2019 Frugal Living Challenge

Dave_Saver

Hi all, hope your having a good month, I went to a wedding the other day, decided to buy a new suit as I didn't have one. I spent about £120 on suit, shirt & tie and another £75 on the day of the wedding and the next morning before returning home. Well worth it as it was a wonderful wedding and we had a great day. Being frugal until payday next Friday, living on the credit card but will clear it on pay day and shouldn't need it next month.
started saving for next summer's holiday and can use that money as an emergency fund if I need to.

I'm basically debt free now as I have over £4000 spread across savings and investments, I feel so free. No longer scared of how little money I will have left once I pay my bills.

little_green

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!
have been meaning to buy a top for my holiday for the past 2 weeks & kept putting it off. FInally pulled my finger out & ordered it yesterday, low & behold today the sale launches on the retialers website & the bloody thing is half price!!!
what are the chances! haha/ have placed a new order of the same item for it now at half price but annoyingly the order from yesterday already got dispatched just this morning so i cant even cancel the order, instead i'll have to wait til it arrives & then faff about with a return.

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

Kerry_Woman wrote: »

Have managed to get 25 nsd's this month.

25 no spend days - that's incredible. You need to tell me how you manage it.


Despite feeling really positive about this month things have started to get a little unstuck. I have got 13 days left until pay day and I have only got about £15.00 left to spend on my food budget. I have got things in the cupboard but I will have to be clever about making meals. I need some bread but I have some yeast so I thought about maybe making some but I only have plain flour. Apparently you can make bread from plain flour so I will give that a go tonight. I know I did spend a bit of money on some charity shop finds and some crafting bits and pieces but I didn't think it was that much. I haven't really even been out a lot. I do find this frugalling a little disheartening at times.

Kerry_Woman

Crafty Lisa Hampshire - I am just trying to keep my spend days down as some of the time it is emotional spending since my Mum died. Do not always succeed at keeping down the amount of money spent each month. I try and spend/buy things when I do the food shop.

mumof3.12kindebt

Amazing Dave well done !

I hope everyone is well.

I'm lacking motivation at the moment. So I'm going to read back on this thread to motivate me again

I need to remind myself what we are aiming for

Have a good evening everyone

Frugaldom

Nice going, Dave! I am glad you are experiencing the sheer elation of freedom from debts and reaping well-deserved rewards. Financial freedom is what it is all about, a lifestyle of self-sustainability where we can afford to choose how we live, what we do and how we spend our own money. Mortgage/rent and debt free is an awesome place to be and with a bit of wise investing you can also determine when and where you work. (I'm creating 'Frugaldom' the place.)

Onwards and upwards... It isn't about how often you spend, it is about how you spend and the freedom not to buy stuff. You deserve the rewards that brings.

PipneyJane

Congratulations, Dave.

Frugaldom wrote: »

Nice going, Dave! I am glad you are experiencing the sheer elation of freedom from debts and reaping well-deserved rewards. Financial freedom is what it is all about, a lifestyle of self-sustainability where we can afford to choose how we live, what we do and how we spend our own money. Mortgage/rent and debt free is an awesome place to be and with a bit of wise investing you can also determine when and where you work. (I'm creating 'Frugaldom' the place.)

Onwards and upwards... It isn't about how often you spend, it is about how you spend and the freedom not to buy stuff. You deserve the rewards that brings.

May I echo this. Debt steals your cashflow. You might think you're earning a good wage, but paying off debts eats up your take home pay, leaving you feeling poorer in the process and reducing your options. Paying for the roof over my head - the mortgage - is worth it, but is the debt for that fancy dinner that I ate all those months ago and the clothes I bought to wear at it? No.

The thing is: budgeting works. Even when you're paying off debt, budgeting for treats and clothes and fancy dinners gives you options. It might take several months to build up your small pots of money into usable amounts while you're concentrating on paying off your debts, but once you get ahead, you stay ahead. You don't have to worry if the car breaks down - there's cash in the Car Fund to cover it - or look enviously at the pure wool coat in the shop window while shivering in the cold - your Coat Fund can afford it - or juggle cards when the bill for the Christmas Meal is presented to your table wondering how to pay for it....

- Pip

Katie_j

Hi, everyone I lost my way for a while and fell off the frugal wagon:(. But I'm back now hoping for a few nsd, being cautious on anything I do buy and keeping to my budget.:)

Frugaldom

Hi fru-guys and gals: Life continues in Frugaldom as usual, making the pennies spin slower and roll further, saving and recycling whatever I can and making do or mending, rather than replacing whenever possible.

Don't any of you beat yourselves up over NoSpendDays, they aren't as important as the spend days. Frugality is more to do with how you spend your money rather than when or how often. Obviously, less spending is good and no spending is better but if you are truly investing in your future life of debt free frugal living then every spend is a step in the right direction. I used to look twice at what I was about to spend on and then take the amount I almost spent on that coffee / food / holiday / item of clothing / extra travelling etc and pay it to debt. Once debt free, I put it into savings. Its a tough, single-minded and sometimes boring and lonely journey but at the end of it, we can live free from any money worries and can choose if/when we need to work. THAT is the ultimate treat or reward. I's about needs versus wants with savings set aside to cover the contingency plan of an unplanned outing or purchase. (Gifts for others, chariable donations, events etc.

Gardening, painting pebbles and building fences from old pallets for me this month, plus had a new grandchild appear in the world and some major car-related expenditure so once again, missing any opportunity of a break but hey-ho... my work is my hobby so I don't mind.

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday. I sat down in the evening to work out my spending/budget for the past month. I was convinced there was going to be a huge overspend as I had to renew my passport (which cost a bit more than I had planned for) and one of my rings broke so had to get that fixed at a cost of £38.00. When I worked it out I have only overspent my budget by £60.00. I know I should be trying not to overspend but there it is. I have 2 more days until pay day so as long as no unexpected expenditures come through between now and then I should be able to cope with the £60.00 overspend.


I have still been doing frugal things this month. In the garden I have completed my strawberry/herb planter using an old pallet and odds and sods of wood. I painted it with some left over paint and I absolutely love it. Not only am I pleased it cost me nothing but I am chuffed to bits I did it myself.


On the sewing side (which is the other "vice") I have been trying to plan Christmas presents to make instead of stuff for myself. I have already decided I'm going to make my young niece a dress from the stash of fabric and old patterns that I already have. I'm currently making dolls clothes out of scraps of fabric for maybe another present for her later on. It makes sure I have some project going on without it costing me anything.


I have also re-discovered the library, upcycled a pair of curtains, had some clothes finds in a charity shop, got given a shirt by my Aunt which is perfect for me and getting inundated with plums from the allotment.


Next month I will try and get back on track.