Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

enjoyfinancialchallenges

23rdspiral wrote: »

right. this isn't right. i've put my thinking cap on and here's my best shots:

just some thoughts off the top of my head

1. i assume you're no where near Royston or Corby or Peterborough (i'm terrible with geography, if you are PM me)

2. i assume that you have to pay postage on these internet bought jars? so what if nice people you knew, on here or wherever, saved and packaged up and posted to you the right kind of / size of jars... you could pay them postage costs... it might be a lot cheaper than the internet? and therefore worth the effort?

3 - 8. i used to offer lots of jars on freecycle, i save all year for my chutney and often have them leftover. but after soo many timewasters i gave up even looking at the site! maybe others have too or then theres the people that wouldnt even think or it or arent online... so....
...how about posting a 'wanted' sign on your local community centre / leisure centre / church / library / supermarket / villiage notice board? you could try to see what you get donated for free, and if not maybe offer 10p / 25p a jar ??? (no idea how much they are online!)

9. EDIT: also a poster on the actual recycling bin? that might be against a bylaw i dont know....

10. EDIT do you have recycling boxes in your area? have you asked your neighbours if you can raid theirs for their jars? easier for them than saving and washing them for you, but you never know they might! why not get brave and ask your whole street / neighbourhood!!

11. Edit: ooh, how about asking at your local Tip or Tip Shop (in my county they are not seperate entieies, how daft!) they are bound to get boxes in now and again.

12. Edit: Maybe even leave a 'goods wanted' note at your local charity shops - not the kind of thing they'd put out but they probably get given them sometimes. i recomend a note as they can pin it by the sorting table so different staff know and also so they dont forget!

13. OR how about your local care home ect, most will have to pay to have rubbish taken away and i suppose they might let you go round to collect any glass jam / sauce jars they have?

14. Or is there a Scrap Store near you? they possibly wont have jars in due to the glass but you could always leave a 'goods wanted' note with them so if they are offered they can take on your behalf (you'd pay bucket fees) or possibly even let you have the contact details (free items)

15. Or... a lady at my local car boot uses old glasses mugs ect, with celephane & elastic band lids... seems popular. but i bought one once and dropped it and it had no strength so smashed eand oozed verywhere.

16. OR... and i've read of people actually doing this on the Old Style boards... buying the 9p Curry Sauce from any of the big 4 supermarkets and using what you can, giving it away in old marge/takeaway tubs to neighbours to use up within a couple or days... OR freezing it in said tubs if you have big freezer space OR throw a pot luck curry party where everyone brings a different vegetable to throw into the pot OR .... people even report simply throwing it away!! :eek:

That's all i can think of for now. good luck!

Thanks for doing a brain storm for me 23rdspiral I've lots to consider that I hadn't thought of before, I will probably ask around more and put notices up at local shops and the supermarket. Glass isn't collected for recycling from houses we have to take it to the tip ourself and we are asked to remove lids so I need to get in there before they are thrown away. There is a old persons home nearby I will ask there also, Oh, lots of ideas now, flowing fast and furious now. I can ask on the Thursday bus before the bus service is withdrawn. I didn't understand the last one about the curry sauce probably because I never have take aways. I will also ask for jars to be returned when I start selling and give a discount on the next jar of produce bought.
Thanks once more will go to bed and dream of jam jars now . X

youngmummy

hi all hope everyone is well, we might be moving in the next four weeks or so if everythink goes to plan which will mess up my budget for the year (in red) we will no longer be paying what is in red so will save us a bit of money but we need too do the garden for LO and the dog as well as we might have too get a few bits of furniture due too down sizing (still a 2 bed) but smaller (we have bulky furniture). this may include new bedroom furniture for our room and a new sofa, have managed to persuade OH too let me have the one ive wanted for the last 18 months which is half price in the sale :T

youngmummy wrote: »

my new total is to be less than £11,000
not very frugal but am not too disheartend as its my first year, will hopefully come under budget

here it is broken down ::

outgoings

petrol £1760/£30 (would like to cut to £25 p/wk when we have moved)
elec £880/£30
gas £440/£10
garage rent £255.20/£11.10
tv licence £158/£7.15p
food £2349/£73
life insurance £220
water £339/£20
sky tv £330
intenet and house phone £484
mobiles £577
xmas £1300
birthdays £270
bike insurance mot and tax £400
loan £380/£20
bacci £440/£8
clothes and other £387.80p
total outgoings £11,000.00p:mad: :eek::eek::eek::eek::(:(:(:(:(

mooomin

minnie2 wrote: »

love reading your posts - admire your systems and ways - wish i thought like you do!! i am tying to get my head round things. you seem so organised!!

