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2016 Frugal Living Challenge
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Hello can I join please? I did join in the last 2 or 3 years but keep falling off the thread then the wagon. Will try and read and catch up. Off to get dressed as have been lazy then , sort out dress wardrobe and list books on amazon. Have a good day all x
This years goal. Pay off
Holiday £270.
Ferry £220
Credit card £600.
I do have to really buy the boys some new curtains as the themo/blackout has fallen apart and their room is right on top of a street light. Will have a look on studio24 or something.
I also have £100 camping trip but the boys have decided that thier brithday money from relatives will pay for that.
Most Frugal thing done this month , went through the boys wii games , all the scratched ones that didn't work , got them all professionally cleaned cost us £11 But some of them are £20 (secondhand i must add) so they are thrilled and we saved some expensive games from being binned.
Game if you keep the reciept does them free for life
Have a great week all xCompers challenge 27/70
£1805/20180 -
I've made it to the payday check by the skin of my teeth. Last month I was determined to put money in my different savings accounts and feel quite happy about doing so. It's nice to be saving in advance of things instead of trying to scrape the money together with it comes due. I have different accounts for various things. My husband hates this but it makes sense to me and I'm better able to keep track of where I am by doing it this way. I have accounts for Xmas/birthdays/vacations, taxes, emergency fund, house repairs/remodel, and general savings. I don't get my money confused in my head this way. He thinks it's too much trouble and should all go into one account. I told him he can do that when he takes over the finances. (Never going to happen):DOverprepare, then go with the flow.
[Regina Brett]0 -
Does anyone have an Andriod tv box thing? We are thinking of getting rid of The Virgin (The cable company obviously not a person) . We do not have a Phone line , There wasn't one when we moved in, and couldn't afford the £125 , at the time install fee. We have Cable tv very basic, Basic phone line, Cheapest broadband. It comes to £43 a month with Tax. This is with saying we are leaving 3 months ago. We never use the phone but have to have it for the cable to work apparently. Just wondering how it works , we just plug it into the cable line? We use netflix and you tube often though. Thank you very much xCompers challenge 27/70
£1805/20180 -
Right I have set from this week , 3 weeks a very nice budget of £90 . This includes £30 Karate fees. I also need to pay Train fare to get to london to so to Tower bridge. about £23? With the family and friends rail card discount (free card as well)
Today I am taking up the boys curtains, (They keep getting trapped behind the bed, thus pulling them off the rails)All the thermal backing fell off was getting new ones but hubby mentioned they had been like it 2 years and have slept fine with the street light ! £20 saved and wallpapering a feature wall for them. As the last one whilst only 3 years old , was drawn on and badly ripped. Now toddler is over that thankfully.
Also on a no clothes/shoes/accessories buying until next year eek!
Family coming over tonight. I have a chicken carcass and some left over veg, I will make a stirfry with egg noddles and a salad hopefully all from the cupboard. A cake for pud as I have choc buttercream to use up.
milasavesmoney I keep trying to use the envelope method. I guess the bank system is a little like that. If it works and as long as you can ercall where each payment comes from and how much you have in each account. It's all good!Compers challenge 27/70
£1805/20180 -
mummy2threeboys wrote: »We are thinking of getting rid of The Virgin (The cable company obviously not a person) . We do not have a Phone line.
If you're streamimg a lot of TV (Netflix etc, that are watched over your internet connection - not sure if an Android box relies on this as well) you need to make sure your broadband contract gives you a good download limit (several of the cheaper ones have low limits that are no good for a lot of streaming and/or on-line gaming, and others slow down your speed if you use a lot or come close to your allowance).
Do you have an external (terrestrial) TV aerial? I don't know what you need for an Android TV box, but with an aerial you could consider just using Freeview if you really feel you need live TV.
I've not watched any TV (other than using catch-up for about half a dozen shows that people were raving about, and I couldn't see why they were popular) in almost 5.5years, having disabled my terrestrial aerial and cancelled my TV licence. So £145 (or thereabouts) a year not handed over to them, but lots of second hand DVDs to watch at my leisure purchased insteadI'm very unlikely to even consider turning on a TV when away from home and staying in a licenced property, as I no longer know what's on or follow anything to be up to date with story lines. I guess it could be harder to give up completely if there are children in the house though (peer pressure, teasing and possibly even bullying - I know I get some extreme comments about my choice, but I've learned to let them wash over me rather than verbally retaliate).
Cheryl0 -
Hey everyone,
Keep checking the comments but haven't updated for a while now
Still on my frugal regime as salary doesn't allow otherwise
Currently two main things going on: 1 looking for a new flatmate.
