2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

My motivation for being frugal is my 2 sons. They are only 4 and 3 but both have autism and are currently non verbal. I want to be in the position where we are mortgage free and have enough savings so that if me or my husband need to give up work to look after them in the future we are in the position to do so. 

[Deleted User]

Afternoon folks, I love the idea of a Motivational March.  My motivation is savng for early retirement.  It's about 7 years away but I need to get stared now if it's going to happen.  I am planning to do a low spend month.  I have some planned spends for March but I want to minimise the small things that add up to a good chunk of money over time.  Doing this I hope will get me back into focussing on frugal living as well.  

MazzieD

Had one of those weeks and it isn't over yet!.  Really tired and a bit stressed which is unusual but life is just like that at the moment.  

Still on the frugal bandwagon, been looking at my Feb budget and getting organised for March. 

MazzieD

Council Tax increase has just been announced here, 4.99% think it's likely to be around that for most Councils.

moneyonmymindsam

Hope everyone is warm and well, nearly the weekend. 

My Feb grocery budget will come in at £99.80p although I didn't have to get much dog food.

I am going to NOT buy any toiletries or cleaning products in March again. 

I think my pet/dog food costs can easily spiral so I am going to separate from my food budget in March.

Have to say its been tough to keep within, we haven't gone without just shopped around a lot smarter.
Bit spendy as have bought  myself some wellies but hoping they last a couple of years. It's a sad day when you get excited over wellies 😂
Sam x

FrankieM

February has been the most awful month financially...even after coming on here and saying I was going to get on top of it, it just got worse. I'm really cross with myself about it.

So, my March Motivation is that I have a reduced amount per month to live on for essentials, this allows me to not work for a while (which has ended up being quite a stressful environment) But to do this I need to be sensible.

My 'month' starts from tomorrow so time to get my act together

RainbowHippie

Great idea Frugaldom, love the idea of Motivational March. I'm enjoying reading everyone's motivations. My main motivation is that i would like to have more control over how i get to spend my time, and have more time for the things i enjoy. For me this means i want to develop income streams that are more linked to my values/hobbies, and/or work towards being in a position where i can stop needing to do 'paid work for other people' as soon as possible (not likely to happen very soon, but hopefully before i'm state pension age).

Feeling quite motivated this week as OH and i have finally had some detailed discussions about our finances. He doesn't routinely track his spending but we went through the last few months together, and he admitted it was a shock to see how much we spend per year neatly tallied up in my spreadsheet. We've now agreed a monthly budget (not as low as i'd like, but i'm really pleased with our progress) and our respective contributions to monthly spending, and discussed our goals in terms of saving, paying into pensions etc. We've based our calculations on our minimum likely incomes and average outgoings, but we should still both be able to contribute something each month to our LISAs and a pension (for me any additional income will be going the same way!). It's helped to focus us both and he has started financial discussions/brought up thoughts about frugality several times since then. I'm really happy and relieved he is getting on board. Next step will be putting it all into action!

Hugs to all. Have a lovely evening xx

elbree

Thanks Frugaldom for the inspiration. I've spent 4 years paying off debt and am now finally almost in the black. My motivation is to build some proper savings for my daughter and I as an EF. I rent and I'm a single mum.  I live in constant worry that the landlord will want to sell because I could never afford another two bed place in our area. If I had savings behind us I would feel more secure. I'm really going to concentrate on grocery savings this month and see how little I can spend. I've managed 3 NSD this week in the run up to payday. 

willow_loulou

My motivation is getting debt free and in a better position for the future. We’d like to get married and I’m likely to not be able to work many more years. So getting frugal is a lifestyle change I need. 

This months motivation is organisation, I’ll be physically back in work soon so I want to get a few things prepared for that and the stuff I’ll be doing at home. 

My financial goal is to get another £50 at least off my loan and to source cheaper alternatives for a few key items. 

I found one this month, a mixed herbs refill was 9p! That’s a massive saving.  
Im also thinking ahead to next winter, with better draft protection and window covering. 

Onebrokelady

Hi everyone, is it ok if I join in here please ,I've read the whole thread and I'm loving the ideas people are having to save money. I've been on the forums for a while paying off debt and do have a diary but I need inspiration. I love the idea of March Motivation too,as I said I am currently paying off debt but also need to do some work on my house so I'm saving like a mad thing as well as paying my debt off. I have also recently had to cut my hours at work due to ill health so want to make sure I am making the best use of my money. 
I don't have my own horse but do go riding at my local stables as much as I can when they are allowed to open,the ultimate dream would be to own another horse,it's highly unlikely but I can dream 😀
Forgot to say what I'm focusing on 
I'm trying to have as many no spend days a month as possible every month
 I'm going to adopt the idea of rounding down my account and putting the cash into my savings 
Im trying to meal plan more and reduce my food shopping,this is currently £120 a month for everything and is mostly just for me although I do share some meals with my DD who is currently living with me,even if I can knock £20 off this I will be happy