2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Blackcats

Evening all.  Some very nice comments on here reassuring us that we are all welcome here.  I have a terrible habit of comparing myself to others but of course we only know what others want us to know about them.  I always assumed that they were richer than me and aspired to impressing other people with my possessions.  I'm more comfortable with myself now but the tendency to compare still faintly lingers.  

I feel happier now being more thoughtful about how I use my money - this evening I sourced a very nice birthday gift that cost a little less than the delivery of flowers option but this gift is more personal to the recipient.  In the past I spent money quickly and easily and it wasn't even my money it was loans and credit cards.  

Re home shopping deliveries - I do the shopping for my elderly parents and use Ocado because the shopping comes in bags.  It's impossible for the elderly to unload the crates used by other supermarkets.  Ocado refund the bag charge very quickly when you send the bags back for recycling.  It's also handy for my parents to get m and s ready meals for some of their dinners - they are expensive but they much prefer them.  

willow_loulou

@Blackcats I was really impressed with Ocado this morning. I’m going to stick with them for now with what tgtg bags I can source if it fits in my day. 

QueenJess

Blackcats said:

Evening all.  Some very nice comments on here reassuring us that we are all welcome here.  I have a terrible habit of comparing myself to others but of course we only know what others want us to know about them.  I always assumed that they were richer than me and aspired to impressing other people with my possessions.  I'm more comfortable with myself now but the tendency to compare still faintly lingers.  

I feel happier now being more thoughtful about how I use my money - this evening I sourced a very nice birthday gift that cost a little less than the delivery of flowers option but this gift is more personal to the recipient.  In the past I spent money quickly and easily and it wasn't even my money it was loans and credit cards.  

I do think age helps with this as I find I care much less about what people think than when I was much younger.  I personally hate tidying and so I figure the less I have, the less I need to tidy 🤣. Stops me cluttering up the place anyway! 

[Deleted User]

Evening all,
I enjoy each and every post. We are all at different stages in our lives and frugal journeys. 12 months ago I was very much starting out on this path; now I can honestly say my life has been transformed for the better and I have a completely different outlook. 

The criticism I faced from a friend about ditching live TV ( & iplayer) and therefore a TV licence made me much more selective about who I share my way of life with. I was called tight by a colleague the other day as we were talking about water consumption and I happened to mention we only flush after number twos. Yet they didn't think I was tight when I took some surplus eggs into work 🙄

My son has been invited to try out for our city's football team's junior academy. If he is accepted I will be able to afford what he will need kit wise (second hand of course) and the F.A. fees due to frugalling.I'm keeping everything crossed for him x

QueenJess

Deleted_User said:

Evening all,
I enjoy each and every post. We are all at different stages in our lives and frugal journeys. 12 months ago I was very much starting out on this path; now I can honestly say my life has been transformed for the better and I have a completely different outlook. 

The criticism I faced from a friend about ditching live TV ( & iplayer) and therefore a TV licence made me much more selective about who I share my way of life with. I was called tight by a colleague the other day as we were talking about water consumption and I happened to mention we only flush after number twos. Yet they didn't think I was tight when I took some surplus eggs into work 🙄

My son has been invited to try out for our city's football team's junior academy. If he is accepted I will be able to afford what he will need kit wise (second hand of course) and the F.A. fees due to frugalling.I'm keeping everything crossed for him x

That makes perfect sense to me.  I'm not really sure what journey I'm on and have been for a few years - some sort of individual mash up of minimalism/ frugalism/ FIRE with ethical/zero waste/environmental concepts thrown in I think (it all started with environmental concerns years and years ago and so that is a common thread for me).  Really most these concepts tip you towards not spending on things (including time) that don't matter to you and keeping your resources for the things that do.

I think things came into even sharper focus once I had children. A lot less seemed to matter and I value time above most other things. I would definitely choose my child's football kit over water too.

