2014 Frugal Living Challenge

KazLA

Having cut the cards up, I've decided to use the larger ones for the children to write their thank you letters on the back! They look fab.

Shortie

Afternoon all. it's so hard to keep motivated in work when there's not much work around (purely because it's Christmas, when the world reappears back of their holidays it'll turn bonkers again!)

Just munched my lunch (off to update the lunch to work thread in a mo) but I'm having a very hungry day today - startedout on the usual porridge too, so not sure what the hunger is about!

I had a go at the budget as in the original threads, and I can get nowhere near a decent amount, but... I am budgetting really hard (I've always been fairly good at it) and would love to stay with this thread for the support and inspiration. I need to keep every penny I can as there is a lot to try and sort financially - I still owe my Dad £2k, I need to get an emergency savings pot up, and then save to replace our heating and do some building work on the house (both much needed)

We don't have much left in the grocery spends purse now (actually I need to update my sig) and it's around £50 now... we still have 3 weeks left to feed 4 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats. Don't get me wrong, we have tonnes of meat in the freezer but we will need some bread (we have some frozen as well), milk, pasta, possibly rice, tinned tomatoes... I'm wondering how sucessful it will be if we bought 3 weeks worth of milk, tinned toms, bread, pasta, cereals, etc..... this weekend.

Mr Shortie is thinking of popping to the local SM on New Year's eve to see if there are any stonking bargains going like they were around Christmas (because, while we may not need them right now, they'll definately help us to have reduced shopping spends in the next few months) and I'm wondering about utilising whatever is left to 'stock up' in one hit and get it out of the way?

If we do, I'm wondering about venturing slightly further a field, and on Satudarday so that we can do the £1 cinema with the kids, and then use the kid's membership to a softplay for some free fun while one of us pops to the local f&v market to stock up on fresh stuff, spices, chapati flour and lentils.

Oh good point... while apples and oranges last forever in the fridge, bananas won't so we may still need to do small shops for the boy's bananas... bottoms...

Flutterby83

Afternoon all, well the postman dropped a lovely letter on our doorstep this morning - we're losing £30 a week in tax credits due to me under estimating my partners (self-employed) income it's only until April but it still means we're £30 a week down until then! I think we can do it without having to take money from the overpayments I want to make on my debts but it's going to be hard. So I threw myself into the post-Christmas clean up and now my house is sparkling so I don't feel so bad I've already managed to get our food bill down as I now use Aldi but if anyone has any reccommendations for a temporary fix until April, that would be great, or even a permanent one so we won't miss the £30 a week so when we get it back in April I can use it to pay off the debts quicker Plus, if I can make the overpayments I budgeted for, both my credit cards will be paid back by the end of August meaning we'll be in a better overall financial position for me to pay back my loan, the last payment being made in July 2015 (that's my debt free date - July 2015!) so I don't want to take any money from that budget. Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there

SarahB1989_2

Cancelled my contact lens 'subscription'. Had been getting them through specsavers lensmail but realised I can do it at half the price by ordering them through... specsavers! No benefits to their lensmail scheme atm as already have glasses and no tests due for over a year so saving at least £10 a month.

DawnW

Well, most errands unsuccessful this morning - farm shop still shut, fireplace shop didn't have in what we wanted (and seemed to have no interest in ordering it in for us, even though it would be fairly expensive....)

Did the rounds of the charity shops in town though, and bought a lovely handknitted patchwork throw for £5.99 and a new 2014 desk diary for £1.99, which when I opened it, also had a small diary and a notepad with it. The small diary will be ideal for a spending diary as it will fit in my bag, and the desk one was needed anyway as I didn't get one for Xmas .

So, I have sourced the chimney rods and brushes that we need elsewhere and we will probably pop out and get those tomorrow, which will be good as then they won't need to come from my 2014 budget (just!)

My car has just gone across the road to the garage for its MOT test :eek: (fingers crossed!) so I am waiting for them to phone.

