2022 Frugal Living Challenge

cw18

dustydigger said:

I have several hundred pounds a year added to my outgoings due to new babies(Xmas and birthdays for the five little tykes has added £250 a year ,and I  now  have 20 people to buy Xmas presents for.

How old are they all?

Within my family nephews/nieces don't get once they turn 18 (apart from their 21st, and other landmark ones), and a dramatic drop in my income means even the immediate family I buy for get much less than they did in the past.

My brother and sister-in-law only get cards - as do my nephews who turn 16 and 18 this year (I've only ever seen them a handful of times - it would different if I saw them even 2 or 3 times a year, but I may send something for the older one this year with it being the 18th).

My 'kids' are currently 38, 33 and 30.   The older 2 get a token present (I spend a bit more if it's a 'need', such as the kitchen knives my daughter was looking for a few years ago which were combined birthday/Christmas), but the youngest and I have agreed we don't buy for each other (he's financially secure, and just buys what he wants when he wants it - needs are never a problem) - but if I see him over hristmas he gets a few bits to open (Rich Tea biscuits, a bag of Wethers Originals, a bag of mint imperials - all things he enjoys and will eat very quickly, which were treats when he was a kid - and a Pez dispenser which I always try and get for them all as a 'blast to the past').    My older 2 grand-daughters used to get far too much from me (I was in a well paying job when they were little), but the younger 2 have never had as much and the older 2 don't now.   I still owe my eldest GD an 18th from last August - she wanted money or clothes, and I've said it has to be something she can keep if I'm spending extra on it (but I'm quite happy to owe her either until her 21st - when she can have a bigger present - or will put it towards something major when she moves into her own place at some point in the future, which she was debating doing earlier this year).

My mother decreed 'no edibles, nothing drinkable, and nothing that clutters the house/requires dusting' for her and my father a few years ago - which has really limited options since then.   Vouchers for trips were no good, as my Dad wouldn't have gone even when he was physically up to going.   Since Covid (when she was told to shelter) I've done various subscriptions for TV listing magazines - but now she's back out shopping I want to speak to her about stopping that and looking for an alternative.   My Dad passed away in November, so she may now enjoy outings (it was her birthday yesterday, and my daughter is taking her to the cinema later this week) and I know she's looking for some specific tools and plants for her gardening.

otb666

Thought i would give heads up on stamps (even though we got til Jan 23 ) as did not want any of you lovelies to get caught out.  I have only the one book  I will be sending back as I don t really send many cards at Xmas and birthdays now as I tend to call now. as do not get to see family often. I send 4 cards a year only.  

@cw18 Can you not include a self addressed Recorded Delivery envelope when you send your stamps back and keep a note of tracking number?

My husband parents sends cheques for all birthdays and Xmas and I know they can be a real pain to get cashed unless you do not mind banking using your mobile Which we do not do as not very safe imho.  I has several attempts as quite often the banks that are open shut their doors due to covid with just a note on their door So its a wasted journey.  

The £230 pm gas and electric pushed us over budget by £25 As our bills budget is £600 and now £625, I am hoping that is it as we can just afford it and i have fixed until Feb 24.  After which i will be looking at reducing the length of time my son spends in the shower in the morning or charging him.  And putting tortoise out in the sun rather than have heat lamp on.

dustydigger

@cw18 - I have 4 children,plus 3 partners/OHs

 grandkids - 30,22,20,12,11,1

great grandkids - 4,3,2,2,1,1

I am going to group the grandkids and their own kids as family groups,cash in money envelopes. to spend as they wish.That will save quite a bit!.Last year I  budgeting Xmas as £800 all in,staying at that or a little below would be a great result

nannygladys

Dustydigger - I only receive a state pension and live on my own. I had a word with all three dds and said a couple of years ago that for me to not get into debt and be able to pay my bills and eat, I would have to cut down on all presents, so now I only buy dgc, well I don't actually buy I put a small amount in their birthday cards and give each of their mum's some money to go towards Xmas pressies. Each child gets the same amount. All dds were horrified to realise how little I was managing on and said they didn't want me to give anything but I feel better just giving a few pounds for each child. I put the money away during the year and its usually money that hasn't been used elsewhere ie food or fuel so I don't really feel it.
It may be worth be worth having a word with their parents. It was my dgds 9th birthday last week and bless her she said thank you for the money but she didn't really need anything and would I like it back lol, I told her to put it towards a book that she's wanting.
Nannyg

cw18

otb666 said:

@cw18 Can you not include a self addressed Recorded Delivery envelope when you send your stamps back and keep a note of tracking number?

