2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

bestill

Just updatign sig to £207.80, which sounds ok out of 307 for the month, until I remembered I'll have £57 to add when approved foods come later this week. However should have quite a stock in by then. What I like about this challenge is normally in the last week of a month I'd just go out and blow the budget, now I get more creative with whats left in the cupboards & freezer and hopefully at least come close to budget.

Thrifty85

I'm feeling so disheartened today .

Car tax, insurance, mot, service and building and contents insurance all due at the end of this month. Took car in for MOT this morning and it failed. It's not too much to repair but it's still extra money I hadn't accounted for.

Spent 3 whole days checking comparison sites, going direct to companies, haggling with previous insurers, checking cashback etc etc and the cheapest quote I can get for car insurance this year is £640. THis is £200 higher than last year and I have 6yr NCB, have never made a claim and have no convictions. What an absolute joke. Have now spent approx £1000 on my car this month and I haven't paid for the service yet.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful to have a job but it's just sooooo frustrating when you work so, so, hard and you live as frugally as you can and your incomings only just meet your outgoings. Gutted.

findingmyfeet

Dizzzy
i love this pic


PURPLE-hope you soon feeling better-just enjoy the times when your feeling well.

THRIFTY- same here with the car-i have insurance, road tax and mot at the end of february. i have saved for everything just! so no worries there , my insurance quote has actually gone down £30 on last year so im quite chuffed(or is it because im getting older ?). the one worrying me is the mot everything seems ok but who knows.

lots of people seem to be having car trouble or poorly animals so hugs to all and keep going, you will find a way round it all.

Managed to save £15 out of last weeks shopping budget so my little treats/improvements envelope is starting to look really good. especially when i think it would have been wasted on stuff i didnt really need and have managed very well without. i do however think i should put a couple of 'saved' pounds a week into a stocking up purse for when i see really good offers.

Dont think i will save anything this week as DD coming home for the weekend:T she rang and asked to book in for 3 full mum service days:rotfl:That means feeding, laundry done, general waiting on and pampering and fully refreshed to go back.

Tonight DH and i will be having a frugal valentines dinner at home. making a lovely creamy chicken lasagne , hm garlic bread, eton mess pudding and a bottle of red wine . Only thing i have had to buy was cream for the pudding, all the other stuff in or left over from christmas. I will set the table nicely, light a candle or two , put on my love songs cd , get a box of chocs out, light the fire et voila!! nice evening in for almost no extra cost.
Have a nice evening all no matter what your plans are.
Hugs and nice thoughts to people on their own .

love fmf

enjoyfinancialchallenges

Thrifty85 wrote: »

I'm feeling so disheartened today .

Car tax, insurance, mot, service and building and contents insurance all due at the end of this month. Took car in for MOT this morning and it failed. It's not too much to repair but it's still extra money I hadn't accounted for.

Spent 3 whole days checking comparison sites, going direct to companies, haggling with previous insurers, checking cashback etc etc and the cheapest quote I can get for car insurance this year is £640. This is £200 higher than last year and I have 6yr NCB, have never made a claim and have no convictions. What an absolute joke. Have now spent approx £1000 on my car this month and I haven't paid for the service yet.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful to have a job but it's just sooooo frustrating when you work so, so, hard and you live as frugally as you can and your incomings only just meet your outgoings. Gutted.

Oh Thrifty83 I can really sympathize with you, life just isn't fair is it? you do all you can and still don't get the results you want. I can though offer some words of wisdom! ! ! it really does get easier the more you live the frugal life also after a while you get more and more sorted. I have living the frugal way for years and still I overspend and wonder how I'm going to get through the month. I do hower reassess my budget annually and make changes as and when I have to, daily if necessary.

I can offer you one idea which I do and that is when you start setting your frugal budget to list everything and I mean everything you spend on. Then I add all my annual expenses together and divide by 12, then that amount goes into an account on its own, after a while you just pay the annual bills as you go from that account without any stress. It hard at first because you have no amount of money as a backup but the sooner you start doing it the less likely you are to panic when all the bills come at the same time. Sometimes though I have to borrow from it but I try and always put it back. My annual bills include Car insurance, buildings insurance, insurance for kitchen appliances, boiler service, cat insurance, MOT and car insurance and car repairs. All these are based on what the previous years payments were plus 10% extra. I try hard to put evrything through my credit card because the more I spend on it the more vouchers I earn, to go towards Christmas, then when the end of each month comes I pay myself back from my accumalated stash. Dont worry if you cant do it all sometimes its just baby steps each time the frugal life becomes a little clearer and easier.

Oh dear just had a panic, I thought I had lost the whole of my message. Bl***dy fingers they do as they want to at times...(Arthritis)

Must post this before it dissapears again.

