Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

minnie2

flying_fresian wrote: »

My budget so far for the month is looking quite red, due to spending nearly £200 on an ipod, but I think I'm going to pull it back in next month...

Last year, I won a posh blu-ray/DVD player thing in a competition and have been trying to sell it ever since. It's worth £400 and I would be happy to get half of that for it as I wouldn't use it myself. I tried to sell it on Gumtree but got timewasters and scammers and had resigned myself to taking it to the local Cash Convertors and getting £100 for it (Bah!)

We had a friend round for dinner on Monday and he had asked about it. He has then said, assuming he gets his quarterly bonus in February, that he will not only give me £200 cash for it, but give me his "old" telly as well as he wants to buy a massive flatscreen to make up the difference between what he's paying and the RRP. This "old" telly is a really nice flatscreen job that must be less than two years old.

So, when I get that money that will take me from £200 over budget to back on track :j :j :j

Frugal plans for today:

Borrow a stamp from someone as I only have a tenner in my purse until payday next Friday and don't want to splash out on a whole book of them. :rotfl:

flying_fresian wrote: »

A tub of tomato and basil pasta sauce that I found lurking in the freezer last night has now been used to make lunch for today and tomorrow. As the sauce was whoopsied to 12p at the time of purchase, I reckon I have two days of lunches for about 15p per time. :money:

gosh you are so good!!! i wish i was as good as you!!! how do you do it?

grandma247

erme you should have something which will block them. Have you got a techie friend who can set it up for you?
I am no techi but I managed to set ours up so only our computers can access it because some people kept using it for their phone and another lot for their laptop. I think they were in a car at night. I am not mean but if they download anything dodgy you are responsible and could lose your connection.

Still plodding on here. not spent much yet except for bills but that could change next week as I do more food shopping for bargains and I need some clothes and shoes this year. I am still knitting and using some of my stash. I have completed 3 baby cardies but not sewn them up yet and have on the go a jumper for me, a cardie for dgd2 and an underskirt which will probably end up being used next winter as it is very fine industrial yarn doubled up.That is my soothing do anywhere knitting though as it is just moss stitch on circular needles.


Those who are doing without coffee or pop, you will need to drink lots of water which will help with the headaches.

salski

I previously posted that I had done my budget and posted it for this month and for the last 4 months or so we have worked and stuck to a budget. Well this month it has not worked. I have gone over and I dont know where or how?! We have been doing so well - but with what is left to pay out (fuel budget, food budget and 1 bill to my mum) We dont have enough left?! We are about £100 down.
I was going to recall some savings to cover this, but today have decided to reduce the food and fuel budget to cover and will have to work harder to make what we have stretch! Im pee'd off as we have never gone over before!
Hey ho - wish us luck lol x

natnat13

I haven't used my tumble dryer for 2 days :j
I hate washing drying on the radiators (I usally hang it all on 1 airer for a day then bung it in the dryer) but needs must.

My 3 budget priorities are:
1. Not to use tumble dryer
2. Be very careful with food shopping
3. Not to use the car so much

We very luckily have no debt apart from the mortgage so these are the 3 areas to reduce.

Hubbies birthday today so I'm off to make a cake and probably so biscuits and something else while the oven is on!

redglass_2

Marru wrote: »

I highly recommend a book called beyond chocolate. If you google it they have website that has free stuff on it.

Hope your BF doesn't go too mad with the money in your absence! :eek:

I did google 'Beyond Chocolate' and it looks interesting. There have been other similar approaches in the past - in the 60s or 70s there was a book called 'The Anti-Diet' by Lynn somebody (Donovan?) and then there were various books by Susie Orbach - all of these were basically the same as the 'Beyond Chocolate' way of eating and some people found them very liberating.

The last time I was really, really serious about frugalising some weight came off because I had cut back on chocs and booze. I was amazed - I had been on loads of diets and never done well. It seemed to show that deep down, I was more motivated by saving money than by losing weight. That was quite a strange discovery at the time (I am seriously overweight, so dieting isn't just a vanity project for me) and I remember I found it embarrassing! I would never have said that about myself, but actions speak louder than words....

mooomin

minnie2 wrote: »

gosh you are so good!!! i wish i was as good as you!!! how do you do it?

Hah! I'm not that good

My top tip would be to go to the supermarket when they do the final reductions. I always go after work, so I'm getting there about quarter past five and my local Morrisons seems to be reducing things at that point.

I only buy what I will use and what is a total bargain (tortellini for 12p instead of £1.99 has been one of my faves!!)

All I did for lunch this morning was boil the kettle, whack some pasta in the pan then go for a quick shower. By the time I was dressed the pasta was cooked and I just stirred in my sauce. I'm getting better at being organised at least!

seriouslyfrugal

Hi Everyone :hello:


:j I had really good news this morning I've got a job at Montisfont Abbey for 6 months - this means I can revise the budget I do not have much details yet but will know more next week !! :j:j:j
so will tell you more when I know more ! I can tell you it will make things that bit easier which is good :j:j:j



Went into town today looked in the charity shops & got a couple of bits also went to library so that reading should keep me busy !!! so today is a spend day for me

Lily_The_Legend

Well done seriouslyfrugal! :T:T:T That's great news! :j:j:j

rubytuesday

ceridwen wrote: »

Thank you for that. That makes it about a stone a year that goes with "lifestyle changes".

Ceridwen I am also on medication which is what caused the weight gain and has made it harder to lose. I also kept a food diary which made a big difference. I always lost wait except one time when I went to the Diet Clinic at the Homeopathic Hospital and I'd gained. When we looked through my food diary it became obvious that the treats I'd been having once or twice a week such as chocolate and home made cookies had crept up to nearly every day!
It was also good to monitor my fruit and veg intake which used to be pretty low.

patentgirl

Well done Seriously Frugal what good news

Quote:
Originally Posted by rubytuesday
I used to be addicted to tea probably drinking at least 12 or more a day. It wasn't doing my bladder any good so I was ordered to cut down. My Consultant recommended boiled water and I thought 'don't be so bloomin' ridiculous' but I gave it a go and actually liked it! It is strangely soothing and I prefer it to herbal tea, even my daughter drinks it sometimes now.

I too often have boiled water instead of tea or coffee Been off work for few days with the dreaded bug but back on the mend now only good side hopefully lost a few pounds to kickstart me into getting back on diet wagon another one hoping to lose few more pounds through frugal lifestyle less alcohol and more walking to bus stop instead of car to work will be a start

thanks for tip on times for whoopsies Flying -fresian I always seem to miss our reductions but will try our local store around that time
natnat13 i too am trying not to use tumble dryer and now use hangers on every available space upstairs over frames etc socks underwear still have to go on airer but find they dry so much quicker on hangers dont get the damp smell you sometimes get if washing about for days

still going OK for this month NSD today but early days yet