2014 Frugal Living Challenge

DawnW

OK, just done totals for February. Not as bad as last month, but still more than I had hoped.....

£1104.56.

And only 8 NSDs - I am counting for OH as well as myself though

January was £1783.64, so that is £2882.82 all together over the 2 months :eek:

So it looks as though I am going to go over my target of £4000 for 4 months :mad:

The question is by how much.... hmmm. Some of the spends have been work related, so they will disappear once I have left.

I don't need to do a big shop this week, as I have plenty of most things in. I will need a few bits like milk, bread and loo paper, but will make a list and stick to it

Right, March next - bring it on!

Florenceem

Not a no spend day as Mr F went shopping. We now have enough tea to last for at least three months. He used a £4 off £20 shop to get the tea.
I have started making a Birthday present.

Buffythedebtslayer

Cooked the chicken put it in the fridge, will more than likely mix it with Korma jar sauce for dinner today and tomorrow cheers XXX

millionaire_in_training

Hi folks. I cannot keep up with this thread. Moves too fast for me but I am still plodding along (not very successfully I may add). Overspent by £379.29 this month but I am still going to keep trying. It costs me approx £150 in expenses for DS school each month and from £425 it is quite a chunk. Fingers crossed he decides to go to college next year as at least he will get a bursary for that

mrsinvisible

Well, I stayed within budget this month, in total, but the categories need some sorting out! Food was a minor spend in comparison to fuel to purchase it, so must investigate the online option. My biggest expense was the outlay for next months trip to London, so I need to rein in the garden items spend altho it needs major work to recover it from the storm damage. Hmm No birthdays this month so that helps.
Oh, also the shower enclosure was an added expense but still inside the total set.

Buffythedebtslayer

millionaire_in_training wrote: »

Hi folks. I cannot keep up with this thread. Moves too fast for me but I am still plodding along (not very successfully I may add). Overspent by £379.29 this month but I am still going to keep trying. It costs me approx £150 in expenses for DS school each month and from £425 it is quite a chunk. Fingers crossed he decides to go to college next year as at least he will get a bursary for that

Hello, I didn't stay in budget either, bit of a nightmare month really!


I have one CC bill for 221 and another one of an as yet unknown amount. Probably about the same. It is buying dog food and meat and this month paying off my car insurance which has left me with no spare cash. also I went out during half term....


Hopefully if I can get my !!!! together this month the overspend won't happen as I have a fair amount of food in and supplies for the pets. Plus loads to sell!

abby1234519

Right so the last two months have been wobbly etc but March is a new start!

I've taken out our food and petrol money in cash. We will lock our cards away but I will have one of OH and he will have one of mine. We will change the pins. Then if there is an emergency we have to ask the other person for the pin.

Petrol money is in the "Melon" Purse and locked in the writing bureau. I need to start being better with car use, it is disgusting that I drive about 30 seconds up the hill to the shop. I am not joking by the way, its a 5 minute walk. But because its up a steep hill I can't be bothered to walk. Now if I stopped doing that I bet I'll save a chunk of petrol money. What I need is a shopping trolley. OH would probably be really embarrassed but.....so! I only shop at the Coop for the reduced meat anyway. I get it when its been discounted by 75% and I get an extra 10% off. Thats worth it. Everything else I try to do at Asda or Lidl. But I get milk at the Coop. its the 3 x 4pints for £3 at the moment, so I get 10% off so its cheaper than elsewhere.

We don't need to buy much food really. We have plenty of food in the house, we will need butter, milk etc but nothing else. Might need lidl passatta but I have a chest freezer and freezer and store cupboards to eat!!!

Can I avoid the chocolate is the question....

lhead123

Grr told OH we need to be more careful with mkney and hes moaning that there's noting for him to eat before he goes to work in an hour - bear in mind he's a trained 5* chef (despite not working in the industry for 10 years) and in the fridge we have:
Left over mash
Left over macaroni cheese
Beef stew
Cooking bacon
Cheese

No butter -Aparently thats the end of the world!

In the freezer we have:
Beef burgers
Sausages
Ready meals
Loads of meat


Is it just me or does thst sound like plenty to make a meal with? He could easily have sausage mash and peas or baked beans! Or creates something random....the proble, is he cant be bothered to cook - I end up doing 99% of the cooking and I'm the one who eats the leftovers!

He needs to start learning fast or we're going to continue spending too much money on food and throwing leftovers away when they go off.

Grrr! Glad im in charge of shopping otherwise we'd have too much rubbish!

Now just got to wait for the T delivery and stop oh eating rubbish! Lol
X

Frugalsod

Sounds like sausage and mash would be possible without much effort.

tatabubbly

So thats February over and done with.. Going to try harder and stick to a set budget this month. All the money I have has to go into the wedding budget to be on target for the end of the year but I am really cutting myself short for this month.

I need €200 on 18th and another €400 for the 27th.. Feeling so bleh about it but bills need to be paid. Other than that, I got €100 of groceries today and went to the cinema with my OH. Not planning any more spends for the rest of the week. I have enough food and the bills are paid.

For March, I'm hoping for 10 NSDs...