2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

Buffythedebtslayer

rictus123 wrote: »

My last chance to go through budget today. Really need to shave off just about anything i can then stick to it. Hopefully in 12 months time i will have paid off £13.5k business loan and have £15k saved up for house deposit. One thing i need to do is get a new contact for my phone, mine can cost £46ish...im sure i could get by on a package for £15. Doesnt seem much but £300+ a year extra into deposit fund.

Rictus, wow. I need to save 20 grand for a deposit, I am not even vaguely sure how I am going to do it!

Are you just hoping for the best or do you have a plan?

(hope that doesn't sound rude)

xx

Erme

Cherryjack wrote: »

oh gosh erme.. did people seriously steal yr stuff?? i took a few quilts down to be dried a few months back.. laundrette is just round the corner.. came home.. and thought hope nobody steals my quilts!! would have been gutted lol

Nope but they regularly moved it and half the time there was a queue for the machines. Don't worry Cherry. It's a communal laundrette in the basement that's supposed to serve about 150 households. Has about 10 machines and 5 dryers which often don't work...Heard of them often stealing other folks stuff though...and it was a nightmare lugging it down and stuff then having to hang around for ages for it to come out. Used to take all am :eek:...never mind constantly having to budget for the laundry credit. Used to spend about £10 a month on laundry so haven't made it back yet in the cost of two machines (cos one died - it was refurbished and past it's guarantee of 6 months and then I spied a second hand bosch which I got a good price on ) but still.....

Used to use soap nuts (even though they were joke on reusable ST's) cos couldn't afford liquitabs and the hassle of trying to take powder down though for a while I took it down in a milk bottle .... (just a 1 litre one)...

Ches wrote: »

I am also counting everything. This is whats making it so interesting for me, seeing just what I [STRIKE]waste [/STRIKE] spend over the year. I know there has been too many lunches and coffee mornings in town with friends that need to be stopped or at least reduced and I have been very guilty in the past of buying things in CS just because they are a (good label) bargain and then donating them back several weeks later unused or unworn. I do have hobbies which are relatively expensive but that wouldn't be quite so bad if I thought before I bought because again I pass a lot of unused stuff on to other people and thats plain silly.

I count everything including water bar savings and like debt repayments, some whoopsies (not regular whoopsies) and like rent and CT cos I don't see those. I don't see the point in counting rent and CT (though count mortgage perhaps? Don't know....really D/K) because like if you're on JSA then you don't get charged for it...

The thing about FL is 'could I manage on JSA' if the worst came to the worst? For different people the worst case scenario will be different.... but still. That's how I see FL...

Hope that helps someone

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FrankieM

Morning All,
Doing revision stuff today and then going to a friend's for lunch. No spending except the use of fuel.

In regards to tumbledryers...I couldn't live without mine. There are 6 of us and the thought of all that washing hanging around the house is just a nightmare. Also I save on ironing as I just fold everything up straight from the dryer.

1463emma

Was doing so well yesterday but then my friends invaded with their 4 kiddies right around lunchtime, so had to pop to the shops for bread! but both loaves were whoopsied to 59p and i also picked up some whoopsied tinned tomatoes, down from £2.49 to £1.24 for a 4 pack, that made them cheaper than the supermarket basic brands, so i snapped them up! Although, starting today with good intentions!!. Have boiled the kettle once today and put the water in a flask so hopefully i won't have to boil it again:A... Also just used the SOW to look at our budget and :eek: we spend alot!! Have set Grocery budgets at £260 a month for the 5 of us, but am adamant that is going to be a maximum!! Any ideas on how to keep food costs down will be greatly received!, also bought some thick door curtains from charity to try and keep the heat in a bit. Anyway, I seem to have waffled quite a bit, hope nobody minds.. How is everyone elses budget plans coming? xx

LolaLemon

Went out for dinner last night, 2 adults, 1 child, 3 mains, 2 deserts (mine was separated onto 2 plates, son had the icecream) and 5 soft drinks) £40.
He left to go to Cuba for the festivities with his family, so I got my Christmas present last night, and thankfully, it is not an iPad! Woohoo!
I wasn't supposed to open it, but did.
It's a galaxy Samsung tab, 16gb and I've been playing it all night n day! I LOVE it!

Today is being spent clearing the living room n kitchen to decorate the house tonight, and bake all tomorrow for the neighbours gifts.

Only got one present to get, n she would just like the cash to use for a night out .

seriouslyfrugal

Hope everyone is ok

http://www.lidl-pageflip.com/uk.html?kid=OyCwVb

above is the li** leaflet veg seamed good value ie carrotts 1 Kg = 39p


about there for xmas just the fresh things to get ( veg, fruit & salad)

have a good day everyone

savingforarainyday

Can you add me please. I joined last year and lurked a lot but not much posting went on.

Promise I will try harder in 2012:D

System

Back to drying washing. I noticed on different threads people are using dehumidifiers instead of tumble dryers as they cost less to run. Now i have a spare room and an air conditioning unit. Is an air conditioning unit the same sort of thing and would it still be cheaper to use that than the tumble dryer.

The last thing i want in my house is damp :-(.

cw18

Air conditioners (I believe) are supposed to maintain the space at a constant temperature. Dehumidifiers pull the moisture out of the air (and have to be emptied out at intervals). Definitely not the same thing.

midwinter

Please add me to the list again for 2012
My first year of frugal living was this year, and I believe I've done well. Not quite the end result I would have hoped for, but far far better, than it would have been, without the tips and ideas from other posters on this thread.

But will know the final amount very soon!

Still daily entering any spends on my sheet. Amazing that I've done that all year!