Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

seriouslyfrugal

Hi


Welcome miss empty piggy :hello:

Today should be a NSD for me today :T


January for me has been ok i've kept within budget even with the car insurance being paid so i'm very pleased ive even made a saving :jI have planned for 2 or 3 more spend days this month

thanks to everyone for the inspirational posts and here's to a sucessful February for all of us !!!

SandraScarlett

A huge "thank you" to Cheryl for starting this thread. The beauty of it is that you can dip in and out, reading when you want to, posting if you like, clicking the "thanks" button, ignoring it if you so wish, finding out ways that others economise, getting inspiration for super recipes etc etc.

The joy of this thread is that it is not a competition, but purely based on our own individual achievements. We're all runners in this Marathon, but there are no losers, only winners, all aiming for a Personal Best.

So thank you again, Cheryl, :A and thank you, everyone, for all your support.

xx

cw18

And an even bigger "thankyou" to Frugaldom for having started running the challenge on MSE a few years back :T

I'm purely the current 'original poster' of the latest thread for the on-going challenge

enjoyfinancialchallenges

cw18 wrote: »

And an even bigger "thankyou" to Frugaldom for having started running the challenge on MSE a few years back :T

I'm purely the current 'original poster' of the latest thread for the on-going challenge

Have just read Cheryls post and a big thank you for carrying on and coping with us all and wondered if NYK is still around and watching to see how well we are all doing as a result of her original thread. A BIG thank you and as you can see we are all still managing our budgets and new people are joining each day. How about posting and telling us how you are doing. XX

redglass_2

grandma247 wrote: »

NB you could make meals such as chicken and veg casserole by just putting all the ingredients in a bag and freezing it as is so you can just pop it in a dish and cook. I used to do this a lot when I had all the kids at home and I worked.

Thanks, Grandma, a brilliant idea and so simple! :T

cw18 wrote: »

And an even bigger "thankyou" to Frugaldom for having started running the challenge on MSE a few years back :T

Hear, hear! I remember all the inspiration from Frugaldom and Sophie's Mum - it was wonderful what they achieved! But you are certainly living up to the tradition, CW18. :T
Midwinter: thank you, I've sent off for my free tomatoes. :T
SandraScarlett, you are a tonic! :j

Last but not least, a dodgy hug for SlowlyFading :grouphug: and for anyone else who needs one. My memory is rubbish....

rozeepozee

Hi, everyone. I'm not managing to read or post as much as I would like but this month hasn't ben bad. I'm getting back into the frugal state of mind having fallen off the wagon a little towards the end of last year, after my twins were born. It was a case of not worrying about spending as we were only just surviving the babies!!!

As great as Cheryl's budget spreadsheet is, I find it hard to find time to get to the computer so I've invested in a financial app for my iPhone (another 'spend it' from last year but I could afford it, even if I wince every time I see the £40 per month DD on my account - prior to that it was an old phone and £10 a month). I can record things minute by minute, so don't get a backlog. This is revealing - if a little scarey! For example, I can't believe I spent £175 on the children's bit and pieces, but snacks and creche passes at the gym and music classes, all add up!

I'm hoping that, once the weather turns brighter, we'll be able to use our campervan kitchen facilities a bit more and won't get caught out buying at expensive service stations and cafes.

And we seem to have spent £180 this month on petrol :eek:

So, I'm having a long think about where we can save and then I'll have a realistic idea of how much we spend. This is important as we are hoping to buy a smallholding later this year or next and we don't want to overstretch ourselves but do want to buy the largest plot of land we can afford. So knowing these things is really quite important.

I'm hoping to be able to keep up with posts more frequently by reading on my iphone (though I'm gonna need specs soon if I do!) as i found the tips and encouragement on this thread so useful in the first part of last year.

rozeepozee

Another thought: does anyone else here find Martin's weekly email sometimes counter productive as it can encourage one to spend when you otherwise wouldn't? I keep following links to bargains and sales and then have to keep reminding myself that I don't need these things and it's not a saving if I wasn't going to buy it anyway.

I haven't succumbed so far and i can't wait for the car boot sale season to start so I can get my shopping fix on the cheap!

Lily_The_Legend

midwinter wrote: »

Lily_The_Legend ~ you've done very very well with freebies and competition wins! Your sig has inspired me to try harder!! Thanks

That's great, there are some good freebies out there! Some of the ones in my sig are low-spend ones, but I only get ones I think are worth it. There are some quiet periods, but I've got some lovely goodies over the last year or so!

Lily_The_Legend

Welcome miss empty piggy! :hello:

Erme - I hope you're ok!

Nuala - that's good your doctor is supporting you in getting disability allowance. :A

cw18 wrote: »

And an even bigger "thankyou" to Frugaldom for having started running the challenge on MSE a few years back :T

I'm purely the current 'original poster' of the latest thread for the on-going challenge

Thank you to both Frugaldom for the idea in the first place and to Cheryl for starting this year's thread. :T

gien

rozeepozee wrote: »

Hi, everyone. I'm not managing to read or post as much as I would like but this month hasn't ben bad. I'm getting back into the frugal state of mind having fallen off the wagon a little towards the end of last year, after my twins were born. It was a case of not worrying about spending as we were only just surviving the babies!!!

As great as Cheryl's budget spreadsheet is, I find it hard to find time to get to the computer so I've invested in a financial app for my iPhone (another 'spend it' from last year but I could afford it, even if I wince every time I see the £40 per month DD on my account - prior to that it was an old phone and £10 a month). I can record things minute by minute, so don't get a backlog. This is revealing - if a little scarey! For example, I can't believe I spent £175 on the children's bit and pieces, but snacks and creche passes at the gym and music classes, all add up!

I'm hoping that, once the weather turns brighter, we'll be able to use our campervan kitchen facilities a bit more and won't get caught out buying at expensive service stations and cafes.

And we seem to have spent £180 this month on petrol :eek:

So, I'm having a long think about where we can save and then I'll have a realistic idea of how much we spend. This is important as we are hoping to buy a smallholding later this year or next and we don't want to overstretch ourselves but do want to buy the largest plot of land we can afford. So knowing these things is really quite important.

I'm hoping to be able to keep up with posts more frequently by reading on my iphone (though I'm gonna need specs soon if I do!) as i found the tips and encouragement on this thread so useful in the first part of last year.

Kids stuff really does add up doesn't it and you have it double with twins!!

Which app did you get for your phone? I'd like to have something on mine so I can easily record purchases as they happen otherwise I just end up loosing all the receipts.