2015 Frugal Living Challenge

Munchin

Hi all

I'm a bit of a lurker on this thread but it is so inspiring. I set a target of £16000 for the year and in January I spent £1462 which is 9%. I think I better get my frugal hat in gear for the rest of the year.

miss_try_to_save

well a very frugal day for me oh in kitchen melting down old candle wax so we can make new ones as i would probably burn myself and spill it everywhere a nsd today tonight having curry so have all the ingredients in for that attempting home made onion bhajis so fingers crossed later on I am going to make some rock cakes and a sponge cake with jam and coconut on top lovely warm with custard or cream have a frugal day everyone

thefrugalflirter

Miss try to save - I'd love to hear how the homemade onion bhajis go! I've mastered a few curries now (and love the peach & chickpea curry recipe on Jack Monroe's website), but I'd love to make some extra 'bits' to go with them like bhajis, samosas or naan bread, so that we could do our own thrifty 'fakeaway' meal on Friday nights!

Oh dear cw18, hope your luck changes soon! I always find things break at the same time, one year it really felt like the microwave had decided it just couldn't go on any longer after the washing machine had packed it in the day before! :rotfl:

I've not been up to much today, just catching up on some housework (....and spending too much time on MSE!), but on the plus side, I've not spent a penny!!

cw18

Looking on the bright side, the 'white goods chap' who came today was very impressed with the condition of both my dryer and my washer for their ages (8 or 9 for the dryer, and 14 for the washer) - and said that in his opinion both should be last for years with just these minor repairs

The fridge/freezer's been letting me know it needs replacing for a good couple of years, but it's a hassle running down freezer contents - and then I need to fight the appliance out so I can work out what size I need to order, then put back so I can use fridge until it arrives, then take out so new can be put in..... so I've been continually ignoring all the signs as best I can

[Deleted User]

It is a beautiful day here today so OH and I went out for a walk and then had a picnic lunch. It was idyllic looking out to sea, watching 'planes come in and enjoying the lovely weather.

Happy with this as its our first picnic in an attempt to stop spending on lunches while we are out for the day - they really add up. We would definitely do it again.

Beforehand we used up a Christmas gift voucher for M&S in their food hall. Meals bought for the next 4 days with a £20 voucher but we were really careful what we bought. Some of the prices were quite shocking given I am a Lidl shopper.

Also bought most of the birthday cards I will need for this year for £4.34 in The Card Factory, including 2 x 70th Birthday cards for my mum and MIL.

lynnejk

Hiya everyone


Sorry to hear all your white goods having a hissy Cheryl and hope you get them sorted without too much expenditure. Sounds like you have a good local tradesman sorting your stuff


Well we have our phones back after they were both sent away for repair and repaired at zero cost as still inside 24 month cover (runs out March 10th). The chap said that they had been updated with all the latest software and so should be okay for quite a while longer - so that should save us having to upgrade atm :j


Saved £21.96 on the household budget for January and made an extra £262.71 on the 'make £10 a day' challenge so that equates to an extra £284.67 for January


Had to spend £30 to get brakes fixed on car as they were rubbing, but a friend did them hence the low price. This will come out of the car maint monies.


We are half-way through booking our holiday for March and will tally it up when I've finished. I am going to try to book the trains over the next couple of days so should then know. The flights were booked using the uk c/c that gives us cashback. The accommodation has been reserved using a card that gives us free transactions in Europe so can pay in euros when we arrive without any extra charges.


We haven't purchased anything for ourselves or the house in January except DH buying me a ring for our 5th anniversary (and my birthday) which came out of his own personal monies.


Hope you all having a frugal February but staying warm and safe.


Lx

Aaleigha

I joined this site years ago and for some reason never used it - but lurked and read so many posts - we have had a major happening in the family that has meant I am spending unexpected money - and my the daugter of my best friend is pregnant - so I need to save for a few baby items

we are a family of two adults (grown children left home) and 6 dogs - we are mortgage and debt free and want to stay that way - it took us a long time - since being mortgage free we have just spent what we have but the time for that is past - I do like to spend an week in Wales and a week in Norfolk (where my best friend lives) every year

so this month I am logging every penny we spend to give me a startiing point and to see where I can make cutbacks - you are all going to be horrified to know I have NO idea what we spend and what it goes on - so this month I am spending as usual so I can then see where savings can be made - I know for a start I could buy less pairs of shoes and manage with less clothing than I have.

so I am sorting a budget this month and would like to join you in earnest from next month - I have read this thread from start to finish and have already got some ideas I can incorporate into our lives - so thank you all for them. Anything you feel you need to ask me to help me on this journey please just ask away

H

optimistic-mummy

not done to bad the last few days ... made £34 over the weekend selling stuff we no longer need or want ..
made a skirt out of an old jumper that had a bleach mark on it and was way too big it was originally gave to me when I was pregnant so didn't cost anything apart from time and some thread ...


we aren't starting our 'budget' till next week ... from now till the end of the month is a trial run for us ... the more we cut back the more we can save so looking forward to being able to take inspiration from others ... have a good night everyone x

Broken_Biscuits

stroganoff for tea. Really nice but feel a bit of a cheat. Used a jar of very lazy stroganoff. That's the brand name. "very lazy" not really cooking... 75p for the jar. Pork was reduced in aldi. rice came out of the 20 kilo bag i bought the other day. 'twas under a quid a portion.

did extra rice for egg fried rice tomorrow.

i feel there may be a strong rice theme to my teas going forward with 20 kilos of the stuff!!

ive spent considerably less than expected so far this year and so bunged a few extra quid into the ratesetter account.

Frugaldom

Aaleigha wrote: »

I joined this site years ago and for some reason never used it - but lurked and read so many posts...
so I am sorting a budget this month and would like to join you in earnest from next month

Hi H,


Good luck with your challenge and well done on being mortgage and debt free with a vast selection of shoes. There should be links going all the way back to when I first posted this challenge on here, so there should be plenty of suggestions along the way. This time next year should see you 'loaded' and ready to live the good life on your orderly budget. It's much more fun when you are in full control of the pennies, as the pounds really do take care of themselves.