2020 Frugal Living Challenge

willow_loulou

My best advice is do what feels achievable, there’s no point in going without but if you’re mindful some needs turn into wants and can be cast aside. 

If you’ve time on your hands maybe consider doing surveys to earn a little extra, I do and have used the money to buy coffee (I couldn’t get it in lockdown shopping) and now Etsy for Christmas gifts. 

Also ban excess gifting, consider family secret Santa. (You probably know that anyway sorry) 
Being frugal for me this year has focused on recycling, up cycling and making do. I’ve made some environmental swaps (loose tea, hard soaps etc) 
But ultimately skimming is great, your budget is probably fine - you could always try increasing no spend days each month. 

Frugaldom

@Bluegreen143 you seem to be getting to grips with your budget without a problem and it's good that you're in the position to make these choices. I'm a bit of an extreme frugaler, as you'll probably have gathered, and still push myself to the limit reducing personal spending, household bills and food. For me, it is worth it and I wish I had been able to pursue this lifestyle much sooner. My motto is, "the less I spend, the more I can afford". Maintaining zero debt while affording to save is worth risking going a bit stir crazy in my opinion, so go for it. My annual household budget, even after 21 years (since first publishing moneysaving tips), is still geared around my original costings. I try to invest in the longterm so that my major purchases will last indefinitely and, hopefully, be worth something to my kids (and now grandkids) in the future. Or else we could sell everything and blow the lot on a lavish lifestyle. Who knows? It's the freedom of choice that makes frugaldom such a fantastic lifestyle (and project).

Kerry_Woman

Still trying my best to keep a close eye on my spending.  Did go for my free float last month which was lovely.  Still searching for permanent work.  Got a free book yesterday and started to read it today.  Today I got a free candle through Sp@rks card offer and a free bar of chocolate through c00p app.  Still doing menu planning.  Going to be using up some toiletries, they might last me until the end of the year. Planning to have a quiet time for the festive celebrations in December.  Already got my dinner in, it is an vegetarian frozen dish - had used a loyalty card so it was free, used loyalty card to get one for new year dinner.  Both will cover me for 3 days dinners.  Going to take it easy for the next few days as I am coming down with something.

Bluegreen143

Hope you feel better soon @Kerry_Woman.

Thanks for your thoughts @Frugaldom and @willow_loulou. I’m really excited about continuing on the money saving through next year and challenging myself more. We have made such a change in our spending over the last four months (with very little noticeable change to our lifestyle it should be said so goodness knows where all our money went before!).

I did spend today though - I realised that Bambi (my nearly 22mo daughter) hasn’t got enough leggings/trousers for allowing for extra washing during potty training which we have begun since Thursday... well an already too sparse supply was made worse today when I (do forgive my sin against the MSE ways) did throw a pair in the bin... I will leave the reason to your imagination. However I bought the new leggings & tights from Tesco in size 2-3 - she is currently in 18-24 but they are getting on the small side. So at least I’m time honoured frugal mum fashion I’ve bought them for her to “grow into” and she will hopefully get plenty wear out of them. £15 on five pairs of leggings, £8 on three pairs of tights and I also spent £4 on a three pack of mittens for her and £4 for a three pack of gloves for my son. I will knit a few pairs for each of them too but I know what they are like and we need to have plenty pairs around when it’s cold as they get scattered everywhere so it was easier to buy some as well. I also bought a cucumber, coffee, garlic and a naughty sharing bag of crisps which my husband requested. However I won’t need anything else now til the fruit/veg boxes come on Wed and fortnightly Tesco delivery comes on Thursday.

Bluegreen143

Hope everyone is doing OK! No spends today - took kids for a lovely walk with a friend and her kids, then in the afternoon we did bits and bobs at home (playing board games with my 4yo, kids drawing with pavement chalk outside, making a fort out of the dinner table, 4yo helped me make dinner by grating/chopping up the veg).

Did spend last night but from my Christmas/gifts fund. Ordered some books, puzzles and games from Amazon for the kids’ Christmas presents. Was getting stressed I have very little except a few books picked up from the charity shop. So at least I’ve made a start now! We are getting them a big nest swing to go on their swing set (my husband made them it) as their main present from us (big present is from us rather than Santa) but am letting husband source it.

However both kids have birthdays in December too and also need to sort out presents for that!

Going to get stuff to make limoncello this week as HM limoncello is going to be my go to wee token for handing out to friends around the festive season this year. If we are allowed to see anyone that is!

cw18

Bluegreen143 said:

However both kids have birthdays in December too and also need to sort out presents for that!

I feel for you.  We're hitting a busy time of year here too.

Early November is my youngest Grand-daughter (turning 7).

End of November is my fella and his niece (turning 10) - I also buy for niece as she sometimes comes to stay at mine.

Early December is my fella's older great-niece (turning 7) - but I don't buy for her.
Early December is also my daughter.

