2021 Frugal Living Challenge

VeganLois

5yearsfree - I also echo what has been said re amicability.  My ex turned into someone I didn’t recognise when I left him.  The solicitor warned me.......once money is involved, the gloves are off and she was right with knobs on 😊.  He made it his mission to see me in the gutter.  2 years in court followed and even the judge acknowledged his appalling behaviour.  The judge had to rule on the furniture as he wouldn’t let me have a single thing.  However, it was absolutely worth it.  There were dark days but there would have been if I stayed.  I can look myself in the mirror knowing I am a decent human being.  This was my mantra throughout.  You can do this and one day, you will be happy again 🌟

Jacko51

I’ve been a member for many years and dipped in and out but not taken it seriously! This year I will in my quest to be frugal and do my bit for the environment 

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
I hope you’re all keeping warm and well. Brrrrr it’s cold here, the clouds look like it’s going to snow but luckily being on the sea front it tends not to linger. This is where my knitted blankies earn their keep.
Yorkshirelass I add a couple of bits to my online shop here and there if I know we’re going away and make sure they are well hidden. I barely notice and it costs much less, we managed a weekend away in September between lockdowns and the camp shop prices were dreadful. I do the same at Xmas , starting around September with strict instructions that OH hasn’t to touch the stuff in that cupboard. Sometimes the wine or beer might need replacing before we go, but that still cheaper than nipping to the corner shop.😇😇
Im off until Saturday now so I’m going to plan the next few days menu and tweak my online shop that’s due tomorrow and shave it right down to the minimum spend. That way I will still have money left to knock off my debt. I get paid every Friday and aim for two payments a week. 

Anyway I must get on, it’s really tempting to cuddle up on the sofa, but I must.
Keep well everyone 
Cuddles 💜

FrankieM

I've just caught up from a few weeks of not reading up on the forum.

Always lovely to see so many new people as well as the regulars.

I've made some life choices/changes, which ultimately means I'll have more time but less money. That may change as time goes on but I'm going to try to make it work for as long as possible.

What it does mean, is that I can get back on the batch cooking wagon and cooking from scratch. I don't really need to tighten my belt or cut costs as my costs are already pretty low....books are the only extra I'm currently spending but these help to keep my mental health on the straight and narrow so are staying put for now.

Today the plan is to do a fridge/freezer/cupboard stocktake and plan as many meals for February as possible.

fionaandphil

I ended the month having spent just £83 on food for the 3 of us, we had a lot from the freezer and cupboards and will continue to do so going forward.  Other big spends this month were car insurance and annual line rental which I pay upfront.  Quite a good month, helped along by being in lockdown, WAH and the weather being horrid!  I hope you are all well x

welshspendthrift

@fionaandphil £83 that’s amazing! I am struggling to cut down on our food budget and there is only2 of us! We do eat a fresh cooked meal each night, am trying to plan meals weekly, as I need to lose weight for my health. Olio isn’t very productive here, some things but usually 14+ km away. Any tips / ideas gratefully received on how to cut down the food budget. Thank you 

kayannie

Do you mind if I join in please as I have followed along on the sidelines for a while now. A bit about me - I married young in the 1960's and 2 children came along quite soon afterwards. I was not a stay at home mum for long as we were quite hard up. I took on various jobs where I could take along a child in a pram, fruit picking & being a catalogue rep among others. I am now in my 70's ( although I don't feel it! ) & keep fit gardening & walking. I was lucky enough to retire at 60, although only on a reduced state pension. We now manage, and manage well, on our 2 state pensions. Neither my husband or I worked for companies that did a works pension & we could not afford to take out private pensions. We have no regrets regarding that as we manage well enough on our state pensions, even still been able to save. It helps that we have always lived frugally & gave up eating meat about 40 years ago. We have now sold our home of the last 35 years & bought a place on the coast with wonderful sea views. It is in a different country of the UK to where we live now so we will be moving in as soon as covid restrictions ease a little.
Kay

Shopaholic_no_more

Just paid an extra 79.34 off my highest rated cc from selling some items on oBoy woohoo!! 
Now going through my house like a whirlwind to get more stuff on there while it’s a £1 max selling fees!
Hope everyone is ok 😊

Wicked_Lady

Just thought I'd pop my head in here as I read every day and so admire the efforts everyone is making.

We are both retired and, whilst we consider ourselves not to be big spenders, I don't work to an actual food budget. I do, however, move my money into different parts of the online bank account and have separate savings for car expenses, insurance, holidays and we each have our own savings pot. Our individual pots are for things like Premium Bond winnings and any small extras that might come our way. At the end of December they then get emptied into the holiday savings and we start all over again.

Today I've made some oaty biscuits to use up a bag of rolled oats and tomorrow we will defrost some h/m tomato soup to have with a baguette for a main meal. I've had a quick check in the freezer and moved a few things around as we have some lamb steaks arriving later that will need to be frozen. Tomorrow will be my weekly supermarket trip and I'll see if I can pick up any bargains. 

Have a good day everyone.

IzzyBee

Kayannie a house with sea views my dream hope it’s not to long before you can move 👍