2018 Frugal Living Challenge

Miss_D_Meanour

Good morning

Good news .... I've bought the cranberries for Xmas! Now just have to remember to buy the vegetables, oh and thaw out the turkey. Even better news - mum and I have been saving loyalty vouchers all year and it looks like they are going to cover all the food.

I've been trying to be careful with the heating but have come to the conclusion that I need my room and bathroom to be warm in the morning. So have set the heating to come on at the same time as the hot water - I think this is the most efficient use of the boiler. At least it is in my head.

I'm trying to work out best way to budget and track spending next year. I love spreadsheets but whilst I'm great at reconciling the bank account with them and tracking the savings and debt repayments, I don't think they are working for me re the budget. I'm going to try doing up the budget in a paper notebook (might help make it more real) and then pop a small pocket diary in my bag to track any spends during the day. Any thoughts / suggestions would be appreciated.

Just got bath and shower gel from the secret Santa at work - I fully expected to get an ornament or joke gift as we are a relatively new team, but got lucky and am really looking forward to putting this to use when my current stock runs out - or if I get visitors!

Keep warm everyone
MissDM

shish100

Spudsmum - well done on paying off the mortgage!

Our mortgage came up for renewal and have done some shopping around, managed to get a really good deal. So the saving on monthly repayments is now going in to the mortgage as an overpayment, reducing the duration we're paying over.

I will definitely be taking part on the 2019 challenge. I have enjoyed reading the tread, and I have learnt quite a bit about my spending habits. I want to keep making changes to my lifestyle.

Nearly ready for Christmas. Just wrapping the last for few gifts. The tree and decorations are hopefully going up today. I've not bought many snacks or mince pies for Christmas, as we always seem to live off them in January.
I am looking forward to spending time with family and friends over the next week or two. Will be making frugal suggestions for things to do, watch a film, play a board game, go for a walk.

[Deleted User]

spudsmum wrote: »

Just had to share with someone - I have today finally become mortgage free!!

Huge Congratulations spudsmum:T:T:T. That is a fantastic achievement.

Sorry I've not posted much over the past few days. I am heading towards the end of term and have the overwhelming tiredness that comes with it - also full of the cold too. I need to perk myself up as I am taking my 6 year old niece out tomorrow for a Christmas treat. We are going out for pizza and then to a fashion show at the school where I work. It is a reasonably frugal night out as the early evening menu in the restaurant is reasonably priced and the tickets for the fashion show cost £1.

nannygladys

Hi everyone
Another frugal day as I haven't been out. I made a bean stew for the next couple of days from stores and bits from the fridge. Worked out the food needed over Christmas (well Xmas and Boxing day) and will buy all that at the weekend (or Friday), and have found some cake mix and brownie mix in the cupboards that I must have bought to do with the dgc, so will make those up as well, I have chickpeas for humous and DD will make pancakes for Xmas brekkie, so feeling organised at the moment.
Nannyg

sinkorswim2018

Getting back into the habit of writing down my spends again. It's an eye opener. My last day off today before Xmas eve. I have the whole house to tidy after pulling my eldest room apart yesterday. She's at uni and I've done a bit of minimising and rearranging. It involved a trip to the tip and charity shop.. Hopefully she won't miss anything.
I think I have all my meals planned for Xmas. Just the fresh stuff to buy Saturday before work... Ald! Of course. I have a list so I don't forget anything or go off track. I will be making a large potato salad to as part of a buffet and part bake rolls to go with (bought) pate. I'm for between not having much time as working in the days leading up and trying to save money by cooking myself. All bought stuff is from Ald! and !celand. Thanks Nanny for the humous idea, I have all the ingredients in my cupboard. Filling 'make your own' crackers today, they have been in my wardrobe for at least 2 years. Chocs going in rather than something that will end up in the bin. I think crackers are very wasteful, perhaps I should of just donated the packs? I'm filing 10 for £2. Resisted putting chocs on the tree, I don't think they will be missed. I've given am old artificial wreath a new lease of life by tying on some tree branches of the bottom of my tree(£25 Ikea tree with £20 voucher), and also put some other branches in a vase which looks quite festive. If I get the chance today I hope to.find some ivy in the garden to dot around the house...picture frames etc..
Next year I aim to reduce my gift costs.. thought I had been quite good until I totalled it up.... you don't want to know!

Frugaldom

It's good to see a few more people posting here, welcome back to everyone.

