2018 Frugal Living Challenge

Kerry_Woman

Have added up what I have spent in each category. Some of the spends have been emotional spending. I have replaced some plastic items with stainless steel and bamboo. Have given what I could to the charity shop. Have increased my amount of exercise this month, most of it free - walking and taking part in park run(did walk the 5K due to health reasons). Joined a leisure centre as pay as you go and have been swimming at least 3 times this month. Will be trying to plan really ahead for the rest of the year regarding spending and nsd's. Pencilling in nsd's to help me stop spending unnecessary and also when I have things planned.

FrankieM

Kerry Woman I love the idea that you plan in your nsd. What a great idea.

A weekend of work done and no money spent.

I'm away for 3 days tomorrow so using up the last fresh things in the fridge before I go.

No shopping needed other than some cat food and I'll pick that up when I do fuel after work tonight. Then it's bag packing and a run around the house with the vacuum.

The heating is still off, though it felt a bit chilly last night! Until the curtains are up and the rads downstairs are working, I don't see the point in putting it on. That's a job for when I get back later on in the week

Kerry_Woman

FrankieM - I just came up with the NSD idea just recently. Done it for the month of October. Going to see how it goes.

Working_Mum

I aim for one day in three as an NSD - I count an NSD as one where I don't spend any money at all, online or from my purse (I don't count bank direct debits bills etc).

I keep a running total for each month along with a year to date figure - I am currently at 34% NSD for 2018!! I am pleased with this as I am self employed and if I buy milk for the office it doesn't count as an NSD!!

Have a good break FrankieM

Am going to give some thought to actually planning in m NSD's Kerry Woman - may be the bit of my fiscal plan which is missing

Nonnadiluca

Another month already, where does the time go?!
Three quarters of the way through the year so a good time to see how things are progressing - good in parts is the conclusion ☺.
Shopping budget, I should have £900 left and I have £905.25 so that's good:
Other spends budget, I should have £1200 left and I have £ 203.19 so that's bloomin awful!
However, the overall annual budget should have £4500 remaining and I have £4929.37 so that's good.
This has been a great learning experience: in a year or so, when OH leaves work and just has his occupational pension, our spending needs to be about £1500 a month so I wanted to see if we could maintain our lifestyle on that amount. The shopping budget I was pretty sure about ( that's for the two of us and two medium sized dogs), and that's going to plan. It's the 'everything else' budget that I have been wildly out with however, overall the budget is holding up fairly well. We will go down to one car when OH stops working, so that will make a bit of a difference. The £429.37 surplus on the annual budget is for Xmas, I have allowed £480 so hopefully will be ok. Hope everyone is doing well.

Frugaldom

Well done to those of you still taking part as we enter the final quarter of 2018.

On the topic of NSD, I work in the opposite way to many by minimising send days, so if all my bank payments come out on speific days then I can co-ordinate the expenditure to match those days. It means over a month I can have very few spend days. I'm a huge fan of number crunching, so rounding savings up and spending down is kind of my 'thing' after so many years. Even my supermarket round-ups are similar - if it's 17p bargain, then making it 85p for 5 or £1.70 for 10 fits nicely with my plan. I just prefer round numbers. Maybe that's why we have ended up with more rescue & rehome ponies to feed this winter! I promise I won't round them up to 10! :eek::rotfl:

Enjoy your short break FrankieM!

nannygladys

Hi everyone
Managed to make a pot of soup using my own onions, carrots,potatoes, courgettes and tomatoes, just used stock cubes, water and a few herbs, very tasty and chuffed at using all veggies off the lottie!!
Everything else chugging along and thinking what I'm spending or not!
Starting to make a few bits for Christmas
Nannyg

[Deleted User]

I cooked a small beef joint (special offer @ Tesco before Xmas) in SC with onions and carrots but then added last 3 chillis from a jar. I was going to use the liquid for soup but boy is it hot. Have taken beef out - thats fine - removed and mashed up veg so have frozen them in small portions to add to next lot of soups/stews etc, now just the liquid left. Any ideas? anyone of just freeze and add in "cubes". Will not throw away, have done this previously with too strong curry flavour, you would think I would learn.

Nargleblast

That liquid could form the base of your next chilli con carne or curry!

parsniphead

Hello everyone

I've just been catching up with the thread after a few months away. I started the year well but have recently been diagnosed with a serious illness. After a few months of panic I need to get on top of this once and for all. I need to cut costs and get rid of all the debt. My mind has been well and try focused on the fact that having debt leaves you in such a precarious position. My sick pay will be cut to half my salary next month and I'm not eligible for any help. I'm glad I've worked my backside off since being 14.:mad:

I will be looking at finances, stocks and debts in the next few days and sort out how I can deal with this.

It's going to be hard but I have to deal with it while dealing with treatment.