2018 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

datlex wrote: »

I'm snowballing things I need to get for/ do for the bungalow. Bit like paying off debts in reverse. Saving up first to have garden cleared, goal is February before spring due to birds nesting.

Totally agree on this being a great way to work - I do similar and use my rounding up method for savings instead of rounding down to clear any former debts.

mumof3.12kindebt

Thank you everyone.

Yes mortgage next

Miss_D_Meanour

Hi everyone

Apologies for being MIA for most of the year. Life got really stressful at work and I reacted by narrowing my focus to doing whatever it took to survive at work and this challenge was one of the things that got neglected. Then a few things went wrong around the house, some major family birthday and commitment happened and it seemed like I was just throwing money around the place. It got so I couldn't see the frugal choices I was making through the spending - so I stayed away. Looking back that is exactly when I should have been back here, as it would have helped me see that I did make some good choices and changes along the way.

Somehow this challenge was obviously still lurking in my subconscious because, having read back through the challenge, I realised that it has been behind a lot of my choices/changes:

- Thanks to Wickes, my brother and cousin, we replaced the shed roof ourselves
- My Mum and I both sold our cars and bought one car between us
- Thanks to 'mean queen life after money' on y-tube, I've been diluting my washing up liquid and posh hand soap (that I hadn't been using cause it took too long to wash the suds off and left my hands feeling oily)
- By making a conscious effort to only have a light on in the room where I am and refusing to put the heating on unless absolutely necessary (thank you slanket and the weather that meant I could dry my clothes outside until 2 weeks ago), my gas/electric DD is down by £10/mth
- I've taken the bus rather than the car whenever possible at the weekends - I buy an annual travel card for work, so this is like free weekend travel
- Mum and I go to the supermarket together on a Saturday, so we get to combine our shopping when those "£5 off £50 shop" vouchers appear
- We've also saved all those credit card loyalty points vouchers, so the Christmas food is paid for
- I've saved £1/day so Xmas is pre-paid, reached my debt repayment and mortgage o/pyt targets - thank you other forum challenges. Blew the clothing budget but not as badly as I could have
- I've been shopping from the freezer/larder - it's made for some interesting meals but meant that I haven't wasted anything. Okay so I threw out a load of packet soups but the use by date was 2017 - I'd forgotten they were there!

UNFORTUNATELY the impulse food spending is still a problem. It's like I spend the whole hour traveling into work trying to argue myself out of the bacon and egg buttie that I 'deserve'! Anyone else have that problem? And then there's the picking up of extra bits when you've just popped in for milk! I set myself a £200/mth shopping budget (food, toiletries, household, petrol, etc). I've managed it once. I'm hoping that if the other changes I've been making have become habits maybe I can kick this into place in 2019. I'd love to be down to £150/mth.

Frugaldom, I'm trying to embrace your approach that this is not a one off chance to pass or fail, rather ongoing opportunities to make a choice for a more frugal lifestyle

Wow, this turned into a really long post. But just let me finish by saying that this thread is really inspirational and reading about all the little and big things you do gives me the motivation to keep trying.

Wishing you all a peaceful Sunday.
MissDM

Frugaldom

Miss D Meanour, welcome back to the frugal fold! You have done exceeding well to come through everything, no matter what that might entail, and exit the other end thinking of frugaldom and the lifestye it can offer. I think we can all relate to the whole 'I deserve it' scenario, so don't feel bad about that - a long commute to work in a job causing you stress is never a good combination and one that's best addressed by looking beyond it, to when you no longer need to do it. If you look at what you'd be saving by not doing that journey every day and not buying the big bacon buttie, coffee and anything else that can arise from the journey, you wil see how it will, in future, mount up into something that can be better spent. Best wishes to you, your mum and anyone else who is with you on your journey and don't be scared to come looking for me if there's nobody else about here. You'll get me via my frugaldom facebook page, blog or FL forum. Keep on frugaling!

[Deleted User]

Morning everyone. I'd like to rejoin here if I may. Still been trying to stay focused on being frugal but not been using the forum here regularly for a while.

I have been a member of various frugal living groups on facebook but recently decided to stop using facebook for a variety of reasons so I am hoping to contribute to this group again.

mumof3.12kindebt wrote: »

Due to frugal living since November last year. We have managed to clear 16k of debt. And have 5k in our emergency fund. (4k was from the sale of my car) . This was with an income of around 35k while bringing up 3 kids. All 9 and under.

So now we are debt free.
And have our emergency fund

We are finally moving on to our house deposit fund !

That is fantastic progress. It just shows the power of living frugally and being intentional with finances. Well done:T:T

Frugaldom

Thank you for rejoining us, Allie23. I, too, get sick of Faceb00k and did try with the frugal living group on there but gave up and have returned to my previous forum platform for my own stuff. Now you can bring us up to date on your progress, although there aren't many of us posting here, either.

Kerry_Woman

Have added up all the totals for November Food spend was under budget. Trying to keep a close eye on spending. Busy planning budget etc for December. This weekend is going to be difficult as it is my Mum's first anniversary of her death. I have got artificial flower arrangements for the grave, which includes a Christmas one. Keeping the Christmas one all year round as Mum loved Christmas and there is a robin included in the arrangement. Got positive things planned for the weekend. Not going to my sister's at Christmas. Sister and a couple of her children are planning to pop down for a couple of hours for a bite to eat around Christmas. Using vouchers to buy food items for Christmas dinner and other goodies at M@s. Been doing Park run, just walk. Doing a virtual racing advent calendar which I brought, items to make a Christmas tree medal. Little 5 minute challenges. Had a short break in Belfast, crossed 2 things off my bucket list - Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Booked my trip to Memphis for April 2019. Decorator started painting the flat on Monday, but unfortunately he is having problems with his back, so did not work yesterday or today.

datlex

Recently I have been getting into the habit again of refilling my water bottle for the tap. Tastes absolutely fine. Costs a lot less!

[Deleted User]

Kerry woman, I was interested to hear that you do Park Run but just walk. I have thought about doing park run before but I would need to just walk as I am too unfit to jog!! I bottled out of going as I thought I'd be the only one just walking so I might re-think this now.

Planning to finish writing my Christmas cards this afternoon and get the ones that need posted sent off. The cards were all bought in the January sales including some really nice bigger ones I got for close family. Most of the cards will be hand delivered or sent via scout post to minimise cost of stamps.

Kerry_Woman

allie23 - There only a few that walk on the route I go to. The volunteers at the finishing line always stay until everyone has passed the finishing line. The people at local park run where I go to are always supportive to everyone regardless if people run, jog or walk.