2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

Frugaldom

This thread is certaily moving at a fast pace, so I'll get all the names added up to date now.

Wlcome to all the newcomers, welcome out of lurldom to all previous lurkers and welcome back to previous challengees.

Budgets are your own decisions, the name of the game is to get out of debt and, hopefully, do everything we can to stay out of debt. I choose to do this by following a frugal lifestyle and have done so for many years. It's great! I love it!

For 2012, I hope to run my shared household of three on a budget of £4,000, same as before, but will start off with £5,000 in order to cover the council tax and water.

Any questions, feel free to PM in case I miss them in the wacky races that is this challenge.

All names up to this point should now have been added. Lt me know if I have accidentally missed anyone.

Erme can you post a link to the snowball calculator it so I can copy it into the handy links section?

Choc-addict

Blimey this thread does move fast!

Is it sad that I am finishing work armed with notepad and pen to start 'researching' my new frugal ways???? Please tell me others are get as excited as I am right now Or at least tell me it's ok to be like this because all this frugal business is a bit new to me! :rotfl:

Lily_The_Legend

Hi, can I join too please? :hello:

Really need to stick to a budget next year! DH is starting a new job next week, but we had the threat of his redundancy hanging over us for over a year and I hated worrying about what would happen to us if he couldn't get another job. So I'd like to get some decent savings behind us, plus we're going to carry on overpaying the mortgage while we can afford it as otherwise it won't be paid off until I'm 60 :eek: (I'm 31 now!!!)

suzitiger

Hello please add me to the challenge for 2012, I am clearing my debt by the end of 2012 so this thread will really help me on my way suzitiger

Shellgsxr

Hi, please could you add me to the list, this is definitely the way forward for me

FrankieM

Thanks for adding me..

I have no idea about budgets yet. We have just moved and my circumstances are a little 'tricky' at the moment.
I'm going to use the time between now and the New Year to see what I'm currently spending. I downloaded a free version of MS Money at the beginning of the month and I've been filling that in so that should give me a fair indication.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I also added in our credit cards, loan and mortgage amounts owing. It doesn't make for pretty reading, but having it there (bright red) will hopefully be a motivation to get those balances down.

Looking forward to reading how everyone else is going to organise their finances/budgets and get some ideas.

rising_from_the_ashes

Cheryl very kindly added an extra workbook each month on the SOW (the 2011 version in the link on the front page) for me as I wanted to keep a separate record of my pet spends.

If I use the original one she sent to me (I still have a copy of this so it's not the boogered up one!) and strip out all the figures, will it work again for next year?

I know it's a leap year but not sure if that will make a difference (I could easily add any 29th Feb spends in on the 28th).

TIA:o

Frugaldom

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Cheryl very kindly added an extra workbook each month on the SOW (the 2011 version in the link on the front page) for me as I wanted to keep a separate record of my pet spends.

If I use the original one she sent to me (I still have a copy of this she boogered up one!) and strip out all the figures, will it work again for next year?

I know it's a leap year but not sure if that will make a difference (I could easily add any 29th Feb spends in on the 28th).

TIA:o

As long as you don't delete the actual codes that calculate the numbers. I tend to delete numbers using the backspace button rather than the delete button. I've been using same spreadsheet for years.

I'll be back to add new names soon and YES it is perfectly normal to get excited about each new challenge! LOL

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

morning all!

just marking my place as I want to join in

will be back later to read all the links

traveldolly

I'd like to join in please. I need to keep our leaking life boat afloat whilst sailing in some very choppy seas in 2012.