2014 Frugal Living Challenge
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Hey no worries, not a silly question at all
Once Christmas is over I shall be cutting up the Christmas cards I have received to reuse as gift tags for next year and will check to see if I need any cards or gift wrap from the sales. None of which I think I will need to buy thankfully!
I think I will create a spreadsheet for my expected expenses for the year (e.g. birthdays, holidays, mothers day, fathers day) and start planning what I need to buy for each or checking to see what I already have to give as presents. I know I already have some things.
I also have b*ots points, s*perdrug points, vouchers from doing surveys etc. which I will put towards necessities and presents throughout the year too. Determined to not be such a fool this year and not fall into the trap of buying too many little bits that I just don't need! Bring on 2014
I have visions of neatly stacked shelves with tins, jars and packets, not to mention bulk bought loo rolls!
If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough
We have turned our box room into a reading room, much more family friendly:j
tpf
Fab idea regarding recycling the Christmas cards. You've taken me back more than 40 years. As a kid I always used to cut the old cards up, with my mum's pinking shears, for the next years gift tags. We've recently bought some tags, £1.95 for 50. We only give a couple of presents to each other, and to 2 friends, so the tags should last years!
I'm a big fan of points and vouchers. Our Nectar and M&S points have paid for the additional food goodies for Christmas.
If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough
I'm in Australia, though, so you will all have to promise not to faint with shock at my prices. It's not as simple as a straight currency conversion: my 10 year old Peugeot, with 150,000 km on the clock, cost me $11K, for example. The new mortgage is going to be $250,000, taking into account all purchasing costs, and that's the difference between the old and the new house, not the price of the house. Etc.
I also partly support my mother in a rental property, and that's a fixed expense.
I'll have a look at the other threads and come back with a budget in due course, but it's not going to come in under $50K!
14 August 2017 - Refinanced: $220,000
January 2019 $211,580 Current MFD 31 June 2036
as I am a short !!!!!... I cant reach the top shelves in the wall cupboards, so I tend to plonk things in there, and then once they get pushed to the back I cant see them...
Being organised with your cupboards/pantry etc def saves you money. It also gives you peace of mind knowing what you have in, especially in case of an emergency bad weather etc...
Even though I am frugal in general, I really do need to be 'SUPER FRUGAL' in the new year...and also try and declutter an sell our unwanted crap...we are still debating on weather to invest in a poly tunnel
I agree comletely its great to have a pantry/larder. I have my freezer in there plus its all shelved for pots , electric items, dishes, dried foods cans bottles.
I keep my printer and have a space to hold my ladder
The lowest shelf has enough space beneath it for bottles of water etc. I also keep bits and bobs for lighting my fire. So I know if I didn't have this I would be even more disorganised than I already am.
I am using my cut up Christmas card gift tags this year. They are all different sizes and they look so lovely.
Got 2 bags of chopped carrots and parsnips for 13p each. Made a soup adding onions, mustard seeds and chilli .... I have bagged it up and now have 8 lunches in the freezer. Hubby didn't particularly like it and son does not eat chilli. So its all for me
All the best to everyone. Its lovely to have like minded people to share this thread with.
I started re-using christmas cards as gift tags several years ago and now look at any cards that come in with an eye to this. The fronts of the really small ones are great to use as gift tags but I also get the pinking shears out and use the bigger ones.
Save £12k in 2021 - Challenger No 4 - £6482/£40k
March 2021 Grocery Challange £74.92/£180 - £105.08 left