2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

rubytuesday

Ooh sorry Paidin that was my son's Bengal Jericho but I have changed it for my Minky Marmalade in Christmas wrap so will stick with her now - bless her cotton socks - still defying the odds!

Frugaldom

Nice to 'see' you again, Winchelsea, I've added your name to the challenger list. Wishing you well and you know where I am if there's anything I can do to help.

purpleorchid

i listed some books on amazon yesterday to sell and have sold my 1st one today, am really suprised how quick i had a sale. its not much but its better than nothing plus im clearing some space along the way.
if anyone needs a referal to ipsos access panel, which is a survey site then plz pm your email address and will refer you.

Luv P
xx

letsdothis

Well - I would be having a much better time on budgeting if kids didnt come home on the first day of school with 4 letters all asking for money for trips - think the school needs to take a look on here!!!!!

in another turn up - just been offered indefinate overtime - RESULT !!!

ps technically if I am part of the £1 a day in tin thread then I can NEVER have a NSD !!!!!! - but excluding that day 4 NSD

twiglet98

Sandra you really do have a gift with words of kindness.

paidinchickens wrote: »

can't remember who posted that value wash powder bleached their clothes but would like to know which value powder it was so I can steer clear :rotfl: I used to be the wash product queen with the latest, bestest smelling two in one and a separate conditioner and bounce for the dryer :eek::eek:

I have nightmares now about how much I have spent over the years on laundry products alone.

We now use the cheapest non bio powder and only use half the amount shown and instead of conditioner I use vinegar. I picked up the vinegar tip off here and was a little dubious but it really does work and your clothes do not smell of it either. DSS and I both have delicate skin, I have psoriasis and it has nearly gone since I changed all the wash products.

Vinegar is brill ain't it ?? The things I have found you can use it for since coming on ere :rotfl::rotfl:

PIC x

PIC that was me, it was when I got Mr T's value powder, the one that comes in a bag, not a box. It was the only laundry product I had in, DD19 puts her own washing in the machine (obviously) and is sure it was on the usual 40C wash - we have dreadfully hard water, don't know if that makes any difference, but the 30C wash just seems to leave clothes a bit 'whiffy', certainly if they have been worn for exercise, eg running or riding. Anyway, the result was one unhappy DD. We do normally use white vinegar in the rinse (and as rinse aid in the dishwasher) though DD25 buys her own Lenor from time to time because she absolutely will not embrace frugality and loathes all my attempts to do so.

Renewals have arrived for building and vet fees insurances. The pet one was a good deal with Mr T last year, this is the only year I've ever taken it out, but the premium is more than doubling so the money will go into a separate account to build an emergency vet fund. Will go on comparison websites, through Quidco and TCB, to find better buildings insurance too.

Gone down with some lurgy, been coughing and sneezing at work, feel like I've swallowed razor blades, and will stay home if I feel this bad tomorrow - I never get colds and can't remember the last time I had a bug. Sweating and shivery, I'm past the age of hot flushes but have just changed from Tamoxifen to Anastrazole and suspect there is a link with the new medication. At least there is a good stock of cold remedies from when they were on offer ages ago, and I have plenty of honey and lemons, so no need to go out for anything.

Time to get to sleep, I usually let the dog out at midnight but won't stay awake until then.

'night

dizzy_lizzie

Purple hope the low feeling doesn't last.
Happycrafter those are the kind of surprises I like
slowlyfading things can only get better after all that!

Crikey I've had to up my weekly allowance by £10 as I popped to the A's supermarkets and spent quite a bit. We were down on veggies and fruit to be fair so this took up most of the money.
Day 2 tomorrow already so tightening the purse strings as I type!
Back to work today and lovely to see the littlies again. Took my soup and roll which is so much easier in the mornings. Must get my roll for tomorrow out of the freezer tonight.
Can't believe some shops are preparing for valentine already. No wonder the year seems to go by so fast...
Hugs to everyone
x

cw18

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

Can't believe some shops are preparing for valentine already. No wonder the year seems to go by so fast...

I've not spotted anything for Valentines, but the Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns have appeared :eek:

LolaLemon

I go off grid for a weekend and have abt 4 pages to catch up on!
Had a spendy weekend :-( I bought a Chinese at £14.50 on Friday to take to Mr Lemons house for us and my son... he bought son Mario kart for the DS for Christmas, and I asked him to pick up a sonic game at £14, he said he didn't want the money back, so I bought dinner.
Saturday I went shopping, got milk, bread n ham for parents house, 4 litres goats milk, bread, ham n bits n bobs on my list n it all came to £45.
Today I wanted to go to credit union n move some money around, but I was early and it wasn't open so took a walk in marks n sparks, spent £22 pn an apron - £5, tea cosy -£3, the vegetable bible - £3 and a family calendar at £3. Oh and a 2 in 1 toy story costume, was £25 down to £8. It was the last one and in sons size, and I had been looking at it last week n decided if it was there next time I went in I would get it.. so it must have bn ment for us. Its now been put away as the first presents for sons birthday in April.
Also paid £3 for 9 cards from Clinton's cards, some kids and some for my friends throughout the year.