The 2019 Challenge will be started after Christmas but just before New Year, so we are all prepared, and there will not be a challengers' list, so nobody needs to look back and think they joined and failed. Reading about this challenge and getting involved in any way, shape or form is a success, as it shows an interest in and an awareness of your personal finances.

My personal challenge for 2019 remains the same as previous years - seeing if I can keep my frugal living expenses within the budget of £4,000.00 (plus council tax) for the year.

nannygladys

Hi everybody
Been out most of the day but I did take my lunch (some stew in a flask) and found 5p!!!
Nannyg

mumof3.12kindebt

Morning everyone.
We are all set for 2019. I have done our budget and as long as we are super careful we should be able to achieve our aim of saving £16500 by Dec 2019.

I sat the other night and researched stay and play groups that are free in my area to take DD too. So that will help get us out the house without spending anything.
I've also came up with things to do with the kids that won't cost anything

This week we baked a lemon drizzle cake using ingredients we already had at home.
We made salt dough decs with ingredients we already had in and lent paint off the boys nan to paint them and then will glaze them with PVA that we already have so no spend there too.
We have been watching films going for walks and going to the local parks to keep us busy.

They are having a Xmas party locally for the kids which is free to attend this weekend and will also be going to church and have family visiting so all no spend there too.

I have made a list in my diary on here on things we plan to do to save money.

I'll be taking ds1 to get a library card so we won't have to buy books for him to read.

Next year will be great and we won't be spending money on keeping us entertained and busy.

Xmas this year we stuck to our goal and the kids have a present each off us and one off santa . Me and the partner haven't brought for each other as we don't need anything. And we have brought for grandparents and parents and thats it.

I'm currently trying to make meals out of stuff we already have here (to put off a food shop abit longer)

My tutor is setting more work for my diploma so that will keep me busy.

I have Xmas off :j . I worked last Xmas.

I have a hospital appointment today I'll be parking and walking to the hospital save on stupid parking charges. :money:

I also walked the kids to school to save petrol. I'll also walk to pick them up unless I'm passing on the way back from my appointment (I literally drive streight past so if I'm on the way back from hospital I won't be going out my way at all or wasting petrol to pick them up)

I got a ski coat off eBay for less than £4 including postage. (I don't have a warm winter coat)

I've sold an item on eBay and made £15

I've shuffled money around and nearly have £1000 in our house fund. As well as a £5000 emergency fund . Once we have the house deposit and moving costs saved I'll increase our emergency fund to £10000 .

Hope everyone has a lovely day. Looking forward to the 2019 challenge

Frugaldom

Wow, mumof3, that would be a fabulous achievement to save £16,500 in 2019 - I don't think I have ever earned that amount in my life, far les be able to save it. :rotfl: Good luck - you have already proven that you can stick to your plans and budget.

Not sure if you have seen the saing for a house challenge thread, but I started by breaking down all the various elements and ticking them off my list oe by one until we could afford the house. We were in a bit of a rush to move when we lost our rental, so bought in a slightly different area to where we expected to be and it was a total messy fixy-up but we still have it to call home, even if it still hasn't been completed. :rotfl: I keep spending the savings on other things if an opportunity arises that I can afford to take. :rotfl:

My budget's done for 2019 and it will, once again, be the £4,000. With this in mind, it will be very interesting to see what changes occur as a result of the Brexit shenanigans.

I have managed to stick with my £4k budget for many years now, thanks to fluctuating prices, a proliferation of cheap food and, mainly, by adapting my diet accordingly. I'm grateful that food prices haven't escalated at similar rates as fuel or tobacco (I haven't smoked for years and did without a car for years) but I guess that's the controlling effect of Government subsidies to farmers, while possibly paying for those using the taxes collected on tobacco, alcohol and fuel.

I'd still love to see the national budget on an easy to read spreadsheet. :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Happy Solstice!! :xmastree:

So, it's all go for me - Winter Solstice 2018 to Winter Solstice 2019 is my transformative year - I intend to be sitting here 365 days from today in a home that I own outright and I love, planning the garden works which will be beginning in the spring of 2020. :D

So, that's a year of being as frugal as possible, keeping an iron grip on the budgets and spending while doing something everyday towards achieving those financial targets.

I'm actually incredibly excited despite the apprehension :rotfl::rotfl:

Hope you all have a fab day!!