2019 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

ladymay wrote: »

Sounds perfect for a writing retreat!

Exactly! 👍 But arty and crafty frugal friends would be equally welcome. 😊 I already have a little pink caravan th at we rescued from being scrapped.

lessonlearned

Hi everyone.....

Is it too late to join the party.

I have just done my September spending review and it's horrendous.:eek: I need to get back on track so I thought I'd join you all for the last quarter if that's ok.

I need to slash my food bill, and stop unnecessary spending. I want to free up some money so I can start overpaying my mortgage. I think I can manage £100 a month fairly easily but ideally I want to make that £200. I will really need to pare things down to achieve that.

So today I'm going to start with a freezer and store cupboard inventory, find out what I've got and then take it from there.

Will go back and read the thread for tips and ideas.

little_green

lessonlearned wrote: »

Hi everyone.....

Is it too late to join the party.

I have just done my September spending review and it's horrendous.:eek: I need to get back on track so I thought I'd join you all for the last quarter if that's ok.

I need to slash my food bill, and stop unnecessary spending. I want to free up some money so I can start overpaying my mortgage. I think I can manage £100 a month fairly easily but ideally I want to make that £200. I will really need to pare things down to achieve that.

So today I'm going to start with a freezer and store cupboard inventory, find out what I've got and then take it from there.

Will go back and read the thread for tips and ideas.

sept has also been spendy month for me

FrankieM

I always assumed that once I no longer had school age children this part of the year would be a financial breeze...but, what with a few birthdays and DS coming back from Uni to do some work in my garden etc, that's not been the case.

Back on it with a vengeance...until Christmas hits!

sistercas

The financial drain never seems to end does it? What with supporting dd2 at uni and dd1 getting married next year , birthdays , Xmas , car expenses , it’s scary . I’m so glad about MSE and the forums without it I’m sure I would be in right old pickle :T

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

Hello all, I'm back from my fantastic working holiday and after totting things up am pleased to say that I had some money left over. I have just been paid and have done my budget for this month and am on track again. If anyone is ever looking for a cheap holiday with lots of fun then I would definitely recommend a working holiday with the National Trust. I can now start on saving for next year's holiday and my emergency fund which I really need to start building up. Christmas is the next expense I need to start thinking about as well as car MOT/service/insurance but hopefully I have got enough money put aside for them.

lessonlearned

Hi everyone.

I did a freezer and food cupboard inventory yesterday and today I did a bit of a stock up. I bought toiletries and otc meds whilst I was at it so I'm hoping that apart from f&v, milk, eggs etc I won't need much for October.

Need to shop around for car insurance this week. Then I really need to see about swapping bank accts etc.

Sistercas .....these forums are a lifesaver aren't they. So much good information and lots of friendly tips and advice. I just need to focus and practise a bit more self discipline.

little_green

Sept was a rather frivolous month. Even excluding the £100 share towards a new hoover I was still way over budget (and I actually don't even know on what! Well i do if i consult my spreadsheet but what i mean is nothing meaningful.)
Hopefully i'll get back in gear in october. I have ambitiously increased my monthly save target going forward as well so hopefully i'll be more disciplined.

Treasurequeen

Well September hasn't been very frugal for me, had to dip into my emergency fund this month but hopefully next month I can put the money back into it. Eye test was over due and I needed new glasses as I broke my old ones. But had a voucher for a free test and glasses were on offer so saved a bit there. Made some calming dog and cat toys and sprays for pets as they are a bit stressed cheaper than getting calming tablets and the sprays from vets.

Have been doing the Oxfam don't buy new challenge and its gone well I think. Nothing new bought in the clothes department and I have had a few bargains in the local charity shops. So my clothes spend for the year is way below budget. Do need to get some thermals as my old ones have shrunk and don't fit anymore. But I am keeping an eye on the sales and offers.

Won a free pouch of filter coffee with a membership card so that will be nice when its delivered.

Frugaldom

Hello frugal friends, welcome to a brand new month and the start of the final quarter of 2019! This is it! The run-up to a brand new year has just begun for me, as I do all our rounding ups and downs over the last 3 months of the year so I can allocate funds and savings challenges for the coming year.

2020 is a special year for me as it marks the year I hope to finally have the Frugaldom project properly up and running as a place worth visiting. We want to build a couple of cabins for weekend use during the better weather so I reckon that will be my number one priority savings goal from now on. Everything else has pretty much fallen into routine expenditure.

What's your 2020 vision for frugal living?