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2021 Frugal Living Challenge
Comments
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Hi everyone, I haven't any leftovers as I went to youngest dd yesterday and we ate all she had cooked (normal amount of food there) but I did buy extra of the cheap veggies and they will do me nicely over the next couple of weeks. I think I will only have to go out for milk and eggs. I made a menu and as long as I stick to it I should be ok for the next three weeks, but things do seem to change!!! I have decided to get back to making my own clothes, I haven't done this for years but I think it will be more CS finds and altering them to fit, and carry on with the knitting etc. Anyway off to heat up a curry that my sil gave me, and I found a naan bread in the freezer to go with it, so off to enjoy that. Hope everyone had a lovely Xmas day and if I don't manage to get back on before New Year, I'll wish everyone a happy new year, keep safe and look after yourselves.
NannygStarting again saving as much as I can for house repairs, EF and annual bills
House repairs: 400.00/1000
EF: 39.46/1000
AB: 400.00/1300
£1 a day 2025: 59.00/36514 -
No leftover food here, I bought just enough meats.I have just found on Amazon in those lightning deals the preparing dinner trays with lids that can be microwaved. I’m so pleased as I can prep and seal without wasting foil or using cling film. The wax things never cling to my pots properly. There’s enough to do a few days meals for the 3 of us and to keep other things fresh too.I was gifted bread tonight, so no need to go out tomorrow, which considering the weather is brilliant. My food should stretch til the new year still, though I may shop Monday for the following week as my other half is here and he will help with the shop.Life happens, live it well.11
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Morning all
My goal for 2021 is to pay a minimum of £15k to meet our target of being debt and mortgage free in 3 years, whilst at the same time still being able to enjoy ourselves a little and get away in the tent a few times (assume it's possible and safe to do this). This will require some clever budgeting and frugality, which doesnt always come easy to me.
DH is self employed, so this is always a little bit of an unknown, but he has plenty of work at the moment. DS may need some additional help as he goes into this 3rd year of Uni as his maintenance loan is going to go down quite a bit, but hopefully he can find a job when things start to go back to normal.
I feel motivated to do this but I am definitely going to need some support from this thread!13 -
Morning All
Hope you had an enjoyable Christmas
My new year starts now as my payday is the 25th of each month, so today's grocery shop will be the first of the year.
Not sure I need much as I've been eating mostly snack type food over the past week or so, so proper food has remained untouched.
No leftovers here as I was out for Christmas day but I'm doing a roast chicken today and am going to freeze leftovers from that for a pie in the coming weeks.
My youngest DD moved back home a couple of days before Christmas. A little bit unexpected but definitely the best thing so once she's settled she'll start contributing towards the monthly bills which will mean a bit of a saving, helping my £500 per month stretch further.12 -
I've been having a look at my budget, which is quite complicated. In theory I allocate £784.50 to everything that I have any control over (groceries, utilities, clothes and hair, books and crafts, holidays, outings, Christmas and birthdays, classes and clubs, petrol and fares). Each "pot" has a spending limit, and if I don't spend that amount in a month, it should go into a savings account. I have often bought more books, clothes and craft supplies than I allocated and Covid-19 has made that tendency worse, because my spending on classes, hair, holidays and petrol have all gone down. My plan is to get this under control, so I will have to have a series of monthly targets which depend on where we are with the virus. My maximum spend for January will therefore be £339.50, with a target of £300.00, which is achievable if I am careful. I hope it's okay to do it this way? I really can't see my way clear for this year, but I would like to see what I can achieve.January 2021 Frugal Living limit £339.50, target £300
Fashion on the Ration
Declutter 2021 items in 2021.15 -
Hi, I would like to join in please. I have dabbled and lurked in the past but not at all in the past year really. My spending has got a little out of hand since Covid/lockdown and now it is time to get a grip.
I have already worked out my budget for 2021 and my spends are quite high, many I have little or no control over, mortgage, utilities etc. I also have set amounts I give my 14 yo and things I pay for for him - spending money, clothes, game pass and phone, all of which mount up. I have some bigger jobs planned for the house and would like to do a big holiday in 2022. I really like the idea of being frugal in some areas so that I can do some of the things I want to. I currently have a credit card balance of around £1800 which I want to get rid of in 2021.
I have been overspending on groceries, partly with stocking up in mind but as Brexit approaches I am ready to run this down a bit, while making sure I have at least some ambient foods in hand for emergencies, isolation etc. My stash is a bit random and I need to sort out what is close to the use by date and then make a meal plan for at least a couple of weeks and make sure, I maintain a stash for that going forward.
