One income family of four - can we get ahead even after pay cuts?

Baileys_Babe

They are gorgeous as well 😊

joedenise

Monkey will love them, they're great.

Using men's joggers cut down would work well.  For Bambi you might be able to pick up ladies skirts and tops to use to make skirts and dresses.  I've even picked up cheap sheets and quilt covers to use the fabric to make clothes for myself.

Nonnadiluca

A friend of mine made lovely dresses for her little girl from 1970s patterned pillowcases that she picked up for 25p each, she just looked up 'pillowcase dresses' on the internet, there's several on Etsy. Easy to make, unique and much admired. The ability to make clothes is a fabulous skill to have and the more you do it, the better you get.

Bluegreen143

Those pillow case dresses look fab!

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas, we have enjoyed spending time at home playing with the kids and with our new stuff! We did see my mil and my parents over the festive period (my parents for Christmas dinner - mil is in our extended household) so the kids in particular were very happy with that. 

Have set out my budget on the 2021 Frugal Living Challenge on Old Style. This is based on receiving £1,700 from Red each month.

Bills - £850 (but I’ve got a few I will try to reduce through the year as contracts need renewed).
Christmas & birthdays - £150
Home & car maintenance - £50
10% savings goal - £170 (help to save, lifetime ISA and emergency fund)

This leaves £480 + child benefit (£140 every four weeks). My aim is to try to keep all housekeeping costs (food/petrol etc) and spending on wants/activities/clothes for the kids and I within the £480 allowing me to save all of the child benefit. We could then use it to try for a cheap localish holiday in late summer (Red wants to rent a caravan in Argyll where he used to go as a kid) and put the rest towards the emergency fund until it’s at £1,000. 

We’ve agreed any extra income from Red doing overtime, selling stuff etc we will split so I’ll stick that into the savings too. And I’m going to join the “£2021 in 2021” challenge to try my hand at making some money online. If I manage that we will definitely hit our E fund target and hopefully be able to save for future wants like replacing the car and I’d like a cheap laptop soon (we only have smart phones and a very cheap fire tablet, no actual computers or laptops at all which can limit some of opportunities to try to earn online). I’d like to start overpaying the mortgage too but not until we have our E fund so that we aren’t left stuck when an emergency hits!

joedenise

@Bluegreen143 I had to replace my laptop recently but hadn't got a lot to spare so I looked on Ama*on and got a refurbished Dell laptop for £99.  It's fairly basic but it works for what I need it for; so it might be worth looking to see if you can get something like that.

Bluegreen143

@joedenise that kind of thing would be perfect - it doesn’t need high specs or to play games etc (ha, as if either of us have time for that 😂), would just be using it for general internet use and writing. Will keep my eyes peeled. I love all the great tips you get on here!

Bluegreen143

So thought I’d post my main goals for 2021, some of which I’ve mentioned already. 2021 will be my last year with the littlest one at home full time as she will start nursery school most likely Jan 22. And Monkey is due to start school August 21 so this is his last few months of being a preschooler. So I have a few resolutions around doing fun crafts and activities with the kids and trying to soak up that time with them. I can be quick to anger at times with both the kids and Red and want to work on this too.

Health-wise, I lost 4lb in December but suspect it’s gone back on over Christmas! So aiming to get down to a “healthy” BMI over the first half 2021 and aiming to do it frugally but cutting out junk food and evening snacking, sticking to fresh, homemade and nutritious meals and getting moving without spending money (walking, cycling, yoga, bodyweight exercises).

Financially I’ve discussed aiming for the £1,000 emergency fund, saving all my child benefit, funding the help to save accounts and trying to earn £2,021 in 2021. My aim is to be frugal and resourceful, to use up what we have and to use our imaginations to continue living a great lifestyle without much expense. Some ideas below: 

Food
Want to keep costs low by using YS offers, value brands and Lidl etc, meal planning, eliminating food waste and growing our own. Aim to do this while also cutting back on cheap carbs etc and not reducing our fruit and veg intake.

Petrol 
I have borrowed my mum’s bike which frankly scares me (not cycled in 15 years or more) but I’d love this to be the year i master cycling to replace a few of the shorter journeys I do.

Kids 
Continue as we have been - entertaining the kids out of the house by getting outdoors, meeting friends for walks, going to free museums (when they reopen) and the library. Indoors making use of their extensive book collection, art supplies, classic toys like Lego and building blocks etc. And getting them involved with whatever projects, cooking or housework we are doing. Continuing to use hand me down or second hand clothed and exploring making my own of special items.

My hobbies 
Read the books I have first instead of buying more! Knit, sew, bake, garden and try new creative projects. A friend gave me a cross stitch kit for Christmas and Red gave me a bunch of cardmaking supplies. Will continue on with Gaelic learning using the inexpensive zoom lessons I’m doing through the local authority and some resources I have at home. 

Doing stuff round the house 
Be creative and resourceful with what we have. The hall needs repainting but apart from that we shouldn’t need much decorating. Will need to invest a little in the garden but will try to spend wisely.

Bluegreen143

Have joined the “21 things in 2021” resolution thread in old style. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Goals 

• lose 21lb
• 21 digital detox days
• earn £2,021 on the side 
• 21 social events (including zoom)
• 21 date nights (most likely at home)
• 21 marriage meetings 
• 21 big arts or craft projects together 
• 21 fun family adventures 
• read 21 non fiction books
• read 21 fiction books
• do 21 creative projects 
• try 21 new recipes 
• donate to food bank 21 times 

Habits 

• 21 home workouts or yoga sessions a month 
• 21 early nights a month (before 11) 
• declutter 21 things a month
• 21 NSDs a month 
• wait 21 days before making impulse purchases 
• 21 hours outdoors every fortnight for the kids 
• work in the garden 21 days a month 
• do Gaelic learning 21 days a month 

Sarahwithlove

Oooo i love this idea. Will have to give it some think and come up with my own list  

Blackcats

I agree with Sarah - brilliant ideas and whilst they will rake some effort, they all seem realistic and doable.  I'm off to have a think too ....