2019 Frugal Living Challenge

ma-ri-ella

unplanned spend today of 5.85 - bit annoyed at myself as none of it was needed but i was really hungry when i finished work - all crisps ,biscuits ,ready meal and nothing proper. oh well hopefully i will make it up this week. Trying to do a pantry challenge this month, my shopping list has literally got garlic and yogurt on it for a few recipes,i might also need milk.
I always feel the need to carry money incase i see some bargains like i look at some cupboard stuff as long term so if i see something half price i feel i should buy it then the cupbaord stuff is there for when there is no yellow stickers but what happens is the long life stuff never gets used.

Ive also just realised that the amount of hours i study i am classed as a full time student so need to see about stopping council tax..... i should have done this 5 months ago eek but least will be a saving once i do

babs_103

cw18 wrote: »

babs 103
A few things I'd say to consider


1. Are there other things you could store in the same space that would save you more?


2. Do they still allow you to 'skip a shipment'? My son used to get some bits for his razor that way, but I think we skipped at least every other shipment without them taking us off the scheme or raising the price on us. If they do it might help you if you end up with a surplus and no storage space as a delivery is coming due....


3. It's not clear from your post whether that £17 saving is for the whole year or per shipment of all the items (and you don't mention how many shipments). I'd want to think about whether the saving is enough to use up all my storage space - and that would probably be 'not' for £17 a year if I'm going to be falling over it all the time.

Thanks for your reply.


There is nothing else I would keep in Narnia (we call it that because it never seems to get full.)


Yes I can still skip a shipment, and it's about £17 a shipment not a year, plus I can have them monthly two monthly etc - however I want them.



So going on those answers I'm going to go for it.


I'll keep the money I save in my sealed pot so that will help for when the C word happens!


Thank you x:T

natnat13

My partner was a spender although he'd never have a credit card or rack up debt. However since we've been living together he's changed so much, hardly any unneccessary spends and likes to see his savings going up, its brilliant

Edit - that was meant to be a reply to a previous post a couple of pages back!

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

I had a bit of catching up today. My sympathies to everyone who is having a lot of bad stuff happen to them at the moment. I have been there at times but it will get better.


I had a no spend weekend this weekend (I always feel pleased with myself when the weekends end up being no spend). I visited a friend, who is poorly, on Saturday and baked a cake to take to her (no spend) and on Sunday I spent the morning at the allotment finishing the shed which is now up fully lined and with shelving up (we already had the wood so no spend there either). I can't wait to get in there and get it organised now. I have also got some wood over to repair some wooden planters at a charity garden that I volunteer at.


This weekend I made a cake, some biscuits and some soup to keep me going for the week for lunches and snacks for work (much cheaper than buying them and less plastic packaging).


I got my credit card bill through the other day. I knew what would be on it but when I looked at historically what I paid monthly (I always pay in full) it has come down quite significantly.


My weekly food shop last Friday was within budget again and I resisted the need to order a fruit and veg box this week as I still had some bits left to use up in the fridge from the last box I had delivered.


I'm definitely managing to bring down my spending. I have challenged myself this month to not buy any luxuries for myself and to keep my grocery budget to a maximum of £200.00. I know we are only 12 days into the month but I feel quite optimistic that I can keep to it.


I have in the past watched Shop Well For Less and in that series they mentioned that the average person spends £13.00 a week on miscellaneous spends so I started taking £52.00 a month out in cash to keep in my purse and whenever I spend I just use that. It definitely works to help curb your spending when you see the money going down so I am hoping it won't be a cashless society. I don't really like using contactless because you don't always get a receipt and if I don't get one I have on occasion forgotten that I have spent it.


Better get back to work. Speak soon.

frugalfreedom

afternoon frugallers


Am I ok to join in ? I would have joined earlier but have read through the past 42 pages before joining

CapricornLass

Hugs to Spudsmum - ouch! And so painful too (I've also done the same - twice.)


Welcome to Frugalfreedom, too.


Sounds like you are getting on top of reining in the spends, Crafty Lisa. I am trying hard, but OH insists on coming with me, and I have several food allergies so its not always so easy just to buy a cheaper version of a food. I do bake though, and I've just invested £30 in 6kg of G/Fbread flour and 5 kg of a baking flour so see if I can at least save a bit by making it myself.



I don't like the thought of being totally cashless either. How on earth are children going to grasp the concept of money if all they see is a card held to a machine to pay for things?

Igamogam

CapricornLass wrote: »

I don't like the thought of being totally cashless either. How on earth are children going to grasp the concept of money if all they see is a card held to a machine to pay for things?

It was going back to cash that was a turning point for me...and by turning point I mean like stopping and turning a cargo ship:rotfl: but turn I did and now seem to be more in control:D

sinkorswim2018

Spudsmum ...ahhhhhh. Horrible tine you've been having. Well done for being more prepared than the previous you may have been, onwards and upwards. You've had you fair share for a while.

Babs 103
Have you tried price matching the goods ton see if you can undercut Am0zon?

Budgeting going fairly well here. Thought I had got all my bill down to the minimum ( just changed energy supplier again on MSE's advice). However had a niggling feeling that my home and buildings insurance arranged by my financial advisor when buying my house (August 2017) could be reduced. I'd had to claim Dec 2017 so I wasn't sure. I did a few quotes on the meerkat site (missong those cheap cinema tickets) and found I could HALF the cost. Still had 4/5 months until.renewal so I rang my existing insurance to find out what the exit fee was. No exit fee! Cancelled and got new insurance saving £288 a year.

cw18

sinkorswim2018 wrote: »

I did a few quotes on the meerkat site (missong those cheap cinema tickets)

I think on my third year of having access to those cinema tickets, and I've not used it once. They don't work on nights I see my OH, and I have to say I don't really like the cinema experience (which still seems expensive to me even I used the codes). Last time I went was my first proper date with OH (previously met over coffee), so that's more than 7 years ago.

little_green

hello everyone. sorry to hear of everyone's misfortunes, i know the feeling! But glad we are all part of a community we can support each other & share.

Had an awful start to the month re spending & only managed to get my first no spend day on Saturday - that's 9 days!!! Managed the weekend without spending, spend yesterday & no spend today.
3/12. My goal is 50% for the month AT LEAST & it doesn't help when you dont get off on the right foot.

Argument with my partner yesterday, re our differences in attitudes towards money, sometimes I think we are too different but other times idk if i just care too much about money. I said yesterday "i've put bags spare bags in the car for shopping if you need to stop/dont have at any point" to which the response was "i dont mind buying bags"
...
things is they are 10p each here. Now whilst I know that doesnt sound like a lot, say you buy 5 a week that's 50p, over a year that's £26. Every little add's up. That of course led to "well i have money" which led to "actually you dont hence the 15k worth of debt".
...
sigh