2014 Frugal Living Challenge

23rdspiral

Happy New Year Everyone!

No frugal things to report here as my Xmas was quite stressful as I had 4 hospital appointments - one emergency which wasn't helpful in getting things sorted 2 days before Xmas! Hospital parking is expensive isn't it.

I saved a lot on gifts and cards. This year buy buying in sales etc, and have bought next years special cards already in the sales.

I'll sit down tomorrow and do my spreadsheet / SOA since I wasn't able to last week.

dizzy_lizzie

Happy New Year
:beer:

Love reading everyone's enthusiasm for the year ahead.
It whizzes by so quickly that every frugal day really does count.
I didn't post as often on the 2013 thread but I'm determined this year to keep it up.
My aims this year are to do grocery shops related to the weeks menu so I have everything in rather than popping to the shop to get a couple of things and ending up spending a small fortune!
Also to get plenty of fresh 'free' air and exercise by going on an evening dog walk with OH after tea, weather permitting.
Also taking in lunches for work. I start off doing this then end up resorting to popping to the bakery near work for a salad muffin, drink and crisp. Works out at £10.40 for the four days! Sorting my lunch out the night before will be a good saving!
I still have the rest of the week off before starting our new term so I'm going to use these days to get super organised.
We stayed in last night and this saved us a pretty penny, we usually go out New Year, so a good start to reigning in our spending.
x

23rdspiral hope 2014 will be less stressful for you.

TattyG

Evening everyone and a happy new year

Pleased to have the new year off to a start! Today will be 1st NSD for 2014 - have enough of everything in and really CBA going to the shops. Was hoping tomorrow would be the same but hubby needs to take the car to get a new battery (£30-£50). Me and the kids will be staying in though and not going out so it should just be the car that needs money.

Have a HM Leek and Potato Soup in the SC for tomorrow lunch - found the potatoes in the bottom of the larder and they were starting to sprout so used them quick! the Leeks were YS to 50p a pack for 4 large leeks in Iceland yesterday so used 6 and have saved 2 so we can have buttered leek with our next roast dinner

I have also put some comping time in today (won £120 worth of prizes in Dec) as I want to be present neutral in 2014. also spent some time on Swagbucks - managed daily total today, so pleased with progress there too. Will save for Amazon vouchers for hubby for presents through the year as he loves his DVD's

Feel like I am off to a really good start ! Long may it continue !

Tx

P.S - thank you for the links to PO and kids Oxford site - always looking for bits like that for the kids and hubby looking at the PO savings account for next Christmas savings x

SarahB1989_2

Think my biggest spending problem is food - always end up buying little snacks at work that add up to lots. Plan is to take my months food budget out the bank on Saturday (still at my parents at the moment so no outgoings on food til then!) so I have £100 cash and when it runs out, it runs out. Might help me be a bit more aware of what I'm spending if I can see it disappearing.

dizzy_lizzie

SarahB1989 wrote: »

Plan is to take my months food budget out the bank on Saturday (still at my parents at the moment so no outgoings on food til then!) so I have £100 cash and when it runs out, it runs out. Might help me be a bit more aware of what I'm spending if I can see it disappearing.

Hi Sarah. A good idea is to take out the £100 in pound coins and ask for some of those little plastic money bags and bag them up eg £5 in each one, it does make budgeting much easier.
I used to do this weekly and it did work. Seeing all those shiny £1 coins makes you want to hold on to them for longer.
Thanks for reminding me about it
x

Kerry_Woman

Still need to sort out the budget for the year. Will try and do this at the weekend. Am also going to do some goals for the year, but will go month by month for this.

pm2326

Evening and Happy New Year

Had my 1st NSD of the year, cooked roast beef dinner and rhubarb crumble for pud using freezer & cupboard stores. Have a large piece of beef left over which I'm going to portion up and freeze for another day :T

I don't do resolutions as such but want to put some plans in place, so I've ordered a new pin & card for a dormant current account, once it arrives I'm going to move money for food shopping into it each month so I can control the spending better.

I'm also going to give myself £10 pocket money each monday, this will cover any emergency chocolate or alcohol cravings etc :rotfl: but if I spend it its tough, I have to wait for the following Monday before I get anymore.

Like some others on here I have no friends outside of work. All my work friends live miles away so if I don't go out with them straight from work, it's too costly for me to go back and forth. So once I come home that's it, just me and the cat.

It's been known for me to take a week off work and not actually speak to anyone the whole time. Now this doesn't really bother me but I do feel I'm missing out on a lot. So this year I'm going to try and find things to do/places to go on weekends, days off etc that will get me out of the house meeting people but are also free or a real bargain.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

If you ever come across one of these


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Triple-Trio-Saucepans-3-Three-Way-Sections-Split-Fuel-Space-Saver-Camper-/261351256291?hash=item3cd9bfb0e3


they are fab... I bought one in a CS years ago, think I paid around the £5 mark for it...


very frugal and saves having loads of saucepans on the go, and most of all you only use 1 ring to cook 3 items..

ellie-g

Ok money savers, tomorrow is forecast to be dry, sunny with some wind and my resolution not to use my tumble dryer is as strong as ever! Consequently I have just done 2 loads of washing which is ready to hang out first thing in the morning. Keeping my fingers crossed there won't be any surprise rain, if so there will be clothes hanging everywhere in the house ....

wilf55

Can I join you please....

Bills amount to 1179 per month and income 1519. So should be able to save 340 pm. Am quite tight but soft with loans to the kids and repayments. To stick with frugal budget I need to work hard and be harsher. £3237. Jan - march for me