2016 Frugal Living Challenge

[Deleted User]

It's been a stunning day here today. Washing been hanging out on the line is dry now and I have sat outside doing crochet most of the afternoon. Bliss.

jess444_2

A few days in the garden cleaning the greenhouse, hoeing the veg beds and planing seeds. I have the chance of some free fruit bushes, I just need to go and dig them up some time this week.

Weekly shopping come in under budget and 2 NSD's this week (my financial week starts on a Friday when I withdraw my weekly money from the bank)

Have booked a place on a retirement seminar next month and have contacted my pension provider for the forms to fill in to claim my pension. Very scary as I will have to maintain my newly acquired frugal ways to be able to live on my pension.

My car has failed it's MOT and basically will cost more to repair than it is worth (it is now 14 years old and not worth much at all lol) Now trying to decide whether to get rid of it as we wont need it once I retire. I suppose I have a bit of an attachment to it as we have had it from new and it has never caused us any problems. Decisions, decisons.

HOWMUCH

We went to DD yesterday for evening meal so I will just shuffle meals along one day. I'm collecting some items I've bought on eBay so saving on postage, well to be exact I only buy what I can collect local now as postage is so expensive and I normally use my bus pass. They are things for DGS they call them my 99p wonders family members. x

Siebrie

amber03 wrote: »

. My other frugal target this month is the petrol for my car, goodness knows where I have been but my car seems to be drinking the stuff, seem to have been putting in petrol nearly every week recently, this has got to stop. Will fill the car up this weekend and that will have to do tll the end of the month.x

Hi Amber, do you check the tyre pressure regularly? Even if slightly underinflated, it will take a lot more petrol to move the car.

Shortie

jess444 wrote: »

My car has failed it's MOT and basically will cost more to repair than it is worth (it is now 14 years old and not worth much at all lol) Now trying to decide whether to get rid of it as we wont need it once I retire. I suppose I have a bit of an attachment to it as we have had it from new and it has never caused us any problems. Decisions, decisons.

This is a difficult one without knowing the car or if the MOT failure means the start of more problems, but if it was something minor that it failed on and is just deemed as expensive as the car is older then I'd be tempted to repair it and keep it. I've had that thought on a number of my cars in the past and have usually decided that it's better the devil I know than the devil I don't (ie better to keep my car on the road than to buy another unknown second hand car)

But I realise you also mentioned you might not keep it when you retire anyway?

FunBrum

Jess444 you will love being retired, I'm sure! I do, and I'm too on a very strict budget, although I really don't feel like I am.:)

Yesterday I helped my DD1 dig over her raised veg bed. It's for me to plant potatoes and onions as I don't have room in my garden for them. They grow quite big.
In my back garden, I will be planting up the pots on the patio with veg and fruit, and the front garden is lawn and shrubs. I plan on mingling veg in and around the shrubs and creating an extra border for veggies.
I take care of my GD2 on Fridays, so it will be a nice project for us to do together now that the weather is picking up. She's only 2, but loved planting sunflower and wild flower seeds yesterday. I think she has green fingers!;)

I've sold some dvds, so packed them off and I'm waiting for a nice cheque for just over £9! I have another pile of dvds, books and cds to list so hopefully not only will it reduce my collection but I gain a few bob as well! :T

Frugaldom

Jess, my. car died over 3 years ago... life without it is fine, frugal and far less expensive. If you can manage with public transport and lift shares, it saves a fortune.

FunBrum

I agree with frugaldom. I haven't had a car since 2013, and have saved a fortune on tax, insurance, petrol, maintenance and MOT! I walk where I need to or if someone is going my way, I get a lift
The only downside is that I love doing carboot sales and can't just up and do one when I want. Fortunately,my friend also enjoys doing them so we do them together and split the entrance fee!
If you can do without one then I would give it a go. You will find yourself getting fitter and certainly will be a bonus for the environment! :T

jess444_2

Frugaldon and Funbrum, would happily use public transport if I could, but here the buses stop at 7 p.m. Also, my DD1 lives about 50 miles away and the cost of a weekly return train ticket to visit would cost more that it takes to run my car. The car that has failed it's MOT is actually a second car that only gets used by OH when I am in work. We have only kept it this long really because each year it has sailed through the MOT with nothing more than the odd tyre. Anyway, it is time to say goodbye and save about £50 a month on tax and insurance.

A frugal day today. Free fruit bushes from a friend, £11 made o Ebay and some YS veg and bread from Tesco.

A bit of gardening over the next few days to get the fruit bushes planted.

squeekyweasel

Hello, can I join in please. Bit later than most of you, but I've been keeping careful records of spends.