2013 Frugal Living Challenge

vintagebrighton

lbnblbnb wrote: »

So sorry to hear your news Chika.

I came on to introduce myself. I am a teacher, mother to DD 11and DS 5. OH's income is very variable so we live on my income. I cleared £8,300 of debt last year and have built a £2,500 emergency fund. I want to get to a better position as my job causes me huge stress and I need options! MSE has been so helpful but I have also found Dave Ramsey really good - you can download free podcasts of his. I also love Pinterest for frugal ideas. Looking forward to sharing ideas.

Morning and welcome

I'm interested in pinterest... I've had a little look round but haven't got to grips with it yet! How do you make it work for you and frugallity?

ostrichnomore_2

Chika - how awful for you, what scum! So sorry this has happened to you.


Spreadsheet is really helping. Updated this morning and gulp! it's only the start of the month but I only have £1.90 left out of my toiletries and cleaning budget. Shouldn't need to buy anything else now for Jan so it'll stop me just grabbing something 'nice' without thinking.
Did a big batch cook yesterday
turkey, potato and veg curry (bought the turkey and sauce, all the veggies were the limp ones in the fridge) had some for dinner and got 2 big portions in freezer for dinners.
mince 'thing'. 1kg of lean mince (on offer) with jar of bolog sauce and tin of toms from storecupboard, plus more limp veg and frozen peas, garlic and chilli (all from stores), now in 14 bags in freezer. Can turn them into pasta sauce, rice sauce, top jacket pots, turn into pie etc when I want a quick dinner.
So 16 meals that cost me under £10 for the meat and curry sauce, and the rest from stores, and restocked my batch cooked frozen dinners that make life so much easier.

freedom2011

Chika - so sorry to hear about this.

quintwins

Chika thats awful, glad your ok as upsetting as it is it's only stuff your safety is more important.

Well i spent £14.09 of my shopping budget last week and £4 this morning, i have allowed myself £6 this week for bits and bobs.

Lots of cleaning and ironing to do, i'm still playing catch up from being sick, i said i wouldn't turn the computer on til i had it done but here i am anyway

Spent my whole entertainment budget on sat!!! so now it's walks and puddle jumping for the rest of the month.

I have my mealplan done for the week now i just need to stick to it :rotfl: not that it really matters aslong as i don't buy anything else and eat what we have in it doesn't matter what order i do it in.


Even living within a budget i've spent nearly £90 already and it's only a week in! i still think i'll come in under budget this month, altho i need to take into account the phone bill and electric bill which are quarterly.

seriouslyfrugal

chika : how awful my thoughts are with you

skint_chick

Cheryl - is your fridge coming open because the seal has gone round the door? There's lots of websites that sell replacement seals if you google your make and model and replacement parts - I got a new fridge shelf after the glass shattered - for £15.

Chika- that's horrible news, hope you get everything sorted and your car is safe!

vintagebrighton - I'm on pinterest as well and i look through the recipe section to find ideas for cheap meals and pin them, i just started a vegan and vegetarian board coz there's some great stuff on there. I get loads of cheap crafting ideas from pinterest too

At work so not spending any money until Thurs and then it's only £5 petrol to get me to my volunteer conservation job. Going to a free ice sculpting festival on Fri so only have a tube ticket to pay as managed to get a mystery shop for lunch :T

mummy2threeboys

chika thats so awful, im so sorry, some people are just low life scum i hope you can sort it easily somehow xx

Vintage Thanks lol i never thought of vegan sites before, i just followed wartime ration recipies (i lost 2lb without trying lol) i have book marked that site it looks fab!

oh im on printrest ive never types in frugal before allways recycled lol, im noynoyavery? on there. x

Bring and share lunch at local friends ie we bring food that needs using up between us we manage a nice lunch for free/low cost, whlist we do our approved foods order. Was naughty groupon had a code for 6 people 2 games of bowling for £15 and i had a £6 voucher so £9..baragin..ill take that out of the boys entertainment money. Have a good week all xx

cw18

skint_chick wrote: »

Cheryl - is your fridge coming open because the seal has gone round the door? There's lots of websites that sell replacement seals if you google your make and model and replacement parts - I got a new fridge shelf after the glass shattered - for £15.

I don't know is the simple answer. It had been suggested that a split in the seal would cause the problem, but I've checked round carefully a few times and can't see anything wrong with it

TBH the thing is past it's best. To keep the fridge cool enough I have to run it so the back ices up, and it's been like that for 4 or 5 years so it's not the door opening that's causing the problem. The fronts of the freezer drawers are all smashed as well (a right royal pain, as anything small at the front falls out when I open the door), and they're about £14 each for replacements if I remember rightly from when I replaced 2 in 2003/04 :eek:

Buffythedebtslayer

Chika just popping on to say sorry about the scum bags taking your stuff.

I'd be gutted about the car as well. Gits all round. Hope you are ok and have had the locks changed etc.

take care xx

LolaLemon

Chika, soo sorry to hear that. Its my worst nightmare, i wouldnt care about the 'stuff', but more for 'my stuff' the personal to me type stuff... as someone else has said, it can only get better from here, hopefully.

Quick introduction to me.
I'm Lola, i have 1 son, going to be 6 in April, so this is what my free time will be spent thinking up ingenious ways to make my money stretch.
I have recently started a new Job, it seems to be going well.
I have a boyfriend. we talked about moving in togetehr (him into mine) but we havent really discussed it, im sure that will happen soon.

My out goings are
Mortgage £450
C/tax 390
Gas £30
Ele £40
deisel £60
TV/BB/Lline £36
Mobile £17.50
home ins £51
Life ins £22

Weekly is
Child care £44
Food - dairy only £15-£20 (goats milk, cheese, yogurt)
Food - other £10 - £20 (meat, pasta, fruit veg, store cupboard items and any treats)

I am currently working out my budget for the year, not going to take mortgage into account as until i get my credit rating back up, thiers not a lot i can do


Bf bought chinese at weekend, we never ate it all, so i have taken into work for lunch.
I make packed lunches for son and my self every day, although son sometimes gets dinner in school, if its stuff he can have (allergies).

i make my own washing powder using borax, soda crystals and soap flakes, lasts me months, i store it in a glass jar.
I love soap nuts too, but my dad thought they where mulch or something and binned them, gutted.
i try and over cook so i have left overs for another meal. im not too good at meal planning.

My cooker is giving off a burning plastic smell, so i need to get a new one.
My shower isnt always giving hot water now, i have tweaked around with it and think i have a few more months from it, so lets me have time to find something in the sales.
I also need a new fridge, as mines isnt keeping much cold anymore i have had to bin many cartons of goats milk as it is off.. which does not help that i can only buy from tesco, so i buy enough for the week litrually pouring £1.50 a litre down the drain