2014 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Take the 100 day challenge - I do this every year. It is 100 days until 01/01/15 We spend the 100 days toning up our frugal living plans, practicing extreme austerity and making, mending, preserving whatever and however we can to see us through to the new year and the next challenge. Sorry I don't have the time to post more about it.

£1 per person per day for food is entirely achievable, that has been my household grocery budget for years. Takes time to implement in order to get a balanced diet but the benefits of that alone are worth it.

I agree re the credit cards for points & cash back... I pay everything I can on mine and have a balance in full direct debit set up to avoid paying charges or interest.

Kantankrus_Mare

Frugalsod wrote: »

If your credit card is not in debt and you have a direct debit set up to pay in full you could still use it. It does take more will power to not spend too much in store. Another option is to shop online so that you can see the running total each time. That helps you limit the spending. If necessary then get bulk items that way and do smaller top up shops with cash taking only just enough to get what you are missing.

That was always the plan and though I am very disciplined and can easily stick to budget, husband cant.
I know I am lucky having a OH that is willing to shop but he can be frivolous when its not real money.
Add on the fact you cant use credit cards in lidl so found it dfficult to keep track.
I would get frustrated each month knowing the tesco bill should be no more than 700 but would very rarely be under 1000. Yes we paid it off in full but would leave us nothing to put towards saving for holidays which we now want to start doing.

mummy2threeboys

Im deseperate to get rid of my ccs all my fault for being stupid with money! Wish i could go back to my 21 year self and say stop it!
Anyway its getting there postive thoughts . On that note im Thrilled currently in negotions to fix our mortgage 5 years 10 months and we will be free
Currenty really really cold here so im in my dressing gown on top of my clothes and slippers , so tempting to put the heating on but i wont! Im aiming for october but try to push it out further. Loads of love to you all x

Frugalsod

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

That was always the plan and though I am very disciplined and can easily stick to budget, husband cant.
I know I am lucky having a OH that is willing to shop but he can be frivolous when its not real money.
Add on the fact you cant use credit cards in lidl so found it dfficult to keep track.
I would get frustrated each month knowing the tesco bill should be no more than 700 but would very rarely be under 1000. Yes we paid it off in full but would leave us nothing to put towards saving for holidays which we now want to start doing.

Ultimately you know what the limitations of any plan are far better than us. Though any suggestion that we might offer might inspire you to a better solution overall. Maybe a bit of each might work? Though if one party has a weakness then best to try and minimise that. There could be an option in that if OH needs an incentive then if shopping budget is actually more than needed that he could have 1/3 of the additional savings in extra beer or something else that he might want.

Kantankrus_Mare

Frugalsod wrote: »

Ultimately you know what the limitations of any plan are far better than us. Though any suggestion that we might offer might inspire you to a better solution overall. Maybe a bit of each might work? Though if one party has a weakness then best to try and minimise that. There could be an option in that if OH needs an incentive then if shopping budget is actually more than needed that he could have 1/3 of the additional savings in extra beer or something else that he might want.

He gets a beer/clothes allowance anyway so that one is already covered.

optimistic-mummy

hi everyone..

ive noticed looking back from previous years the thread is quiet.

i try and be as frugal as possible (with the smaller things) but if we want to hit our savings target we need to get our backsides into gear and tighten the belt as much as possible.

the small things i do:
1. use cloth nappies and wipes
2. line fruit and veg drawer in fridge with tea towel (the tea towel absorbes moisture so the veg and fruit lasts longer)
3. use microfibre cloths instead of dishcloths that dont last as long and end up in the bin.
4. DP uses his bike as much as possible instead of the car
5. make do and mend (love my sewing machine
6. portion size all meat etc before freezing
7. water down washing up liquid and body washes etc.
8. use less than the recommended amount of washing powder to strech it out a few washes
9. except hand me downs (most of my clothes are what ive been given) and most of my partners and the kids are brought second hand
10. put icecream on a cone (it uses less than putting it in a bowl for ds1)
11. we dont do puddings ... if the kids are still hungry after tea they have fruit or a yogurt or icecream i dont make special puds (bad mummy)
12. i try and selvage everything i can before throwing it out any furniture / clothes etc

this summer ds1 needed some shorts and he had some jeans that had seen much better days so i cut them off just above the holes and made them into shorts

i still have loads of stuff to sell... i don't know where to start but it wont sell its self and with Xmas fast approaching any extra money would come in handy

the boys main xmas presents are going to cost £315 alone! :eek:
im hoping argos will have another 3 for 2 before xmas and i can get them then along with ds1's birthday present.

Frugaldom

This challenge has been running for several years and has gradually fallen from sight as more and more of the original challengers move on from escaping their debts. It is good that folks move on but for newcomers seeking help with the simple things, like learning the tricks and traits of austerity, frugal living and household budget control, it can be difficult to find.

Top tips

Stop all spending for a day to sort out a proper budget
Prioritise the debts, bill paying and spending
Get rid of all non-essential spends, like expensive TV packages, luxury hobbies, smoking, alcohol, excessive mobile phone use
Try to forget about saving money until you are debt free... this can be extremely difficult, as many feel a sense of security simply by seeing savings.

Things I do

Budget only for the necessary spends - everything else gets saved for investing in my own future
Grow fruit, veg & herbs
Go foraging for free berries
Cook everything from scratch - no takeaways, no eating out, no processed foods or ready meals
Cycle or walk whenever possible
Don't buy new unless you really have to
Make my own laundry liquid
Monitor weekly energy use
5 minute shower rather than heat a full tank of water for baths (I have only a shower room at this house.)
Check out charity shops, local free sites and swaps or trading groups
Reduce waste and recycle as much as possible
Love porridge and homemade soup - very cheap and very nutritious
Use the free gym - just step outside your own door
Stockpile long shelf life bargains
Batch cook and stretch the meals as far as possible
Use up all leftovers

The list really is endless but once the pattern is set, debts start slipping away and life becomes more and more fun. My biggest boost was in making sure I found like-minded people, which is why I brought the challenges online in the first place.

Keep on frugaling - some of us diehards meet up elsewhere, but I am not here to spam links. Frugal living is a complete lifestyle, it doesn't stop when the debts are gone.

wilf55

Thanks for the post. Although I rarely post I follow the thread daily I love reading the tips and how you all do things. Please keep the thread going����

Frugalsod

Try and find your local stores discount times. Some put the clearance items out about the same time every day. If you are lucky you can get some serious bargains as things will have to be sold by closing time that night. This is best tried in smaller convenience stores. You might find something interesting but to make the most of it you might need to add to it, so beware of buying something else to complete a meal with the bargain. It might not make any sense with the additional spend.

If you can get a water meter as it will substantially reduce your water bills.

cw18

Frugalsod wrote: »

If you can get a water meter as it will substantially reduce your water bills.

The general rule of thumb is that you're better off with a water meter if less people live in the house than there are bedrooms.

When we first moved into this house (4 bedroom detached) there were 4 of us, and my metered bill was about the same as we'd paid as water rates at our previous house for 5 of us (3 bedroom mid terrace).

My parents changed over to a meter a few years ago (2 of them in a 4 bed property), and OH's sister is currently trying to get their mother switched over (just her in a 3 bed).