2019 Frugal Living Challenge

natnat13

Hi
Can I join please?
I have no debt but also don't save either so that's my goal.
So far I have cancelled my Amazon prime as I don't really use it.
I am also going to cancel my phone insurance, it's £8.50 plus an £80 excess. If my phone breaks I'll buy one for £80!
Gym membership will also be cancelled in March, I don't use it enough, I have weights at home and go running.
Food is an area that needs looking at in the household, we spend far too much. I am not drinking or eating rubbish and am going to cook from scratch more.
I have a few things to sell too.
I work 2 part time jobs and am a student studying the final year of my teaching degree. In September I have a training position but my income will go down further so I'm trying to be savvy now. I have 2 growing boys which can be expensive!
I work near to home at the moment, so will walk as much as I can.
I'm going to regularly post to keep on track. :-)

miss_empty_piggy

ploppy57 wrote: »

I agree it is horrible to think of putting cloths in the machine that you have cleaned the loo with. Thinking of buying a galvanised bucket and boiling them on top the cooker, like my mum used to. TBH, I used to wash nappies that way as well, as didn't have a machine when I first got married and disposables didn't exist.


I might try soap on the hand basins once I have used up my supply of hand wash. I just worry that you are actually putting germs back onto the soap.....lol .Love soap in the bath and shower though.

Another option that I sometimes use is to spray the loo and clean off with toilet paper and then flush it away x

miss_empty_piggy

I'm very excited - we've got an allotment. I've always wanted one. Going to see it tomorrow!!!!!

In other news, I won a significant battle with Doh today. The kitchen was very dusty due to him channelling out a new socket (despite building a little shelter to keep the dust in). He said well we 'have' to go to the local restaurant now! *throws arms up for effect. I bargained him down to a takeaway, but them reminded him of our "fallow" year (with rules permanently etched into the giant blackboard in the kitchen" and an end date etc.). To cut a very long story short, after a quick 10 minute clean up I made delicious red pesto, bacon, mushroom and courgette pasta in 10 minutes and saved about £35. I'm usually an easy-touch when it comes to eating out but I am inspired by you guys to keep to the challenge. So big thanks everyone xxxx

spudsmum

Hi all - happy Friday!

NSD here today had a rough night with the kids so not done much.

Yesterday was a spendy day on the face of it - went into town to get eldest his shoes (got some in the sale - yay!) and a few other items i needed.

Managed to pick up some jeans for the twins reduced to £2 each so bought a few pairs in the next size to put away. Also got husband some new jeans and a coat he desperately needed but he's paying me back out of his Xmas money. Picked up a new shredder too but work will pay for that (they insist I have to have one) and the new stationery I bought in the sale so actually my own outlay will be minimal when I get that back. After all shopping was done I reckoned up last weeks budget and I had £5.51 left which is nothing short of miraculous!!

Post Christmas leftovers use up is still going well with nothing wasted. Had some French stick that was going a bit hard plus some ham and some mozerella on its last day so made homemade pizzas which the kids lapped up and saved some more stuff from going in the bin.

Also did my weeks food shop which came to a grand total of £13 - nothing much needed. Got a meal plan in place for next week and should only maybe need another bottle of milk midweek but that's it so quite pleased.

Quiet weekend on the cards hopefully going through some old paperwork and organising my filing cabinet - I have bills from years back so going to test out the shredder and get rid!

nannygladys

Hi everyone, not tired, so thought Id come onto here.
Ive been making cleaning cloths for a few years now from old towels and T-towels and I do boil them up, but I bought a big saucepan from a CS years ago and keep it just for this, I keep the saucepan outside the backdoor under a big container and its lasted well so far! I also come from the nappy boiling era, we use to be proud of our lines of white nappies outside on the line. I sometimes wonder how I managed as I had two children within a year so I got though a fair amount in a day as they didn't last long once they got wet!!!

Anyway today I ate leftovers for both lunch (soup) and tea (spicy quorn and veg bake) and had fruit leftover from Christmas with yogurt for puddings and then extra fruit for snacks. Im trying to eat the fresh stuff up before it goes off, oh and a bit of chocolate lol

I also found some 4ply wool so I will have to look for a free sock knitting pattern, I haven't made any before but I wont lose anything by having a go and they may just turn out alright!

And then Im going to start on my cupboard clearing, starting with the kitchen, I counted my mugs the other day and I have 20, I live on my own …. Ive also got to get my box of seeds out to see what Im growing this year and work out what I need to buy new and draw a new planting plan up for the lottie - I love my lottie its my happy place.

Nannyg

Frugaldom

Welcome newcomers and old-returners

Miss_D_Meanour

Hi there

It's early Saturday morning and I'm here thinking about how to stretch the freezer food without buying too much at the supermarket today. I've still got enough soup to see me through the weekend and batch cooked dinners from last year which will do for another week but it's work lunches that I've been stuck on. Then inspiration hit - I can add pickled gherkins and beetroot to the left over meat and voila. Yes I'm trying to avoid bread and pasta at lunch, as I get that urge to have a siesta at about 2:30pm if I eat them. It's not a good look in the office! So I think the shopping list is down to milk, gherkins and beetroot. Oh wow!

The discussions about hand v liquid soap reminded me that I got a bar of soap for Christmas. I'm now going to dive into the store cupboard and see how much liquid soap I've still got from previous years gifts. Who knows what else I'll find in there.

Oh and to add a little to the cleaning cloth discussions - I use cloths and just soak them in bleach before a quick rinse and then run through the the washing machine. My aunt uses a dish washing brush that she then dips into a boiling water/bleach mix to clean.

Take care and have a great weekend
MissDM

shish100

Morning everyone,
I have been continuing on with some frugal habits from last year, packed lunches have been taken to work this week.

Although with my boiler constantly breaking, which the house insurance is paying paying to be fixed, it has been a struggle at times. There have been 4 engineer visits in a week! With another one when the part arrives.
On the plus side we do have a log fire, which has been a life-saver whilst we have been of work. The gas bill should hopefully not be as big!

I am saving my Christmas cards to make gift tags next year. When the Christmas tree comes down today, I need to convince OH that we should spend half an hour straightening the cable for the lights, and fixing the broken branches. He has a habit of taking it apart and stuffing in the box, the tree is now sorry for itself. We worked out last night the tree is 10 years old!

It looks like it will be a dry day, so I am going to hang my washing on the line, it may not completely dry, but half dry is better than nothing

Shish

sistercas

I haven’t spent anything yet this year, mainly because I have been at work. I do need to do a food shop now, I have been using up all the Xmas food making soups with bendy veg and eating some odd concoctions
I’m going to meal plan so I’m not buying anything I don’t need, I’m on a diet so no need for any biscuits or anything . I really hoping to reduce my food bill this year, I do spend more when dd2 is home from uni she eats us out of house and home :eek:
I’m hoping to save towards my retirement, it’s not for a few years but it might mean I can retire a year early

patentgirl

This thread going so fast lovely to hear everyone's plans keeps me inspired off to do first shop since Xmas done my list and still meat in freezer so shouldn't be too bad. Food shopping was my downfall lasy year I am a feeder when family round like to go overboard when they visit which is couple times of week also Dd3 bf practically lives with us now so budgeting extras in instead of continually topping up several times a week.
Another one praising bars of soap my DD has to wear a lot of make up for work and her uniform is white shirts with a red collar so no hot wash I keep bar of normal soap on windowsill she rubs with cold water before washing always comes out perfect.