2021 Frugal Living Challenge

Sweetlittledaydreams

Hello, I would love to join you frugal life experts. I found and started reading through this thread around 2 weeks ago and I'm already on page 130 - picking up some good tips so far. I'm a naturally frugal person, keeping outgoings to a minimum but could do with increasing my incomings through a sideline, I could pick up extra hours at work but feel like I'm becoming depressed and burnt out due to covid so would like to look at other avenues. My aim is to save 50% of my earnings every month (except December) for the next 2 years, that'll see me without a mortgage and with a small safety net, after that I can look at making some lifestyle changes, more self sufficiency = less work and hopefully less anxiety. Just switched bank accounts to get a switching bonus and it's pay day in 2 days, eating from the cupboards and freezer this month too so have kept the food shop below £20 so far for October.
I'll stop rambling now and go back to reading through all your useful posts. Thank you

mumtoomany

Welcome, @Sweetlittledaydreams. Glad to see you on board. If you go back to the first post, you can find the links for this thread going back years. So much to read, keep you busy for weeks. Mumtoomany.

MandM90

My frugal win of the day is sorting some Christmas presents. A professional photographer came to the nursery and got a lovely shot of DS but the prints were eyewatering. I ordered the digital image of my favourite (£15) plus 4 12x8 prints and 1 6x4 from Jessops (£9 but should get £1 cashback from Quidco) and will put the big ones in decent frames for the in laws, my mum, my dad and one for us. Total saving about £25, think including frames it'll be about £13 per gift. I may also do some homemade peppermint creams if I can muster the energy at 9 months pregnant.

They all dote on DS so hopefully it'll go down well!

QueenJess

The ones at nursery/school are always a rip off and I generally avoid them. I always think our photos are better anyway 😊

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Its not been the most frugal week here.  I have completely got the washing wrong, if I had waited until tomorrow I could have hung it out, instead we have had the dehumidifier on to dry it indoors.  We have been using the oven a bit more too so our electric use is up, and I am nearly out of diesel for the car but nothing left in the budget!  Oh well.

Waiting for a quote to fix the multifuel stove, we have stacks of wood to burn so will have to decide if we can afford it or not.

On the upside we have done really well with our mealplan and keeping the food shopping bills down,so thats something.  I am seeing my brother next week and we are going out for lunch, I am sort of hoping he will offer to pay, he is far better off than me!

Frugaldom

Wow, yuou guys have been busy on here - I haven't been able to catch up yet but am still frugalling away here.

WELCOME NEWBIES TO OUR CHALLENGE! It is always great to see newcomers joining the challenge so I wish you every success with your targets and hope you love being a successful frugaler.

This past week's frugal endeavours have involved Olio, marmalade making, refurbishing, making do and a little bit of mending. I got a few more pallets and can see fence repairs and a hearth for the logburner that will be installed in the hut soon. For those who follow Frugaldom (the project), our hay shed extention was completed last week and our hut construction begins next week. This week has been more about the livestock, as we had goats being dosed and hoof trimmed and then the pony hoof trimmer was out yesterday. Still picking apples and there are still blackberries and rosehips for the picking. Now, we also have loads of assorted mushrooms growing so I invested in a secondhand copy of a wild mushroom book. It cost less than £5 delivered and turned out to be a hardback, author-signed copy so I was delighted with my bargain book.

In other news, my recent plan to open up space for campervans parking overnight has, so far, proven to be a success. Oyr frugal 'Aire' has brought some great people to stay and has meant forging new frugal friendships. Long may it continue - despite our strangely disapproving neighbour. I'm still flummoxed as to what kickstarted his sudden change of character.

Keep on frugalling, folks. Not long to go now before we are careering headlong into the next annual challenge! Will that be year 14 or 15? I'm losing count now but they are still all linked to the first or second posts in this forum. 

leftatthetrafficlights

That's a lot of years @Frugaldom!! 😊 

Payday for me today - had lots of silly spends in the past month so I need to renew my commitment to the cause! 🙈 

I ordered oil to see us through the winter (heating and hot water) a week or so ago - scary expensive!! 😨 Thankfully, the money was in the budget but it was still shocking! The cc's are now clear, budgets set and plenty of basic foodstuffs in the stores and pantry so I'm looking to make this month as expense free as possible! I've got a mealplan for the month which I am determined to stick to, I've got activities planned which I have already paid for so hopefully I can do this!! 😉

mandy47

I have been offered another tree. Already cut down into reasonable sized pieces but will need to cut it smaller to fit into burner. Obviously it needs to be seasoned but it is a future money saver. 
Trying to sell some inherited items. My Uncle passed away and left everything to my siblings and I. He was a collector of sorts. We can't possibly keep everything. We have chosen a couple of keepsakes each. Nothing of huge value individually but if I can sell everything it may be a few hundred each. That would make me feel far more secure with these constant price rises. 
Washing on the line today and I've just taken stock of  food cupboards. Having a cuppa and checking in on here than I'll stock take the freezer.    

Effician

Free wood is always the best.

fionaandphil

Thanks @Ayorkshirelass you just reminded me that I had done the washing but not put it out!  Now on the line, not sure whether it will dry as its cold but there is a nice breeze going.  Freezers are full, can't fit any more of our stores in there so will have to use things up!  We're having fish pie tonight with all sorts of veg from the bottom of the fridge and sweet potato topping, I will probably make another crumble while the oven is on.  Coffee machine is broken so that is next job for this afternoon, I'm struggling without my two cups per day!  Thanks for all the inspiration, lots more ideas on here and something new to learn every day