2014 Frugal Living Challenge

mum2one

I have just gone through banking since 1st Jan - new idea - at mo DD has all loose change and 50p, but a lot of the time pay debit card, I once had my handbag stolen try not to carry too much cash.

So any incomings that have an pence with them and any debits out - round them up to the next pound and transfer that to DD (opened a new bank account) so up to £2.88 so far. That way easier to manage bank account as only be looking at £1.

Also got a filofax yesterday £6 in boots sale - bit of a luxury but it pay itself back as can be organised in 1 go xx

bassitt74

Been baking bread over the weekend. Surprisingly good and didn't turn in to doorstops. 80p for 1.5kg flour, £1for yeast sachets (only used 2from the whole bag of flour which made 3 batches of bread) and £1.20 for the butter. Works out to just 50p a loaf and so satisfying to make from scratch. House smells wonderfull!

January is car insurance month, but buy comparing have saved £93 on last years price plus it comes with legal, windscreen, breakdown, courtesy car inclused with I though was pretty good. Added bonus, found I could get £45 cash back so will be even cheaper. Re-sult!

I have I diary on my eye phone so I can note what payments and bills go out when, birthdays and other occasions, and note when certain things are up for renewal with reminders a couple of weeks before to start looking around. I also use it to work out every 8 weeks for haircuts or when phone/ utility contacts expire.

Just had the please tonight of being able to tell my mobile phone network that they will be taking a running jump at the end of this month when my 2 year phone contract ends. Am changing to giff gaff so monthly phone bill will be a quarter of what I'm paying now.

I got into the habit of always asking for a receipt last year. Found an app called 'spending'. You add the date , amount , category and note, for each item on each receipt, input entries for income, refunds, discounts etc and it'll not only tell you what you have left but you can export the data as a spread sheet.

That helps me work out how much of any one item I use in a year eg cosmetics. I bought 4 each of foundation, face powder and mascara as I use at least that much and are the most often used items. Ordered from boots when they were having a discount and saved 30% for a years supply. I got a costco card last week and each week will start to buy a years supply of 2-3 items. I won't buy too much as I will have already logged how much I use in a year and will be able to make more savings. I don't have masses of storage space so that will be a nice little challenge for me to be creative.

I only have <£100 of debt left so that should be finally cleared in the next 4-6 weeks. Finally will be debt free! For 2014

skintygerlinky

Attacked the fridge, freezer and cupboards tonight. Have written down what's in there and then done separate list of possible meals.

Feel so much better! Deffo enough in there to see me through the rest of the month, will just need to buy fresh veggies, bread and milk. Determined to use up jars in fridge - half eaten jars of pickles, curry pastes etc. Whilst in the cupboard there was approx. 3 half full (ever the optimist!) bags of different pasta.

I may be skinty but I ain't going hungry!!

Night all xxx

Frugalsod

skintygerlinky wrote: »

Attacked the fridge, freezer and cupboards tonight. Have written down what's in there and then done separate list of possible meals.

Feel so much better! Deffo enough in there to see me through the rest of the month, will just need to buy fresh veggies, bread and milk. Determined to use up jars in fridge - half eaten jars of pickles, curry pastes etc. Whilst in the cupboard there was approx. 3 half full (ever the optimist!) bags of different pasta.

I may be skinty but I ain't going hungry!!

Night all xxx

I still have the delivery crates from the last online shop. So I am using them to collect all the items that I want to use up, like old cake mixes and cans. So slowly going through them.

ginnyknit

Am doing well with the NSD's as hubby has been housebound this week. Did get some nice bits off my Mum today as she and my SIL won a hamper - SIl a snob so didnt want her share and Mum diabetic so she just tested a few bits, choccies etc and gave me the rest.

DS saving for a house and we usually get a take away once a fortnight, take turns in paying so this week I made my own take away despite it being his turn and he did me some shopping in return - win win. Did extra rice and made egg fried rice tonight with the eggs my Mum gets off her friend and had passed on. Have tried to vary the menu this week and use up stuff so have had little need to shop other than £20 in Sainsbuggys the other night. Ds is moving out this month so can tighten our belts even more, very little washing and less electricity use though he is careful with my money bless him.

