2020 Frugal Living Challenge

SummerDays

Thank you to CW18 re advice about my savings v paying off credit card and claiming benefits rules. (not quite managed to work out how to quote yet) I will look into this further.

willow_loulou

Hi! I’m signing up this year, need to get on top of things 😒 any advice welcome!

supersaver1000

Hi Missy I paid £40 at Halfords to get mine done. I should have shopped round or gone a bit further, but my brakes were in a state and needed doing. Next time I will make sure I get them done a bit earlier.

willow_loulou

willow_loulou wrote: »

Hi! I’m signing up this year, need to get on top of things 😒 any advice welcome!

So I’ve done all the logical stuff, swapped utilities, renegotiated internet etc. Dd and I have agreed all clothes and gifts will be from charity shops unless absolutely unavoidable. She’s off to uni so we’re hoping to get all her stuff frugally. I also need to get a grip so the loss of child tax credit isn’t too hard.

It’s the food budget I’m struggling with, we’ve swapped to Aldi but I don’t know what realistic for 3 adults to spend. I took my eye off the ball and just shopped conveniently. Any suggestions- planning is hard with sons shifts forever being messed about so things need to be reheated. Is £50 realistic in Aldi? So far we’ve just bought things to try out.

Elisheba

DdraigGoch wrote: »

It may be old news to you, but here goes! If you find a nice and firm piece of ginger then keep it on a warm windowsill then it will sprout - at this point, plant it with the sprit upwards, in some compost, keep it damp-ish and in good light and then not only will you have a lovely leafy indoor plant [depending on the weather it might be ok outside in the hot summer, do check RHS online!] but it will be growing new rhizomes and you'll have a good supply next winter! Don't forget to replant or keep planting year round for a reliable supply, for free

Thank you so much! I had absolutely no idea about that and I'm very fond of ginger! I'll start growing it pronto!

Elisheba

willow_loulou wrote: »

So I’ve done all the logical stuff, swapped utilities, renegotiated internet etc. Dd and I have agreed all clothes and gifts will be from charity shops unless absolutely unavoidable. She’s off to uni so we’re hoping to get all her stuff frugally. I also need to get a grip so the loss of child tax credit isn’t too hard.

It’s the food budget I’m struggling with, we’ve swapped to Aldi but I don’t know what realistic for 3 adults to spend. I took my eye off the ball and just shopped conveniently. Any suggestions- planning is hard with sons shifts forever being messed about so things need to be reheated. Is £50 realistic in Aldi? So far we’ve just bought things to try out.

Willow Loulou - £50 for three people a month? Or a week? A month is stretching it - you would need to be super organised. £50 a week though - no problem.

willow_loulou

Elisheba wrote: »

Willow Loulou - £50 for three people a month? Or a week? A month is stretching it - you would need to be super organised. £50 a week though - no problem.

Yes sorry! Weekly. I don’t have a huge freezer so can only store canned or jars.

cw18

I'd say it depends on what you want to include in that £50.

I'm struggling to keep under £30 a week just for food and drinks just for me (plus my OH 2 nights a week) even if I'm not buying any treats - but my calorie burn (physical job plus lots of additional exercise) means I'm actually eating twice what I should if I had an office job I drove to/from and didn't do any exercise, so I'm effectively eating for 2. It doesn't include any alcohol as I don't drink that, and if my OH fancies a bottle of beer with a meal he buys his own.



A lot of my shopping comes from A!di, but there's barely a week goes by when I don't have several items at 50% off (mostly bread rolls and stir-fry veg, but sometimes I get lucky with meats - not often as they reduce those in the morning as I'm headed for work!)

But I also use my local Icel@nd (if they have a good deal on), P0undstretcher, BnM and Her0n. And I bulk buy a few items at Costc0.

I then have toiletries, cleaning products and kitchen stand-bys (foil etc) on top of that.


I spend considerably more when we have a week away - we always go self catering and take everything with us (stay out in the sticks in the Lakes where everything is expensive), but we tend to treat ourselves to things we wouldn't normally have. Not unusual for me to spend £60+ on food for the two of us, and even then we both take sweets and biscuits we already have in and he normally brings some of his own stuff (such as breakfast cereal and mushy peas / black pudding / crisps) on top of that :eek:

willow_loulou

Thank you!
I’ll see how far the money goes tonight and just buy everything I would normally and add it up as I go. We can probably make some decisions as we go.

Siebrie

willow_loulou wrote: »

So I’ve done all the logical stuff, swapped utilities, renegotiated internet etc. Dd and I have agreed all clothes and gifts will be from charity shops unless absolutely unavoidable. She’s off to uni so we’re hoping to get all her stuff frugally. I also need to get a grip so the loss of child tax credit isn’t too hard.

It’s the food budget I’m struggling with, we’ve swapped to Aldi but I don’t know what realistic for 3 adults to spend. I took my eye off the ball and just shopped conveniently. Any suggestions- planning is hard with sons shifts forever being messed about so things need to be reheated. Is £50 realistic in Aldi? So far we’ve just bought things to try out.

I have set myself limits for fruit, veg and meat: I will not pay more than €3/kg for fruit and veg, and €12/kg for meat. For fruit and veg this usually ensures I eat seasonally.