2019 Frugal Living Challenge

Igamogam

Sticking to the plan. Although food and entertainments budget was over in April - off work for 2 weeks family etc etc it was all off set by being under for the previous months .
My CC debts are all on 0% for at least 2 years now and I am overpaying muchly every month.
Envelope system is working for me - recent trip to vet ( cat) and hairdresser - (me) wasn't too painful as there was money in the relevant envelope and by that I mean HARD CASH Both will be continued to be topped up now every week. Entertainment envelope got a bashing and is in deficit but hey ho and it will be topped up too

May is looking OK. All bills will be paid by 5th. Do need a new tyre or 2 which will be close to £300 but there is money in the car envelope which will help and I need to run down the freezer again so food bill should could well under budget.....that is the plan anyway

Shopaholic_no_more

What a great idea from your dad Chocolatelover93 I will look into trying that...think it will be a great motivator not to use that CC for non essential items...I have done the very same I am sorry to say...used it in McDonalds. Dear oh dear


Thankyou Sinkorswim2018 I don't think I will use that app, Yolt, then if they are going to charge you to use it. :eek:




Just come back from my holidays and am happy to report that I never succumbed to all the temptation of the duty free at the airport, yay!! That was always a very bad weakness of mine. So, another hurdle jumped .


Unfortunately though my car is having some repair work done to it and it is going to cost me around £230.00. So frustrating though because it was avoidable and I can only blame myself for this extra expense. Hey ho, I do have some money put by for car expenses but not the whole amount . I am going to do some extra hours at work when I go back to get the money back in my account though. Luckily, we are always very busy.


I need to write a shopping list and get back in to doing my meal planning as this really does help!


Also, I too love putting money by in little boxes for hair, insurances and the car and such like because like you say, Igamogam, it is HARD CASH and there honestly is nothing better than that.


So here is to a new month of getting my debt down a little bit more.
I am determined and you guys are helping ...Thank you!

earthgirl

I've budgeted for May and I'm hoping for £700 towards debt. Bought a holiday in a moment of weakness - £3000 remaining and I just want to pay it off with extra savings/earnings.

This is with a grocery budget of £35 for 4 of us so if I can't do it it won't be as much.

Hettyhound

I love a good envelope system although some of mine aren’t actual physical envelopes. I have some tins for petrol money and spending money and then a separate purse for the groceries. In my bills bank account it has amounts for car, clothing, hairdressers, birthday presents, son’s activities, pets, medical which I keep a track of incomings and outgoings in the back of my journal. I’m trying the sealed pot challenge this year for Christmas presents; it’s heavy but not sure there’s much in it. I actually don’t have that many to buy though as last year we took on Martins advice and just bought for the children. I bought a few bits for myself that I’d wanted and wrapped them up from Santa so my little one didn’t notice I actually hadn’t got any presents. We even got the artificial Christmas tree out instead of buying a real one to save some money (and mess!). I managed to do it really quite cheaply and with no debt through forward planning with envelopes!

stirchleygirl

Evening all

Just finished catching up with all the posts from the last 2 weeks - WOW!!! what an amazing lot of journey's in frugality!
I haven't got the brain power tonight to do responses - so just know that I've read them and I'm impressed.

The last 2 weeks were after the Easter online shop and I did enjoy having the cold food available to me for the 5 days the I didn't have my PA visit. I didn't have the energy to do the veggie toad in the hole roast dinner for Easter so that's all still in the freezer to be done at some point.

My PA and I have continued with trying to use up the stocks and my write on wipe of board food inventory is getting emptier YAY! More fruit veggie jelly this week to use up a years old packet of veggie jelly that was already mixed in the pouch (not like the powder from the previous 4 packets) this must last for 30 or more years as when she looked at the expiry date expecting a tale of woe at how many years out of date it was we were both shocked by it still being in date despite it being at the back of the cupboard for years and does expire until 2030!!! It tasted fine and was added to some fresh strawberries and blueberries (this week from the local shop) but as it was so old it didn't set and was quite runny but still edible and tasted fine.

More pasta salads for work lunches last week and this week my PA made - using fresh mushrooms and cherry toms (from the Easter online shop) and frozen veg from freezer stocks and salad dressing from stock with one bottle of dressing finished and glass bottle in the recycling YAY!

Veggie sausage pasta bake my PA made again this week - using pasta and yet another packet of frozen veggie sausages (only veggie hot dog ones left now) and frozen spinach from stocks and frozen veg and 2 jars of mac&cheese cooking sauce (from Easter online shop) portioned up and had some Tuesday night for tea (all a day earlier this week as had to be in work on-site on Weds & Thurs this week). A couple are in the fridge for over the weekend and the rest are in the freezer - I must get my PA to tell me who many so I can add them to the inventory. There are still 3 single portions of pasta bakes left in the freezer from the last one she made a couple of weeks ago.

