2020 Frugal Living Challenge

mumtoomany

Welcome on-board @naomij1411, a very friendly bunch here. Well done @Bluegreen143 on clearing your debt. Top up shop a few days ago, will sort signature out later. Frugal wise, made mincemeat yesterday. Never made it before, as I normally manage to buy it in January for less than the cost to make. Couldn't find any this year. Been reading the Tightwad Gazette, on a free library site, it's good but seems so dated. Not much i don't already do. Mumtoomany.

Frugaldom

Welcome on board, Naomi, I think you'll find there are several of us on here have had to start over after break ups, getting used to solo financing and self reliance so make the most of whatever help you can use from here. 

cw18

If I overpay on my mortgage I can later suspend mortgage payments  - they consider the overpayments as early monthly payments in that case.    In came in very useful when I was off work for an extended period of sick leave (July 2006 until early 2008).

mumof3.12kindebt

mumtoomany said:

Hi @mumof3.12kindebt, I hadn't realised you were in Wales too, we are in Carmarthenshire. Are you welsh or, like us, english invaders? 

Hi @mumtoomany we are English invaders! Lol both born and bred in West Midlands. We are mid Wales (llandod) been here since last June! Nice to meet you 😊 

ldee2111

Managed to get through today without spending. Got £7 in my account today from selling books on Ziffit. I use all these little amounts to make overpayments on the mortgage. We make one large extra payment a month plus all the wee extra bits - they all add up. Plus I’ll never pay interest on that £7 again! 😆 Not had any surveys on Prolific yet. I signed up about a week ago and had nothing - is that normal? 

Pleased at myself for fighting the urge to nip to the shop today or to purchase items online. Although, I’m still considering making an online purchase of a litter picker. Yes, a litter picker! I find myself taking more notice of the litter in our local woodland these days and wanting to do something about it. A litter picker would cost me around £15. I know I could wear gloves but I’m worried about picking up things that could pierce them, like glass. Don’t know - still undecided. 

Frugaldom

@ldee2111 email your local council cleansing department or environmental services and request a litter picker. If they can't provide one, post a message on some pages to try getting a free one as they are much the same as the ones dished out by NHS to patients with mobility issues and to my knowledge, they seldom recall these products. We got one some years back that had been discarded as rubbish for the bin! Good luck, the £15 saved could be another overpayment. If all else fails, ask in the free pages for long handled BBQ tongs

Edited in - I'll ask our beach-cleaning Frugaldom members where they get theirs

willow_loulou

@ldee2111 prolific I think takes 3 weeks before you’re eligible for surveys. They are on the page rather than getting emails, it automatically refreshes if you leave it open. I earned another £4 ish today whilst waiting for a work email that never arrived. 

I got a handy grab in boots for £5 , it might do the litter pickers job depending on what you use it to grab. It’s a disability device but I’ve got the rubbish from my front garden frequently with it. 

Lots of newcomers, welcome 😊

ldee2111

Frugaldom said:

@ldee2111 email your local council cleansing department or environmental services and request a litter picker. If they can't provide one, post a message on some pages to try getting a free one as they are much the same as the ones dished out by NHS to patients with mobility issues and to my knowledge, they seldom recall these products. We got one some years back that had been discarded as rubbish for the bin! Good luck, the £15 saved could be another overpayment. If all else fails, ask in the free pages for long handled BBQ tongs

Edited in - I'll ask our beach-cleaning Frugaldom members where they get theirs

You’ve just reminded me that I do have long-handled BBQ tongs! I’ll try the other suggestions first but it’s certainly an option - thanks @Frugaldom. 

Good to know @willow_loulou. A little patience then. 😊

Still sticking with my own little daily challenge to either save a fiver or make a fiver. It motivates me to sell unused things or to resist ‘nipping to the shops’ where I would undoubtedly spend around a fiver. And the other day I hand stitched a hole in my jacket - not something I’d have done in the past - it would have been in the charity bag. 

I’ve a couple of things still listed on G/tree (is there a guide for this secret code we use for brands? 😂) which haven’t had much interest so I’ll try lowering the asking price and hopefully get some more sales.

Think I mentioned in a previous post that we may have a potential job loss (now ‘likely’ in the next 6 months) which is why I’m keen to move our frugality up a gear. I’m mainly focused on increasing our emergency fund, lowering our living expenses to the point where they’re equal to my wage, and overpaying our mortgage while we still have two incomes. Would be easier if OH was frugal too 🤪

mumtoomany

Hi, @mumof3.12kindebt. Small world, you're only 53 miles from us. In rural Wales that means we are practically neighbours. Can you see me waving? I' m also originally from the midlands, spent the first eight years of my life in Brownhills, before moving all over England. Been here now for seven years, won't be moving again. 
ldee, good luck with the litterpicker. OH has one, he uses it to collect paper money that has blown through the fence around the carpark, whilst I go shopping. Makes money, and saves me money by going in the supermarket without him! 
Mumtoomany.

mumof3.12kindebt

Oh wow @mumtoomany you are close! Waving back ! 

Hi everyone I hope you are all well.
My sick note runs out Monday but I think they will have to extend it again. I'm not in a good place physically or mentally. Its really getting me down being stuck in doors not having the energy to do anything. One thing I'm really trying hard with at the moment and it seems very basic (but I've let myself slip over the years) is getting into a good morning routine. The mornings I stick to a good routine (getting up before the kids rather than with them) i feel much better even if I do have to have a nap mid morning. I've never suffered like this. I'm really starting to struggle I was hoping by now I would be working on being close to being back to work. Days like today make me wonder if I will ever work again. Its all very depressing. Its been such a tough year for so many this year I hope 2021 is a better year for us all. My nana passed away last month and that on top of everything with covid then my fil being diagnosed with cancer and then me being poorly its just not been a good year at all for us. But its all things that are out of my control and one thing I can control is how we choose to live our life. Choosing to purchase something or save for something or pay off debt and atm thats my focus. Focusing on the things I can control and not worrying about the things I can't. 

Currently sat watching Christmas with the kranks. I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year. 
I have  a few more presents to get but I've finished my children I think. 

Actually while dd is colouring I think I will go and sort out their gifts that will make me feel abit better. 
I have a few things I need to do on my laptop today.  
I think we will have a games night tonight and I'm going to go to bed early maybe see if I can concentrate enough to read a book. 
I'm not sure where we are at regarding saving for a car as I've just been putting the money in a tin but April next year I will open it up and see where we are at and look for one too buy cash. 

I'm still working on the whole clearing out the house / living with less .  Its a work in progress we will get there 

Have a good day everyone 

Xx