2020 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugalistamama

Back on the frugalling way. Why is it so easy to fall off the wagon?  I feel it takes real effort and thought. Hope you are all well Xx

CraftyLittleLisa

I have just checked my budgets and am pleased to see I am still on track.  I have had a few minor frugalling successes this month.  I needed some slippers but I mentioned to my Mum I needed some and she said she had some she had been given but didn't want and they were in the charity bag.  She got them out for me to have.  They are very cosy and keep my toes very snug.

I also had a go at making some veg stock from vegetable peelings that I had kept in the freezer until I had enough.  It worked out rather well but next time I will cook less up as I have loads of it now and very little space in the freezer to store it.

A final frugal success that I can think of is due to Covid 19 the pre-paid tickets I had for my dance school classes couldn't be used any more so they credited my account and it has virtually paid for a 4 week dance course in October.  I have to admit I was really chuffed at that as I was worried it was going to be wasted money.

Christmas present sorting is well underway now.  Thanks for the suggestion when I last posted of vouchers but I actually don't like doing vouchers at Christmas and I'm wary about doing vouchers or memberships anymore in case we have another lockdown and memberships can't be used due to restrictions or vouchers can't be spent because businesses go bust.  I am currently making some dolls clothes for my niece out of remnants of fabric and wool left over from my crafting I do.  I have also started to put together a pamper hamper for my friend.  I have made some lavender epsom salts for her and got some nice bar soap and bar moisturiser.  I want to make some reusable make up remover pads and some slouchy socks.  I have already got one of my nephew's present sorted.  I will have to ask my parents what they want as I am a bit stuck with them.  My sister also needs to let me know what she wants.

For 2021 I am already checking my expenditure for this year to see if my budget needs reviewing as things have changed a little over the last few months.  Certainly my exercise budget may need upping as my dance school has had to up the prices a little to accommodate the Covid restrictions and my hairdressing budget will have to go up as now I have had my hair cut short (it was driving me mad during lockdown) I really need to get it cut every 6 weeks instead of every 8 weeks.

I think that is about everything for me for the last month anyway.  I hope all is good with everyone.  Stay safe.

willow_loulou

Hello 👋 
my Christmas M&S vouchers have arrived so I’ll be off to spend them Monday afternoon. 

Only half for presents, the rest will go on food. 

I’m not quite well at the moment, I think I’m stressed. I need to get back to work and earn some
more money 😓

sashacat

Wow Crafty you have done really well. Congratulations.
i am still frugalling away but have just spent a fortune on some new furniture for my new garden room. I have the money saved but the company asked me if I wanted 0% finance over 10 months. So I said yes. 
My NDN gave me a bucket full of windfall apples so I have just peeled, cored and sorted them and have a huge pan of them cooking with some elderberries. 
My friends have given me excess produce from their garden. So I have 9 figs, 3 large pears and a bowl of Bramley cooking apples. It is good that we all share. I regularly give friends, lettuce, tomatoes and courgettes. 
I am veggie so eat mainly from the garden anyway. 
Hope everyone is safe and well. 

Frugalistamama

Had to go shopping for an event for the kids. Spent a fortune, well not really but a lot more than I'd like to at the moment. I felt better though when  I found some tights for £3.50 which was way better than the £7.50 pair. When I got to the till they were 50p! Love it when that happens. Ahhhh...little wins.  Hopefully i can stay on track with my budget and recoup a bit next week when i don't need to spend as much. 

[Deleted User]

Good evening all,

Still frugalling away here. I haven't managed to save any money this month, choosing instead to spend my 'spare' money on getting the loft insulated (there was none in there before). I have also switched my energy provider to Bulb, so am getting not only greener energy but saving £10 a month on my energy costs (down to £61 PCM now), which I am delighted about.

Last week I did an Asda shop online, then the day before it was due to arrive I looked at it again and wondered 'Do I actually need all of this, or am I ordering it just because?'. It was apparent it was the latter so I cancelled it, saving myself around £55 in the process 😊😊

In other winter prep, I picked up some wood for free from FB marketplace the other day which will last me for a while. I am determined to rely less on the central heating this year and use the stove a lot more.

Take care all xx

Shopaholic_no_more

Hi everyone 
I hope you are all well and keeping safe.
I need to seriously get back into being a regular visitor on this forum as I have also fallen by the wayside a bit lately.
My food budget has just gone off the scale these last few weeks and I am slowly creeping nearer and nearer to my overdraft every month and I don’t like it! 🥺. I think it is a combination of me trying to avoid supermarkets so I am using farm shops and eco shops a lot more which consequently are more expensive...so I either cut down on the amount of food we eat (none gets wasted...I make sure of it) or I bite the bullet and go back to supermarkets. However, I have grown some runnerbeans this year which, amazingly, are having a second flush! Also, some tomatoes. So I am going to ask my mum if I can have a corner of her quite large garden and grow some veg in next year. I only wish I thought of it earlier really! Ideally I would love an allotment but sadly I don’t have the time to spend looking after that much ground. I am also trying to be more sustainable as I do believe in the long run it works out much cheaper and, of course, better for the environment....and I’m all for that 😊.
This week I managed to just spend £2 over my £70 food budget but I think I should be spending less than this anyway although this does include food and cat litter for 2 cats so I guess not too bad really.
Fuel takes up a fair amount of my budget as I do a 50 mile round trip to work every day so I’m trying to drive more slowly and carefully. I have yet to see if this helps though really. I typically spend between £100 to £130 a month just on fuel depending on what the current price is though of course. It riles me when these companies are very quick to put their prices up but oh so slow to pass on the saving when the price of oil drops 😒. 
I am also with Bulb and have been wither now well over a year and their app is great for keeping an eye on your monthly usage.
They are currently putting in smart meters in my area so may look in to that. Does anyone else have one fitted? Was it a laborious job for them to fit? Did it make some people paranoid about how much energy they were using because some people I know say they wish they hadn’t had one fitted because they became a bit obsessed about them haha! Would be interested in people’s opinions.
Signing off for now.
Take care all 🤗

willow_loulou

I have a prepayment meter so see no need for a smart meter as I know exactly how I’m using and have refused them when offered (including a man who tried to force his way in saying I’d agreed to fitting one! Cheek! 

However a friend has had one for years - he has solar panels and he finds it fascinating! 

I just got a new slow cooker in T&sco for £13! My current smaller one cost £14 a few years ago so I’m very pleased. So I splashed out on beef for stew. Yum! 

cw18

I see no point in getting a smart meter.   I know which of my appliances eat the electricity, and already turn things off when not in use / switch off lights when not in the room.  They advertise them as saving you money, but they only do that if you watch the monitor all the time to discover which those appliances are and then stop using them either partially or completely.

I wasn't asked if I wanted a smart water meter - I was simply told the meter needed to be replaced, and when they did it they put in a smart one.   Had I known that was the plan I would have questioned why mine needed replacing when it was only 16 years old (assuming it was new when it was installed in my new build property, and I can't see it not having been).

As of yet I've not been offered a smart meter for my gas or electricity, but when it happens I will be saying 'no' for as long as I have a say in the matter......

sashacat

I have a smart water meter but it is just outside my house and I need a screwdriver to get at it. Apparently they read it by Bluetooth. 
It is definitely worth growing vegetables. Put some seed potatoes in in March and leave them. They just need watering if it is very dry. Dig them up when the flowers fade.
Courgettes can be grown in big pots,  need a lot of water but keep giving courgettes until you are sick of looking at them. 
I am veggie and eat almost entirely from the garden.