2020 Frugal Living Challenge

FrankieM

A rainy day here, thank fully I got all my washing done over the heatwave of the last couple of days!

No longer on furlough, I've taken voluntary redundancy instead...it was definitely a case of do I go under my own steam or wait for them to push me out (they were terrible when I was in Australia!) and so I decided to make the decision myself.

I'm back doing bank support worker shifts at a local mental health hospital and am so glad I made that decision!

Currently getting my emergency fund fully loaded - I'm nearly there - and then I'm saving for the next stages - house move and divorce.

Sometimes the universe just points you in a direction and you've got to do it, however much it felt like it wasn't your plan

Jazee

Really trying to be frugal here and have updated budgets ahead of DH finishing work this week, but really annoyed that I had to throw away two packs of cooked turkey and some mushrooms today.  I've now sorted the fridge, done a meal plan and instructed DH not to buy anything else till I say so.

Frugaldom

Wow, @FrankieM, well done with your decision to take redundancy. You are so right about things taking us in different directions. Sometimes we have simply to go with the flow and face whatever challenges that present themselves. Good luck, enjoy the journey:)

MazzieD

@FrankieM What a brave decision, so glad you have found bank support work.  I was made redundant a few years ago, signed up with a temp bank straight away and was offered a better paid, better hours job and flexi time with one of the companies I temped with.  It's a good way of trying different employer(s) without committing yourself.   Mind you there was no pandemic to contend with at that time.

Just about to re-check my monthly/yearly budget, much lower than I expected, I know I have been ruthless with myself since joining the forum rotfl rotfl..  My biggest bill is now Council Tax, still working to reduce grocery spend.  I was lucky enough to pay my mortgage off 10 years ago.  

This is a real eye-opener, all I have done over the years is keep changing supplier/made savings from MSE advise, but as long as I have been within my salary I have never checked my monthly bills or done a budget, just worked on reducing them when contracts ended!.  I shall be having a celebratory cup of tea and biscuits if the figures are even remotely similar on re-checking!.  Will be using a spreadsheet from now on.  It's strangely addictive....
 

Frugaldom

@MazzieD I love spreadsheets and am still using my very, very basic one from several years ago. Makes things so much simpler to see where corners can be cut and little extravagances afforded.

willow_loulou

@FrankieM What a huge step! Good luck ❤️ 

Bracing myself for 40+ mph winds and rain tomorrow 😕 one of my Tomatoes snapped in 20mph today. I’m bringing in some vulnerable things in the morning. I’m going to try ant get some pallets to build a screen or shelter is this is getting really disheartening. Every time something out grows my greenhouse we get 40mph+ wind and ruins it. 

sashacat

Well done FrankieM. I am sure you won’t regret it.
I am so frustrated today. I was gifted some beetroot yesterday so harvested most of mine from the garden and decided to cook and pickle them. So I cooked them. I went to 3 supermarkets and could not get any pickling vinegar. Surely there is not a shortage.
I have white wine vinegar. Do you think that will do? 

CraftyLittleLisa

Hello everyone

I have just checked back and it has been a full month since I posted last.  I'm very sorry I'm not deliberately ignoring this thread - where does the time go.

Reading back I remembered I had a problem with my food budget.  This last month I have had a result.  I overspent by just 2p.  I can't believe I managed that.  I'm hoping to continue this for this next month.  I have just done a big shop and I have planned when my milk and veg delivery charges go out and I have about £57 left of my budget after allowing for that.  That should be achievable if I am really mindful of my spend as I have decided to only do a shop every 2 weeks.  I will stick to stocking the basics this month and make from scratch.  The allotment is starting to produce goods now.  I have had quite a good harvest of strawberries and tayberries and the broad beans are ready for picking now.  The gooseberries and potatoes should be ready soon as well as the peas.  I may have a bit of a wait for the other things.

Despite being okay with my food budget I have slipped up big time with my crafting budget.  I have actually exceeded my annual budget for this and we have just got to the half way mark.  The problem is I have had a lot more time on my hands to get on with projects and I have also reignited an old hobby as well as started one other new one.  I have probably done a year's worth of crafting since lockdown.  Although I have spent that budget it has been on things that I have done being mindful of cost and ultimately saved money.  It has also been on things that will last.  One of the projects was to build a dolls house for my nephews and nieces to play with when they come round.  I built it using an old bookcase that someone was getting rid of and I bought the fittings (such as staircases and windows) so has worked out cheaper than buying a dolls house outright.  I have absolutely loved doing it and the kids will love it when they are eventually allowed to come round.

With regard to finances I have had some extra income.  I got £20 credited to my mobile phone as I haven't had a network for weeks now and they don't know when it is going to be resolved so it was given to me as an apology.  That's two months of mobile phone bill.  I moved my holiday to 2021 and I was told it was cheaper so I will be getting a refund of £98.00.  I ordered a computer monitor to help me with my work from home but it hadn't arrived and they can't locate it now so I got £100.00 refunded.  I was telling a friend of mine about the fiasco and she has just told me she may have a spare monitor so hopefully I won't need to buy one after all.

I think that is it for this month.  I will try and keep a bit more on the ball now.

Take care everyone.

nannygladys

Hi everyone
Another one who has been away for a bit, well not away but not doing anything interesting. I have been using up my stash to start making Christmas presents and so far made a couple of things that have cost me nothing but time and I have plenty of that. Cooking from scratch is making for some interesting meals and trying out different recipes. The allotment has started to produce more and I have been busy making jam and hopefully the veggies will follow very soon, I was late planting out and a couple of weeks behind. 

I'm another one who has been overhauling the budget and I cant really get it down any further other than it is and the Council Tax is also my largest bill, I'm just glad I don't have to pay rent/mortgage etc I don't know how people manage, its not as if I go on holiday or live over the top, I do have separate budgets for everything so at least I can pay bills when the come in, but sometimes it would be nice not to have to think about money before you buy a new bra (I still haven't been to the shops to get one!). I have made a tunic top in the last couple of weeks as well as pressies, I decided a few years ago to start making my own clothes but I was quickly put off when a couple of items I made didn't fit/look OK, so I gave up, well I found this tunic top that I had cut out and stuffed in a bag so I made it and guess what it fits and looks great so when the CS open I may have a look round for material/clothes to alter instead of getting new.
Well off to have a browse round before I go up to remake my bed, I stripped it off this morning! Sorry about the ramble. Hope everyone is keeping well 
nannyg

DawnW

sashacat said:

Well done FrankieM. I am sure you won’t regret it.
I am so frustrated today. I was gifted some beetroot yesterday so harvested most of mine from the garden and decided to cook and pickle them. So I cooked them. I went to 3 supermarkets and could not get any pickling vinegar. Surely there is not a shortage.
I have white wine vinegar. Do you think that will do? 

@sashacat yes you can use white wine vinegar for pickling by all means, but if you want the pickled taste you will need to add pickling spice mix. Schwarz do one (most supermarkets stock their spices) or health food / wholefood type shops keep versions, or you can buy on Amazon or Ebay   If you don't use it all it keeps for ages - I dread to think how many years I have had mine for. I daren't check the date, assuming there is one. But it is just dried, whole spice, it doesn't go off.