Last week's work night teas were using up stocks including using cup a soups as sauces (use less water) frozen corn of cob all used up now but I can't remember what else she made for me.

Last night's tea was frozen broccoli & cauliflower and a tin of veggie ravioli and cup a soup sauce all from stocks.
Tonight's tea she did me baked potato (microwaved) baked beans and cheese (all from Easter online shop).

I'm on annual leave tomorrow and all next week as it's my birthday on Tuesday. My sister is coming up from Kent (I'm in Brum) on Sunday for a few days and my PA has kindly agreed to work on Sunday so they can build an IKEA wooden shelving unit (had it for years but currently not in use) in my box room to create a mini upstairs kitchenette area for days when I can't manage the stairs. I already have a small counter top fridge (has a tiny freezer box so could do ice cubes or a few lollies for the summer) that a friend left for me after she lived her for a year or so whilst doing a college course - this was a few years back so I'm hoping it will still work. I've asked for money off my parents and sister for my birthday and asked work (we all put £5.00 each for work birthdays) for a C*rry's voucher (which they gave me yesterday as it was Team Day all 6 of us library staff together for the day for meetings and training - being all together is rare as our NHS Trust covers 2 hospitals so we have libraries at both hospitals [NHS libraries are medical books/journals etc for staff to keep up to date - not fiction books for patients as the volunteers have a trolley of donated fiction books and hospital at night kits {ear plugs eye masks etc} to take round the wards] and some of us are part time so we don't often all see each other but it was lovely as I got my card and gifts from them early) and will put the C*rry's voucher and money form family towards buying a travel kettle (lighter to lift - if I had a normal size one then I have to get another kettle tipper gadget like I've got in the kitchen) a 2 slot toaster (I've a 4 slot in the kitchen) and a microwave to have upstairs and I'll store some foods upstairs like bread marg jam/honey/marmite fruit cup a soups crisp crackers and cheese and pickle quiches and the like so I'll have more than just the fruit and crackers that I keep upstairs in my bedroom at the moment for days when my PA doesn't come and I can't do the stairs. I've been wanting to get this done for about 2 years so I'll be over the moon to get it done for my birthday!!!!!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend and keep on frugalling :-) and posting a I love reading all your posts.

little_green

i dont want to go out & socialize tonight as want today to be NSD (not had one in May yet) has my frugality reached new levels of sadness lol where it's more important to get a No spend day than to be social & have fun!? haha
I've made a new spreadsheet starting this month to really get down & dirty with where any leftover money at the end of the month goes. I'm still spending more than i want to be be so have set it up better so i can essential spends & luxury spends & really track what money is being spent on.

Kaylataste

Found a compact tumble drier on a local selling page,it was £10 and almost brand new! The lady was Downsizing so didn’t need it any more. I am so happy with my bargain as there’s literally no spare money at the moment (wtc has been stopped).

chocolatelover93

Hello everyone,

Hetty - thank you your garden sounds lovely too

Got a £50 refund from Sky and £13.50 fuel for covering a different store at work. Both of them when on CC along with my monthly payment of £300 so I'm quite pleased that with deposit and this month I have paid off almost £1400 on CC! Just paid for some food shopping I did in Aug last year!!

So the weekly money (I have upped it to £100 because the first few weeks I struggled) has been helping me no end. I usually write a list of what is in my cupboard , fridge and freezer and use that to make a meal plan. This week I went into the kitchen and actually opened my freezer and had a good look. For some reason seeing the food infront of me it was easier to meal plan. I think that is because I work a lot better with visual things than writing down so I will do this from now on and written a list with only 5/6 things on it so food shopping this week should be low!

C xx

AnimalTribe

What a friendly, helpful thread. I've finally finished reading from the beginning - whew. I'd like to join you please.

I don't have any debt, but my emergency fund has taken a real hammering. A lot of very, very, expensive vet bills. Last year my animals would have been covered by insurance, but the premiums were getting silly as the animals became seniors - so I just started putting the insurance money into a separate savings account -

tighteningthebelt

chocolatelover93 wrote: »

Just paid for some food shopping I did in Aug last year!!

Hey, just wanted to say thanks to you, and your Dad for this credit card idea. I've already shared it with 2 people who have started using it. Fingers crossed for them, and you too!! Thank you for sharing.