2015 Frugal Living Challenge

sparrer

Wombatchops wrote: »

Hi sparrer, I'm really intrigued by this. How much heat do the candles give out? It's starting to get chilly at night, but not cold enough to put the heating on. Do you group all of the candles in one place, dot them around the room, or does it make little difference? Finally, I never use candles, I've always sniffingly considered them to girly (yes, I'm female, but not girly),"so where do you buy them from? Sorry for all of the questions, but I've never considered candles as a temporary alternative to heating.

Wombatchops not too many questions at all, if we don't ask how can we learn? I don't see candles as a just girlie item, I see them as a common sense way to save money. I have them on the sideboard and a side table where I can see them. The sideboard ones reflect in a large mirror on the wall behind them so I get double the effect. They do give out some heat, I think with that and the lighting effect they do make the room snug. It may be psychological but many people on these forums say the same. I don't need the big light on, the candles are in two areas of the room, when the television is on that lights another one, and I have a standard lamp behind/to one side of me so all four corners of the room have cosy lighting.

You can buy them from the £ shops, @sd@ - 10 table candles for £2 and 100 tea lights for £3, or anywhere I see them on offer. Never pay the full price!

When it starts to get cold I change into fleecy jimmies, a velour dressing gown and bootee slippers, and will supplement them with a throw and a hottie. And more often than not either the dog or the cat, or both! I need to put off using the heating as long as possible as it's so expensive now. hth

cw18

I'm another who loves fleecy PJs, thick towelling dressing gown, thermal bed socks and a fleece throw while sitting in the living room on cooler evenings. On a very cold evening I'll warm up a couple of wheat bags, putting one in the small of my back and the other round my ankles.

DS1 regularly complains that the house is cold / asks me to put the heating on higher/for longer, but I refuse - not least because he always seems to have his bedroom window open !!! I run the heating every morning and evening, and the little temperature checker (like a forehead thermometer strip) that the council sent out a few years back inform me that even in the hall where my heating thermostat is (and the coldest spot in the house) the temperature is 'OK'. A degree or two down and it warns me to turn it up (especially if there are old or very young in the house).

Dawning

Hope nobody minds if I jump right in as a newbie so close to the end of the year!
I'm not actually a newbie, I was on the frugal threads a few years back, but I need to make some financial changes again and these threads really helped me when I needed them
I've been back on my feet financially for about 3 years now, and have been spending too much, saving nothing, and not being at all frugal.
It looks as if my work situation is going to change in the next few months so I need to take action NOW to learn how to live more frugally again.
I haven't yet worked out a budget to the end of the year, but I've joined the grocery challenge as my food/household spend has really spiralled out of control.
I don't post much and I don't chat much, but I will be here lurking and chipping in every so often.

Frugaldom

Welcome back to frugal lving, Dawning, I think this is a great time to get started with next year's preparations. We do the 100-day challenge every year between 22nd Sept and 31st Dec so we're all prepared for the start of the new challenge without falling off the wagon getting over the bumpy festive period.

Frugaldom

Definite woolly socks, fleecy PJs, hot water bottle and yes, even electric blanket weather here, as it costs far less to run than leaving on an extra heater at night. Foraging is under way here, so jam and jelly making, apple stewing and freezer refilling are all jobs being done here while preparing for winter.


Hope everyone is well and that the pennies are being stretched as far as possible and saved whenever they can. I think for 2016 I'm going to be running a penny rescue mission!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Penny rescue that sounds interesting..

Been wanting an electric cooker and been looking at various retail outlets etc fb and eBay.

The one I really lived was just shy of £500, but bought a secondhand basic one for £20 off eBay.

Noticed today when I nipped into arseda that their basic 1kg bags of carrots have gone up from 57p to 60p

I know in December they sneakily put the price up of veg, but wondering if veg in general is going to up alot this year, I just can't get over the price of potatoes..

Now that our kiddies have grown up, and don't always eat at home a sack of potatoes is a waste . but then maybe I should start making meals with them in everyday lol

his_missus

I'm quite happy about this Indian Summer we seem to be having this week. I've managed to get the washing dried on the line and, after thinking we were going to have to put the heating on after that initial Autumnal cold snap, have managed to make it to October without putting the heating on


Still battling to keep the shopping bills down, it's most definitely my weak point. I'm giving online shopping with free click and collect at Sainsbugs a go so we shall see if that works.

parsniphead

Cooltrickerchick. £20 for a new cooker. I think I may get you to do my shopping from now on.

I have been doing some jigging with figures as I would love to do this challenge properly for the full year next year. I think looking at things forensically is needed.

My unsecured debt is not huge but big enough. I want to get this paid off by June 2016 at the latest and get an emergency fund behind me at the same time. Once this is done I'm going to start hitting the mortgage.

I'm currently in the process of reinstating my small business on my days off (I'm lucky to only work three days term time) to bring in more money. I shall have to see how far this can be pushed and in which way I can take it. I think to be free i need to use this time very wisely.

I will be visiting earliermposts and look at how other do this annual costing in detail.

Feeling very positive again.

Savvy_sewing

Since starting my sewing business last year I have not been very frugal, time poor and disorganised. But the council have stopped the bit of housing benefit help I was getting and I need to find the full rent now. So I have come back to re-read and get some inspiration to cut my spends again.
Back to basics.

sistercas

Decided to de- lurk, as I have been reading this board for a long time .i have only loosely been following the frugal way and thought it was time I tightened up especially as xmas is on the way plus several family birthdays
This week I have been doing this:

http://www.pennygolightly.com/save-the-date-new-tenner-week-starts-28th-september/

I am a week late but it's really helping me to focus on what we already have in. I've done a cupboard ,fridge and freezer inventory and have plenty of meals for the next 3 weeks I think with a few fresh top ups, so hopefully can complete the challenge .
Tonight's meal is a sausage casserole using up one of the 6 packets of sausages