2014 Frugal Living Challenge

DawnW

TM6 wrote: »

I love the idea of eating 'odd ducks' :rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Felt lazy today but managed to do a few useful things:

Shopping at Lidl's and then popped into Mr S to get the few bits that Lidl's didnt have (or were too expensive in Lidl's - you have to watch them. I needed floor / general liquid cleaner, and in Mr L they only had Flash at £2.30 a bottle. Sainsburys own brand was £1.50 and just as good).

Finished making the minestrone type soup I started yesterday. We had some of this for lunch and the rest will do for work lunches

Made a casserole for tomorrow using ingredients I had in stores

Made a banana and walnut cake from more stored ingredients, including some honey that had gone crystallised and 2 bananas from the freezer. When they go black and yukky in the fruit bowl I don't fancy eating them so I put them in the freezer, and then they go totally black :eek: When they defrost they are SERIOUSLY yukky, soft and squishy :eek::eek: and you can squeeze them out of the skins like toothpaste out of a tube :rotfl:But despite all this they are fine for cakes

Got a few bits of washing nearly dry outside on the line, between squally showers. Finishing off on the airer now

Boo, it is Monday again tomorrow Is it me or does January seem a seriously long month? It seems ages since the Christmas break

SarahB1989_2

Had the boyfriend staying for the weekend and was seriously tempted to go for a pub lunch today to save me cooking, especially when we didn't wake up til late. But decided I needed the money more than I wanted a meal out, so cobbled together a sort-of roast dinner that went down well

January seems to be really dragging now, has been so expensive with unexpected stuff - have rearranged some budgets so it'll be covered eventually with no extra debt but will have to have a few extra-frugal months before I have a normal amount of money to play with again.

Already 'borrowed' nearly £20 from Feb's grocery pot so have a week of lentil soup to look forward to. Planning to leave my purse at home as much as possible so can't be tempted, and not going anywhere near the shops without a very strict list!

Goldiegirl

Mrs_Cheshire wrote: »

GG, were you participating in the big garden birdwatch?
I've been shopping today for the upcoming week, used my £5 off £40 spend voucher in Aldi, should only need to buy bread, cheese,milk and fresh fruit throughout Feb!

Yes, we've submitted our results - we've had the jays, blackbirds, doves, wood pigeons, sparrows and starlings.

We also from time to time have a robin, a wren and various t 1 t s, but they weren't around this weekend

Skinty, I wouldn't be suprised if it is the same robin, as they are quite territorial

macwah97

DawnW wrote: »

I would just keep them in a biscuit tin or plastic container to be honest. I am sure they will disappear within a few days

You are so right.......tub is mysteriously reducing in content!! Also made fifteens this afternoon. ?.....missing as well lol. Cheaper than letting them go buy from the garage

Just_be_2

Hello all. Just checking in after a busy week. Have been doing moderately well, managed to pay an extra £60 off my final debt the end of last week so am feeling excited to start the 'house deposit' fund when that is paid off! Probably getting a bit ahead of myself but need something to aim for!

afoolwithmoney

There has been one flaw in my plan LionessInWinter I forgot to tell OH of my plan lol. Because Ive been doing such a good cover up job he hadn't realised the financial state we were in... or found it easier to ignore lol . Got to sit down now & explain hows whys & where fors haha

Living_proof

My January has gone really well with too many NSDs to count but I work from home so this is easier for me than for most. My grocery budget came in just under budget at less than £30 and I am using as much from existing stocks as possible.

I have only bought one bottle of wine all month and the only extravagence was a meal for two at a local Chinese and as it was my turn to pay a whopping £40-ish was paid. We last went out just before Christmas and next month will be his turn to pay, so it will probably average out at £20 a month.

I have done little in the way of batch cooking as the freezers are stocked up to the gunnels but some of the items I have bought this month will last well into next month but were a price it would be rude to ignore. I am planning my vegetable garden and preserving plan, continuing to make my own yogurt and buying very little processed food.

And I have lost 6lb to boot! The only major fly in the ointment is that things aren't going too well at work at the moment and I feel redundancies loom.... There's no point worrying about it and at least the frugal lifestyle means I am much better prepared in any case. Keeping going all!

Frugalsod

My january has been so so. A few big bills but have coped. I still have two more which will be expensive but I am stocked up with cash and food so really can get by with just buying the odd milk and cream. I will not starve and have plenty to keep me occupied so no need to spend anything.

mum2one

I've found Jan a long month, feels like a 5 week month, a couple of bills which I had budgeted for but needed more than I thought, I always think its a drop after the festive season.

2 bills left to pay - ring and do 2mor - then thats all Jans done. I'll end with 27p left at the end of month, so def got to be no spend day.

Heres to a rip roaring and successful February....

DawnW

Ugh, it is Monday. I will be so glad when I don't have to go to work in the dark and come back in the dark

Still, try to be positive. I have a dentist's appointment this week, and this, plus a trip for work, means that I will need to pay for parking at the 'big' station twice this week, instead of just walking to the small one as I usually do (we don't get many trains, so this only fits in timewise on 'normal' work days). Apart from that, and paying the dentist's bill obviously, it shouldn't be a spendy week.

I have been keeping track of spending, and am looking forward to adding up my total spend for January (small things...) With car bills, dentist etc it will not have been a particularly frugal month,but it is at least realistic - the purpose of my first 4 month experiment is to see how we will cope on pensions and what we make from our little businesses, as opposed to my quite good salary, and how much we will need to dip into savings (little or not at all I hope, unless something needs doing to the house).