2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Dizzy_Imp

Happy New Year Frugalers!

My budgets have been reset for 2022...I still have zero money... so here's to a challenge x

MazzieD

Happy New Year everyone

My shiny new spreadsheet is ready for 2022.  I include all bills (Council Tax etc) as I find it easier to have it all in one place.

For some reason my grocery bills haven't increased yet (!) but cat food/litter has shot up in price and I'm tearing my hair out to find something he actually wants to eat as we have daily temper tantrums and a lot of wasted cat food.  I would add this is fairly recent, he used to eat anything and everything.

Apart from that I'm still on a fixed rate for gas/electricity until the end of January so I've been practising cutting my consumption.  The best combination for me is my trusty slow cooker for batch cooking, microwave or just heating through on the hob.  I'm quite lucky, I have a ceramic hob so it heats up quickly and then cools slowly so I can just bring it up to the boil turn off and leave things to heat through. It really has worked, my consumption has halved.  

Whilst I'm posting, just wanted to ask if anyone uses the cash (stuffing) envelopes system.  I'm looking at using this for anything not on DD this year.  What I'm particularly interested in is what you put the cash in i.e. an actual envelope or a clear plastic zip lock type of thing or whatever.  Is there a frugal way rather than buying a binder and clear plastic 'envelopes' from the big river company?

mumtoomany

Hi, Mazzie. How about old jam jars, junk mail envelopes, margarine tubs, or even of socks. Anything that does not cost money. No point in spending money to try to save it.
Starting as i mean to go on. Have inventories of all the freezers, three, and found that we have enough meat/fish for at least two months. Have plenty of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, swede. (Fresh)  Lots of frozen fruit, some frozen veg. Hoping to spend very little on shopping this month.
Gong to try to look through the seeds left from last year at some point today, we what's needed. 
Happy New Year to you all, hope it's a good one for you, mumtoomany.xx

leftatthetrafficlights

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!! 😊 

Leftovers for dinner today- I'm planning on doing a menu plan later so that I can get the first shop done on Monday- should only be veg, salad and fruit so will be under £20 for the week 😊 

I've listed when my insurances are due today so that I can shop around this year - my first frugal act of 2022!! 🙌😂

Frugaldom

HAPPY NEW YEAR 
- LET THE GAME BEGIN.

My motto for the month is 'Set the Jones' an example'

Often, frivolous spends, vanity and brainwashing by the advertising industry are what can send us into a spiral of financial ruin. In many cases, the hypothetical Jones household is a very unhappy home, propped up on debt in the hope of buying their way out of otherwise empty lives. Frugal living can embrace all aspects of a happy, productive and satisfying life. It's all about perspective, balancing the books while concentrating on the non-material things that make you feel good.

Happy frugalling, fellow challengers.

balabooberlies

Hello

finally took my courage and plumped it down only to be stumped.  I have been trying to download the basic spreadsheet that Frugaldom put on first page but nothing has happened.  This is a huge step for me so wondered if anyone could help.

bala

AnimalTribe

Gosh 11 pages already. I will have to go back to the beginning and catch up. This year will be a very expensive year for me as I have to pay for an industrial shed to be built and my ancient wind turbine, that supplies most of my electricity in winter (I am completely off grid) needs to be replaced. The turbine is beyond economic repair so a replacement is a necessity. Since I have such a large outlay this year my goal is to save in other areas and to make some extra cash. I've also decided that 2022 is the year of decluttering and finishing all the 'fix-it' jobs that need to be done. My frugal year will be off to a good start as my industrial-sized freezer is full and my larder is groaning - so food spends should be low for a while.

Frugaldom

Bala, have you got a programme on your laptop/tablet/computer that can read spreadsheets? It's a very old file and I use Open Office free software. 

Baxtersmum

balabooberlies said:

Hello

finally took my courage and plumped it down only to be stumped.  I have been trying to download the basic spreadsheet that Frugaldom put on first page but nothing has happened.  This is a huge step for me so wondered if anyone could help.

bala

I’ve got the same problem, I have an old iPad and I don’t think it can read the spreadsheet program.

Made a start by turning off the heating, it practically tropical here. No need even for a jumper.
porridge from stores and I’m hoping I have enough food in for the month.
my local Spar reduces its bread everyday so I’m going to fill the bottom drawer of the freezer using money from my penny jar 

Ive joined the decluttering challenge so listed 15 items on Eday, I’d rather try and sell them myself as charity shops get overrun this time of year, if the don’t sell after resisting a few times then I may charity shop them. All rags do go to charity shop though for their rags weigh in bundles. I feel that if people take the time to bid on eBay that the items will be used, I often sell broken toys and packaging as spares to save it from landfill. 

Happy New Year Everyone 

natnat13

MazzieD said:

Happy New Year everyone

My shiny new spreadsheet is ready for 2022.  I include all bills (Council Tax etc) as I find it easier to have it all in one place.

For some reason my grocery bills haven't increased yet (!) but cat food/litter has shot up in price and I'm tearing my hair out to find something he actually wants to eat as we have daily temper tantrums and a lot of wasted cat food.  I would add this is fairly recent, he used to eat anything and everything.

Apart from that I'm still on a fixed rate for gas/electricity until the end of January so I've been practising cutting my consumption.  The best combination for me is my trusty slow cooker for batch cooking, microwave or just heating through on the hob.  I'm quite lucky, I have a ceramic hob so it heats up quickly and then cools slowly so I can just bring it up to the boil turn off and leave things to heat through. It really has worked, my consumption has halved.  

Whilst I'm posting, just wanted to ask if anyone uses the cash (stuffing) envelopes system.  I'm looking at using this for anything not on DD this year.  What I'm particularly interested in is what you put the cash in i.e. an actual envelope or a clear plastic zip lock type of thing or whatever.  Is there a frugal way rather than buying a binder and clear plastic 'envelopes' from the big river company?

We put £20 a month in a tin for the Christmas food shop so we can afford to indulge at Christmas.  

I'm also going to start putting £20 a month away for my car insurance, I've just paid this year's on my CC which I will pay off (it's interest free anyway) but it would be good if next Jan I'd saved for it.

What about one of those plastic fold out files with the tabs? You could have different sections then? All my other bills are DD so I'll only be doing 2 pots. 

Happy New Year to everyone ✨