2014 Frugal Living Challenge

Aphidgirl

Greetings all,

I'm feeling very frugal this weekend which is pleasing as I got paid on Thursday and the temptation is always to spend loads in the week after pay day! The last couple of months have been spendier than I had hoped sadly. A few recent frugal things to report though:

- Didn't go out last night so plenty saved there on drinks in the pub

- Bought low-alcohol beers to take to a party tonight. Only £2 for 4 bottles! So good for the wallet and the liver

- Took part in some market research yesterday and was rewarded with a £5 Boots voucher. Handy as I need to buy hair dye!

- Received a free large bottle of shampoo in the post today (some online giveaway that I'd forgotten I'd entered!)

- The landlord told me he wants to increase the rent by £20 a month from January onwards. Not such good news but I tried asking if he would consider just a £10 increase and we finally agreed on an extra £15 a month, so some gentle negotiation and I've saved £5 a month next year.

All this has definately cheered me up after overspending in October and November!

Hope everyone else is doing well

Becky_2

alja wrote: »

Some of you might remember wishing me luck with a job I applied for a little while ago, a job that could make a massive difference to me. I'm pleased to say, that I got it!

After being out of work since the end of Sept, I have now been offered a job with a higher salary. I will be earning just under £6000 more a year than what I was on at the beginning of this year. I feel very lucky and I'm so glad I went for the role.

Alja, congratulations to your new job. Well done. :T

Bobarella

Hi All
Frugaldom - it's very reassuring to hear what you say about plans taking years sometimes to prove themselves. I genuinely do feel we've made progress in 2014. It's a process of setting yourself up right to finally go forwards again isn't it.

CW - congratulations on your bargain shopping.

Aphid - I know what you mean about wanting to spend more around pay day. But I'm with you now trying to ignore that voice that says you deserve a payday treat. It does make a difference.

youngmummy

hi all. love this thread hope to join you all in 2015 .. this year has gone so fast its just flown by.

we are a family of 4 from the west midlands. We are 22 with 2 children age 5 and 1.

over the years i have became more thrifty but i still have lots to learn and hope that financially 2015 is just the start of a bigger better and brighter future

with not long left of this year i will leave joining until the new thread is up. but will stick around and try and read as much as the previous years threads as i can

[Deleted User]

I am having a very frugal weekend too, which feels good. Weekly shop done yesterday and will finish off today. Should be no more than £30 spend.

I did a bit of decluttering yesterday and took a couple of things to the local charity shop. This morning I need to change beds, put a washing in, do some ironing and put fresh towels in the bathroom.

My sister is having quite a hard time of it just now and her car has just died. She has no AA/RAC membership and I am considering giving her some money to put towards her credit card or buy her AA membership. I need to have a think and speak to OH.

cw18

Still tweaking my spreadsheet ready for 1st Jan. The main thing now seems to be trying to find as many ways as possible to fund my zero budget categories.....

So far I've come up with

• If I buy anything reduced to clear, reduced on offer, part of a multibuy, or using a coupon (manufacturer or store) I can spend half of the savings
• If I get cashback on anything from a budget with a value, then once I claim the cashback I can have half for spending. (If the cashback is on something from a non-zero budget I'll take it all)
• If I use anything I've got stockpiled which will be replaced (eventually, and in smaller quantities) I can spend half of the replacement value. This kicks in even if the repalcement won't be an identical type (eg. I have moisturisers which will be replaced with day/night creams, and stock pots will be replaced with stock granules which are cheaper and take less space) but replacement value will be according to what I'll buy in future
• If I use anything I've got in the house which won't be replaced even with an alternative (body sprays, mouthwash and bubble bath spring to mind) I can have all the value of those items based on what I'd pay for a replacement if I were to buy again. Hoping this really encourages me to get rid of this lot
• If I sell anything I can have some of the income (after deducting any fees). I'm still trying to firm up percentages I'll allow myself from this (and still need to write the spreadsheet code to do the calculations for me).
• From store loyalty cards, such as Mr T Clubc@rd vouchers. All this is avalable for non-zero budgets These get earned by spending on all budgets (including non-zero ones) and by doing surveys for Mr T, so it's too much much work to try splitting any other way. (I get from another couple as well, but they're almost 100% earned from zero-value budgets spends anyway).
• From other surveys. All this is available for non-zero budgets.
• Any winnings from the free postcode lottery I think I picked up from a recent email from Martin (doubt I'll get anything, but I won't if I don't check the daily draws which only takes a couple of minutes at most )
• Roadkill. I can have all of this, but don't expect it to be much based on this year (doni't think I've found much over £2, but every little helps)
• Gifts. I can have all of this as it's not intended for living expenses. This normally only comes from my parents. both for Christmas and my birthday. As I don't want to feel I need to spend it in the last week of the year or have it swallowed into my general funds I'm actually going to add Christmas money to next years available funds.

Can anyone think of any other way of releasing funds for my non-zero budgets? I thought about rounding up shopping trips to the next highest 10p and having the change, but as many shopping trips are a mix of budgets on one receipt I've a feeling that may involve too much manual work to figure out what comes from where. (It's bad enough splitting discounts when I use an £x off a £y spend against a range of budgets!).

Just_be_2

Welcome young mummy I joined this thread the beginning of 2014 and its helped change my relationship with money- for the better! Although I'm not naive enough to think that in going to sail through the Christmas period easily. I've already started to overspend a little. I need to be very mindful over this next month. I have nothing left to buy except for some Christmassy food and treats which there I have budgeted for, so I really new to stick to this! Fingers crossed as I know I will enjoy Christmas much more without the guilt of having over spent. I do love christmas

Just_be_2

I too am a young(ish) mummy. My daughter is 4

grassgirl

So tempted to pop £10 on the bingo to chill out with eeek..


actually...I haven't been on there for a year, figure I've forgotten my password too so that's that sorted!

Frugaldom

Welcome on board, young mummy

CW - on the cash neutral categories, don't forget to place a value on homemade, swapped or make do & mend tems, where you are saving money by not buying them. By doing this, I have managed to save the equivalent of £1 per day, which means I should have £365 by 31/12/14 and reduced my overall annual budget to £3,635 + council tax, as I did it as a further cost cutting exercise.

Next year's challenge thread is already up in the frugal forums, I will get the new one sorted out for here before the end of the month.

Welcome to month 12 of the seventh annual frugal living challenge, hope you are all making huge savings.