2020 Frugal Living Challenge

Finstickle

So.... The leaky dodgy toilet has finally given up the ghost.  As the reason DH hadn't fixed it along with leaky taps was that we were due to redo the bathroom (a year ago) we will now be redoing the bathroom 😃
It does mean some initial spend but should solve 2 leaky taps and 1 leaky toilet, hopefully having a positive impact on water bill.  Plus a much nicer bathroom 😃
We already have the new bath - free off FB last year, also have new flooring DH got free through work and have found cheapest option for toilet / sink unit, just need to source some cheap tiles now. Hopefully we'll have most of the fittings needed in DH's garage of goodies!! 

Jazee

Thanks for the tip re light bulbs.  I'll get some tomorrow.
Day to day I'm not spending too much here, can't say the same for DH, but we have now booked a holiday which wasn't planned as DH wants the opportunity for a last break with his mum.

DdraigGoch

Surviving the storms here by dint of being in a mild corner of a rather wet area!  
So far I'm starting to get the hang of jumping back onto the Frugality wagon and hanging on for a few days some days are better than others   Having finally succumbed to buying a new printer I've spent most of the afternoon going through various sites and finally bought an XL black and XL colour for the Canon printer for £25 instead of £43.  Still an expenditure I could manage without but at least it's nearly half price.  I can't put the other £18 away into savings just yet, but shall do so from now on as it may well concentrate the mind somewhat!

ancientmum

I'm stepping back into frugal mode after having a wonderful holiday in India. I did not actually spend much whilst away, as most of the meals were included and I did not go mad on presents or souvenirs. I am lucky that my retirement pensions cover my living expenses but I have to be careful if I want to travel.  So, next year will be a small holiday at home then I'll splash out in 2022 as a present to myself for my 70th.

willow_loulou

Thanks for the lightbulb tip! We need some lamp bulbs here so will go next payday. 

I spent some of the food budget (£68 left until 2nd March) on pancake toppings for dd- cheaper than the original going out option, she’s going to a friends instead. I also got some butter, crispbreads, a loaf, interdental brushes (59p!) and a car air freshener, 2 packs of fire lighters and a stack of logs and kindling for £34 in home bargains. Which leave £34 in the pot. 

Technically the log money is in my bank but I’m going to see if I can go without it, my shopping list for Aldi is only £6 so far so fingers crossed. I love a challenge! 

Frugaldom

Siebrie, I would store the cookies in an airtight container as I would expect them to go soggy after freezing. I have frozen cookie dough before but never the actual cookies. You are stronger willed than me, I'd have had them in a cookie jar and been eating them every day until they were all gone.
Bargain of the week, so far, a bag of 6 huge baking potatoes plus kilo of baby potatoes received in exchange for half dozen hen eggs.

Frugaldom

Good evening frugal peeps 
I was chatting to one of our newcomers earlie this evening and thought I post a brief intro here n the hope that a few of you will add to it as we go along - about how to become frugal and stick to our guns. For me, it is simple, I set myself goals and pursue them relentlessly in a very single-minded manner. Some consider it selfishness; I don't! The end result is my goal but each goal is only one small step of the way and there is no end in sight. Every penny counts.
I play rounders - when I was paying down debts, I became obsessive about rounding down to the next whole pound, then £5, then £10, even if it meant making and selling things or flogging stuff I didn't actually need. eBid was my best friend for years, until eBay became more affordable. When it came to debt freedom, I did the reverse, strivng desperately to  round savings up to the nearest £1, then £10, then £100, then £1,000 with a plan of stages until we bought a first fixy-up house witout needing a mortgage.
Getting friends and family on board was near impossible so I see less of family and made new friends. Every penny counts. Learning the difference between needs and wants is your number one lesson to learn and it;s a difficult one because few people can appeciate that life is sustained by our needs, everything else is a want. If you must have wants (luxuries)  create a way of affording them without creating adverse effect on your primary budget and never at the expense of not paying off debts first. Debt is the death sentence on financial freedom and we all want our freedom.
So, without further ado, what do you do to keep yourself on track, whether you are stll clearing debt or living debt-free?

ditty1234

Just reading this thread for inspiration.

Siebrie

I very quickly grasped the concept that I could do more nice things if I kept the basics as cheap as possible. I think I was 15 when that started, working my first job (paper round) after school. Then, when I became a student, I only applied for the basic student stipend (? it was a government gift), not the additional ones, which were loans at 8%. That money was spent on University fees and books.

I worked every Saturday morning (8-13) cleaning a hospital ward; that money was for living (rent, food, travel). I rented a studio (that was sheer luck and studying the local newspapers diligently for a few weeks). I'd studied the food advice from the Dutch governement and stuck to it, following a basic meal plan. It meant that I didn't have to work very much, didn't spend much on food, but still ate what my body needed (arguably, now, but still), and could still go on weekend trips with friends, go abroad, buy a new piece of clothing occasionally, join a (University) gym with free classes and swimming.

This still continues to this day. I know I can live very cheaply, yet enjoy life. I appreciate the 'extras', for instance a different piece of fruit than the normal basics. I take good care of my clothes, so that I don't have to go shopping and spend money. I'm not a scrooge; I give to Church, youth clubs, local schools. I give my time to the same (but if I give my time, I don't give money).

Husband, luckily, for all our differences, thinks the same about the basics/enjoying life. He comes from a very poor background (think: 1-room house for 12 people, 1 meal a day) and definitely enjoys the luxuries, but due to his background, luxuries do not cost the earth.

df-MRes_student

Frugaldom said:

Siebrie, I would store the cookies in an airtight container as I would expect them to go soggy after freezing. I have frozen cookie dough before but never the actual cookies. You are stronger willed than me, I'd have had them in a cookie jar and been eating them every day until they were all gone.
Bargain of the week, so far, a bag of 6 huge baking potatoes plus kilo of baby potatoes received in exchange for half dozen hen eggs.

That's what Tupperware is, Frugaldom! Tupperware parties were quite common thirty-something years ago. Congrats on the bartering/exchange of groceries btw. You did very well there!