2020 Frugal Living Challenge

Hayleswildventure

Hi again everyone ��

We spent NYE sorting our finance spreadSheet and setting our budgets.

We are ending 2019 with £1500. Really pleased we are ending in the black !

Monthly budgets after bills - DH will have £100 expendable in his current account, I’ll have £50 and in our joint account we’ll have £720. Joint account covers all fuel and food, as well as family activities.

I’m curious how everyone’s food bill is so cheap?? This is a major priority for us. We are a family of five - me and DH, DD1 (13), DD2 (4) and DS (4 months - breastfed so no expenditure there!). Our weekly supermarket shop can be £90, probably the least if ever is is £70. This does include other things like cat food, laundry powder, etc.

I am going to swap from Tesco to Aldi to save money. I meal plan every dinner and try and do a meal that will have leftovers for the freezer each week.

Any suggestions for a cheaper food shop??

Thanks x

cw18

Hayleswildventure wrote: »

Any suggestions for a cheaper food shop??

Throw porridge oats and dried lentils into any mince based meals you make. You'll get more portions from it, and it's healthier (less meat = less fat, and oats/lentils = more fibre). You'll need to add more liquid as well, as the oats and lentils will absorb some. I put a good handful of each into 400g of mince, and by the time I add a load of veg as well (I love mushroom in my bolognese) I can get 10 or 12 good sized portions from it.

Treasurequeen

Happy new year everyone. Planning on going on holiday this year, it’s been booked already and the bill being split between two other people as we are sharing a lodge. My half will be £127.00. Got to pay for my cat to go in cattery but worked it out and it’s not bad.

Still working my budgets out for this year.

I’m hoping to lower my food budget, I don’t need any food shopping this month apart from milk. No toiletries are needed for a good while thanks to Christmas presents.

Need to do some comparison searches for home insurance. I’ve renegotiated my phone and broadband saving £7.00 a month.

AnimalTribe

Hi, I'd like to join the challenge please. I'll be sorting out my budget tomorrow. It will be for 2 adults and 10 animals.

AnimalTribe

Dizzy_Imp

Hello everyone. Happy New Year to you all - I hope 2020 is a good year!

Made a turkey and sweetcorn pie for dinner this evening and used some frozen plums from the freezer to make a crumble for pudding, so I'm feeling frugal. I've been sorting out my collection of gin bottles for a project I'm planning later this year, so I have recycled the rest. I will be risking our bin men thinking I have a major drink problem, but they're in the way now!

I've meal planned for the next week based on food in the cupboards and freezer, so I'm hoping not to have to pop to the shops for milk....and then spend £50 :eek:

Looking forward to hearing other frugalling news x

lessonlearned

Hello everyone.....Happy New Year.

Well I have just done January's and February's budgets. :eek: It's going to be tight because I will want to pay off the credit bills in full, without having to deplete my savings too much. A bit of careful juggling will be required.

I have done a food inventory and I think I'm pretty well stocked up. I think I can get away with just milk, fruit and veg and eggs. I've got £21 in my purse. I am going to set myself a daft challenge to use cash only this month, and not draw out any more. Just make do with what I have in my purse. :rotfl:

It won't matter hugely if I can't manage it but I'm going to give it a go.

A_Random_Man

Happy New Year everyone

I started off creating my budget for January I use a budget template I found online and amended all of the details to suit me. I have tested it to make sure it all works correctly and it now correctly updates when I log either income and expenses.

I had to nip into the shops to grab some food which I didn't plan on but had to be done, I also did my matched betting and did a little admin in terms of accounts. I finally updated my totals for December on the various challenges I complete.

I am hoping for either a low spend or no spend day tomorrow as I am back at work

[Deleted User]

Happy new year everyone.

I've set up my spreadsheets and am ready to go. Starting well with a no spend day today.

bln x

[Deleted User]

lessonlearned wrote: »

I've got £21 in my purse. I am going to set myself a daft challenge to use cash only this month, and not draw out any more. Just make do with what I have in my purse. :rotfl:

It won't matter hugely if I can't manage it but I'm going to give it a go.

Hi lessonlearned, today I've planned to do something similar. I've got £10 worth of M0rrisons vouchers and another £5 to come, and I've put £10 change in my purse. I'm hoping this will focus me to use up what I already have in the cupboards/freezer. I'm also going to add in B00ts points, and I'm going to check if I've got other points or vouchers anywhere and use those before any more cash.

Good luck with your challenge

bln

Savvy_sewing

My whole family has changed. We have grown from two to five in the house. My work has reduced and my Household needs to be organised and reigned in. I have far too much wasted food because I am not used to everyone being here some days and not others, take aways have become regular and not treats, and my whole ethos needs to change.
My Brice has been plastic free for over a year now and I seem to have increased the stuff not diminished it.
It's definitely time for change.