2020 Frugal Living Challenge

mezzamay

lcc86 wrote: »

Has anyone tried soap nuts for laundry? I was thinking of trying them but not sure if they are any good or financially worthwhile?

Yes, I find they work well, even in hard water - except for whites. I still use washing powder for them. I have recently switched back from more expensive, liquid to traditional powder in a box which also fits in with my challenge of cutting back on buying things packaged in plastic.
The added benefit of using soap nuts in our house is that we all have sensitive skin (can't tolerate perfumes/harsh chemicals) and the soap nuts have no adverse effects.
Only problem is I need to replace the little bags the soap nuts come in because they have fallen apart. I'm planning on making some more with scrap fabric.

willow_loulou

Hello. Aldi shop was almost £30 so over my £25 budget, but I bought dryer balls which I’ve heard good things about. Does anyone use them? Are they better on certain fabrics or temp ?

Next weeks budget is £40 as I need a few things like face cream and envelopes

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

Its been a while since I last caught up and thanks all for the flatbread suggestions and recipe. I will give that a go some time.


I have been quite productive in the last week and a half:


- Changed energy provider and registered my interest for a smart meter. My monthly direct debit has come down by £5.00
- Made a couple of meals out of odds and sods and had left overs for lunch for this whole week and some portions for the freezer.
- Downloaded an app for recipes where you can put in an ingredient and suggestions come up. This is a BBC Good Food app I think. I used 3 recipes so far and they have been lovely.
- Increased my pension contribution.
- Reviewed and finalised my budget and savings plan so I know where I am.
- When I did my shopping last week as soon as I got home I portioned some things up for the freezer (cheese, basil, limes) to stop me overeating (the cheese) and stop unnecessary waste and stuck to my food budget.
- I did an audit of the freezer to see what needed using up and see whether I needed to stock up
- I bought some seeds with a voucher I got for Christmas.


I'm feeling very positive about my journey going forward now as I know where I'm starting from.


I have already done a meal plan for next week and I don't think I need to do a big shop this week. I may be able to get away with just getting a couple of things. I will hopefully not be spending too much this weekend as I will only be going out once (to the cinema) with a friend. The rest of the weekend I will hopefully be either gardening (not sure the weather is going to allow me), sorting paperwork or finishing sewing projects that I have got half started. I may have to make time for a little cleaning as well (but not too much of that I hope).


Well done with all your successes.

cw18

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire wrote: »

Changed energy provider and registered my interest for a smart meter.

I've had a smart meter forced on me for my water (they insisted the meter, which was only 14 years old, needed replacing - and all they fit now are smart meters which purely remove the need for a meter reader as I've no internal display gadget), but I've not yet been offered them for gas or electricity. Quite happy to have not been offered, as it means I'm not constantly fighting to NOT have them fitted. When I do get offered I plan to hold off as long as I possibly can (until they become compulsory by law).


I see absolutely no reason to have them. I'm already considered to be a very low user (same with the water - I suspect they wanted to change that meter as they thought there was a fault with it, though they wouldn't confirm that to be the case), so I'll gain nothing from having a gadget I can sit and watch to see when I'm using energy. But I'll be paying for the energy to run said gadget Was chatting to a guy who fits them 12-18 months ago, and he said there's no point at all in my having them given my useage for the property and headcount (big house with just me most of the time).

Frugalistamama

Ugh, I spent today ......£15 travel, £14 lunch for a meeting and a totally unnecessary trip to boots £7.50. urgh frustrated with myself.
But.... Finally picked up the phone to my bank to look at some payments I don't recognise and took my card details off my Amazon account as I've been hugely overspending on there. If I'm really desperate for something for the kids my hubby will have to pay!! Also find that because my card details are there my hubby uses it to get kindle books... So....no more! 😂

willow_loulou

Had a bit of a spend today, I needed logs and made the mistake of getting a few other bits! I did however get a pill dispenser for 59p the cheapest I’ve seen so I’m pretty pleased. The logs were £1 cheaper than elsewhere and close enough to not cost in petrol or make me go out of my way. 

I bought candles - they were ridiculously cheap and smell great (3 for £1) and branded dog treats with high meat content. Plus hand sanitizer to top up our little bottles, we use a lot since my bad flu hoping it will keep some germs away. So it was pretty penny pinching shopping but out of my budget really. However I needed the pill dispenser and sanitizer so wouldn’t have paid as little as that elsewhere.  

Treasurequeen

Instead of buying hand sanitiser I now make my own four thieves sanitiser spray. Once I have bought the essential oils it will work out cheaper than buying the hand sanitiser. I can’t use ones from supermarket due to sensitive skin. So in the long run it will be cheaper as I use so much. 

Made up some cold and flu foot soak salts but they are also good for my raynauds attacks. I used to buy some French salts but they are no longer shipping to the uk. So I have saved myself around £12.00 by making my own up. 

Freezer shop done this week so flat is fully stocked up in food. Just need to buy cat food next week. 

Hope everyone is ok? 

Whippet1

Hi Folks, 
I didn't do very well in 2019 keeping on top of my spending diaries but I resolve to post at least one a month this year.  
The numbers for Jan 2020 are as follows (in pounds sterling and rounded up) : 
Groceries 184, Snacks (this is where I struggle!) 147, Council Tax 161, Gas (3 months) 126, Lottery (sub for the year) 126, Health and beauty 97, Travel 78, Home maintenance 65, Communications 61, Clothing 45, Gas Insurance monthly 47, 
Elec monthly 35, TV Licence 13, Charity 9, Socialising 8, Doggie treats 6.
Regards, Whippet1

Finstickle

So February is feeling like the opposite of frugal 
I'm tracking every spend, have had no NSDs and am getting a very clear idea of my habits. I am taking this as a positive. It's been a while since I've needed to be tight with money and admit that I have been lapse about paying attention, but things are tight right now and I know I could be doing better. And that even when they're not tight I could do more to put us in a better financial position. 
There are things I enjoy or that are important to me (DD swimming lessons etc) but definitely ma y ways I could reduce spend without really noticing.   It is very much a kick up the bum!!!! 

FrankieM

Hi all

My 2020 plans have gone flying out the window and come to a complete halt.

My dad suddenly passed away at the end of January and I've had to leave the UK for the foreseeable future while I sort things out with/for my mum.

I'm on extended leave at work but after February's payday, I'll be running basic household bills from my savings and then from the credit card if required.

Not what I'd planned for myself at all