It's a cunning ruse

I started this challenge last year, but had probably bowed out by this time as I had vastly overspent. I'm now another year of budgeteering down the line and think I'm ready for the challenge! I'm doing well as I have a relatively high budget for the year, but think that I need to start at this level and work my way down.

I work in an unsettled industry (banking. And no, I'm not a fatcat banker with a bonus in the tens of thousands ) and feel that this year I really have to improve my budgeting skills in case of redundancy. If I do all I can in my personal life to prepare my budgeting skills and all I can at work to improve my CV then it might be ok....:o

This morning I received my 3 Reward payments (£15 total) and have put them into my ISA along with a small amount of the rent money I get every month from our lodger. I've put £280 of that rent money aside for the car insurance which is due in a couple of weeks. I think it will be closer to £400 but I will pay for the shortfall from my wages at the end of March - I'll be putting the insurance on my credit card anyway to benefit from Tesco points :money:

Right, better get ready for work. Overtime only counts if you're in early

23rdspiral

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

I didn't understand the last one about the curry sauce probably because I never have take aways. I will also ask for jars to be returned when I start selling and give a discount on the next jar of produce bought.
Thanks once more will go to bed and dream of jam jars now .

you're very welcome. I just got on a roll!

re the Curry Sauce, of course, you're not going to supermarkets are you? sorry if i wasnt clear.... i meant the very cheap glass jars of curry sauce that Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tescos (maybe others?) sell. It's usually on the bottom shelf under brands like Patacks. It's not great curry (add a pinch of gram masala spice and it's better) but at 9p a Jar it could be more economic to buy and eat, or even buy and give / throw away the contents to be able to re-use the jar. I've read people on the Old Style Forum doing this.

The supermarkets also sell cheap pasta sauce in this way, but i dont like it so dont know the price but it's going to be under 30p a jar.

That's a really good idea to ask people to do returns, and to ask on the bus! good luck!!

23rdspiral

i've just been going over my SoW and some of it is good, and some isnt! areas of note are:

~ Groceries - have spent way more in Feb than Jan and dont really have anything to show for it. oh well.
~ Petrol - spent less, but then filled up on March 1st so not a real saving really.
~ Clothes - nothing spent this month!! :j i want to loose weight so i know i shouldnt untill i do.
~ Others - mainly craft - i spent 107.08 in Jan !!! But only 39.16 in Feb!!! and that was on goods worth 140!!! so i am very pleased with my spaving (highly discounted fabric to cover sofa in early summer), and with my 'I'll have to explain that to the SoW so let's not buy it" mantra.

Oh and i had another NSD so that's 12/11 :j

Erme

Sorry for late check in...really late night following way too much nicorette products yesterday (was doing the ironing @ 9pm) so now am really tired and really down and back on the cigs but have only bought 3oz this week. :j......That will do me for a few days till I'm ready to give it a bash again

Anyhow I'm sure half the battle in the first week is being confident in your NRT products and now I know I can get more than enough nicotine using a combo of spray and e-cig so I might just try patches and e-cig/inhalator for the next bout. If I need the e-cig it won't have an effect on me on top of the patches plus Savers have the combo pack of high strength patch and low strength gum in @ the moment for £4.99 which might be a goer....

I don't know...even like low strength lozenge could be a real help with the odd killer craving though I just need to fool myself I'm getting nicotine even if if I'm not and try the high strength patch (25mg/16 hours)...I have everything in...it's just a matter of days

So feeling completely over tired and symptomatic (often get symptomatic when over tired) and just praying I can sleep tonight cos I have a busy day tomorrow am and if I don't sleep (will sleep tomorrow night though...will smoke all day) I'm done for :eek:

And I found somewhere for cheap wool (Nickel and Dime) and they even have what look like decent (but cheap) ironing boards for £8.99...

Have also found someone to look after my ratties but now am terribly hungry and have very little food in...Might be a trip to the chippy tonight methinks (with the stick cos have just taken 2 shots of vodka - never normally drink just so desperate for sleep)....

E

redglass_2

Erme wrote: »

And I found somewhere for cheap wool (Nickel and Dime) and they even have what look like decent (but cheap) ironing boards for £8.99...

I wouldn't worry too much about doing the ironing at 9pm, Erme - I've done it then and also a lot later! But I thought you'd just bought an ironing board, or am I mixing you up with another frugalista?