Thrifty85

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

I can offer you one idea which I do and that is when you start setting your frugal budget to list everything and I mean everything you spend on. Then I add all my annual expenses together and divide by 12, then that amount goes into an account on its own, after a while you just pay the annual bills as you go from that account without any stress. It hard at first because you have no amount of money as a backup but the sooner you start doing it the less likely you are to panic when all the bills come at the same time. Sometimes though I have to borrow from it but I try and always put it back. My annual bills include Car insurance, buildings insurance, insurance for kitchen appliances, boiler service, cat insurance, MOT and car insurance and car repairs. All these are based on what the previous years payments were plus 10% extra. I try hard to put evrything through my credit card because the more I spend on it the more vouchers I earn, to go towards Christmas, then when the end of each month comes I pay myself back from my accumalated stash. Dont worry if you cant do it all sometimes its just baby steps each time the frugal life becomes a little clearer and easier.

Thank you for your kind words. I started keeping a complete spreadsheet of every single penny I spend using the link from page 1 of this thread. Unfortunately I just don't have the extra funds to start this at the moment. However I will hopefully be in a better position to do this after a few more pay days. Even if I only manage to put away half of the cost in time for next year, I'll still be 50% better off than I am now!

Great idea, thank you.

THink everything's just hitting me hard at the moment because I'm doing it on my own. I only have a comparatively small mortgage (small, terraced house, crappy area!) but obviously the pressure of all the bills and repayments is solely on my head. I see other people of a similar age (mid-20s) getting everything handed to them by their parents, they don't have bills to pay, their mums and dads will ferry them around everywhere, they spend their wages on booze and nights out. I try to do things the right way around, work hard, pay for something upfront if I want it, save for the future etc but it just doesn't seem to get me anywhere

I know it will get (hopefully) get easier if I keep going, keep being frugal and keep reading these threads!

dizzy_lizzie

findindmyfeet sounds like a lovely valentines evening you have planned. I like your tip on anything saved from the budget goes towards treat money. That would be a good incentive for me
I know a lot of people don't celebrate valentines day but we always have. We don't go daft, just little gestures and OH always gets me roses and I get the children those little bags of heart chocolates. This year OH and I are giving each other some money and saving it towards going to an auction. I've always wanted to go to one, I love watching Bargain Hunt etc so not that frugal but we very rarely go out much at weekends etc so it's a treat for us both.
So if anyone knows any good auction houses in the Lancashire/Cheshire area please let me know
Have knitted a teddy from the book I bought, just got to sew him up so I'll probably do that today.
Decided I was going to make a new recipe meal every so often so tonight it's a vegan onion tart. Fingers crossed...
And as it's valentines day here's some frugal roses and a choccie for anybody that would like one



Warm hugs x

mumwithamission

Have never actually added up our total debt, but feel ready to look this in the face now, because I'm so determined to reduce it and think it will be encouraging to watch the numbers get smaller. So will post on here later when I've totted it all up (if I can bring myself to - it's a very scary prospect).

mumwithamission

Thrifty85 you have a wise head on young shoulders - I've only come to my senses in my mid 40's - imagine where you'll be by then! If only I had seen the light when I was your age!! Hang in there, I'm sure the battle is mostly won just with your determination. When I look at my peers who are still having an easier time of it, because of well paid jobs or inheritances etc, I feel jealous. I know that won't change anything though, we just have to plod on in our own way, doing the best we can with what we have, and feeling some pride in our independence

dizzy_lizzie

mumwithamission wrote: »

Have never actually added up our total debt, but feel ready to look this in the face now, because I'm so determined to reduce it and think it will be encouraging to watch the numbers get smaller. So will post on here later when I've totted it all up (if I can bring myself to - it's a very scary prospect).

Good on you mumwithamission. It will be the start of your new life were you'll be the one in control rather than the money. So grab that budget by the scruff of the neck and show it who's boss

Thrifty85 wrote: »

I know it will get (hopefully) get easier if I keep going, keep being frugal and keep reading these threads!

It will get easier thrifty85. And all the hard times will make it so worth it. When you finally get to were you want to be you will appreciate it because of all the hard work you put into it
Don't forget to factor some nice times in with all your hard work. Sounds silly but even if it's just a hot bath with a good book. But rather than doing this as you would normally, make it into a little treat with a hot chocolate etc.
Have a look on the freebie/low spend thread and see if you can get yourself some little treats etc.
Whatever you do, don't give up and remember we're here for when it sometimes get's too hard as well as sharing in everyones successes
x

SandraScarlett

Thrifty you deserve a big hug and kiss, for all you're doing and trying to do.:smileyhea Anybody who is endeavouring to lead a frugal or more frugal life-style has experienced the euphoric feeling, of knowing you've saved, say, £100, only to find an appliance, costing far more, breaks. :mad:

But you are doing so well, it's just that these things happen at the most inconvenient time, and there's b*gger all you can do about it. Believe me, a day will come when you save that £100, and, glory be, nothing will need replacing, or break. :T

I always look on February and March as Good Saving Months, because we don't have to pay our Water Rates or Council Tax -they're spread over 10 months. Well that's gone boobies-up this month, as my poor dog's paw is not healing, and we've spent another £70 today, about £160 in a week. :eek: And we have to return on Friday.

I am so glad my DGD wants to become a vet - she should be able to look after us all! Life can be sh*t at times, and it's as if your car has failed its MOT on purpose! But the sun will come out again, and you are sowing brilliant seeds of frugality, and when you're 40, and running your life beautifully, and all your friends are up to their elbows in debt, you can blow a big smug raspberry!

xx