering where something should go. Say if I have tea with friends - does that go under "Food when out" or "socialising"? Well I lightened up a bit - I still have all the categories but I find the main thing is just to record each spend and put it somewhere, anywhere really! I think i've become more consistent over time so similar spends end up in the same category and I do see patterns.

Or perhaps just have broader categories? I'm sure others will have suggestions based on how they do things.

Well done for thinking about how you spend and good luck! (And that goes for everyone else too!)

cw18

If I were to buy a sandwich or pasty when out shopping (or hit the take-away instead of cooking for myself - which isn't something I've done in the last ???? years), then I'd put that under my normal grocery budget on the basis I could have avoided it by taking a pack-up with me/by cooking at home. But if I were to eat out or grab a take-away with someone else, then that would go against my socialising budget.

But as I keep very detailed records of my grocery spends, I can then go back at year end (or whenever) and see how much I spent on meat, fish, veg, fruit, milk, cakes etc which means I could also see what I spent on 'fast foods' - so I can still see the area(s) I can possibly work on cutting down on.

alec_eiffel

summertea wrote: »

Hi,

I'd like to join in again and i need some advice.

I am terrible for over thinking last years budget was too complicated and i got confused as to where spending should go. e.g. i have a budget for food but also one for entertainment if i eat out say a sandwich i don't know where to put the expenditure. I want to simplify to encourage me to record more regularly and not end up doing it all at the end of the year (like this year) but if i make it too simple i won't be able to see where i should be cutting back.

Anyone else have similar issues?

X
ST

Hi,

I personally don't think it matters as long as it's recorded. For me it's just a case of pick which category and stick with it. I have "fun" and "grocery" budgets to cover food, so "food when out" could go into either. If it's something I'm having as a meal then I put it under grocery and if it's a snack or something then it goes under fun. It keeps it simple for me so I don't have to have have multiple categories for everything that might crop up.

seriouslyfrugal

Hi

thanks to everyone for the warm welcome

I went to the local town and into Lidl's I got some Pepsi Max ( max, diet and orginal are on this offer) for 79p per 2 litre bottle - best I've seen what with everyone entertaining in the next couple of weeks thought it was worth a mention they also had 2kg bags of rooster potato's for £1.00 per bag and carrots for 39p ( 500g)

I also has a letter telling me I have an interview on the 5th Jan 2011 for a part time job at a health centre ( I only work part time as i'm disabled ) I am also doing voluntary work and an open uni course so i can get my higher education certificate in Social Science ( this ends June 2011 ) - so you could say life isn't quiet even through i'm currently not employed

best wishes

seriouslyfrugal

hi

sorry just realised carrots are 1kg for 39p