2019 Frugal Living Challenge

little_green

no spend days monday & tuesday hoping today will make it a third!!

Hettyhound

Been shopping and came in £6.03 under the £25 budget. May need this though before the end of the month as it’s half term so I need to do pack ups for my son at holiday club and may need some more dog food. Just booked a free Pets in your house furry cuddle session for my boy during half term. Hoping he will enjoy it as we do sometimes go and look at the animals in the shop if I need to fill 15 minutes. Didn’t know they did these but Martin told me this morning, thanks!

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

Just a quick question for everyone. I was wondering how much people budget for their food and also for going out. I want to see whether I budget too much or not enough. If I budget too much then I need to bring down my costs. I live on my own (if that makes a difference) and in my "food" budget I generally include all household spends such as cleaning products and toiletries etc.


Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Lifeisforliving19

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire wrote: »

Just a quick question for everyone. I was wondering how much people budget for their food and also for going out. I want to see whether I budget too much or not enough. If I budget too much then I need to bring down my costs. I live on my own (if that makes a difference) and in my "food" budget I generally include all household spends such as cleaning products and toiletries etc.


Thanks in advance for your feedback.

For food, cleaning stuff etc, I was working to a busget of £200 a month for 2 of us, no pets or anything to buy for either. This month I have cut it to £190 as I think it can be done.
TBH, I don't really have a "going out budget", we do have a savings account which I call holiday spends, which I just put odd bits in, as and when I have it. We only really go out, if we know we have spare funds, or if we see something we want to do in the future, then we save for it.

little_green

well i looked at my spreadsheet and i have £7 to last me the rest of the month if i want to stay within my budget :eek:
and I have nights out on friday & saturday this week. eek. how did this happen :rotfl:

cw18

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire wrote: »

Just a quick question for everyone. I was wondering how much people budget for their food and also for going out.

For food (and only food, no toiletries, cleaning items, household items or alcohol) I'm trying to work within £35/week on average (has to be an average for me, as I bulk buy some items at Costco which means I have some very expensive weeks - and then some weeks when I need nothing but bread and a bit of fresh veg) though I think it's closer to £40 this year. And I'm finding I only manage to come near that if I get a decent amount of stuff from reduced to clear or shops that sell stuff cheaply as it's close to or past it's best before date which is scarey :eek:

That's just for me, apart from Saturday and Sunday evening meals when I also feed my OH. We generally split the grocery bill when we go away (it's always self catering), but I do still seem to go well over those week - probably because they don't usually include any reduced / bargain buy goodies Compared to other people it sounds a lot for just one person, but I have an active job and run and cycle as well as go out on recreational walks as well. Because of that my calorie burn is twice what it would be if I had an office job, so effectively I'm feeding two people when I feed just me!!



For going out my budget is absolutely nothing. I don't eat out, I don't get take-aways, and I don't even go to the pub or cinema. If we go anywhere that requires an admission fee or parking to be paid (not very often) it just comes out of a general 'anything else' pot.

CapricornLass

I have a budget of £200 for the month, to include cleaning stuff and some toiletries (not moisturisers). That is for OH and myself, and I have multiple food allergies, which doesn't help as it restricts the choices I can make.

With regards to going out, I have a sum of £100 set aside each month, which I use to pay for activities and going out, and miscellaneous spends.

Joh68

Count me in.

Shopaholic_no_more

little_green wrote: »

well i looked at my spreadsheet and i have £7 to last me the rest of the month if i want to stay within my budget :eek:
and I have nights out on friday & saturday this week. eek. how did this happen :rotfl:

Oops Little_green!!

I do feel your pain ...I have 10 pounds left in my food budget and I don’t get paid until next week. However, I am determined not to spend any more than that so it really will be just bread and milk...we will have to live off what we have got left!! Luckily, not planning on going out this weekend. Good luck!

Shopaholic_no_more

Hi everyone

Two no spend days this week....which is just as well cos I’m down to my pennies now haha!
I get paid in the middle of the month and OH gets paid at the end which kind of unbalances my spreadsheet in a weird kind of way so I have put the 19th as the beginning of my new month as I can get my head round that better 😜.

Allie23 - I am aiming to change my way of thinking with money and see it as a challenge and not a defeat (which how it was in the past). So I like your way of adapting each strategy (debt). I will deffo take that on board. Thanks! :-)