2014 Frugal Living Challenge

Suziebabe

Count me in please! Our debt-free date is way off in 2019, but by getting our act together I worked out I could bring that in to mid-2016, but I know we'll need the encouragement to stay on track

Plus I love the idea of having a lower-impact lifestyle, of being less dependent on the big corporations - not to mention that if we can actually do this, pay off the debts and stick to it, I can reduce my hours at work and get some life back :j:j

Goldiegirl

I'm already enjoying reading people's varied reasons for wanting to do this challenge. We are all at various stages of our lives, with different goals, but we will all be able to help and encourage each other.


I've never been wildly profligate, but I've never been ultra frugal either. I know there's areas where I can spend less, but which won't have a impact on my lifestyle, so that's where I'll start. Then I'd move on to see where other compromises could be made. There may be things that I wouldn't be willing to give up (i.e. some wants), but as long as I can afford them on my projected retirement income, that's going to be fine.


I'll looking at this as gradual improvement over the year. If I do too much too soon, I don't think it'll be sustainable. If things are done slowly, I think there'll more chance of any changes being long term.


I'm looking at figures etc at the moment, I'll post more at the end of the month, so I'll know exactly where I need to start in January

teabody

Hi,
Please count me in too! I have an outstanding mortgage of around £89,000 which I would like to reduce quickly! I also have 2 other mortgages on houses we rent out totalling approx £165,000! Although these are covered by rent, ideally that money could be income ....I'm a stay at home mom with a 3 year old and 5 year and currently studying while my husband is self employed therefore reduced mortgages would make us a little more secure! Until childcare costs forced me to leave work I had a really well paid job and although we are not wasteful, we did not have to be as frugal. Not only that but I hate wastefulness....sadly due to this I am a bit of a hoarder so I also need to sort that out but one step at a time.
So far, I have managed to be frugal with xmas. My children are young and are lucky to be treated to new things all year round so their presents this year have been carefully selected from charity shops, ebay and used sites. I have managed to buy things I could never have afforded brand new and kept the cost down. Also, i have not bought loads of xmas cards as usual that cost an absolute bomb. I purchased some in the sales last year instead. Our xmas turkey i got free with vouchers that i gained during this years childcare and i have also starting selling my hoardings online.

My main aim is to sort meal planning out and feel like we have plenty of stocked food for less!

Good luck to you all, have a fabulous xmas and a frugal new year!

slowlyfading

I'll be back again this year

Savvy_sewing

think its time for me to get back to basics and join again. The income is due to drop by whstvI used to live on in a year. How did I manage Eek.

helencal80

JackieO wrote: »

Well done Helen that's brilliant stuff.Its amazing what you can make out of almost anything isn't it.I use up all the past-its best veg in soups or casseroles.Yesterday I even used the trimmed stalks from some mushrooms to help pad out a curry made from the cooked stripped chicken leg my DD had given me to take home.She had a large chicken for dinner on Thursday night as my brother and her family had a pre-christmas meal together before he went home to France and as there were 6 of them plus us 2 there was enough left overs for her to make a leek and chicken pie for Friday night and a spare left over leg -quarter for me.I was going to have it witha salad but decided to make a small curry with it.I ended up with two take-awy boxes of chicken & veg curry that have gone into my freezer,so two free meals made from odds and ends in the fridge:rotfl::j

I love concocting meals out of odds and ends.When my children were small back in the 1970s we always had odds and s*ds pie on a Thursday .It was usually a savoury pastry (easy-peasy to make with flour,soft marg and a small amount of grated cheese and a few mixed herbs) case baked 'blind'then filled with what ever there was in the fridge to use up
a couple of chopped cooked sausages,diced onion, a rasher or two of streaky bacon cooked to a crisp,any left over veg or even a small tin of baked beans spread on top then topped with mashed potato and grated cheese ,chuck it back in the oven about 160c until browned on top and serve with any green veg,cabbage or carrots & sweetcorn and its a filling meal and stretches two sausages into a meal for the four of us

Quiches back in the days before supermarkets were just basically egg and bacon pie.almost the same with a baked blind pastry case filled with some streaky bacon (Morrisons do a 500gms of bacon bits for 81p,thats an awful lot of chopped up bacon) a couple of eggs a splash on milk and poured into the case and cooked until set.Costs pennies to make and tastes far nicer than those ready-made ones from the SM.It will slice up when cold for picnics,with salad for lunch or even go into school/work lunch boxes instead of sandwiches.
I do like to try and make stuff as much as possible myself and there is very little sold ready-made that I can't make cheaper and tastier at home, as you have found out yourself .Well done on your meal for 6 for under £4.00:j:j:j

JackieO - I always use mushroom stalks now, they taste exactly the same as the rest of the mushroom, I don't know why I wasted them for years! I am currently raiding my fridge for stuff I can stick in an odds and s*ds pie, thanks for the idea.

Frugaldom

Fast moving thread - please highlight my name in bold or else PM me if it's something I need to see, otherwise I'll miss it during my brief visits.


Welcome to all our newcomers! The thread will slow down once the new challenge is fully underway, so relax and have frugal fun.


Cooltrikerchick 2 things - First, wow! 2 bags of sugar for £1.50 is awesome, it is £1.40 per bag here! Secondly, please don't ever try feeding cats dog food. It's safe enough to feed dogs cat food but not the other way around, as the ingredients and nutrient levels are completely different. Just thought I'd mention to help save you any vets' bills in the long run in the event you saw a fab dog food offer.

ALM2013

Count me in please. With the last pay of the year next week, all my money will be going on spending money for my holiday in February. So from January I can save for my future. Each month I will be withdrawing £330 and hopefully this will do my fuel and spending money. I have bills but I'm not including them in this. I also have another holiday but I can't include that.
£330 x 12 = £3960! Massive challenge. But il give it a go!

parsniphead

I'm still working on my figures but have been thinking about how I can save money.

I have onions and garlic in the garden already and a plan to ill the rest of the space with as much as possible. I used to have an allotment but the ground was awful and the poisoning of other peoples crops started so gave it up recently. Th space I have at the bottom of the garden is about the same size so I should be able to get lots of stuff in there.

I also have loads of fabric in the stash so clothes for the next year will be ok.

My heating is the most problematic at the moment as I only have single glazing but the savings will go towards that eventually. Lots of layers are good though.

Need to carry on with the figures so I can see how low I can go.

Just_be_2

Count me in A first timer for this challenge. Managed to become debt free a few years ago but through living beyond my means- I find myself in debt once again. Ready to take on this challenge whole heartedly! Debt free April 2015 if not before!