2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Sallyp2

Sainsburys are doing something with their Nectar data. I stopped using our Nectar card for 4 weeks and when I used it got a spend £50 save £7.50 till voucher. Today I got a spend £60 and save £9 voucher, valid for just over a week. Each voucher works out at 15% off.
If you have a Nectar card, stop collecting points for a few weeks and see if you get these vouchers as well. 

Sallyp2

Oh week before last I also got a spend £40 on Tu clothing at Sainsburys and get 8p off a litre of fuel. Valid until today. Well today I've spent the £40 on clothing, got the 8p off voucher and have spent the voucher and saved £4 off a full tank of fuel.
Oh and the clothes are going straight back for a full refund.
Thanks Sainsburys!

[Deleted User]

@Tightpants24 thanks for the suggestion re facebook marketplace. I had a look there last night and there is a good selection.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] said:

Freetosave said:

Hi Allie23,

Well done for sticking to your plans. You have got lots bargains this week.

Sounds like we’re on the same page. I started to overspend last month. We’ve been scrimping for years and we’re months away from our financial goal but for some reason I just started thinking that I couldn’t do it any more (may of been due to visiting a very spendy friend who I haven’t seen for a long time). After reading through everyone’s comments, I realised I wasn’t alone in how we were living and that has focussed me on our goal. I find being frugal a positive, creative, empowering lifestyle.

You’ve reminded me that I can read magazines online for free via our library. I’m going to look into that tonight. Free entertainment.

Enjoy your burgers!

Thanks for your support @Freetosave.  I am still at least 6 years away from my finincial goal which menas I need to keep focus.  I always find if I'm not on here regularly that spending starts to increase as I don't have anyone close to me who is of the same mindset.  People at work know I try to be frugal but almost think it's hilarious and that although they'd love to save it just isn't possible for them for ... inset a variety of reasons/excuses etc. 


I haven't bought a magazine for such a long time as I too get them via an app from the local library.  I love Country Living for the beautiful pictures.  

Have a great day everyone.

You’re welcome. It’s so lovely to find a community of like-minded people. However, just blown my no spend week as we are on holiday and I asked my husband if he wanted to go out for a beer (I had water) and bought a bottle of whisky as a gift for the family we are going to stay with in a few weeks. I’ve rejigged the budgets so food budget will now be tight and household budget is gone but I’ll still stay in overall budget.

My extended family half laugh and are half amazed by my level of frugality.😂 It doesn’t matter what others think, we are walking our own path.

[Deleted User]

Deleted_User said:

Hello frugal friends, 

Lovely to log in and see so many posts. For those of you who have struggled or are currently struggling, please keep checking in on here. Also I would highly recommend reading Frugaldom's blog whenever you need some motivation to stay on the frugal path.

Having been on this journey for a year now, I can honestly say I don't worry about money anymore because I know I can survive on very, very little. I don't mean to sound flippant saying I don't worry - I have a tiny income and two children to raise - but this journey has opened my eyes to how little we actually need to live off, versus what society (and the Government) tell us we need to earn as a "minimum" to have a certain standard of living. I'm measuring my own standard of living, I am probably "poor" by Government standards, but I certainly don't feel it.

My annual budget of £5,000 for everything excluding mortgage and council tax allows me just over £180 per month for all expenses after my direct debits are taken. This is food, clothing, school trips, school shoes and uniform, gifts etc. I haven't spent  a penny from my bank account for almost 2 weeks. The money I get for selling the chickens eggs paid for a couple of nice bits of meat from the butchers, and some fresh fruit. Life is very rich indeed when you shake off the expectations of work/sleep/spend to reward self for working so hard/work/sleep/spend etc. 

I love it. You are truly an inspiration! What a wonderful example you are to your children.

Nonnadiluca

Hear hear! Wise words indeed.

[Deleted User]

Frugal stuff today: walked with DS1 and DS2 to pick up a community free lunch for them (running for the next 3 weeks), they love it as it feels like their going out for lunch; tidied veg patches; brought in carrots and rhubarb from garden for soup and crumble tomorrow; put out sprinkler and paddling pool for DS2 (lots of fun!); had tyres fitted at a local garage (£50 difference between them and national tyre fitters).

Not so frugal: suggested going to local distillery to get DH a bottle of beer and ended up with a vegan cheese platter and soft drinks for DS1 and DS2 too (boys ate their free lunch). It was very nice in the sunshine. After lunch, we walked around the ruined Abbey next to it. Total cost £22 but it was a lovely afternoon and the grocery budget has paid for it. Everyone was so full that it’s toast for tea.

t14cy_t

morning all!!! 

[Deleted User]

How fab is that @t14cy_t!

Sallyp2

balabooberlies said:

Total cost of removing memories of 8 awful years (as held by dominating heavy suite) and replacing with something that sparks joy and comfort for the first time in years......£200.00

Well worth it in my books even though I have long way to go to get rid of debts.

Also, I donate every month to quite a few charities.  I have struggled to give them up (don't know why) so I sat down with my Mum who also donates.  Sensibly she advised that I stop with all of them until I am financially sound.  Couldn't quite get there so we worked out which ones we duplicate and I cancelled those.  Kept my animal charities and a few others.  Just not having and worrying about having so many direct debits is liberating.

Keep well

bala

x

Well done on the sofa - you bagged a bargain!

Re the charity, I also give regularly although I am aghast at how easily charities fritter away money. Until this month I donated monthly to Wood Green Animal charity, but I heard on the radio that they plan to spend £2.2m on building a new cattery that will house ... wait for it ... only 60 cats at a time. I felt that was not money best spent so cancelled my monthly sum that i've being doing years. I did explain it the charity - but am not sure they are that bothered. 
It felt an extravagance at a time when I know other animal charities like Hillside cannot even afford hay!