Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

silvasava

Nargle - I used to watch all of Alvin Hall's programmes - he was spot on, I think him and Martin have the same outlook!
Decided to go out somewhere today as it was sunny. Quick visit to DS & DDiL & then a few miles away to Bishops Waltham & walk round the ruins (EH so free!) Been past so often but never stopped. When we parked I heard some music & there was a farmers market in the village with 4 youngsters playing - they were fab. Walked round the market DH always ruled by his tum bought 3 pasties - £10.00 ('Why 3 when there are only 2 of us? - cos they were 3.50 each so it was cheaper - don't even begin to understand his thought processes sometimes - put it down to the fact he was hungry!) Then he smelt the hog roast so I knew I was fighting a losing battle - £7. Then he decided he'd like some cake to go with his cuppa when we got home - Fig & Peach £4.90. I sliced it when we got home - not too impressed with the look. First bite - YUK - much too sweet & tasted 'fowsty'. I just hope the pasties are better. (Note to self: Start baking again & stock freezer)
The Bishop's Palace ruins were lovely though - smashing place for a picnic (not when there's a Farmers Market though!)

mooomin

redglass wrote: »

Thanks Lola and Tumpty and Meg72,, that's made me feel less of a failure! I'm not going, I still intend to be frugal and keep up with the thread, but if I'm not recording all my outgoings I won't know how far I was off my target spend, so strictly speaking I'm shifting the goalposts rather than sticking to the original challenge, IYSWIM.

I managed to stick to the spreadsheet for five or six months then stopped. I'm not amazing at recording things. I just know that I'm good with money in comparison to my friends/peers and work according to the funds I've got.

I've made a very non-frugal purchase this week - a new car It's not brand new, but is from 2009 and is therefore the newest car we've ever had. I have had to take out a small loan to pay for it, but half the money came from savings, so I'm pretty pleased with this. I would like to repay it a lot more quickly than the repayment term, so I'm going to be firmly on the frugal wagon for the rest of the year and beyond.

23rdspiral

Hi all, and welcome LadyMay, what a nice first post that was:)

I've not been fab at recording since we moved and my computer was on the blink for ages.. Back in may. Oh well. I do know I'm spending less, and much less on silly things, and this thread has helped so much in that. I still regard myself as taking the frugal challenge despite this. If I had to leave, id get disheartened, and maybe it'd be like a diet blip that undoes all my good efforts, maybe give up the frugal fight... Then gosh knows where I'd be!

I was aiming for a NSD but oh bought coffee and cake for friends at the park. I can't begrudge his generosity as it was his spends but they still live at their mums and have no idea!

Brunch was a throw all leftovers in omlette - was pleased to find black pudding, red onion and cold potatoes do go well together.

Last night we succumbed to pizza from coop... £4 for two on offer, and Very tasty, and cheaper than takeaway. I used the gas oven in the 'big over the top but not very good cooker' that came with the house. It does cook bread based stuff wonderfully.

...I've been wondering which is cheaper to use, the electric fan oven or the gas oven? They are about the same size.

tumptyteapot

slowlyfading - thinking of you, hope your grandma is ok
silvasava - is your oh a large man ? :-) or have I just forgotton how much men eat :-) He must cost a fortune to run!

alec_eiffel

tumptyteapot wrote: »

I don't think she had a particulary rich start in life, wasn't her dad a taxi driver?

I found this today - http://thepowerofless.com/2008/12/free-ebook-thriving-on-less-simplifying-in-a-tough-economy/ it's a free ebook about living on less, nothing we don't know but nice to see it written down. It recomends a book called Your Money or Your Life (by by vicki robin and joe dominguez no Alvin Hall). Has anyone read it?

YMOYL by Robin and Dominguez is a classic!

If you're interested take a look at the simplelivingforum.net site. These forums are quite small at the minute, it replaces simpleliving.net which was a great site for many years but the guy running it couldn't do it any longer. The forums discuss general frugality and financial management but there is a section about the FI program outlined in the book. It's a very holistic and at times philosophical look at money - although there are the usual discussions about reusable toilet paper and not shopping at Walmart. Financialintegrity.org is the sister site and outlines the 9 steps and all the basics of the book.

I'm a Dave Ramsey girl but this book is life changing.

Aril

:rotfl:Hello fellow frugallers:j
Welcome Ladymay. Lots of good news- congratulations Weesmiler and Kolakube and enjoy the car FF

I have a small frugal purchase to declare....a new to me bike called Sugar Plum. I've bought her from a chap who does up donated bikes for free and then sells them on to help a local homeless charity. I shall be giving him my old one in due course. I am very excited:D although it's got 15 gears and I'm such an old fossil I've only ever had 3 and don't believe I've ever even used all them:rotfl:The plan is to get fitter and save money on fuel- OH tells me I need to cycle 300 miles to recoup the outlay:eek:

I'm another one who doesn't keep a record of spends apart from for the grocery challenge as that does really encourage me to keep within the budget I've set myself. I try not to spend unnecessarily and am pretty self disciplined...apart from when I'm in Poundland that is when I have been known to throw anything up to 200 pennies around with gay abandon:rotfl:
Arilx

rubytuesday

Hello everyone hope you are all well.

I have been AWOL for a while as my usual haunt the Arms had become outrageously nasty and I was also getting fed up with my serial stalker!

I returned briefly and it seemed just as bad so departed again.

Anyway a break from here is good sometimes!

I have been busy busy busy sanding my bedroom floorboards - they have come up really well, I am so pleased and also clearing up after the mess the workman who came to fit a new water tank left in their wake!
They had to take down the ceiling and I discovered what looked like the internal doors to my shutters in the front room but in fact it is one of the original VIctorian doors so I will do that up and fit it.

I haven't been too frugal as I have been going to jumbles and went to my first car boot sale in years the other day and I have had some brilliant finds-still I'm not exactly spending a fortune!

I've not managed to record my spending and have a pile of receipts waiting to be sorted but in the mean time I am trying to get square here which is more important to me.

Kerry_Woman

tumptyteapot and alec eiffel - Thanks for the links.

Hugs for those who need them.

redglass_2

All the non-recorders are coming out of the woodwork now! It's like an AA meeting: My name is Redglass and I don't keep proper records.

But I feel a lot more cheerful to realise I'm in such good company.

Have lots of fun with the new car and bike, Aril and FF!

rubytuesday wrote: »

I have been AWOL for a while as my usual haunt the Arms had become outrageously nasty and I was also getting fed up with my serial stalker! I returned briefly and it seemed just as bad so departed again.

I don't frequent the Arms but you do hear of it getting unpleasant over there. Are you serious about someone 'stalking' you, even if it's cyberstalking? It sounds horrible, have you reported them?

redglass_2

tumptyteapot wrote: »

I don't think she had a particulary rich start in life, wasn't her dad a taxi driver?

I found this today - http://thepowerofless.com/2008/12/free-ebook-thriving-on-less-simplifying-in-a-tough-economy/ it's a free ebook about living on less, nothing we don't know but nice to see it written down. It recomends a book called Your Money or Your Life (by by vicki robin and joe dominguez no Alvin Hall). Has anyone read it?

I've tried the link but can't access either the ebook or the pdf document. Is it because I'm using Firefox, I wonder?