2019 Frugal Living Challenge

CapricornLass

Well, booked a Sun holiday for the end of April, which isn't particularly frugal - but we have managed to get a week with service and entertainment charges being given free, so I've only paid out half of what I normally would pay, so some sort of result!


The shopping bills are still higher than I would like, due to OH insisting on coming with me.....



Car in the garage for its MOt and annual service tomorrow, so I'm not looking forward to that either!

parsniphead

Hope your DD gets well soon sinkorswim. Look after yourself too.

Frugaldom

Sending best wishes to your daughter, sinkorswim

Kaylataste, £2 per day is an amazing amount of money to some of us!

Lifeisforliving19

Kaylataste wrote: »

I’m going to take lunch to work tomorrow, I haven’t spent any unnecessary money at all this year so far.trying to transfer 2 pounds a day into a savings account I’ve set up, doesn’t sound much but it’s all I can do for now.

£2 a day is a really good saving. Think what you can do with that at the end of the year. I need to get back into the habit of taking my lunch to work as well. One of my part time jobs, only 2 days a week, provides lunch for the service users there and I can buy one if I want. I have been known to do that quite a bit, just 'cause I can't be bothered to sort out my lunch the night before. I really must start getting more organised. It tends to be hit and miss. I will take lunch for a couple of weeks and then go back to buying one for several weeks....not a good idea.

sinkorswim2018

Thanks for all your kind wishes. I am staying in my daughters stuff t accomodation now to save costs. My meals are coming out of my 'dining out budget which fortunately I had barely touched this month previously. Also bought her some slippers put of my own clothing fund which again I'd barely touched. If I get through within budget I will be very happy though I had hoped to come in under. Maybe next month eh?
It's been a difficult few days with some serious life altering surgery on the cards, however she's responding well to treatment now so it may hopefully be avoided. Onwards and upwards. This year I am determined to swim.

Frugaldom

Thank you for sharing your updates with us at such a worrying time, Sinkorswim. Hopefully things will work out for the best and daughter will be on the mend as soon as possible. It's good you can use her accommodation, now to get those bargain buys that can be thrown together to make quick, inexpensive meals. Definitely keep on swimming!

Frugaldom

Can you believe we are already about halfway through the first month? :eek: Where are all the days going?

Spend-wise, 2019 being yet another year of spend on less so I can afford more, I need to keep on upping my game: being debt and mortgage free doesn't mean giving up frugal living, it means striving even harder to reach bigger and better goals while helping a few more frugalers along the way. So, 2019 is my 'year of more' rather than a year of less.

• Make do and mend more
• Reduce, reuse, recycle more
• Rescue, rehome and upcycle more
• DIY more
• Grow more fruit, veg and herbs
• Compost more
• Socialise with like-minded others
• Share, swap and barter

Mundane spends to date have been £40 on petrol, as I bought myself a car last year, and £11.42 on foodstuffs. I swapped eggs for a bag of yellow sticker veg and counted out all of last year's loose change and egg money from my coin-savings pots. It then spent £50 of it on a fixy-up caravan, paying for it to be delivered to us. :rotfl: I now have my 2019 projects all lined up and ready to start as soon as I finish my 2018 ones. :rotfl:

Kerry_Woman

sinkorswim - Take good care of yourself.

The_Lady_Sarah

Thats great Frugaldom- you are an inspiration (am also reading last years challenge) and so many ideas!!

Do have a question though - I've moved my debt onto a Credit card rather than pay for my OverDraft (Martin's advice on Mondays show.) I do however wonder how do people calculate their debt free date?
Specifically have a loan which intend to make over payments on.... how do I calculate it?

grassgirl

Just wanted to pop on, I shopped at Iceland the other day. I only bought healthy stuff and veggie stuff and was surprised and very happy with the taste of the new stuff and the price of the previously tried items. Plus free delivery so with no car, my back was very happy. I spend a little over 60 and would say I’ve got enough for a fair few weeks. Very pleased, normally shop at Tesco and it’s ok, have an Aldi close but they don’t do much veggie stuff, so yeah, just happy and wanted to share