2016 Frugal Living Challenge

[Deleted User]

Wow that looks fab. Brilliant when things like that need doing and with some hard graft and creativity cost nothing or not much.

FunBrum

cooltrikerchick well done....it looks fab!:T

I think you are more creative when you have limited resources and freebies!:j

jess444_2

I love the path cooltrikerchick. I used to have an allotment and know how important paths can be - to do it for free is fab.

Managed to stick to food budget and I am now avoiding the shops again until Friday. Made some home baking for treats and am planning a big batch of bacon and lentil soup for lunches.

Also, filled the car up for the week and it only cost £25 due to petrol price.

Hoping for a NSD today.

[Deleted User]

NSD planned today. I am just pottering around the house today - ironing done and dinner to be cooked. I will probably have a walk later as it is at least dry and calm outside. Have a good week everyone.

evuka

I'd like to join the challenge.

Last year was pretty frugal to me as I didn't work much of the year and lived on my savings. This also means I'm skint now and just started a new part-time job.

Need to replenish my emergency fund, build up savings and most importantly, pay some OD fees (ouch!:eek:) and give money back to friends who helped me out when needed

Need to rework my budget for the year and keep updating here - in the past 2 years I was silent, only watching and learning.

Thanks for every frugallers, though because without your advice, experience and ideas, I couldn't have lived through some of the hardest period last year! :beer:

Even though I had a good salary I practiced what I learnt here so when I had no income, it was much easier to adap to the situation.

Frugal living rocks! :money: :T

bobobski

[Deleted User] wrote:

NSD planned today. I am just pottering around the house today - ironing done and dinner to be cooked. I will probably have a walk later as it is at least dry and calm outside. Have a good week everyone.

I love the phrase "pottering around the house" - it makes me think you're doing pottery in each room

FunBrum

Evening all.

Today's been a day of preparing and cooking a meal for myself and my friend at his house, so saving on my gas usage. When I visit....usually a few times a week.....i do a bit of housework and sorting out things for him, as he's sold his house, and has to condense everything.
I also get a chance to go online to access my email accounts and forums etc at his house and grab a few more ways to become more frugal. I don't have internet access.:o

I've been living a frugal life for so long now that I don't even think about it, it's just natural, but there are always ways of saving money/time/cutting back!:D

I should be on track with my budget, and pleased with myself for staying out of the shops!:j

bmma

Hi sunday was an nsd day = 13
monday's shop £45.16,this included wool
hoping to batch cook today:j
running total = £1,820.71

BettyBoof

Today is a NSD for me, staying at home in the warm.

I've been "shopping the pantry" for the last couple of days so the grocery budget is still really healthy. I've also got some sewing repairs planned for today so will save a fair bit by not replacing the damaged items.

Wombatchops

Had some successes yesterday. Went to Ald!, and they overcharged me on grapes by 6p. I know it's not a lot, but it's my 6p, and if that product is going through their tills at the wrong price, without anyone challenging it, think how much extra profit they are making at their customers' expense. Anyway, cos they don't have a customer service desk, and their two tills were very busy, I asked some people stacking shelves if they could go to a spare till to refund the difference. Turned out I'd managed to catch an assistant store manager, and instead of refunding the difference, he refunded the whole price that I'd paid, £1.45. I was so pleased. And I'd paid using my contactless TSB card for the 5% cash back.

Then went to Mr T for the stuff I either couldn't get, or are cheaper there, and managed to go right at the time when they were putting out their yellow sticker tinned and boxed goods, and I was the only customer there so I got first pick. I got all sorts of goodies, including Heinz beans for 10p per tin (normally 50p), plus a perfectly good box of Maltesers, reduced from £1 to 20p. OK, strictly speaking we didn't need the chocolates, but at that price it would have been rude not to. And they were delicious.

Planning on a NSD today. It's DD2's first birthday today, so it's a chilling at home kind of day.