2020 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Finally_Solvent wrote: »

... It's a whole new world isn't it, being debt free at last? I imagine it's a bit like being let out of prison on licence:rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Let's hope none of us ever find out the hard way!

I'd just like to add a bit in here about developing new social skills that involve facing up to the reality that waste is a bad thing and should be prevented at all costs. I speak to anyone who will listen and that includes everyone around me - friends, neighbours, work colleagues - asking that they not bin food (or anything serviceable or useable) but rather offer it here, before binning it. It became a bit of a standing joke but the absolute truth of the matter is that waste not really does mean want not. There should be absolutely no shame or embarrassment in helping others not to bin good food ot items that they no longer need or want. If you feel bad about it, ask yourself why. If you still feel bad, offer an exchange for something of mutual benefit. It helps everyone to feel good about caring and sharing. :beer:

Caspeia

I will be joining for 2020! I'm determined to pay off these debts this year, there is no reason we couldn't pay them all off. We waste so much money! I decided to check what we spent in November... I stopped counting when I got to over £600 unnecessary spends! Embarrassing.

I am going to follow Dave Ramseys method first, £1000 into savings and then tackle our debt. We want to try for baby number 3 so want the debt gone first.

I'm going to spend December reading last years thread and planning our budget for next year. I've already went through my bill account and written down any non- essential spends and cancelled them - apps, magazine subscription. I'm not sure if I'll cancel prime as its just £39 a year as I get student prime.

[Deleted User]

I've checked the accounts as much as possible to try to get an accurate set of figures to work on but unfortunately, I can't access the statements on one of them which means I'm going to have to use guesstimate figures anyway - I'm going to keep a comprehensive spending spreadsheet in 2020 to make sure this doesn't happen again!! :mad:

So, on my guesstimates - we need 13k to see us through the year - this is for Electric, Oil, Food, Petrol, Insurances (cars, house, life), MOT's and Car Tax. The council tax, water, charity donations, debt repayments and tv licence are not included as there is nothing variable about them (generally isn't about car tax either but as dh will be getting a new car this year, the figure may change ) I will try to get the best deals on the car and house insurances and will reduce our consumption of the other things to try to reduce the costs as much as possible.

It's going to be interesting really keeping track of what we are spending - this last year, doing the house up has meant that I have just been paying out left, right and centre which has made keeping track of the household budgets a secondary concern I'm going to make sure that everything spent now is tracked and explained - I will be frugal!!! :rotfl:

PurpleJay

Morning, could I join you please?

I have been off work with a bad shoulder through November and have taken the opportunity to have a good look at my spending. My household is comprised of me, my 13 yo son and our collie. i have a house with a managable mortgage and work full time. I would love to work 4 days a week instead of 5. I run a car (which I need for work) and we like our holidays. I am debt free apart from the mortgage but tend to overspend, use the credit card every month and pay it off. I feel I am always behind. I have a safety net of money in an ISA which I don’t touch. I would like to get ahead of myself a bit and not use the credit card so much (or at least put the money aside as I use it). I also want to stop buying so much stuff and reduce waste/plastic etc. I only have a small gardem but could grow things in tubs. I am vegan and spend quite a lot on fresh herbs (maybe £6 pw), some of which gets wasted. I have tried buying the growing pots but seem to kill them off within a couple of weeks! I would like to start growing herbs first and any tips about where to start would be great.

I have found that I spend more than I realised on groceries and alcohol and household bits and bobs overall and really need to reign some of that in. i will be doing dry January (and maybe Feb and March).

I have always had a new iphone every couple of years and instead of doing the same this year have just signed up for a sim only deal at £10 per month. I have more data than I had before and its on a monthly contract so that if anything happens to my perfectly good iphone7 or the network is crap I can reevaluate. Thats an instant saving of £26 per month.

