2014 Frugal Living Challenge

alja

Wow! I've missed lots of pages, glad people are as determined as ever

Booked our holiday at the weekend, so there went a £200 deposit and £5 yesterday for an exercise class. On the other hand, I'm only £2 something away from a £40 payout on one of the survey websites I use.

I'm about to check through what clothes I have that I could take on holiday this year, don't want to buy too many bits that I don't need to

DawnW

My car was serviced today, which cost £129 :eek: Still, they did a full service and lots of checks and that is that done for another year!

Also spent £7 something on a pair of gloves in Wilkinsons this morning as I had lost mine and my hands were cold This was more than I had hoped to pay as they are quite smart ones and I would have been happy with ordinary woolly ones. This was the only kind they had though, nowhere else was open at silly o'clock on my way to the station, and at least I had warm hands!

I remembered to do my expenses at work after my trip away on Sunday :mad: and Monday.

I made a big tray of yummy macaroni cheese with ham and leeks and we had half for supper. The other half will do for tomorrow, so no need to cook except for something to go with it :T We had peas today, so perhaps salad tomorrow.

Off on another trip for work tomorrow but only for the day thankfully, and there should be a free lunch in it :j

Shortie

Oh my wowsers..... I just checked my email and minutes before I checked put my order at Tesco they sent me an email for £15 on the next online shop, and I've definitely spent over the minimum as I am stocking a fair bit up for the whole month where I know the quantities!!

How fab is that to get an unexpected £15 off my shopping, plus the x pence off this item, voucher I also had to use up (on stuff we definitely use)

Plus, I remembered earlier that we have a free hotel night stay still to book (we won it in a raffle). Am feeling very chirpy all of a sudden

cydney65

NSD for us today. The cot mattress came, as did the sheets so our grandchild will have somewhere to sleep when he or she comes over. I will endeavour to decorate the nursery with the stickers over the next couple of days.

Talked to DD2 today and she is thoroughly fed up with being pregnant now (38 weeks). She is trying to force eviction by eating a very hot curry this evening! DD1 is busy trying to fill in her bursary form for her trip to China at the moment. If she doesn't get it, we will pay for her tuition fees but that will mean dipping into our savings, so quietly hoping she gets this. Bless her she is dead excited about the prospect of going; I'm just petrified about her being out there on her own for 3 months. I know she will be going to Beijing University to further learn the language and I know she is 27 years old, but she is still my baby and she is so vulnerable having autism...scary stuff!

I'm also going to investigate Swagbucks. Everyone seems to be doing it so might have a trawl round the site in a bit.

Tomorrow we are going to Li*l to stock up on a few bits, then off to Mr T as they are doing 6 packs of UHT milk for £2.50 which is half the normal price. We also need petrol.

I get paid tomorrow so all the money goes on a merry-go-round through several different bank accounts to satisfy the minimum income requirement. I seem to have it down to a fine art now and am getting used to juggling the demands of 5 current accounts. I still find it really exciting though watching my money go on its travels-such a sad old bird me!

hollieinbloom

Cantfindafreeuserid wrote: »

If I need to top up my bucks I play the videos on swag tv play 10 for 3 bucks I only watch them until the counter goes up one then move on. This is boring and timely but sometimes needs to be done.
I am currently trying to earn 250 swagbucks a day but this isn't always possible esp when I get screened out of surveys and this seems to happen alot.

I've been doing swag since 2011 and i've earnt over £600 in amazon vouchers. Already managed £10 this month but sometimes it can be dreadfully slow can't it! I'm trying for 150 a day but sometimes I don't even make 20! lol.

Evening all, Not checked in for a day or two but been busy with some organising! Off to bed now so will read up properly tomorrow xx

skintygerlinky

Evening all!
Hope everyone's OK. Love catching up on here of an evening - so inspiring!

Up at uni again today, so spent out on expensive travel costs again...but took own lunch in as per usual (homemade soup and sandwiches) then home later for leftover homemade tomato, spinach and chickpea stew thing with quinoa. All my homemade meals so far this month have been lovely so that really helps! As I've mentioned earlier, I'm eating and feeling much better!

I texted my gang of girlie friends earlier, who are the usual mixed bunch - some of us are single, some in a relationship, some with kids, some lone parents. Lots of us watching our budgets at the mo. Interesting to hear how they're getting on. Some distressed at being unable to stay out of the shops whilst others scraping around for every penny. All in all it's good to know that, like on here, no one needs to go through Frugal '14 alone!

Hoping to spend zilch tomorrow, fingers x'd!

Buffythedebtslayer

Have done a rough meal plan and went to the supermarket tonight, spent 26 pounds. pretty pleased with that.


This weekend I am going to do the inventory thing and meal plan from that.


I don't know what to do with the rest of the soup. It is in the slow cooker and too hot to freeze tonight. I might add some more veg and cook tomorrow and eat and freeze tomorrow night


XX

skintygerlinky

Well done on the soup, Buffy! Ive been eating homemade curried parsnip soup for the last couple of days which was gorgeous - however it stank to high heaven, could've slayed any Buffy style demon!! But cost nowt to make, was all from leftovers and bits hanging around the fridge. Feels good to be eating nice food that hasn't cost a rip-off amount of cash

happycrafter_2

Swagbucks peeps look in the 2014 challenges under debt free there's a link to a thread about swagbucks with loads of tips and what to search for! I only found it today while looking to see what other challenges were about on site.

23rdspiral

Hi everyone,

Not a cheap day, but I got some needed things at fab prices. Including a present for my uncle from the tip (!) (he won't know but wouldn't mind!), & a couple of charity shop things to test the waters of selling online. ( I know I'm supposed to be decluttering But trying it first with something I feel no attachment to will help get me started! Plus one is a new boxed candle thingy so I reckon there might be a nice profit in it!).

Called in lidl for my weekly shop (far less temptation than the big supermarket and with better veg & bread), and found my car battery was flat when I left . I popped back in to explain in case I was there longer than the time allowed, and the manager insisted I wait in the staff room! Even knowing it'd be 1:30hrs for hubby to finish work (less than 1/2 a mile away luckily). I was So very touched. It was very kind & trusting of them. I can't imagine the bigger stores offering that - maybe a chair in the entrance at best. Anyway, I was warm & safe and had some lovely chats with the staff on tea breaks! Oh, and it was money saving as I could have called, & paid, a garage to rescue me but decided to wait it out instead!