On the subject of jars, I like Douwe Egberts instant coffee because it comes in a glass storage jar. I keep herbs, dried foods, nuts etc in these jars. Don't know if they stand up to heat for jam-making but you could always put one in the oven to warm and then test it with boiling water. The glass top has a plastic lining so couldn't be put on until later, but then you don't put the top on straight away anyway.

Local cafes and B&B's might be good places to ask about jars.

enjoyfinancialchallenges

Erme wrote: »

Sorry for late check in...really late night following way too much nicorette products yesterday (was doing the ironing @ 9pm) so now am really
E

I'm a night owl also and make my best marmalade around midnight, I don't usually get to bed until about 2am and naturally sleep late but this will have to change soon because the garden needs a lot of time spent in it, tonight I was outside until just after 6pm!!! The evenings are definitely getting lighter now.

redglass wrote: »

I wouldn't worry too much about doing the ironing at 9pm, Erme - I've done it then and also a lot later! But I thought you'd just bought an ironing board, or am I mixing you up with another frugalista?

On the subject of jars, I like Douwe Egbert's instant coffee because it comes in a glass storage jar. I keep herbs, dried foods, nuts etc in these jars. Don't know if they stand up to heat for jam-making but you could always put one in the oven to warm and then test it with boiling water. The glass top has a plastic lining so couldn't be put on until later, but then you don't put the top on straight away anyway.

Local caf!s and B&B's might be good places to ask about jars.

You are all wonderful on this thread by thinking of ways of obtaining jam jars that I hadn't. Today I went around bribing people with a small jar of marmalade and asking them to keep jars in the future for me, it worked immediately in many cases. I was given a lot of the Douwe E coffee jars which even though I'm unsure that they will be OK for jams etc I think for something like home made lemon curd which doesn't keep long they will be fine, and the customer will either have a nice jar to keep or return it and get a discount on the next jar.
My friends and family wouldn't dare keep them.
I'm having a couple of days preserving pan free whilst I regroup for the next citrus onslaught probably tomorrow. I shall only do two more batches as I've got loads to sell now, unless....unless.....unless I get the urge again to cook again. Then its a wait until my strawberries start to ripen in late spring/summer and I may not get many this year as its a new strawberry garden. I'm sure I'll find something to turn into jams though.

I've had a lovely surprise tonight, last night I passed on an armchair I received on freecycle but then changed my mind because it looked too big in my lounge. It was collected by two guys last night and then I received an email to say one of the men had lost his specs probably on the side of the road. I took my wind up torch and searched the roadside, we don't have any street lights in my village, I couldn't find them and looked again this morning but still no luck. Later on whilst visiting my neighbor with a pot of marmalade to do my bribing stint I noticed something unusual shining by the roadside and yes it was the lost spec case undamaged. I jokingly told the guy he could have them back if he brought me some jam jars and tonight he bought a bag containing about 20 jars with lids and a great big bunch of roses, wasn't that wonderful and completely unexpected. Well the roses were I thought he would bring a jar or two but 20, well my eyes nearly came out if their sockets. There are some very good kind people in this world.

mooomin

It's a shame you're so far away EFC, I always have a stash of jars even though I don't make jam :rotfl:

I was on track for a NSD today. I had spent nothing and was on my way home from the bus when Mr F texted me and asked me to buy milk. Bah!! Not only ruining my NSD but having to pay £1.30 at the corner shop. Double bah!

In better news, I received a lovely note from a fellow member of the PAD thread today. She reads the Daily Mail and has been collecting tokens for me so that I can apply to get a Royal Doulton figurine for £29.99 instead of around £120. This will be my mum's birthday present (and should earn me many brownie points!!) It was very kind of her to do this for me, so I'm really pleased

I would love to think that tomorrow will be a NSD, but we have very little food in the house so I think I will have to go to Morrisons. Maybe a Friday NSD might happen...!!

twiglet98

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

I'm a night owl also and make my best marmalade around midnight, I don't usually get to bed until about 2am and naturally sleep late but this will have to change soon because the garden needs a lot of time spent in it, tonight I was outside until just after 6pm!!! The evenings are definitely getting lighter now.

Me too, EFC, the family are early to bed, early to rise, but I'm often up until the early hours, though I regret it at work next day. Baking late on a Sunday night isn't a great idea with manic Mondays at work, but I do enjoy it!

I missed the Seville season AGAIN, and was wondering about the Jaffa oranges on offer in Mr T, would they need lemons, limes or grapefruit added? I got a lovely golden "Autumn Marmalade" from the farmer's market, and can't remember what was in it - but I'm the only one in the family who likes marmalade, and I'm not very good at selling home made stuff. Maybe worth heading to the monthly pannier market in the next village if I do make enough that I'm happy with.