2016 Frugal Living Challenge

FunBrum

Bobobski...Good luck with your new slow cooker. I love mine and use it a few times a week!:D

£12.14 direct debit out of my bank. I think there is another 3 more to go before the end of the month.:p

I still haven't had to buy food so far this month and have had 8 NSD' s. Just hope I can keep it up. Food isn't a problem as I have plenty in and I've been making up batches of soup...tomato last night, made from veg I had free from my big sis.:D

I think that thinking ahead and preparation is key to a successful frugal lifestyle.:)

jess444_2

Managed to stay in budget (just) for week one of 2016. Would have been OK if I hadn't dropped my mobile in water and had to pay an excess for the insurance to repair it!
This week we have decided to draw the cash from the bank each week so that we can keep track of it. Food and shopping bought and still have £80 left!. A NSD yesterday and I am staying in working from home today sto that should be another NSD.
I am tied into my TV / PHone / BB package for another 6 months, but was wondering what the cheapest package anyone has for just phone and broadband. I am honestly not bothered about the TV, but my OH insists that the TV is basically free?

bobobski

jess444 wrote: »

Managed to stay in budget (just) for week one of 2016. Would have been OK if I hadn't dropped my mobile in water and had to pay an excess for the insurance to repair it!
This week we have decided to draw the cash from the bank each week so that we can keep track of it. Food and shopping bought and still have £80 left!. A NSD yesterday and I am staying in working from home today sto that should be another NSD.
I am tied into my TV / PHone / BB package for another 6 months, but was wondering what the cheapest package anyone has for just phone and broadband. I am honestly not bothered about the TV, but my OH insists that the TV is basically free?

I'm with EE, whom I would not recommend. I did have ADSL as it's only me in the house and I don't have high internet use, but it was so bad I moved to fibre. ADSL was £3 per month (paying line renal annually) but fibre is about £18 a month (also annual line rental). Having said that, I'm an EE mobile customer so I probably get some discount for that.

Much as I don't recommend EE, I recommend BT even less, as do my friends who have experiences with them.

I don't have TV included as I don't pay TV licence - only use Netflix and catch-up on iPlayer or ITV Player (for Martin!).

Hope this helps.

mumtoomany

The Asda order arrived, one of the blocks of cheese was not vacume sealed, so I phoned and got a refund. Total on groceries so far less than £90. I'm pleased with that. But the charger for oh's drill has died, new one on the way. This morning we realised the "bonnet" on the Stanley is broken. A new one will be nearly £100 and now we have no heating untill we can get one! The new fridge needs paying for this month too. The everything else budget is going to take a big hit.

cw18

I was with TT for phone and broadband for a number of years - only had one issue that was becoming a problem, and a threat to leave got them to sort it free (had wanted to charge me for a call-out and new router).

Moved to PlusNet last March on a good introductory deal plus cashback. Had to fight to get the cashback (don't think DD ever got hers - she switched at same time), and lose my connection at least once a day which that say isn't a problem. It also regularly tells DS that the connection isn't good enough for him to play his xBox games in multi-player on-line mode which means he gives me major grief (OH suspects this is because the constant outages means the speed is being automatically pulled back to try and find a reliable connection speed - apparently something that happens with Sky who he has).

As soon as my minimum contract is up I'm moving back to TT in March. If I hadn't paid the year line rental up front I could have done so when they hiked the line rental price a few months ago, so I'm kicking myself for doing that to try and save a few more ££s.

Don't use any of them for TV as I'm another without a TV licence. Currently have access to DS's Netflix but can't remember the last time I used it. I'm a DVD watcher instead.

Wombatchops

I can't remember who asked about contactless supermarkets, but of the ones I have tried, T3sco and Sainsbury's don't, but A!di, L1dl, and B00ts (not a supermarket, but good for toiletries, cosmetics, and baby/toddler stuff) do.

I've had three NSDs this week so far, and reckon today will be number 4.

At the moment, we are looking to switch from Santander 123, because the fee hike will no longer make it worthwhile, since we are remortgaging away from them. We're debating between M&S and 1st Direct.

Savvy_sewing

bobobski wrote: »

I have Amex too but once the first three months is up there's a lot less incentive to try to use it. Most supermarkets do, which is good, but it takes a year (from card opening) to get the cashback, and then it's not cash but an allowance which feels different somehow.

I've stopped using my Amex except for big purchases. For day to day, I'm trying to use TSB. Why on earth Mr T doesn't accept contactless is beyond me - that's a big part of why I've decided to try Aldi...

Mr T are rolling it out, the Express store round the corner started to accept contactless this week.

Savvy_sewing

My Mum is buying me a vacuum sealer and a dehydrater! So I will not have any excuse to let things go off soon! The plan is to dry the fruits I get given to me and make our own 'crisps' and snacks out of the fruit and hopefully DGD will like them and snack more healthily.
The sealer, is so I can do the meat from Muscle food, and also seal veg etc etc. My brother has both of these items and says his food in the fridge even will last around 5 more days.

[Deleted User]

Errr.......managed to spend twice my weekly budget in one shop so will need to be a little more frugal in the next couple of weeks. That said, it was because we invited friends and their families round for a night of pizzas and left over xmas booze. Part of my "things to do in 2016" list includes being a little more social and we definitely made a great start - so happy to have a tight week next week to make up for it. Hoping to make it a regular thing now but will look at cheaper ways to feed 20 people in future :-)

lcc86

This weekend has been a little spendy for me, I've almost stuck to budget but to counteract, I'm going to aim for 6 NSD's this coming week. Big challenge but it's doable!