Its my sisters 21st on Wednesday, I am struggling on what to buy her. Home made stuff is not wanted or appreciated, she also doesn't want the usual junk. I was going to buy her champagne but with her being pregnant, that idea is out the window!
I'm just about to send her boyfriend a message to see if he has any ideas.
Heading to campbeltown this weekend, abt 4 hours away, to go to a darts exhebition ... I hate darts lol, but its a few of us girls going with my friends partner. It will be my first time passing where the accident happened. Mr Lemon is coming too, hoping he is driving as i really don't want too.
Hoping he is paying for everything too, coz I am skint lol

Hope everyone else has had a more frugal weekend than me, altho I don't see the spends as failures, as the apron was abt £18 to begin with, and I've been needing one for, well since I moved out 8 years ago!

To all the posts I've seen abt 'failing' don't see it as failure, more like a learning curve or 3 steps forward, one back... you are still moving away from the old you, just not as fast as u want.

I've bn doing this for over a year, and this year I have posted my set out goings, but not worked out my daily outgoing, which is what I am working on this year, and then next year I will have a yearly amount, that I hope is under £10,000 for the year, including mortgage etc..... but without the support of last years group, I wouldn't even have that as an aim!


Sandra - great news abt your daughter! Your day out sounded fantastic!
Dizzy - I didn't even think of a scarf, even though I have a flower scarf on my 'crochet to-do list!'

Oh, talking about 'to-do' lists... I turn 30 at the end of this year, and it doesn't phase me, but I'm thinking I might make a wee list of things to work through during the year.
Only thing I have on my list is to learn to ski... we have indoor ski slopes abt 20-30 mins away from us... but the prices scare the hell out of me!

Another thing was if I'm ever going to be married, its b4 I turn 30, Mr lemon n I argue abt this every so often... I'm not too fussed abt getting married, it was never on my agenda - finding someone who loves me for me and sticks around, rather than marrying Mr right now was always a better choice for me... for Mr L, he wants to get married, settle down have kids etc... I'd probably be more inclined to get excited at that 'fairytale' prospect, if it wasn't for the fact he's already been married, and by his own admission - not for love, but a green card... it sort of makes me cynical abt it all, like he has to justify the last one with a new one or something (sort of blame my depression on those thoughts, but partly just my own self doubt etc etc... )
So he would like to get married in the next few years, but I'm not too keen on it - but I am planning on being with him for ever ... I know, I am strange! Haha

So any other ideas, or what was on your 'to-do before xxx' list? Oh and did u keep to it?

moneybear123

letsdothis wrote: »

Well - I would be having a much better time on budgeting if kids didnt come home on the first day of school with 4 letters all asking for money for trips - think the school needs to take a look on here!!!!!

in another turn up - just been offered indefinate overtime - RESULT !!!

ps technically if I am part of the £1 a day in tin thread then I can NEVER have a NSD !!!!!! - but excluding that day 4 NSD

Hi, That doesn't count because you are not spending the money you are saving it. :beer:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

just caught up...even though there are quite a few posts over the last day or so, the thread does seem to be slowing down compared when it first came live..

I hope people are not thinking they have failed so hence not posting...

I have learned over the years... when you sign up to a threas or something... you want to see instant results....NOW!!!!!

But its all about baby steps... in the begining to try and find your feet, and also find out which way you want to be frugal...

I havent set a spending amount this year... I am going with the flow...and seeing where i can cut my costs even further...

like i am really please i will be saving over £130 on dog food, just buy buying a diff brand ( euro shopper) and buying it at the wholesalers..

Another way of helping people keep things going is, instad of writting spends down write your savings down....


we actually bought a chest freezer on sunday, the one we were planning on buying was out of stock, and they didnt know when it would be back in stock.. sooooooooooooooo hubby went and bought one double the size:eek::rotfl: I dont mind as in all honestly i think this will be better ( 13 odd cu ft) so then i can stock up with bread and milk in farm foods and freeze them....So more pennies saved in the long run..


Didnt manage to get things listed on ebay.... as to be honest we went into work saturday to try and play catch up, as this time of the year is allways manic, and will take a few weeks for the backlog of work to go down....

Right off to make a cuppa....