2021 Frugal Living Challenge

mumtoomany

Just realised I still hadn't updated my signature for December. Spends were: Food/groceries £417.36 ouch! Bills:£161.02 Car expenses £222.99 new clutch!. House and garden: nothing. DD3 £29.07, much lower because no driving lessons due to self isolating and then lockdown, this is petrol in her car, that we've been using. Clothes etc £46.43. Savings up by £110. Not too bad overall, considering it was Christmas, mumtoomany.

roblou27

Hello all, long time lurker. I have taken so many good ideas over the years I thought I might join in this year if that’s ok. I have my spreadsheet which I check daily it lists my monthly outgoings including direct debits, holiday pot, petrol pot, yearly expenses, grocery, etc. Everything that comes out of the bank is then deducted from my sheet and it recalculates. Hubs is paid 4 weekly so the budget works on a rolling basis if that makes sense. His pay is never the same as he works 3 weekends out of six then has overtime and or unsociable hours. If there is extra left on pay day it is transferred either into the emergency fund or taken off the credit card.  We have our main account but have set up other either current accounts or savings accounts with the same bank and use to move straight over on pay day. These are named as above. I have a set amount that goes into each every four weeks. Either calculated what is normAlly spent in a month or as in the yearly expenses calculated for a year and then divided by 12. This will include boiler service, chimney sweep, Christmas fund, logs, etc.  We have one credit card on a 0% interest currently standing at £3908. I pay off £85 every month and any extras that come along. As hubs gets paid 4 weekly it should be divided by 13 but it means we save the extra either for the holiday fund or pay extra off the credit card. We do the same for the 2 free council tax months. I have streamlined as much as I can utilities wise, also insurance and look at renewal for the best deals. We did have two cars but after one of our cars was written off after someone hit hubs in a car park we couldn’t afford with low value given to replace unless we Included my little runabout. So we are down to one car so saving on tax, insurance and maintenance. Fours years ago hubs got a surprise cheque from a  pension fund that had collapsed from an previous employer and with that we managed to replace our double glazing and front and back doors. Three years ago I took the money out of 3 small pensions I had which if  I had taken out at 65 would have worked out about 1k a year. We took the decision to take it out  when I was 55 and improve the house further. It is an old terraced cottage so we had the internal walls stripped back and internally insulated, re-plastered and decorated. We had a wood burner put in as we have no gas in our village and have oil central heating. We had terrible trouble with condensation and damp so after never having a tumble drier we got one after the work was done so we don’t have damp clothes hanging about as much as possible any way. I prefer to line dry when able.There are two/ three of us, we have a friend who has Aspergers and mental health issues who usually stays  2 or three days a week normally but has been staying with us through the lockdowns. We are his support bubble. So he contributes to grocery etc whilst he is here oh and two cats.Luckily hubs works for a national supermarket as an LG’s driver and so has not had to stop working. It does mean we get 10% off our grocery’s and every pay day it increases to 15% for four days. This is when I get my bigger items like loo rolls, detergents, toiletries etc.  I was made redundant from my little part time job last February just before COVID but do have a small income from a rental property. I need to build up a pot for this as it needs some repairs and upgrading this year.  We decided a while ago that I wouldn’t go back to work if absolutely necessary and not now having transport makes it more difficult. We live in a village and the bus service is being cut all the time. We have tried to get the balance right of home and work and we did it before and funnily enough the less we have coming in the more in control of our budget we are.I have a spreadsheet also now for the 1p daily savings challenge and also for monthly NSD I set this up for 20 in January this is for any spends over and above those allocated in the budget.I have plenty of clothes that I can’t get into at present as I have put on so much weight but am determined not to have to buy more clothes but that’s for another thread!Phew sorry it was so long but I have never actually written it down like that before and I am quite pleased with our little set up. My aim for this year is to pay as much off the credit card as possible over and above what We pay now. To build up our emergency fund, we have about £750 at the moment and to enjoy life as much as we can on the budget we have. Hope it all makes sense. 😲😳

roblou27

Oh my I seem to have taken up the whole blinkin page😱 sorry.

roblou27

Think I will take up the page, sorry. Don’t you always remember stuff a few minutes later. Just to add I do batch cook and do enough for hubs pack up so curry’s, chillis, shepherds pie, stews etc. I meal plan for the following week and although it doesn’t always go to plan it mostly works. Last year I dug a small veggie patch and grew new tattles, runner beans, tomatoes and carrots quite successfully. I shall be doing that again this year. Trying desperately to think of anything else so I can shut up 🤫 Ooo and I now only have my hair cut every 6 weeks instead of 4 and then a colour at the same time. If lockdown taught me anything it is that I am no hair dresser! However I did invest in hair clippers and started to trim up hubs hair and beard. No that’s all I can think of. Bottom line is I just want a simple life with simple pleasures without needing stuff. My parents didn’t have much but we never went without and we never felt like we missed out on anything. Happy days.

BelleBaluu

Missywissy said:

I know this is really bad but my cat isn't insured. I keep meaning to do but worry that if I need to make a claim they will find a reason not to payout. Does anyone have any advice on who to go with to get her covered?

Thank you

Hi missywissy, sorry for late reply, I’m just catching up on posts now but have you tried TopCashback. I insured my cat through via this site with Te5co insurance. Policy cost me around £65 and I got £55 cash back. Definitely worth a look if you aren’t already sorted 🙂

Frugaldom

Viking_mfw said:

Olio has a stupid amount of cucumbers at the moment. Any thoughts on what one could do with a crate of cucumbers?

  @Viking_mfw or @sashacat are either of you my neighbours? Our Olio listings tonight had 49 cucumbers! I'm now stocked up with yoghurt, salad stuff, bread, sandwiches and you guessed it, cucumbers! I claimed a few as they make good treats for the ponies - extra vitamins for the rescued members of our animal family at Frugaldom.

Grocery spends year to date now at £5.20 for sugar and more milk.

Frugaldom

roblou27 said:

Oh my I seem to have taken up the whole blinkin page😱 sorry.

  Welcome to the challenge. I had to laugh at this comment as I'd easily fill up page after page if I typed the way I talk! Once I get started, I don't know when to stop because I can always think of other things! 

willow_loulou

I’m going to check on my Mr tomorrow (well today) in case we’re stopped doing so given the latest news. I’m going to stop at my favourite M&S garage to check their reduced items which are usually good on a Sunday. I admit I also want cake. I’m rather hormonal! Their cupcakes and iced buns are my favs. Maybe they will be reduced too 😂 I’d also love to get some daffodils and drop them at my mums and friends houses. I miss them a lot. 

I’m going to check Olio before I go to see if I can pick up anything too for all the households. Better used than wasted, you’ve definitely rubbed off @Frugaldom
I hope there’s cucumbers here, I could use some juice and my eyes would love a couple cod slices! 

roblou27

Frugaldom said:

roblou27 said:

Oh my I seem to have taken up the whole blinkin page😱 sorry.

  Welcome to the challenge. I had to laugh at this comment as I'd easily fill up page after page if I typed the way I talk! Once I get started, I don't know when to stop because I can always think of other things! 

I am not by nature chatty really Frugaldom but like my sister, why use one word when ten will do! 😀😲😲Hubs says why your whole life story? My argument is everything needs context. 😂 Economy of words is not my strong point. 😂🤣

willow_loulou

Looked outside at the ice and decided to stay home, I’ll not even be able drive and well, we can video chat safely!