2014 Frugal Living Challenge

patentgirl

Finally a NSD not been posting much but trying to read thread most days everyone seems to be having good start to year been rushed off my feet either looking after grandchildren or at work very stressful time interviewing for 2 new staff, which I am not keen on especially having to ring candidates after to say not been successful!
Had car tax bill this week MOT next week cars are an endless moneypit!!
One thing going well meal planning not wasting hardly anything at all Now which is a bonus.
Have good evening everyone.

pm2326

Evening all

It's the start of a new month for me tomorrow as it's payday :T

I'm truly stunned that with careful planning and frugalness I managed to finish the month having paid an additional £315 off my debts. I appreciate this would be even better if I didn't have any debts and this was savings but I cant honestly remember the last time I had money left at the end of the month

So tomorrow is a new month. I've decided I'm going to set 4 mini challenges for myself each month just to keep me motivated. So between now and 24th March I'm going to:

1. Clear my overdraft, currently -£334

2. Go grocery shopping twice and no more :eek:. My freezer is full with batch cooked meals, milk, bread, meat, veg etc and store cupboard still looking healthy.

3. Try two new low cost foods. I get bored eating the same thing all the time and I'm very limited in what veg/pulses I will eat, so this month it's chickpeas as never tried them in any form before and smoked mackeral..love fish but not normally a fan of smoked.

4. Treat myself to 2 days/nights out for as little money as possible.



Should be fun!

lovefullshelves

abby - I think youre doing well, you'll get there, you seem very resourceful!
boomdocker - if your pots get sprouty you could always save them till the frosts are over and plant them in the garden! And you can just rub the sprouts off and cook them, as long as they're not green theyre fine. Potatoes should not have a best before date. We grow them and they keep, in a shed, no light, covered, from september till april if we're lucky!
I'm up to 5 NSD in a row thanks to the baggy operating system.
I 'spend' into baggies so the money is there from the beginning of the month. Only if I go over is it a proper spend:) That way I know there's money there for shopping each week for a month. Only £25 a week, but its enough with my deep, deep shelves.
This weeks meat is a pack of streaky bacon so far 4 slices have gone in omelette:) with pots and onions free for me (as I grow them) that leaves the 5 eggs @ 9p each cheap tea:)
I am trying very hard not to buy new solar lights for the garden. My last set has broken, OH has taken them apart but they need a new switch. They have been great for the last 2 years and the other sets are stil going strong. And I love my alien coloured garden..GREEN! I think for the amount of smiles they give me, especially in the summer when I sit in the garden alot at night I might get them. They've been in my basket for 24 hours so far, maybe a few more days and I'll decide!
Thanks for listening

Goldiegirl

Good evening!

Everything is fairly quiet here.

Only sold five things on eBay this weekend, and 4 of those things were on behalf of my friend. But her things did go for a good price, and I get 50% of that, so I've made a few quid.

My NSD target is in the balance. Today was going to be a NSD, but I bought the Kindle deal of the day. Tomorrow certainly won't be a NSD, as I have my grocery order being delivered(just over £100' so no delivery fee, and lots of things for my store cupboard) and I'm having my hair coloured, so in fact it'll be a big spend day. But I really need my hair doing. Last time I had colour done was September, and it's all grown out now.

We had Spag Bol for dinner, out of the freezer from the last batch cook. I love batch cooking, it's like having supermarket ready meals on hand for a fraction of the cost. I wish I had a bigger freezer, I'd do even more.

skintygerlinky

Evening Frugalites xx

Absolutely loving the posts on here tonight. Some of us have hit new pay day, others are on countdown. We all have our individual reasons for being here, but our collective determination is just ace! Feel so inspired. We are doing well, forgiving ourselves for slipping back sometimes but dusting ourselves off and carrying on.

NSD!! Spent the day sorting out living room and dining room with my parents after re-decorating. After polishing, cleaning, putting new curtains up etc the rooms looked amazing, a real breath of fresh air.
Lovely tea (veggie goulash) followed by the spotted !!!!!!...too long in the oven! Woops. The garden birds will enjoy it in the morning!!

So, a bit of mellow affirmation tonight - if anyone's feeling low or needs a lift, this is for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc

DawnW

Evening all :j
Not a NSD as I needed a small amount of shopping on the way home from work - bread and potatoes from Lidls and hay fever tablets, something for the food bank and some reduced teacakes (oops) in Waitrose.

Took some of the leek and potato soup I made at the weekend to work for lunch, and we had chicken for supper. There is enough chicken left (it was drumsticks not a whole one) for OH tomorrow, and as I will get lunch at a work meeting, there is no need to cook tomorrow evening

We can have something on toast, or just some of those teacakes :rotfl:

Payday on Friday :T and then I can have fun adding up my totals for February. Hope I have spent less than last month :eek:

Buffythedebtslayer

skintygerlinky wrote: »

Evening Frugalites xx


So, a bit of mellow affirmation tonight - if anyone's feeling low or needs a lift, this is for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc

Excellent XX


have 15 in my purse and 50 in the bank. Am skint tho since all this is accounted for. Hey ho, have food in the fridge and some petrol in the car.


XX

Shortie

Ah, another awesome tune there Skinty

So for me, it's been a fine day money wise. Have arranged to pick up a second hand Wii for cheap tomorrow so that I can use ,y Zumba and Just Dance discs down stairs without having to keep moving it from the boys bedrooms upstairs into the living room downstairs and vice versa.

In other news, I had a mini paper work stash attack between getting home from work and sitting down for dinner

.. aaannndddd.... am currently having a cuddle with Pud 2, which is a major event and I'm feeling all warm and squashy We had 2 puds (one old, one young) and 'old pud' passed away late last year. We also have two dogs but we wanted another pud back so got a rescue one. It was obvious from the off that she was really friendly and wasn't scared of DS2 (who can be very loud!).

Anyway, it's always been clear that she loves a fuss, but always at arms length - step too close and she used to run away. She's much confident now for a fuss, sleeps on our bed now etc. But she's now sitting on my lap in the living room while the dogs are in here - for only the second time ever! (We've had her since November).

How chuffed am I?? :D Even if she has now decided to sit there and wash herself on my lap :rotfl::rotfl:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Well Feb was/is a bad month for us,and it looks like march is going to be pretty grim too..


ATM the more I try and cut back the more things I need to pay out..


I think I need some 'positive mental attitude' going into March...


Even though I got freezer fulls meat, Morrisons have their Chickens at £1.75 a kg.. so picked up a med size chicken for only £2.83 I don't normally like buying supermarket chicken, but thought at that price.. it was well worth buying..

tatabubbly

So its the end of february nearly and time to put a few goals aside for March :

Wedding pot needs to be at €1,500 to keep on track with target

Need to magic up €400 for the dentist on the 27th of March

Plan out my meals, esp. as I am doing slimming world. Will help with weight loss and funds.

More bargains on ebay. Managed to buy a wedding veil for €6.50. Hoping its a good buy, if not I can always wear it on my hen do I suppose!

Help mum plan her attack on her garden/house. She wants to do the place up but I wanna help her be as frugal as we can.

NSD's - I'd say I've done at least 7 this month.. Thinking of topping it up to 10 NSD in March? it should be doable!