The £230 pm gas and electric pushed us over budget by £25 As our bills budget is £600 and now £625, I am hoping that is it as we can just afford it and i have fixed until Feb 24.  After which i will be looking at reducing the length of time my son spends in the shower in the morning or charging him.  And putting tortoise out in the sun rather than have heat lamp on.

They're not insured by Record either - it has to be Special Delivery.   But the onus should be on them if I say the replacements haven't reached me.  I may not be able to prove they haven't, but they won't be able to prove they HAVE (unless they use printed labels with the square scannable code on them as a minimum, and the postie scans it as it's put into my mailbox)


If you're on a fix until 2024, I assume you've only recently signed up for it?   I looked at fix deals when mine expired at the end of Jan, but my supplier had already stopped offering them (so I'd have had to switch companies which I wasn't keen on doing at the moment), and all the ones I could find were a heck of a lot more expensive that the standard variable (even allowing for the April increase).   I've been on standard variable since 1st Feb, and it's the first time I'm not been on a fixed deal for more years than I can recall!!    I know they weren't a 'thing' when I bought my first house (you didn't even have a choice of provider then!), but I know I've been on them since not long after they were first introduced (can't remember when that was).

cw18

otb666 said:

My husband parents sends cheques for all birthdays and Xmas and I know they can be a real pain to get cashed unless you do not mind banking using your mobile Which we do not do as not very safe imho.  I has several attempts as quite often the banks that are open shut their doors due to covid with just a note on their door So its a wasted journey. 

Just spotted this on a re-read.   You can deposit into a lot of banks at the PO - have you tried there?   It does delay things a day or two, but for me it saves £5-£6 in bus fares (and at least 30 minutes each way).   My Dad used on-line banking (on laptop) to transfer money into our accounts for birthday/Christmas, but my Mum hasn't got the hang of that - so she phones her bank and asks them to do it for her......

cw18

dustydigger said:

@cw18 - I have 4 children,plus 3 partners/OHs

 grandkids - 30,22,20,12,11,1

great grandkids - 4,3,2,2,1,1

Wow!   Quite a spread of ages.

I have 3 'kids', plus 1 partner (who I met for the first time on Boxing Day - bought him a few small novelty items as I don't know a great deal about him and his likes/dislikes, and they all seemed to be well received.)

Then 4 grand-daughters aged 19, approaching 18, very nearly 11, and just turned 9 come this next Christmas.

No great grand-kids yet, and I'm hoping it'll be a few more years before I'm presented with that generation

ragz_2

@cw18 did it not say on the stamps post that they would refund the cost of special delivery for bulk swaps by including the equivalent value in extra stamps? Perhaps I misread. 

cw18

ragz_2 said:

@cw18 did it not say on the stamps post that they would refund the cost of special delivery for bulk swaps by including the equivalent value in extra stamps? Perhaps I misread. 

I've not seen the form for bulk swaps yet.    That would be something - but given how long it's going to take me to get through the 250+ stamps I need to swap, I'd rather have a cheque for the postage than more stamps

cw18

And I'm now VERY confused.

Found the bulk swap form, and yes it does say they'll refund the cost of SD by sending extra stamps

BUT - the form also says that non-barcoded Christmas stamps will still be valid.  Yet the articles I read when this was first announced said that Christmas ones WOULD need swapping (but other 'specials' wouldn't).

So it looks like I may actually have very few stamps to swap out.....

I have 16x 2nd class, 7x 2nd class Large, 17x first, and 3x 1st Large.

I then have a small handful of very old specials (9x 19p and 1x 1st class) which have never needed to be swapped out.