2016 Frugal Living Challenge

evuka

[Wombatchops - my thoughts are with you! :grouphug:

I woke up to panic today. Well, panic only set in when I read my emails and SGas bill - 445.90 for 3 months!
I know I said only a few days ago that living with a flatmate is not that bad but I stand corrected. I expected higher bills, for sure, 2 persons, separate cooking, water usage, electric gadgets and all that but I was told by experienced flatsharers that one should calculate with x+50%, x being their usual bill. Well, this is a bit more than 200%! :mad:
Even if she pays her half, I'm left with more than usual.

Plus (sorry, this is going to be a rant) I'm so upset daily because she doesn't do any cleaning, apart from doing her dishes - sometimes daily, sometimes every other day... Crumbles, knive, chopping board, paper towel all left on the counter after she did her breakfast, she keeps putting things in the trash even when it's overflowing instead of taking the bin out and I can't remember the last time she swept the kitchen floor or the bathroom (probably never). Not once she puts away the cleaned dishes from the rack, it's always me. If I want to cook,I start with cleaning her mess first, only then can I set myself to do anything.

The bin in the bathroom is full (she uses it mostly as I use re-usable menstrual clothes and pantyliners and put my earbuds into my own bin in my room) and now she started to place her used cottonballs in the windowsill. I mean, REALLY...?

She regularly asks things from my "pantry" - sugar, onion, flour, whatever. (And I'm struggling to buy food for myself as need to pay late bills, overdraft charges, etc and only working part-time) Latest was when she asked if she could use an onion of mine. And me, stupid me, said yes. She used only a part and put the rest in the fridge. That's where I found HER half red onion...next to mine I gave her. So, why the h@ck you need to ask for my onion if you have a red one that can be used just as well?????:mad: :mad: :mad:

There has to be some serious talking today. About the cleaning and about the bills as well. I mean, she more than once left for some party leaving her side lamp on, kitchen light is regularly on while she is back in her room and thing like that.

No way that I'm going to tolerate this any more.

Ah, she just got home. And I'm still in PJ's. Need to get ready to face her.

I'm also undecisive on what to do now. I could go and put in some overtime hours (paid at my regular 8.25 hourly rate) but I also need to put things on to 3bay or shp0ck/gumtr33 to sell to raise some money to cover the bills, rent and whatnot. The overtime is there for me any time to take it, I decide on the hours and day when I go in but the selling... well, I keep putting it off. And I cannot make decisions when I'm so frustrated as I'm now.

Frugaldom

Evuka, good luck with this... perhaps you will need to look at what ghe savings really are, over all as one monthly figure, rather than individual components. Some people have absolutely no idea how they live. Having houseshared for the past 14 years, I understand the problems but have so far managed to resolve them. Don't give her stuff, charge her for it. Get a regime started and keep the communication channels open as best you can and explain your situation and lifestyle to her. Sharing close space with a room, flat or housemate is very much like a marriage or parent/child relationship, so getting the balance right takes time and energy... lots of it. Again, good luck, I hope the savings add up to being worthwhile.

FunBrum

evuka I second frugaldom put your foot down, otherwise you will make a rod for your back and she will carry on taking advantage!:mad:

FunBrum

I've just had some great news. I've submitted my gas and electric readings and next month my direct debit will only be £15 instead of £26 a month, which is pretty good anyway!
Also, I have no council tax payments for Feb and March, so next month should be a really frugal one!:j

jess444_2

Good luck Evuka, hope you are able to resolve things with your flat mate.

Funbrum, I thought I was doing well getting my gas and electric down to £61. How do you manage to keep your bills so small. Any tips would be welcome.

Another week within budget (just, I think I have £1.50 left in my purse) even managed to pay for a new tyre for the car. Money for the car excess will have to come out of savings I had put aside for my holiday, so will have to be even more frugal next month to try to recoup as much as possible.

Have saved quite a bit of money by having porridge for breakfast and making soups for lunch. Favourite so far Carrot, Pepper and Lentil. Have been buying the cheap bacon bits from B@M to add a bit of flavour.

Off to make a shopping list for this week.

FunBrum

jess444 wrote: »

Good luck Evuka, hope you are able to resolve things with your flat mate.

Funbrum, I thought I was doing well getting my gas and electric down to £61. How do you manage to keep your bills so small. Any tips would be welcome.


Off to make a shopping list for this week.

Easy hun.....I don't turn them on!:rotfl:
Well not very often!:o
I use all my utilities sparingly. I only put one lamp on of an evening, and quite often not at all when I'm watching tv.I burn candles and if I'm sitting reading or watching tv/films on the kindle, I pop a throw over me rather than have the heating on.
I don't have WiFi access at home but use free WiFi, elsewhere.
My mobile phone is £5pm!
I downsized from a 4 bed house to a 2 bed flat nearly 3 years ago in preparation for my retirement last year. I live on just over £7,000 pa. That includes £400 pm rent. (It's low because my brother owns it).
I'm constantly looking at ways to cut back on things I can but still have a great life. Water, gas, electricity and food are the main things I can control.:A

sheba

Hi all,

just checking in to say 'hi' and hope you're all doing well-you all seem to be doing a fab job of tightening the finances!

I have been mega frugal this month but it all means nothing until the scores on the doors are revealed to me on Tuesday. Some provisional tallying suggests that we'll be able to bank £500 this month which is 2/100ths of my aim- also we have 1500 owing to us from various invoiced jobs-but I don't like to count my chickens before they've hatched- however, all in all a good month I'd say- will update scores on doors, signature, and aims for a fabby frugal February on Tuesday (2nd?)

Have a great weekend all, and I hope you manage to fully enjoy today's life without damaging your fiscal future xxxx

BettyBoof

Thanks so much for sharing your frugal tips Wombatchops. I see you are a bookworm with little kids, just like me! And yes, Mummy guilt is a thing but you/I/we shouldn't feel bad, we earn our down time!

I baked a batch of biscuits today which should keep everyone in sweet treats over the weekend without me spending any dough (geddit?) :-)

ancientmum

Morning,
Have not posted for ages but have been lurking, so good to know how we are all managing. I don't want to sound smug, but have just had my meter reading bill from EON and am £33 in credit. I have signed up for another 12 months tarriff and they have assessed my monthly payment at £10 lower than I now pay. I am planning to leave this rented house in about 18 months so do not want to get into a long term agreement. Hope I can keep DS3's paws off the thermostat long enough to keep at this level.:rotfl::rotfl:

jess444_2

You have inspired me to reduce my gas and electric bill FunBrum. Blankets on the couch last night whilst watching TV rather than put the heating on and lit some candles rather than the lamp. It was very cosy! I have loads of candles that people have bought me for presents so they will keep me going for a while.

Plan to get my sewing machine out next week and make myself some clothes. I have a bit of a fabric buying habit and now need to put it to good use.