Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

Erme

Kerry_Woman wrote: »

Erme - Sorry to hear about the carboot sale. Hope all goes well in your business venture.

Apparently I can set up a website but no one's going to come to it... or something? According to my pc guru guy....afterI fork out£32 for domains :eek:....

But anyhow...I'm having one of those :eek: money weeks...:(

Best get a few NSD's in then (can someone please clarify if a DD of a utility counts only on x day counts as an NSD or not?)

E

Kerry_Woman

Erme - Sending you hugs.

Savvy_sewing

I was thinking that I was doing quite well, but by following a link to a website, I then saw a book I would like, and although I remembered to go via quidco, I went and surfed even more books and have absentmindedly spent £65 on books!!!!!! Good grief! I really am in trouble if I spend that on books before I even get into the new year.! Now these books are about sewing, (and one on living on less?), so I will have to make sure that the cost of them are reaped back through my sewing being sold! Some how. I am no longer in the village I used to sell my things at, and have not really been sewing. So I best get my act together.!

23rdspiral

Hi, i'm just checking in. hope everyone's well? i'll catch up later.

i've had a fairly frugal but very exciting day today - i went to birmingham for work!:j i've only been once before and then only v.briefy so it was very interesting. after work i went and looked at the blue dotty building and bought a diary from Selfridges Paperchase with birthday money (i had ordered one from Waterstones on Dec 31st but it's still not come! so i've cancelled it. bad of them to not tell me it was out of stock for a week either.:()

but irritatingly the card machine at the station car park wouldnt take my card so i had to break my 'emergency' 20quid . I also spent 3.18 in sainsburys on milk, olives and motzerealla and salami... to jazz up all the HM pasta sauce i made with the 9p toms! (and still overall cheaper than bought sauce!):D

natnat13

Erme wrote: »

Apparently I can set up a website but no one's going to come to it... or something? According to my pc guru guy....afterI fork out£32 for domains :eek:....

But anyhow...I'm having one of those :eek: money weeks...:(

Best get a few NSD's in then (can someone please clarify if a DD of a utility counts only on x day counts as an NSD or not?)

E

Why will no one come to your website hun? It's all about the keywords to get higher up on search engines, you may as well give it a go now you've bought domains x

midwinter

Was going to be an NSD today, but, given the appalling weather, thought that Mr M's might have been quiet today, and might have a few whoopsies... so braved the gales, driving rain, walked/blown along, and got over £15 of food for under £2 My kind of day, and well worth the effort to go and see if there were bargains to be had

Thanks for the heads up on the knitting wool...whoever that was (!) will see where my nearest Lid* may be. If anyone lives near a Boyes, apparently their "winter" sale starts tomorrow.

And well done to Salski, great results on the shopping/saving/paying off overdraft news!

23rdspiral

so i caught up now as OH is later home than me!

redglass wrote: »

Still, I've come a long way from my twenties when I would treat myself to anything I fancied and thought the night wasn't complete without endless rounds of drinks and preferably a restaurant meal too. And there's no denying the power of the spreadsheet of wonder - there it all is, down in black and white! Guilty as charged! :rotfl:

scary isn't it? looking back on how much we could have saved!

flying_fresian - good luck with your healthy snacking! one of my biggest weaknesses is choc digestives. i've managed not to buy any this year due to the fear of having to admit them to the Spreadsheet of Wonder!

Kerry Woman - wow! you must be so chuffed to reduce your Jan budget this year! what whith the really high price of wheat ect! :T

Mooloo- maybe you can off set your books against tax as a work expense?! :rotfl: good luck hun! i made a little bamboo handle bag yesterday as i just didnt have anything suitable for taking my stitching on the train with. i'm so glad it did, it worked great for that, my ticket and my phone which meant i could put my handbag under the seat neatly. rah for sewing!:D

Erme - so sorry to hear the carboot didnt go well. hope things pick up for you soon.

whoever it was asking re genders, - just to say, yes i am a girl.

cw18

Erme wrote: »

(can someone please clarify if a DD of a utility counts only on x day counts as an NSD or not?)

E

Within the NSD challenge thread it depends on a persons own rules.

The majority of people exclude these as a 'spend', as it's something that has to be paid - but there are one or two others (including myself) who count them. So I just try and do all other spending (eg. groceries) on the days a D/Debit goes out of my bank.

mooomin

cw18 wrote: »

The majority of people exclude these as a 'spend', as it's something that has to be paid - but there are one or two others (including myself) who count them. So I just try and do all other spending (eg. groceries) on the days a D/Debit goes out of my bank.

I admire your discipline - if I did that I would only spend on 5 days of the month :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

enjoyfinancialchallenges

I have altered what I think is my signature and am now only including what is spent on my C/C, because that's all I can control at the moment. The D/Ds I have already reduced to as low as I can and am constantly reviewing them, so why give myself more work to do. Prior to the beginning of this year I always had enough in my 'little savings pots' to pay back my currant account from them when I paid something I had budgeted for over the year but this year I helped my DD pay off her debts by using from all these savings pots and more and am now starting from the beginning again. That has left me a bit short of the readies but I know I will get through it and the more I eat from my larder and freezer the more I can put back. As far as Ermes question about are D/Ds included in NSDs well I only include what I spend on daily things, the things I'm in control of. I'm not sure if all this makes sense, well it does to me and I hope to others. I have lots of people I want to say thanks to or make comments to but when the thread moves quickly and I don't have the time I cant remember who they are so a group thanks to you all for support where given and suggestions where they were given and 'anybody else who knows me'.

I'd like to look at Weezles recipes and menu plans if someone can point me in the right direction please.