You may recall I had one girl in who kept borrowing my food (or just use it and told me later...) and kept all lights on all the time :mad: As her semester finished, she moved home. Now looking for someone else as I can't pay rent+bills alone. But definitely will be more careful in my choice and wiser when it comes to communicate any issues.
2 Looking for extra job/another job.
I have a part-time temp job with a bank now (the one that cares about here) but only 15.5 hours (approx £550-600 per month) so it'd be good to have another pt or a full time to be able to cover the basics + save some!
Today's plan is gardening and batch-cooking, laundry and general tidy up.
I only have a front garden but it's always full of weed and I hate mowing the grass - any ideas what I could do with it on a budget? I researched pebbles but to cover the full area would be pretty costly, me thinks, when 20kg bag only covers a m2.
Hope the weather treats everyone nicely on this bank holiday day!6mo EF: £ /£
Frugal Living Challenge 2024 £ /£
NSD: Jan /
Sell 100 items /1000 -
milasav what you do with your different accounts sounds the same principle as my envelope system. I know what you mean about enabling you to keep your finances separate
evuka glad things are looking up for you.:A On the garden front....could you cut a border around the lawn and plant a few annual plants which are pretty cheap this time of year from places like Aldi and Lidl. I'm not sure where you live but for around £10, you can get quite a few. By having a neat edge around the lawn makes the garden look more cared for. I'm sure it would look lovely and may encourage you to keep on top if it. The thing with pebbles is, unless it's layed properly with weed suppressing membrane and a couple of inches of pebbles, it takes a bit of up keep, and costs quite a bit.:cool:
I've had some lovely free food from my sister's restaurant...all heading for the bin but perfectly fresh. Lots of chicken and salad that has kept me and family going. I share what I get with whoever wants any.
I said I would only use seeds and plants that I already have to plant in my front and back garden this. Alas I couldn't resist, and bought some lobellia, 18 plants for £5 and 12 geraniums for £4. I couldn't help myself, but £9 is too bad.:D I've also thrown down lots of flower seeds that I already had, in the front borders.
I went to a local park with a friend this morning and we were using the free gym apparatus that was in the park. I also walked around the circumference of the park to warm up. I'm waiting for my pedometer to arrive to calculate my steps and keep myself in check. Great exercise for free!:DLiving a frugal retirement without treading on the planet :T
Womble #17- £2,018.41 €2
TURTLES NSD's 01/31
FLC £3000/£2,328.12
CCCC2016 #10 £19 monthly spends on clothes
Wombled nectar points=728 Wombled Boots points=3160 -
I'm waiting for my pedometer to arrive to calculate my steps and keep myself in check. Great exercise for free!:DCheryl0
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cw18 my phone is so old it doesn't have apps or internet access. I'm lucky it has a camera!!
lol
Living a frugal retirement without treading on the planet :T
Womble #17- £2,018.41 €2
TURTLES NSD's 01/31
FLC £3000/£2,328.12
CCCC2016 #10 £19 monthly spends on clothes
Wombled nectar points=728 Wombled Boots points=3160 -
CW18 No Phone line (just cable phone line) no ariel either!
Evuka another idea, put some membrane down and get some fre pallets to put on top. May take some diy skills, do you know someone who can do it in exchange for dinner/lunch? Maybe put cheap pots on top. Poundland has some large ones in at the mo and poundworld had a big bx of wildmeadow flowers. or maybe just turn it into a wildmeadow, very preety and perfect for watching bees and butterflys.
My phone is a £20 (with £10 credit) lol clam shell. There was a nasty incident a few years ago which involved the coast guard helicopter, a fire engine and the rnli. Lucky I had my phone in my back pocket and not left back with the picnic stuff. Alas as I was covered in slime and mud i couldn't dial 999 for longer than was needed (touch screen non responsive when mud covered) . Since then I use a phone that has buttons. I also cut down to a basic because I was using it to much facebook, making my bills go up. Now I just have £5 a month and still have spare. It's cracked at the side so I am due a new (secondhand) one soonish.
Great news for me Got accepted to a 36 month 0% cc , that wll pay off my 15 year old loan. Because I have never defaulted I can't offer full and final, however as it's a flexi loan it means that I keep taking money in and out, like an od. I am not going to calculate 15 years of £20 a month interest that would make me cry. My plan debt free in 36 months. At last?!
I need my socks pulling up. I decided to sign up to no buying clothes then break it in one day. a top and skirt. Both beautiful. Did I need them? No it was a want.
I did however make a start and got 6 christmas pressies at the charity shop , and 2 books. (again those where wants not needs) eugh.
Have a goo day all. repainting a bookcase and baking planned, really rainy here!Compers challenge 27/70
£1805/20180
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