2022 Frugal Living Challenge

MazzieD

Reassuring that we are the sensible minority when it comes to face masks.  It does seem to be very variable, went to do my weekly shop at 8am this morning and the vast majority were wearing masks.  It's a big busy L*dl and all staff and most people seem to be happy to comply.  Haven't been in there for a while, they were keeping prices down but noticed increases starting to creep in. 

I get online bills monthly for gas and electricity so it's really helpful to keep a tight track on what I'm using/spending as well as looking at the smart meters.  Should be getting a bill in the next couple of days.

I've got mixed feelings about using up what food I've got, my fridge/freezer is frost free so I don't need to defrost it, I just tend to rotate what's in there when I buy replacement food.  Gradually re-stocking (not stockpiling!) this month after hardly doing any shopping for 6 weeks, don't think I've ever run this low so it's an investment in food before it goes up any further in price, need to get store cupboard re-stocked as well.  Think I might stock up a bit more than usual purely because I need to be able to manage without online shopping/C&C  if possible, the minimum order charges for either can be a nightmare for one person,

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

We had a very frugal weekend away last weekend and I cant wait to plan some more trips away, although I noticed that one of our favourite campsites have put their prices up from £16 to £19 a night.  We need to get a towbar fitted to this car to pull our folding camper first but I have a bonus coming at work which should cover it.  DH and I have talked about this a lot and agree that we would rather do without other things to be able to get away camping.  We cook for ourselves and managed a week away last year including spending money for less than £150.

We are doing well with frugal eating and mealplanning.  Keeping electricity use down too.  I have sold a few things on Ebay, not made a fortune but it all helps.  I am due a small pay rise from 1st April but it will get swallowed up by the NI increase.

DH is slowly getting better and increasing his hours at work thank goodness, its still a worry and has made us both double our efforts to be frugal.

Hopefuljoy

Succumbed to the lure of the golden arches today but the money came out of my entertainment allowance so was fully accounted for. I allow myself £10 per week to cover teas out with friends and any splurges. Am in bed feeling poorly and resting before work tomorrow and am skipping dinner. Since payday on 24th I have stuck to my budget which has included a spend from my household repairs category of £15.06 (after discount) on a waterproof mattress cover for my new mattress (replaced after cat wee incident with money from my emergency fund). Still banning animals from my room but the extra peace of mind in case seemed worth the spend!!! 

Also bought my sisters birthday present for £9 and the birthday category has money left in it.

All in all any spending had been fully covered so I am happy.

DD and I are continuing our quest to only buy yellow sticker meat this year and she is really enjoying foraging around!!! 

spudsmum

I don't ever use up all the food I have either - I just rotate it every so often to use the older stuff then buy more whenever I see a bargain we'll use. It's not a panic buying thing I've always done it since I've left home. For some reason I feel more settled when I have a decent stock of food in - I have a complete horror of going hungry so I start to get a bit anxious when things get low.

My husband laughed at me when I got twitchy about only having 36 loo rolls left in the garage but when all the panic buying happened it did mean that I could stay at home and didn't have to trawl round the shops looking for stuff. Also because our youngest has a limited diet it saved the stress about trying to find his pasta etc when all the shelves were empty.

I am also in the minority of happy mask wearers - not outside but definitely in busy shops etc.

Frugal things this week:

£5 left in weekly budget - it's never a huge amount but these few pounds here and there add up and mean that at the end of the month when the unexpected expenses crop up  like this month realising my driving license needed renewing or the kids suddenly needing new shoes - I have a bit put aside and don't need to use the credit card.

Got a decent haul from the pantry - chicken breasts, vegetables and garlic bread so made it stretch 2-3 meals.

Making at least one meal per week meat free - husband is a dedicated carnivore but he's slowly coming round and it's definitely saving money. 

Avoided the expense and stress of world book day costumes, by sending the kids in their pjs (as suggested by school)

Got £12.70  from surveys so paid straight to cc. 

So far resisted temptation to buy anything for the kids birthday by avoiding the shops. We're having a weekend away instead and I'll just buy them some little sweets/poundshop tat to open. Going away also means I won't have to decorate the house, make a cake etc like I usually do so it's a win-win. 

All budgets doing OK - slightly down on personal spends but I've bought some stuff for work which I can reclaim on expenses. 

Think that's it - glad it's Friday tomorrow - been a long busy week. 

florianatwobob

My family laugh (kindly) at me over my need to keep a decent stock of tinned tomatoes in the cupboard. I get twitchy when stocks run low!

Sweetlittledaydreams

Oh dear I've started getting a bit spendy again over the last few weeks! I've bought a few things for the garden and for the house, not overly expensive things but it's getting into the 'I'll just buy that mindset' which is the problem. The most expensive has been a heated throw for the sofa, which was £35, it is so cosy and something I'd been looking at for a little while so I will count it as a Christmas present as I had a bit of money off family that I hadn't spent yet. But I must start behaving again, no impulse purchases allowed for the rest of the month now.
Won £25 on the premium bonds this month! On holiday from work this week, I've picked up extra shifts so I will be getting 24 hours extra pay. I've tried lots of little things to make extra cash over the years - crafts and homemade skin and haircare products etc, but for me the easiest way is to pick up extra shifts even if I do grumble about it, realistically it's the quickest way to reach my goals and nobody else is going to reach them for me 😆
As my name suggests I'm a massive daydreamer, and at the minute I'm thinking of perhaps buying a cheap but watertight caravan towards the end of the year with the plan of next year travelling around the UK and picking up shifts as and when I need them through an agency, I've emailed an agency and I'm waiting to hear back about a few locations I'd quite like to go to. So we shall see! 😀

willow_loulou

So enforced rest from covid has given me the time to look around for gift ideas for upcoming birthdays and Xmas. I’ve ordered some things and organised a box to keep it in. I also ordered shelter Xmas cards and wrap at less than half price. They still get money and I get organised. Win win. I always buy their cards, it’s my one charity I always support when I can. They’re my M&S card nominees too. 

I’ve cashed in my premium bonds. I never win and I think I’d be better off loading it on my key meter or cc. It’s a shame but no point saving if I can’t make ends meet by Christmas. 

I’ve gotten on top of my bills just in time for council tax to ruin it all again. But we’re all in the same storm so weather it we must. 

weenancyinAmerica

I am still wearing face masks here whenever I leave home - we had over 2,000 deaths in the US just yesterday (943,000 deaths since the pandemic started). They have removed most of the mask requirements here - but several places like McD's still require them. I'm don't want to take any chances.

MazzieD

Bit of a mixed bag today, I have a grumpy cat sulking upstairs after his flea treatment .  

Just been informed that the car is having it's new MOT on Monday before it gets handed over to me so fingers crossed all is well and it arrives on Monday evening.  Been a bit of a delay as the idiot dealer managed to scrape the paint on the rear bumper just before my test drive so it has been in the paint shop at their expense as well.  What a saga!.  I will be checking it very carefully before I transfer the rest of the payment.

Have a good weekend everyone.  

Treasurequeen

@willow_loulou Get well soon

Cw18 thank you for your consideration when you deliver to the independent care flats, I live in a block of independent living flats for people with disabilities and there are many like you thinking and doing the same thing to keep others safe. 

I’m stocking up on tests as my grandparents  and aunt are unwell and have low immune systems due to medication they are on. I test before I see each of them. I am still wearing a mask in enclosed shops but I find it hard to breath in them. I’m noticing no one is using the hand gel in shops or sanitising the trolleys. The cases are very high down here on the coast.