I have an audible subscription and went to cancel but got offered 3 months at half price. I really will cancel after that though! Its £8 per month (now £4). Might cancel at end of Dec anyway depending on if I have run out of things to listen to. I like to listen while I batch cook or just before bed but don’t do it all the time .

I am cancelling Now TV after Xmas. That is about £12 per month. My ex husband still pays for Netflix so will keep that! We use it a lot

I am thinking of cancelling Prime. I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon. It’s so easy. To easy. If i really need something from them, I will still be able to get free delivery if I wait until I have a £20 order and then wait a few days for delivery. I rarely use prime TV and don’t use the other perks. Thought I could sign up for a month if I ever feel the need i.e. if there is something I really want to watch that isn’t available elsewhere. That will save £79 per year (and hopefully much more by curbing my spending).

I will be working on my spreadsheet for 2020 using the template (thank you), and in the meantime keep track of my spends for Dec and see where else I can make savings. I will be reading through more of the 2019 thread for inspiration.

Viking_mfw

Hi PurpleJay,

I've just discovered that the BBC sounds app, which is useless in nearly every other regard (!), has a bunch of audio books - mostly classics - which are up and downloadable on a pretty much permanent basis (not 30.days like.the current stuff). Perhaps a free supplement when you cancel Audible?

I am similar in my problems with Amazon - it's far too easy. I am an inveterate book buyer and it's got a bit out of control this year - it's my version of comfort eating.

So, more generally, can I sign up for 2020? We're a bit stretched thin but shouldn't be given my salary. My book addiction has to go but also I tend to eat breakfast near work for a bargain £3 for bacon sandwich and pot of tea - but they add up fast! Plus a lack of organisation around packed lunches leaves me spending more than I should.

I need to build up a safety cushion of emergency fund - everything went this year when we bought a new to us car.

Viking

Caspeia

Just worked out our guaranteed income after tax is £32463 a year. Husband gets tips and overtime which brings his average yearly wage up by around £3000 post tax normally but can't guarantee it so using his base salary wage. I think we can safely say we will get £34k.
We have roughly 14k of debt (could be more as my car has broken down today and will need to be put on credit to fix). If I pay it all off in 2020 we will still have 20k to live off of. God one year of sticking to the budget and we could pay it all off!

Igamogam

I shall be joining in again. I have loved using the spreadsheet - made a whole lot of difference to my spending or at least monitoring and recording it. Will continue again in 2020 with a few tweeks.I managed a whole 12 months with no clothes buying except 1 bra and a swimming costume - going for it again in 2020.
Sadly I went to switch to the December sheet on the spreadsheet and none of the figures have been carried over (: Any reason for this glitch??

Anyway here is to 2020 - bit early but we are going away this year and I dont suppose I will be on here much until I get back in the NY but |I am already looking forward to it!!

Treasurequeen

I’m in again, will do my spreadsheet in next few days. I’m debt free but want to live frugally.

[Deleted User]

Hi purple Jay- fellow vegan here! Herbs - I'd suggest starting off with the perennials- I grow sage, rosemary, thyme and lemon thyme. Other than cutting out any dead bits, I've never had to do anything with them and they've survived over 20 years (including moving house;)) They are all in the garden now but grew happily in pots for many years. I also grow mint and chocolate mint- they die off in the winter but return every year - I bought a pot of mint from a supermarket years ago and put it in the garden and it just kept going! The annual herbs like basil and coriander I grow every year - I tend to throw a few seeds in a pot every couple of weeks to keep them going. I haven't tried growing dill yet so that's on my list for next year - I'll let you know how it goes!

astrocytic_kitten

I’d like to join please!

In 2019 I’ve faced up to my overspending, learned how to budget, and reduced my debt for the first time in a long time. I was on a good salary so didn’t cut back as much as I could have, but ill health now means I’m going to be off work for a while and on reduced hours (and about half my previous salary) once I’m back, so I need to be properly frugal for 2020. I’m almost looking forward to it, as odd as that sounds!