2021 Frugal Living Challenge

StrawberrySuze

mummy2threeboys  Sorry about your kitty, wouldn't be without them but it's always a hard time saying goodbye ❤

tryingtodobetter

NSD here too! DS3 and I had a lovely, but very cold, walk at the beach followed by hot choc and some of the Christmas goodies.

DH has been sleeping all day post and pre night shift, he'll need waking with a big mug of tea soon. I need to make his packed lunch and it needs to be things that can be eaten on the go as A&E has been extra busy lately.

DS3 and I are going to have omelette using the last of the cheese and cold meats from Christmas.

skint_chick

Still no spending this year! Moved the grocery delivery forward to end of next week, and will just keep moving it forward until we've used up as much as possible of freezer and cupboards. Aiming to only spend £40 on groceries this month as we have loads of pasta, wraps, cans, frozen veggies, and lentils. When I do get groceries it will be to go with the pasta and lentils so they are used. Been decluttering the house, so found a few extra bits to sell on Facebook, already sold unused hair products for £32, and have sandals, skincare, curlers, fancy face brush, and clothes to photograph and list. Finally got OH on board with simplifying his stuff and he is currently reading through his pension paperwork for assorted small pots, to work out what he's paying in charges and whether it makes sense to combine them. I used to be a financial advisor so already know the answer but want him to put the effort in. He also handed over a few things for the sale pile.
Like many other partners he also has several devices he doesn't use and has packaged up a couple after selling them online, and has agreed a couple of others can go too, so we're slowly making progress. He still has 2 laptops, an old phone from early 2000s, and a couple of really old tablets he doesn't use, plus 3 games consoles under the spare bed that I'm hoping he will sell once I get a few things sold.

HelpNeeded15

Mummy2cheekymonkeys said:

OLaney said:

@Bluegreen143 this is something DP also likes to do....comes back from shops with little treats “because he knows I like them” and I love him to bits for it BUT I’d much rather he kept that money for himself for when he is in need of it. What is the best way to approach this though?! I am at a loss to find an answer at the moment. 

@Mummy2cheekymonkeys oh no! I hope you are all feeling much better now than you did. COVID has really taught us the importance of things that matter most to us in our lives hasn’t it?
@MazzieD that is a great idea regarding the cleaning supplies and toiletries...too late for me to do it this year financially but definitely something I will put in to action for next year. Thanks for the tip! 

Absolutely. With hubby working from home since march it has really opened his eyes to how much he was missing out on the boys growing up. He would be out of the house 10 hours a day monday to friday and I cant see him wanting to go back to that. I cant stress enough how careful people need to be about covid. It's worrying how many people dont seem to be taking it seriously. I am 33 and it has really knocked me for 6. It is 2 weeks today since i first started showing symptoms and i am still shattered. A couple of chores around the house is enough to completely wipe me out.  

I have been exactly the same, Myself and my partner are still feeling shattered, I came down with symptoms on the 19th, I found out I was pregnant on the 13th of December, so I have had both going on at the same time.
My partner is due back at work tomorrow and he's already told his boss he will not be going in because he feels horrendous still. He's only managed ha;f of his Sunday dinner and nothing else, he said his taste came back and now its gone again,
Had an early scan and the baby is ok so far so good.

Day 3 - still using up all the stuff in the house still over Xmas, and can't be arsed to take decs down cause we feel crappy still.
Il try and attack the decs this week.

Savings pots are slowly building and I am proud of myself for looking at sorting things out before xmas.

wishus

Happy New Year everyone!

The budget sheet already coming in very useful to track outgoings. I'm using it to track energy bills as well as what I pay for, even though that comes out of hubby's account, as he's challenged us to improve that.

The bad stuff: the car (due MOT this month) is starting to make noises, and we need to do urgent repairs to a broken window that we have boarded up, all the fences that came down in the storms a couple of weeks ago, and the receiver for the thermostat to switch the heating on and off, as we are now totally reliant on the boiler thermostat and override button (and open fires for back up), so got a quick £2K target to reach. Pants - what I thought I'd spent my Amazon voucher from the boss on came off my card. Ah well. Deduct from 'fun stuff' column...

