2019 Frugal Living Challenge

mewgough

I would like to join the forum please:j:j

Frugaldom

The_Lady_Sarah wrote: »

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?

First of all, have you switched all of your debt, apart from the loan, onto a 0% credit card and if so, how long does the 0% last? You'll need to know your own budget and spending haits so that you know exactly how much you are repaying each month then, as the credit card balance won't change, being 0%, you can work out how long it will take to clear. Hopefully that will be before the end of the zero interest, oherwise it can become expensive. The bank loan will depend on the interest rates and if it is variable, so my best idea is base it on the term of the loan - whatever length time you took it out over - and just aim to overpay as much as you can to bring that date forward. You never know what might happen between now and then - extra income, a windfall, a cash gift. Absolutely anything extra, even if it is just £1, can contribute to speeding up the process.

Good luck with it all. The main thing is that you have decided to stop spending on non-essentials, start rugal living and, ultimately, escape to debt freedom. It is a lovely place to live and the neighbours are all friendly and helpful.

Frugaldom

Kaylataste wrote: »

I enjoyed my homemade lunch,everybody here is so supportive! I thought 2 pounds a day was really low but I only work 3 days a week at the moment.I have been really mindful of my spending and not buying so-called bargains.My husband is also trying to be frugal but it doesn’t come naturally to him,he has never been much of a saver.

When you consider some of us are still challenging ourselves to £1 per person per day for all meals, and there are 2 of us here to feed, then your daily savings amount is fantastic! You could look at it that for every week you succedd, it's a week's worth of food for 2 people when spreading it over a full year of very careful spending.

Frugaldom

Welcome to our newcomers, good to have you on the frugal living challenge journey.

Igamogam

Lifeisforliving19 wrote: »

Oh yes, my OH is not very good at being frugal...the amount of parcels that arrive from Ebay is ridiculous. If I ask what he has ordered, he sarcastically says...."its a parcel"! :mad: He orders silly little bits he thinks he might need for the computer or his camera, but half the time he doesn't need them and we have a wardrobe and drawer full of cables, plugs, camera bags, and all sorts of assorted rubbish. I am sure he doesn't actually know what is in there. I would start to get rid of it but am worried he will notice the gaps...:rotfl: and as for him being frugal with grocery shopping...well....:eek: If he comes shopping with me you can guarantee I will spend more. He is terrible for putting biscuits, cakes and other rubbish in the trolley. None of which we actually need or are very healthy. He truly does drive me mad

I am married to his twin:rotfl::rotfl:

For the last few years my OH has done an Annual Trip of A Lifetime ( he obviously thinks he is a cat with 9 lives ) pursuing his expensive extreme sport. In the run up to the trip there is a steady stream of 'parcels'- gadgets and gizmos as I call them. He also 'collects' stuff for cameras and computers.....however whilst he is away for 5 weeks I have a regular cull and so far he has not noticed:eek: I have told him that 2019 is the year he gets a grip and he has agreed...so far he has collected a number of boxes to "sort it all out" :doh::mad:

teamfrugal

Hello can I join in this challenge please.

I could do with improving my money saving. trying to save money and reduce food waste.

im looking forward to seeing the ideas people have.

good luck everybody

lktb1234

Will have a big house related debt to clear in the next few years!

Lifeisforliving19

Igamogam wrote: »

I am married to his twin:rotfl::rotfl:

For the last few years my OH has done an Annual Trip of A Lifetime ( he obviously thinks he is a cat with 9 lives ) pursuing his expensive extreme sport. In the run up to the trip there is a steady stream of 'parcels'- gadgets and gizmos as I call them. He also 'collects' stuff for cameras and computers.....however whilst he is away for 5 weeks I have a regular cull and so far he has not noticed:eek: I have told him that 2019 is the year he gets a grip and he has agreed...so far he has collected a number of boxes to "sort it all out" :doh::mad:

LOL...can't believe there is somebody else as bad as my OH. :rotfl: I think I need to try having a cull. I mean, how many camera bags does one man need? And tripods? And those little bendy things that you can attach the camera to stuff...we have them in all sizes, shapes and colours, yet on a recent holiday, he used only 1! And as for old cassette tapes...that we have nothing to play them on, and old vinyl records...again, nothing to play them on. Then there is the box of old phone chargers...just in case....:rotfl: I seriously think I might start getting rid of a few bits each week and see what happens

little_green

Count me in if i'm not to late to the party!
Would love some tips on how to be more frugal please.
I keep track of all my spending at current and am setting limits which hopefully i can stick to but any tips would be great on how to make practical changes that are cost efficient.

RebeccaAnn

My husband is getting on board (I think!), he has in the past just had to buy utter crap that we don't need nor do we have the space for. We have worked some of his "needs" into the budget and if we could cut them we could have an extra significant chunk of money. But I am reluctant to push him too far incase he just wants to scrap the whole thing.

Another Dave Ramsey fan here! I love watching his youtube channel as it makes me feel like less of a freak. Everyone at work is talking about what they are going to buy and the cost of clothing and diet fads, sometimes it can be hard to feel like you aren't some extreme fanatic.