2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

JIL

flying_fresian wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Don't forget clothes, haircuts, money for charity, sodding collections at work (my personal bugbear)

Collections at work, my goodness, I try to take £10 per week with me to work to cover the occasional chocolate, fizzy drink from the machines just because sometimes you just need a little something.
I am lucky if theres any of my £10 left. Collections for 21st, 30, 40, 50, 60, 65 birthdays, leaving, births, marriages, engagements, sponsored walks, sponsored spells at schools, the list goes on. Then there are all the charity collections. I often think I will politely decline but I never do.

mooomin

JIL wrote: »

I am lucky if theres any of my £10 left. Collections for 21st, 30, 40, 50, 60, 65 birthdays, leaving, births, marriages, engagements, sponsored walks, sponsored spells at schools, the list goes on. Then there are all the charity collections. I often think I will politely decline but I never do.

I got disapproving looks for refusing to do the work Secret Santa as the budget is £10 for it :eek: I turned it down and pointed out that I wasn't spending £10 on a lot of family/friends so there was no danger I was spending that on people I work with.

rising_from_the_ashes

flying_fresian wrote: »

I got disapproving looks for refusing to do the work Secret Santa as the budget is £10 for it :eek: I turned it down and pointed out that I wasn't spending £10 on a lot of family/friends so there was no danger I was spending that on people I work with.

I'm glad it's not just me ..... ours is £10 too. It's done at the Christmas lunch (which I'm not going to) so when I said I wasn't going to that, I was told "you can still do the SS" - errrr, sorry but no thanks.

I'm afraid I struggle to make ends meet as it is and the lunch is £30 + drinks (at least £20 as it's always done on a kitty - not great when you don't drink alcohol!) + taxi home (at least around £25 + they usually put the rates up at Christmas) + SS = at least £85!:eek: Plus something to wear - I just can't afford that....

mooomin

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

I'm glad it's not just me ..... ours is £10 too. It's done at the Christmas lunch (which I'm not going to) so when I said I wasn't going to that, I was told "you can still do the SS" - errrr, sorry but no thanks.

I'm not doing the Christmas lunch either. I'm not a humbuggy person, I just want to spend my money at that time of year on my friends and family, not on people I work with, most of whom I'm civil to but wouldn't class as friends. The social pressure is huge.

I'm pretty open about being skint though and have lost the shame in saying "I can't afford it"

chika

Please can I join again please? I'd love to make a big headway into clearing some debts next year and think possibly about aquiring some savings and buying a house. Fingers crossed!

Erme

slowlyfading wrote: »

You don't have to join - no one does. Me requesting that you don't post something isn't bullying, as far as I can see. If you feel like I am, then please PM me and we can sort this all out.

As I see it, anyone who can make a valid contribution to this thread is welcome to post, and this includes you

Don't worry slowlyfading wasn't accusing you hun...Just saying I've been twice cyber bullied on this thread so hence so cynical.

Read my post after this one (the one where I mention it being in my eye shot) and see if you think there's some sort of sublime conspiracy going on by folk I refuse to name....But old folk will know who they are..

E

Erme

JIL wrote: »

Collections at work, my goodness, I try to take £10 per week with me to work to cover the occasional chocolate, fizzy drink from the machines just because sometimes you just need a little something.
I am lucky if theres any of my £10 left. Collections for 21st, 30, 40, 50, 60, 65 birthdays, leaving, births, marriages, engagements, sponsored walks, sponsored spells at schools, the list goes on. Then there are all the charity collections. I often think I will politely decline but I never do.

Roll on when I am debt free and I can tithe again

So looking forward to it. I kid ye not tithing will be the best thing about being debt free :T

E
PS. But dreaming aside I'd seriously try and decline all these charity collections until you're debt free....It's making out you're more wealthy than you are if you give x amount to charity when you're y amount in debt. Honourable as it is. Charity giving is not for DFW's.....IMHO

E

jammy_dodger

hello frugaleers

please may i join your happy band , stumbled on the 2011 thread and this challenge is right up my street

2012 is the year i intend to knuckle down and sort myself out financially and focusing with you chaps and chapesses behind me will be a right boost

i shall post a bit about me on the 2011 thread and look forward to our challenge ahead
JD xx

JIL

flying_fresian wrote: »

I got disapproving looks for refusing to do the work Secret Santa as the budget is £10 for it :eek: I turned it down and pointed out that I wasn't spending £10 on a lot of family/friends so there was no danger I was spending that on people I work with.

:xmassmileI did the secret santa a few years ago and the budget was £10. I bought a lovely gift for my £10 for the person I had. When I opened my gift in front of everyone I opened a mug with a flower on it. I knew full well they were £2.50 in the local shop, I could not help feeling a bit short changed. I was told it was the thought that counts by the person who I suspect bought it.

Erme I am not in lots of debt, just trying to watch my money a bit better as I have less income due to cutting my working hours due to being poorly and have children who have been/at uni and they have cost a small fortune.

Munchin

Hi

Can I join please. I need to get a reign on my spending, I had been so good and now little treats are starting to creep back in that I really don't need.

Thanks