Then Christmas.

Then my Dad (same day used to be a great-Aunt).

Early January is fella's sister  - and if I recall rightly her partner celebrates around the same time (fella buys for them, I don't).

Mid/late January is my next to youngest Grand-daughter (turning 9) and me - a day apart.

Frugaldom

Good morning from an almost sunny Frugaldom. I hope everyone is staying safe and following health & hygiene protocols closely: it's another staple basic in frugal living as we can't afford to get ill. Sadly, the virus is literally on the doorstep here so I'm living pretty much like a hermit while working at a safe distance from anyone, outdoors. It's a worry how long this is going to continue.  7 months closed to potential sales with no back-up funding is tough for so many. But moving on, we're still harvesting potatoes, leeks, kale and apples, the apple cider vinegar is coming along nicely and I have raspberry, blackcurrant, apple & pear fizz on the go, ready for bottling. There's s renewed vigour to squeeze the food budget back down and attempt £1 per person per day again as it's been creeping upwards with all the price increases and also with silky things like biscuits, sweets and snacks that cost less to buy than to make.  Other moneysaving us seed collecting, taking cuttings and drying herbs. It's a great time of year for that. 😊

mumtoomany

Hi all, still here still being frugal, been reading along, but had very little time to post, (can only really post if on PC, tablet always spells everything wrong and takes an age!) Pigs have now gone and come back as meat, so am not spending time feeding, filling up the water (many times a day, as they enjoyed tipping it over) or checking they have not escaped! Pigs seem to be second only to goats at trying to run away. All sheep have been wormed, sheered, sorted (rams from ewes) and dagged, (you don't want to know!) So now just need to get the ram lambs off to market, and the ewes in with the tupp. Polytunnel now beginning to empty, still have some peppers to pick and cabbage, kale, broccoli. Jerusalem artichokes and a few carrots and leeks still outside. Time to be frugal indoors more now.
Oh has at last got the new, to us, minibus on the road. It's cheaper on tax, and uses a little less fuel. Win, win. The old one is for sale. The proceeds of this are being used to fund a car for DD3 who will soon be taking her test.
Frugal job for today. I am trying to find a huge bag of sheep's wool, in the barn somewhere, I intend to wash it and use it to re-stuff the cushions on the sofas. We bought the sofas when DD3 was still in a pram, she's now 21. They need re doing!
Lovely to "see" new faces on here. Welcome everyone. Speak soon, mumtoomany.

jbkmum

I read this thread but never post but I have a question(s) today!

So I have a monthly budget starting from November 1st of £380 to feed myself, DS, two cats and two dogs (although may be one dog in January if partner decides he wants his dog at his house, long story!). It also has to cover clothes and fuel.
This budget has to last for a minimum of 12 months, at which point I’ll have paid my father back and will have an extra £225 but that’s probably going to be divided across two credit cards.

So I’d love advice on balancing the costs of pet food. I don’t want to feed utter rubbish to save money but I don’t want to feed the best food ever because it will cost too much. The cats eat Sheba flakes in gravy, refuse to eat anything in jelly! The dogs eat Harrington’s which isn’t great but it’s good value so I’ll probably continue with that.

Clothing, once DS grows out of his current set of clothes we will have no more hand me downs left. Well get more when he’s 14 from my mum but there’s a gap between 9 and 14 so I was going to maybe take £10 or £20 to a charity shop each month and start buying his next set of 10 to 11. However, would I need to size up as second hand clothes might have shrunk? 

cw18

jbkmum said:

So I’d love advice on balancing the costs of pet food. I don’t want to feed utter rubbish to save money but I don’t want to feed the best food ever because it will cost too much. The cats eat Sheba flakes in gravy, refuse to eat anything in jelly! The dogs eat Harrington’s which isn’t great but it’s good value so I’ll probably continue with that.

Clothing, once DS grows out of his current set of clothes we will have no more hand me downs left. Well get more when he’s 14 from my mum but there’s a gap between 9 and 14 so I was going to maybe take £10 or £20 to a charity shop each month and start buying his next set of 10 to 11. However, would I need to size up as second hand clothes might have shrunk? 

Do any of the animals have special dietary requirements?   I had a dog who had to be on hypo-allergenic and low protein, so that narrowed the options!   Discovered that Pets At H0me did an own label that was comparable to the brand my vets sold and another at the local pet store - vets being dearest and PAH the cheapest (I don't think it was much over half the price).  Before PAH launched theirs I was bulk buying the one my local pet store sold from-online retails and saving money that way (I had enough behind me to be able to do this), but it was convenient that I could get smaller amounts locally if a shipment got held up.

The only reason I can see for second hand clothes to have shrunk would be through washing.   If you buy new I assume you'll be washing them (  ), so if they're prone to shrinking they still will.   So I'd be buying the same size from charity stores as I would new.