Good luck to him and I hope he makes it 🙂🍀

poppy811

I ask the driver to put the boxes on my kitchen table.  I recently fractured a vertebra so am not able to bend or lift heavy items.  Drivers have been fine with that, very helpful.

Siebrie

Asparklyblonde: My son has been invited to try out for our city's football team's junior academy. If he is accepted I will be able to afford what he will need kit wise (second hand of course) and the F.A. fees due to frugalling.I'm keeping everything crossed for him.

Won't the Academy be able to provide kit and fees? They select him, right?

Frugalistamama

Hi All,

I've not posted in a while but have been reading along. Such a busy thread I never get to the end so decided to update anyway. 
I...have...finally....paid....off....my... credit...cards!! 🎉🎉 After years and years of trying (approx 10!). That's one of the reasons I've not been posting I got myself a second job, and paid them off within about 4/5 months. I was single minded, didn't spend any money I didn't have to. For most weeks all the pay from the second job went straight onto the credit card.  It was about 5 months of practical no spend.  And my gawd what a relief!! But I'm really tired but good tired.

I spent a couple of weeks afterwards treating myself but soon realised I was feeling no pleasure in spending, but I got a lot of pleasure saving and being frugal. How funny how things change. Last year i spent months on this thread moaning that I couldn't get my spending under control. After a few months of no spending  (just on necessities) seems to have reprogrammed my brain. I really recommend it to anyone. Its like a diet, hard at first and lost of slips in the first month or so then, bam, it all slots into place. 

I can't tell you the relief. I'm now saving for something much more fun. A new car, eventually, as my old one is packing up, a holiday for the family next year and the rest is going towards mortgage and retirement as I've got absolutely nothing there which has been stressing me out for a few years now.

Frugal successes this week:
-I managed to get a £1.50 veg box from Lidl, first one for about 6 months. Got about £10 worth of good quality produce.
-picked up some olio bits which has saved me about £5 on this week's shop

Good to hear everyone's ups and downs, but good that everyone it's heading in the right direction. 

Sallyp2

Frugalistamama said:

Hi All,

I've not posted in a while but have been reading along. Such a busy thread I never get to the end so decided to update anyway. 
I...have...finally....paid....off....my... credit...cards!! 🎉🎉 After years and years of trying (approx 10!). That's one of the reasons I've not been posting I got myself a second job, and paid them off within about 4/5 months. I was single minded, didn't spend any money I didn't have to. For most weeks all the pay from the second job went straight onto the credit card.  It was about 5 months of practical no spend.  And my gawd what a relief!! But I'm really tired but good tired.

I spent a couple of weeks afterwards treating myself but soon realised I was feeling no pleasure in spending, but I got a lot of pleasure saving and being frugal. How funny how things change. Last year i spent months on this thread moaning that I couldn't get my spending under control. After a few months of no spending  (just on necessities) seems to have reprogrammed my brain. I really recommend it to anyone. Its like a diet, hard at first and lost of slips in the first month or so then, bam, it all slots into place. 

I can't tell you the relief. I'm now saving for something much more fun. A new car, eventually, as my old one is packing up, a holiday for the family next year and the rest is going towards mortgage and retirement as I've got absolutely nothing there which has been stressing me out for a few years now.

Frugal successes this week:
-I managed to get a £1.50 veg box from Lidl, first one for about 6 months. Got about £10 worth of good quality produce.
-picked up some olio bits which has saved me about £5 on this week's shop

Good to hear everyone's ups and downs, but good that everyone it's heading in the right direction. 

Well done. Treat yourself to a bottle of fizz though 🥂👏🍾👏

MazzieD

@Frugalistamama Congratulations, that's quite an achievement.

Mixed feelings about tomorrow, car is going in for annual service and MOT.  Thankfully it's not a major service but at 13 years old it is getting to the point where additional work is always required.  I was a bit sneaky as I get paid on Friday so payment won't come out of my bank account until then, can transfer money from surplus accrued so far from budget and thankfully have savings to cover any shortfall - worst case scenario!.