The good stuff: luckily, OH is earning now, but we're about to have a gap between end of agency weekly salary and direct permanent employment, which is like a financial Dukes of Hazzard ramp-jump, in that we are holding our breath as we do it, but should be fine. Just paid off my cc for the month, and hubby is making a minimum payment on his before seeing what we need to do about the car.
Money has come out for the milk for this week, and first big shop done is half the budget... eek! Otherwise 2xNSDs so far...

Bluegreen143

Everyone’s doing really well! 

@HelpNeeded15 congratulations on your pregnancy and glad all is ok with baby and that you’re on the mend now. Rest up and look after yourself!

Small spend today in Tesco - got filo pastry and food bags which I couldn’t get when I did my Lidl shop. Plus bread as I’ve not made any (shame on me!) and YS rolls. And small face masks for my just turned 5yo. I was going to make them but totally forgot til I actually took him to Tesco today and it just seemed easier to just buy some there and then. £3.50 for 3 cloth ones so not too bad. He wasn’t impressed by his first foray into wearing a mask but he understands he needs to now if he goes shopping with me.

FrankieM

Grocery shopping day today. Just over £20 spent and half of that was for cat litter!

I've got some potatoes, carrots, parsnips and swede that I'm going to roast as side veg for my evening meals this week.

I get my meals during the day at work so that saves me quite a bit.

I could do with some ideas of 'lightish' evening meals...at the moment I'm mostly having salads...

I have a couple of birthdays this month so will be spending on those and I'm moving the rest of  my DD3's stuff back home tomorrow so there are going to be removal costs that I hadn't budgeted for, still that's what the emergency fund is for I guess.

Other than that, my purse pretty much stays at home all the time which is saving me a fortune

[Deleted User]

@FrankieM I often have cream crackers (39p a pack in Aldi), with some bits and pieces that need eating up for tea, e.g. cold meats, cheese, some salad bits chopped up, nuts and a boiled egg or two. It fills me up and, as I tend to graze on it through the evening, it stops me reaching for snacky supper bits later on! 

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
Today’s food was all from the freezer and cupboard. I’m giving myself a max of £15 a week for food until stocks are a bit lower of which I spent £4.50 on milk, bread, savoury rice, 2 chilli mixed and some toothpaste. I forgot cooking oil but I’ll pick that up this week on my way to work. The rest of my normal housekeeping money will be extra off the credit card.
All the Xmas goodies are gone now ( apart from the Xmas pud) but we’ll have that as a soup and pud meal.
We’re also both dieting at the moment so that will save on takeaways and the normal sweetie rubbish. We’re allowing ourselves one treat a week , this weeks is going to be a packet of biccies each. Cheap and cheerful.
We need to clear as much credit as possible this year because our car is getting on a bit and there’s very little chance of overtime anytime soon. I’m adding a couple of pounds to my emergency fund each week too, better than nothing.
Good luck frugallers and keep safe.

ldee2111

Today’s frugal living experiments:

1. Diluting fruit juice with water - 50/50 water and juice. This worked well for all of us so I’ll keep doing this 
2. Cutting baking parchment to size for 2 sausages - again worked well and will do this from now on
3. One teabag for 2 cups - I used a teapot and left the bag for 3 minutes. I filled my mug and poured the other half into a flask to have later in the morning. Unfortunately it was too weak for my taste. I’ll give it another go tomorrow and try steeping 4 minutes. But I do enjoy my brew, so if it doesn’t meet the mark, I’ll go back to a teabag per cup. 
4. I turned the heating down by 1C to 20C. The house was noticeably cooler but not uncomfortable. I have been getting dry eyes and skin recently, as well as feeling more thirsty, and I’m blaming the central heating. DS did say he was cold though so I popped a wee jumper on him and I put on some socks and slippers which seemed to do the trick for me. OH is always warm so he never noticed it. Will keep with it just now. 

Spends today: £50 petrol which should last at least 2 weeks. Spent £8 on a 12 kilo bag of white grit salt which should last 20 years!