Pasta and HM tomato sauce out of the freezer for dinner tonight, with a crumble made from blackberries (from freezer) and apples and pears (need using up in the fruit bowl) for pud

ginnyknit

2 nsd's in a row :j this flu has its benefits! Before that I only bought fruit for hubby and dgs plus a loaf so money still in the bank. Leftover ham and macaroni cheese for tea should bake 2 lots so that tomorrows lunch dealt with too. have Dgs tomnorrow as DD has a few hours work - all overtime cancelled so I have the rest of the week off Her childminder takes 2 weeks off at Christmas with pay so grandma has to step in. Am starting my plans for the New Years savings tonight, I have to get the money together to pay a chunk off my loan thus cutting the interest down and making it work better. Im getting £1 a week rise in my carers allowance in April so will be laughing all the way to the bank :rotfl: not! but plus a pound is better than minus a pound so its win win!

Ceres3

Hi,

I've used the website for years, but never posted on the forums. Although I have no debts, my partner and I are taking out a new mortgage in 2014 to buy out my ex and pay rest of mortgage. So we need to reduce spending and save as much as possible. With 4 teenage boys between us, this could be challenging. As a single parent I have been good at reducing out goings, being inventive and careful so I know we can do it. Its great to read everyone elses stories, tips and advice, keep up the good work. my challenge at the moment is to reduce the food bills. Last week I saved £13 by shopping else where instead of my usual supermarket, by also shopping online at a discounted food website I saved £25, if I keep that up over a month that's £90 or £1080 a year! Whats not to like about that? :j

Pips_Mum

optimistic-mummy wrote: »

hi everyone.

does anyone know when the sun holidays are back ?

Coming out of lurkdom as I literally just had an email saying January 12th
https://www.ukholidaysinthesun.co.uk/ :T

alja

Goldiegirl wrote: »

I've taken a few money saving steps - I haven't renewed the subscriptions on two magazines. I realised I received the magazines, leafed through them.... and that was it. Also, all the info I got from the magazines is online, so I can get it for free anyway. I've also decided not to buy a desk diary for 2014. I've got a lovely free wall calendar from P&O cruises, and apart from that, my computer or iPad will tell me the date any time I need to know it.

I've realised I'm exactly the same with my magazines! I used my Tesco points for my last subscription, but I don't think I will do it again as it's just a waste of points. I have decided that I will mostly use my points for meals out and clothes that I need instead now.

Today I went to the shops to see if there was anything good in the sales. I picked up a Christmas card for my mum and dad for next year in C*rd Factory, which was 49p instead of 99p. I also got a card for my friend's little one who is turning 1 in a couple of months - 29p!

I also picked up a couple of things from the B*ots sale, but only things I know I definitely would buy for next Christmas anyway. So it's better getting them now whilst their half price instead of having to buy 3 items to get do their 3 for 2 deal near Christmas. I got mum a bracelet in Marks and Sparks for £3.50, but I paid for this with a voucher I won

I also got two new dresses in the n*w look sale as my friend is getting married next year, so these are potential dresses for this. The total for the two was £24 but I had a £10 l*ve2shop voucher from doing surveys, so this saved me an extra chunk too! I was quite pleased with my purchases today I didn't go overboard for once!!

Pips_Mum

Right properly coming out of Lurkdom now!

2014 really could go either way for us financially.

We are a family of 4, me, OH, Pip (DS) who is almost 5 and Pea (DD) who is 1. At my LBM I owed £17,500 but managed to get it down to a little over £2000 despite having been made redundant whilst pregnant with Pea. I have been a SAHM for the last 18 months or so and now I am on a part time temporary contract at my local Waitrose store but that is due to finish in Feb, should find out by 15th Jan if its going to be extended. so fingers crossed! Its been a struggle and I have found myself sneaking things onto catelogue accounts and of course they have built back up a bit, our car literally blew up and as Pea's school is 1/2 hour away from our home I needed to have it so had to borrow from my Parents to get a new one. Add this to a current estimation of £5000 that we apparently owe HMRC in overpayments you can all see why I need to join a frugal challenge!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Anyway thats me, I have been on the forums since 2008 so know what I should be doing but need a kick up the b*m to keep on at it sometimes as lets face it its hard!