My first step to frugaldom is to spend as little as possible in January. No clothes, toiletries, books, things for the house, parcels from amazon etc. I want to reduce my grocery spend overall but particularly in January as we have a lot of food in. I am going to work on reducing waste and eating healthily. Hopefully I will loose weight and not need to buy any clothes as I will fit in all those which I haven't been able to wear for a while (years). It will be like getting a new wardrobe! I have been recycling/gifting things I no longer want/need via a local facebook group so will continue to do that.
Looking forward to reading all your posts.
'Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain'15 -
First grocery shop of the year done.
Just over £26 spent, some on Christmas bits to treat myself but most of it on the chicken roast dinner for today.
Left over veg will probably be made into soup next weekend and I'll strip the chicken of meat tomorrow and put it in the freezer so I can make a pie at some point.
I've never been any good at stock so won't bother with that!10 -
Hello Frugal friends!I'm in for 2021 😊😊 for those who haven't 'met' me before, a little about me...
I joined this frugal gang midway through 2020. As a result, I am debt free (save for the manageable mortgage), have increased my savings and drastically reduced my spending. My tread on the planet is much lighter as well due to using food waste groups for the majority of our meals, and not wasting a scrap of food.I have two young children, a dog, 4 hens arriving next week 🥳🥳🥳 and I work "part time" (32 hours) as a secondary school teacher in a tough inner city comp. I retrained a few years ago after DS was born and adore my job, albeit I find it very exhausting at times, especially with things as they are. A lot of my students are living in poverty, have SEN passports and/or SEMH needs. As such i class myself as a teacher and a second parent to a lot of them. They know where the fruit bowl and cereal bars are in my classroom!I am on this journey for many reasons. Primarily, i wish to pay a lump sum of £35k off my mortgage this coming year. I have started saving for this. 2020 has been a hard year in many ways and financially i am fiercely independent and strong willed, for reasons I shan't bore you with. Secondly, I want my children to grow knowing how you earn things, how time = money, and how the more you spend on wants, the more time you have to spend at work. I would love to cut down to three days, allowing me more time to pursue the lifestyle I choose, and making a lump payment off the mortgage will allow that.
Excluding mortgage and council tax, my budget is £5k per annum (around £125 PCM for food, school trips, clothes after direct debits have gone out). It sounds tight but I've managed since July and don't feel hard done to at all. A little sore perhaps from chopping wood for an hour after work, but I sleep really well 😀😀😀
I wish everyone all the best with this - you CAN do it, and after a while the idea of going out to spend money rather than making do with what you already have in the house, be it food, clothes, or toys - is such a chore that not spending becomes the default.31 -
Deleted_User said:Hello Frugal friends!I'm in for 2021 😊😊 for those who haven't 'met' me before, a little about me...
I joined this frugal gang midway through 2020. As a result, I am debt free (save for the manageable mortgage), have increased my savings and drastically reduced my spending. My tread on the planet is much lighter as well due to using food waste groups for the majority of our meals, and not wasting a scrap of food.I have two young children, a dog, 4 hens arriving next week 🥳🥳🥳 and I work "part time" (32 hours) as a secondary school teacher in a tough inner city comp. I retrained a few years ago after DS was born and adore my job, albeit I find it very exhausting at times, especially with things as they are. A lot of my students are living in poverty, have SEN passports and/or SEMH needs. As such i class myself as a teacher and a second parent to a lot of them. They know where the fruit bowl and cereal bars are in my classroom!I am on this journey for many reasons. Primarily, i wish to pay a lump sum of £35k off my mortgage this coming year. I have started saving for this. 2020 has been a hard year in many ways and financially i am fiercely independent and strong willed, for reasons I shan't bore you with. Secondly, I want my children to grow knowing how you earn things, how time = money, and how the more you spend on wants, the more time you have to spend at work. I would love to cut down to three days, allowing me more time to pursue the lifestyle I choose, and making a lump payment off the mortgage will allow that.
Excluding mortgage and council tax, my budget is £5k per annum (around £125 PCM for food, school trips, clothes after direct debits have gone out). It sounds tight but I've managed since July and don't feel hard done to at all. A little sore perhaps from chopping wood for an hour after work, but I sleep really well 😀😀😀
I wish everyone all the best with this - you CAN do it, and after a while the idea of going out to spend money rather than making do with what you already have in the house, be it food, clothes, or toys - is such a chore that not spending becomes the default.Saving for Christmas 2023 #51🎄
£1 a day £36/£365
Tilly Tidy 🧹 2023
💸 2023 1% Challenge #9 ☀️12 -
Ditto
feel a bit blown awayAKA : Bala La Boo & Bala Baloo
According to a lovely poster I am Bala the Brave who wrestled a Tiger. You know who you are.....
I HAVE A GOLD STAR and A MEDAL and a Title !8
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