2014 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugalsod

TM6 wrote: »

Good morning Money Spiders :j

It is now the 12th and although I have only had 1 NSD I am definitely getting more frugal

I am keeping up to date with my money spending diary and it is looking REALLY good. I will only know at the end of the month how much I can transfer into savings but it is looking very promising.

My biggest change thanks to this frugal challenge is that I am inspired to cut back to the bone so that I can save more.

So with that in mind we are going to work on 3 bank/building society accounts for our system - we will be opening a 3rd one on line today

Acc 1 - Pay goes in and Direct Debits, Standing Orders come out
Acc 2 - Everyday account for use with debit card
Acc 3 - Savings account

I see January as a step learning curve with the fruits of saving showing in February

Thank you for all your inspiration on here :A

Have you considered three current accounts? Many current accounts pay interest and sometimes better than savings accounts.

Frugalsod

pm2326 wrote: »

Need to start using some baking ingredients up and dont want to buy any naughty food ie cakes biscuits etc as a waste of money so have a mincemeat and marzipan cake in the oven...house smells all christmassy again !!

I need to do that. Though I will get there eventually.

hollieinbloom

Afternoon all! haven't been on for a few days as we've been tidying round. Got a loaf cooking in the breadmaker ready for tomorrows lunches and just need to make some shortbread. Haven't got any butter so I'm using some margarine and will chuck some raisins in to make it taste better

150 grams plain flour
100 grams margarine
50 grams caster sugar

that's the recipe if anyone else wants to try it it mentions to sprinkle sugar on after baking too!.


So this week I have managed to do pretty well, got some multicoloured bows from Tesco for 38p per bag of 20 so i got two. They were pinks,purple etc so I will be using them for birthdays. Got 10 for £1 cards in the cardfactory and hunted out all of the birthday wrapping paper and any gift bags I can re-use! I now have a biscuit tin with all this in so its all accessible!

Right, I best go get the dinner on (have no idea what i'm cooking yet!) and make that shortbread. Sounds like everyone is on it with the batch cooking!! xx

Becky_2

I have finally read through the whole thread. Loads of useful tips which has inspired me to do better with this challenge compared to last year. Like so many of you I have made a freezer content list in Janaury to keep the food spending as low as possible this month. Today we are using the slow cooker for the first time this year.

OH and I are planning to move this year so need to get back to selling stuff. Only spent £5 this week which is great.

Good luck to you all.

Becky_2

Does anyone know of a website that buys old stamps? Over Christmas & New Year my mum gave me a big pile of envelopes with various stamps celebrating special events in the 80's and 90's.

Goldiegirl

Hello, everyone.


Today is a NSD, the fourth in a row. I'm quite amazed actually. Although I've never been wildly extravagant, this time last year I don't think I would have gone 4 days without spending any money.


Tomorrow will be a spend day as I've ordered my groceries for delivery. As I did last week I've been careful to look at alternatives, and have managed to make a saving on what I might normally have bought. I'm still buying in supplies to give me a bit of a cushion, but in February, I hope to be able to have deliveries every two - three weeks, with an order over £100, to take advantage of free delivery.


I'm getting together all the ingredients for a batch cooking session on Tuesday. My main problem will be stuffing it all in the freezer when I'm done. In the medium term, Mr GG and I are going to de-clutter the garage. Things are stored in old kitchen units, but I want to get rid of those and have shelves instead so it'll make room for another freezer, then I can have room for all the batches that I'll be doing.


Ebay has been quite good, 17 sales for the weekend over business and personal accounts, so I'm pleased with that.


So far this winter, we've not had our heating on between about 9.30am and 3.30pm. Today was the first day that I felt a bit chilly, as it's a bit colder out. But, I just got stuck into eBay listing and soon forgot about the chill.


Enjoy the rest of the day

Goldiegirl

Becky_2 wrote: »

Does anyone know of a website that buys old stamps? Over Christmas & New Year my mum gave me a big pile of envelopes with various stamps celebrating special events in the 80's and 90's.

I don't know of any sites, but it might be worth trying eBay.


My dad had a pile of 70's and 80's stamps and envelopes which I put on eBay as a job lot. They did sell but only for a couple of quid. Unfortunately, such recent stamps aren't worth much as there's still a lot of them around

quidsy

Goldiegirl wrote: »

So far this winter, we've not had our heating on between about 9.30am and 3.30pm. Today was the first day that I felt a bit chilly, as it's a bit colder out. But, I just got stuck into eBay listing and soon forgot about the chill.


Enjoy the rest of the day

Lol, now I know how strict I am about the heating. Ours comes on at 6pm till 10pm then 5.30am till 7am. No exceptions. I would never have the heating on during the day, everyone knows where the socks and jumpers are. Haha

skintygerlinky

Hi All xx

Hmmm. As a new member to the forum, I'm still spending some time looking through the various threads and think there are some fantastic, inspirational ideas here. A while back, I did a kind of 'inventory' of where I spend...OK, where I fritter money away. So, please humour me as I list my MSE resolutions for my frugal '14:

I will not spend money on:
New books - let's read all the unread ones I have first, then use my lovely local library for others
Clothes - have joined Crazy Clothes Challenge on here and set budget of £100
Candles - I must have given out a vibe of being a scented candle-y person as have been given a few over the last two years!! So, need to light them and use them!
CD's - impulse buys need to be put on hold for a bit. Let's re-visit and enjoy the ones I have
Magazines - I seem to flick through them and moan that they're rubbish. Best stop buying them then, Skinty - you will save £3.50 and will be in a better mood!
Gigs - this is quite tough but it is just so expensive (£40+ sometimes) to go and see a band. Maybe this can be put on hold til the summer
Toiletries/Make-up - Got plenty of make-up, operating '1 in, 1 out' system. Use toiletries up before buying new
Junk jewellery - re-visit beads, necklaces and rings and wear them!
Eating at uni or at work - need to make food at home and take it in. When I stick to this I eat well and feel better. Surely it's a no-brainer!

Things I'm looking forward to, which I can focus on when temptation to buy any of the above strikes:
Mum's 70th Birthday
Dad's 70th Birthday
Nephew's 18th Birthday
Spa day next Saturday - friend's 50th birthday
Week in Corfu with two friends in July
Family holiday in Berlin in October to celebrate milestone-y birthdays

Lots to save up for, then! I've been saving £2 coins for a year (I think) so whatever's in there is my holiday funds.

Phew! Glad to get all that off my chest!

Frugalsod

skintygerlinky wrote: »

Gigs - this is quite tough but it is just so expensive (£40+ sometimes) to go and see a band. Maybe this can be put on hold til the summer!

While pop festivals can be expensive when you consider the numbers of acts that appear, they can actually represent excellent value for money. Even the idea of the rain mud etc can all make it a great experience if you are prepared for it all.