Fleabay made me a bit of extra cash to my debt busting and have more to go. My pot of 5ps is getting too heavy to lift :T

23rdspiral

mum2one wrote: »

Also got a filofax yesterday £6 in boots sale - bit of a luxury but it pay itself back as can be organised in 1 go xx

Thats a great price, well done! I got the mini one I'm using as a purse/spending diary/shopping list in tkmaxx... For £8.00, still selling on amazon for over £50!

There are some great free resources online for incerts to 'print your own', saving a lot on the official costs. Or whsmith's own brand inverts are fine and cheaper than branded without having to hole punch them your self!

23rdspiral

Sorry for multiple posts, I keep forgetting to ask this..

I've seen a few people mention selling on eBay... I've never done that but do need to declutter. Has anyone used any of the local farcebook selling pages? With no commission or postage they seem appealing but perhaps I'm being naieve? Any thoughts/advice/tips/welcome..

23rdspiral

You can tell I'm feeling better, right?!

Anyway, just found this advice re managing/sticking to a budget and i think it's brilliant, so I had to share it here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64232618&postcount=5

mum2one

23rdspiral wrote: »

Thats a great price, well done! I got the mini one I'm using as a purse/spending diary/shopping list in tkmaxx... For £8.00, still selling on amazon for over £50!

There are some great free resources online for incerts to 'print your own', saving a lot on the official costs. Or whsmith's own brand inverts are fine and cheaper than branded without having to hole punch them your self!

Thank you, have to have a peep, use to use a filofax yrs ago, and they were a lifeline, then after having DD never bothered.

Have to have a look at WHSmiths - like this one its an owl design, xx

mum2one

23rdspiral wrote: »

Sorry for multiple posts, I keep forgetting to ask this..

I've seen a few people mention selling on eBay... I've never done that but do need to declutter. Has anyone used any of the local farcebook selling pages? With no commission or postage they seem appealing but perhaps I'm being naieve? Any thoughts/advice/tips/welcome..

I just started using my local facebook group and have sold a few items, I also joined a local sellers group

Take a good photo, after Xmas I sold 5 of DDs jumpers, I put them under 1 listing, (priced them individually) I was luckly one lady brought the lot, so I did her a discount (worked out as 1 free)


I would say like Ebay try to give as much info as you can -
TV - screen size, colour
Clothes - size, length, condition
Collection only / delievery
Price (people do barter).

I personally go for collection only, as sometimes if your selling something and its £5, by the time you take petrol out not always worth it.

My local f/b group has 6,000 members - so you can put a listing on and 10 minutes later your 3 pages dowb (downside)

you can bump your post up (I usually type - like, grab a bargain, reduced)

When someone puts a message on they it shows on the thread, and your facebook (sometimes ends up in "other", - I had a dvd/video player b4 xmas and listed it twice, I'd put £20 ono I was offered £5, said no but I would come down to £15 - this lady said yes - so put on stc (sold subject to collection) and the next hour 4 people have left a message saying if not sold we'll buy it, one person sent me a private message to my facebook account offering me £30....... why not do that in 1st place.

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Books average 50p to £1
DVDs £1 to £2 (unless you have super new titles)
Clothes - Jumpers £3, dresses £5 (depends on the label)
Kids toys - from 50p up
Cots, £20+
Wardrobe -£10+

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Like ebay - certain times of the year things do sell better, before Christmas (usually end of Nov), Kids toys, phones, etc

Coming to the summer - kids clothes summer items, paddling pool, BBQ

be prepared to list a few times, as there is no way of doing a search like ebay, so it can be trial and error

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Also have you considered your local paper-
We have one that comes out once a week, and if the item is under £200 its free to list,

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have you thought of a car boot / indoor table top sale
As always be prepared for offers of 10p, and it be your fault if you have a pr of shoes in size 6, when you should know they take a size 4!!!