Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

apple_mint

SandraScarlett wrote: »

AN ODE TO ALL OF US :beer:

I haven't saved a fortune, but I know I've saved a lot
I ask myself now daily "Do I need this thing or not"

...........

So thank you fellow posters, I am like a pig in clover
Because today, I'm thrilled to say, that January is over!!!

:beer: :beer: WELL DONE US!!! :beer: :beer:

xx

Absolutely brilliant SandraScarlett :T:D
Welcome to all the new frugalistas who have joined us. We are a frugal challenge 'snowball'. Rolling along and growing and growing

Well done everyone on their own personal frugal challenge. Just knowing how much has been spent is a big start. I can't cut rent, rates etc., but none fixed items can be looked at a bit harder.

I've finished January on or under budget in all areas except hairdressing. I've changed my hairdresser to a local one who is a little more expensive but it means I don't have to do a 34 mile round trip on a Saturday morning just for a haircut. So the saving on time and petrol money probably covers the difference. Fuel is being eeked out, but as I took leave last month and didn't go back to work until the 10th I did expect to come under budget on diesel. This month will start the real challenge on this. OH and I both have a vehicle each (necessary in a remote rural area) but we think long and hard about planning journeys and covering several tasks with one trip. Hence the change in hairdresser.

So February .... bring on the frugal challenge month two

mooomin

Morning folks and happy new budgeteering month

My first saving this morning was buying some MP3s from Amazon using leftover gift certificate money, so they have cost me nothing I've also paid the TV licence from my account this morning and for some reason it's gone down by £1 :rotfl:

Frugal plans for today:

Make breakfast at home
Offer to go to the canteen for work colleagues so I can collect loyalty stamps on my card which will lead to a free cuppa for me
Home-made tattie soup for lunch (yum!)
Mr Fresian making dinner - not necessarily frugal, but less work for me
I'm also thinking about going to the movies with a friend tonight, so I'll see if she's free after work.

Have a good day all

Kerry_Woman

23rdspiral - Hope things get sorted out with your meeting.

Sandra - Your poem is great. Thanks for posting it.

Siouxsie32

flying_fresian wrote: »

Offer to go to the canteen for work colleagues so I can collect loyalty stamps on my card which will lead to a free cuppa for me

What a great idea FF!!! I never thought of that one :T

lynzpower

Sorry I missed last nights "check out" but jsut to say we are over. that is probably because we have paid council tax up to the end of March and so forth. This month is insurance month so will probably be over. It will all even itself out over the year...

Bought a nights holiday with our underspend for last month ( £44+CB Have told OH we need to suffer a bit more to get the rest paid for lol

I have gone onto a zone 2 + 3 ticket this week and using zone extentions to go to and from town, its an experiment to see if it works out cheaper, Im not sure yet but I think it is I think , must have anotrher go to see if I can locate the student discount form today.

OH bought some shoes, from his budget - I spent nothing on clothing!

Underspends
GAS :j
food :j
toiletries and cleaning :j
Xmas/ presents./ gifts in general

Overspends
Council tax

Am going to try much much harder then this month, I think we are going to do OK. The worst of the cold weather is over for now I think so the heating is mostly off.

natnat13

Martin loved the poem!! Yay!!!! Happy February everyone :j

Kiwisaver_2

Hi my Frugalistas friends, hope everyone is okay. Unfortunately, I've no time to keep up with the pace of this thread at the moment, so not able to comment on prior posts.

I had a good January on the finance front as I've mostly not felt like going anywhere near the shops unless it was absolutely needed. I have spent a total of $799.33 (about 320 quids), so well within my budget.

Considering I'm on the same $15k budget as last year, looking back to last January (my first proper frugal challenge month) it was a big effort and I felt really hard done by when I 'only' spent $973 It just goes to show you how far I have come in a year of doing this. Not spending money has almost become second nature! :T

NualaBuala

Hi everyone and Happy February!



Nicelette, thanks for sharing the soup recipe, it looks lovely.

FF – you have done great with your budget – well done!


23rdspiral - I don't think it's reasonable to expect you to give up time off work and spend money on petrol to make a 45 minute journey into work. If you don't want to make an issue of it, could you make an excuse that you've got something else on that day and can't come in? I hope you get another job soon. x

ceridwen wrote: »

'Twas I that wondered about everyone else's typical Old Style Days.[IMG]file:///C:/WINDOWS/TEMP/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG]

Re the enzyme cleaner - I'm still working through the stash of cleaners I have at present - so not got round to the enzyme one yet....

Howevers...what I DID wonder the other day was whether this cleaner might be multi-purpose in effect? Reason - I was reading an article about some high-end cosmetic with enzymes in for helping to maintain/regain youthful bloom on skin and thought "Hmmm...enzymes eh? wonder if that enzyme cleaner would have the same effect????" Whaddya think? Would it maybe roll back the years on my skin?[IMG]file:///C:/WINDOWS/TEMP/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.gif[/IMG]

Hmmm, maybe you could make your own fruit acid peel/face mask - I don't think I'd chance it though as they can be very damaging and it would be hard to predict how acidic it is and what results it would give.

Rubytuesday, sounds like a very busy day - and a nice way to unwind at the end of it. I will look for that thread where you can vote for posts, thanks for the idea. Edit: just saw NatNat posted that Martin loved the poem – yay!!!

For anyone getting into growing food, check out Aldi – I noticed on Thurs they have fruit bushes, seeds and hanging baskets. I think they and Lidl have stuff in regularly from now on so well worth keeping an eye out.


No point posting my budget results as it's geared towards balancing over a year rather than monthly. The one area I have spent extra on is food but I think it will balance out in time. If it doesn't then I will tweak the budget so more is allowed for food and I cut back somewhere else.


Hope you all have a great day!

mogan6

Thanks for that FF, I've downloaded it - it's nice to get a freebie.:)

My budget for January was about right considering that I've only been trying for a few days. I'm hoping to see a difference in February though as what I have been spending in the past has been a bit mad!

HM leek and potato soup for lunch today and this evening we are having cod steaks with courgettes in a tomato sauce and new potatoes, everything is out of the cupboard/freezer except the courgettes which I have had to buy - but that's not too bad.

Mo
xx

redglass_2

mogan6 wrote: »

This morning I have been through all my cupboards and have done an inventory which I've put onto a spreadsheet. I then emailed it to myself (which I can access on my mobile). So now when I go shopping at least I know what I already have!!

I've been reading that a lot of you buy beans/pulses in bulk, if it's not too much trouble could anyone suggest anywhere to find recipes for these. Mo xx

I'm speechless at the inventory on the mobile....RESPECT!

Re the pulses, some of us go to places like Costcutter but that doesn't work for me (too far away). I sometimes find pulses on Approved Foods and if they are a sort that I use, I buy in bulk. They tend to be a bit elderly and need lots of soaking, but I've had no real duds yet and they are cheap. (Though AF doesn't seem as cheap as it once was, or is that just me????)

We also have a local community co-op where you can buy pulses but not always the ones I want, and opening times are restricted.

CRANKY40 wrote: »

I can crochet by the way. Not well enough to follow a complicated pattern, but if anyone lives near Merseyside/on the Wirral and needs a hand getting started I would be willing to help. Same with knitting.

I have a lovely mental image of the Flying Craft Doctor being called out to a Craft Disaster Scene. ('Will it need stitches?') Sorry, I can be very silly at times.

My Jan budget is well over target and it's mostly lapses to do with groceries. I don't think I'll post it (too embarrassed to reveal the terrible truth!) but will learn the lesson for next month. Weezl's site will be a help - I didn't have that before.