2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

slowlyfading

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

SF wow, your lunch sounds fab & I was starving before I read your post!

Haha, sorry

slowlyfading

Well, I've not done much today. I have managed to transfer £45 over to savings, which is something. I also made a very yummy HM chicken curry tonight, which meant that it satisfied my need for a takeaway, with things I had in the cupboard! So, frugal victory there I think! So today has been a NSD in the SF household.

I'm pondering some sort of mini challenge for February... I shall let you know....

determined_new_ms

nice one SF! :T mmmmmm curry...

I had a little frugal victory too today. I nipped into Morrisons as I was nearby to look for yellow stickered items. I put a bag of apples & oranges in my basket, walked around a bit looking for other stuff and then decided to put it all back - yes they were reduced and yes they would have been eaten. But we don't really *need* it, there is other stuff to eat so decided it was spending for the sake of spending and had a NSD :j

just off to make a vat of chilli using mixed beans rather than kidney beans as that is what we have got in the cupboards

black_cat

determined_new_ms wrote: »

nice one SF! :T mmmmmm curry...

I had a little frugal victory too today. I nipped into Morrisons as I was nearby to look for yellow stickered items. I put a bag of apples & oranges in my basket, walked around a bit looking for other stuff and then decided to put it all back - yes they were reduced and yes they would have been eaten. But we don't really *need* it, there is other stuff to eat so decided it was spending for the sake of spending and had a NSD :j

just off to make a vat of chilli using mixed beans rather than kidney beans as that is what we have got in the cupboards

Fantastic - I bet you feel good! :T

Ches

At the end of my first month and I have spent £589.51p in total so exactly as planned. Go me :j

stitching_witch

I can see my first month being very tight - I've got 59p to last until 31st :eek: but to be honest, I can't see me needing to buy anything until then. We have milk and meat in the freezer, plenty of flour for bread and allotment veg stored in the garage.

The fuel light has come on in the car today, but I've only got two eight mile journeys planned before 1st Feb so I should be okay.

I think I may need to rejig the budget a bit though as it hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped.

slowlyfading

stitching witch - don't be disappointed frugal living takes some getting used to and it looks like you're doing fine! and remember, you can always get it back in the next month as it'll all even out over the year

JayneC

Hi all,

Winchelsea - so sorry to hear you sad news. Thinking of you and glad you've got lots of loving support. Take care x


Stitching Witch - sorry you're feeling so down at the moment. Try to hold on to the thought that things will get better. I've been in that place and thought it was all hopeless and we'd never get sorted but we survived and it did get better. Look after yourself x

FrugaldomJust seen your thread about buying your house. How amazing. I'm so pleased you got there. I remember you talking about buying a home outright ages ago and you were thinking maybe a canal boat or something and there you are with a whole house and a garden and a stream as well. Congrats x

Well doing ok here. Grocery budget underspent but have managed to keep the cupboards and fridge reasonably well stocked somehow. I also got 2 papers with the Aldi vouchers in so will go tomorrow (been going since yesterday but not managed it yet and also next week. I've got £4 off £20 shop at Sainsbugs too so will split my shop and that's a £9 off £50 plus the other Aldi reductions - win!

On the other hand logs are turning out to be quite expensive. £30 a week at the mo (£2.50 per bag x12)thinking I should maybe get some coal to make it last longer but not sure of the prices. will check out the local Agri merchant as I know Frugaldom mentioned they were cheapest near her. On the plus side I already have quite a nice stack of trees/branches seasoning for next year so should work out cheaper then. Will also get a stock on during the summer so it's not such a big expense all at once.

Really need to get my landshare garden cleared so I can get a decent amount of veggies in this year. Frugaldom _ I was so impressed with your garden clearing did you do that by yourself?
I've just ordered 100 seeding potatoes for £15 which should hopefully see me through most of the year, so really need to make sure I get them in!!

Well it's getting past my bedtime so I'll bid you all goodnight and see you soon x

Winchelsea

Thank you everyone for all the lovely thoughts and messages - you are a wonderful lot. Isn't it amazing that a group of people who've mostly never met can be so genuinely caring and really look after each other?

And a special thank you to Sandra Scarlett for the really special poem - by our own Frugal Laureate!

Went over to Bristol yesterday to see DS as he had a day off. Went on the bus, free with my granny pass, and knitted away at a sock until it made me feel a bit travel-sick! Plain knitting I can do on a bus, but turning a heel is more of a challenge!

Neither of us spent much all day - a sandwich lunch at his house, then went in to the city and had a good old wander round. Went for a cuppa, and shared a slab of fruit cake - one each would have been too much. (Is it my imagination, or have portion sizes gradually crept up?) Anyway it was a nice cafe and reasonably priced. Other than that, it was pretty much a NS day. (Though I did buy a couple of things in a Chinese supermarket - some mung beans, white vinegar and garlic powder, all bargains.)

When we got back to his house, DS cooked us a curry - nothing bought specially, just using up things in the fridge and cupboards, and very nice too. (He's a chip off the old block!) I eventually got the bus back to Bath, after a very nce relaxing day - did us both good.

Got a sympathy card from Bill's cousin in Australia. Exactly the same as one from my niece in the UK - one was h*llm*rk.com, the other h*llm*rk.au! The power of the multinationals!

Frugaldom

JayneC, Thank you for your comments, yes, we had to clear everything outside and in ourselves, before we could move into the place. It's a bit like a glorified indoor camp at times, but it's home and will be made lovely one day.

Stitching Witch - If you can afford to, you should maybe just put fuel in the car now, paid from February budget. It might be cheaper in the long run, rather than running the risk of pulling any muck through the system from the bottom of the tank?

Winchelsea - Isn't it strange how, out of all the 1000s of cards available, you could receive 2 the exact same from opposite ends of the world? When something like that happens it reminds us of how deeply family connections run. Take care.

Back to the freezing weather - it's white out today and my fuel is running short. I had to resort to bags of logs last week, but the local shop wanted £4.25 PER NET BAG! Managed to get 10 for £30 from another log supplier but had to travel about 20 miles round trip to get them. My usual log man has been away, but is due back this coming week, so I'm stretching the firewood as far as I possibly can. It helps a little that I'm still pulling all the old wood out the house, so it's being chopped and burned as I go. Heats the water, too, so it feels like compensation for having had to spend extra last week.

Keep up the good work, everyone. Month one (possibly he worst) is almost done and dusted. The next goal can be to get through the first quarter. Once we've succeeded with that, it does seem to get a little easier, based on loads of past experience.