2022 Frugal Living Challenge

annieb64

I enjoy self catering.  It gives us an opportunity to try local produce.We do usually eat out once or twice but like to look around at local pubs etc before we book. Also if we come back tired after a long walk we can have a bath and then eat pasta while wearing our PJs.

If we go on holiday with DD we'll babysit so they can have dinner out.

mumof3.12kindebt

Hi everyone hope you are all okay. 

I'm trying to spend as little as possible. Keeping busy with housework and My diploma while the kids are at school. 
Went to tesco the other day normally go to aldi and then just get what we can't get from aldi from tesco. But time was limited. I couldn't believe the rise in prices. 

It's starting to get abit worrying. I'm going to make a point next week of going to the pharmacy or gp surgery to find out support regarding quitting smoking. It's just something I can no longer warrant wasting money on. I have cut down considerably this week. But I need a bit of extra support regarding nicotine replacement especially when I'm at work. It's all routine based with me. And I'm not a heavy smoker but something I have done on and off since I was 15. I'm now 30 ! Probably could of bought a second property by now all the money I've wasted. 

I'll buy a sealed tin and put what I would of spent in there. Then the money can go towards a holiday or something we are saving for. 🤔 

I won't be pressuring the OH to quit. That's his choice. But I feel I'm ready now to make the plunge. 


We go away in about 6 weeks. So I need to continue to save towards that. It's paid for just need spending money. We are staying in a caravan on a haven site. I think our half term dates are different to the UK so I managed to get it cheap. I'm really looking forward to it. 

I've also paid the deposit for our camping holiday next May so once we are home I'll start saving for that.

My goal for cash stuffing and budgeting better was so I could pay down the mortgage and have a yearly holiday with the kids. Me and Oh have been together since 2015 and so far have done 3 holidays but before that my then 8 year old had only had one holiday. He's now 13 so not many years of his childhood left 😢 


I've started YouTube cashstuffing as a way to stay accountable. The same week I saw on this morning it was the latest tick tock trend but I did do cashstufifng in June and July then didn't in Aug and I realised in Aug from June and July's experience it really works for us. So at the start of this month I started again I love the fact I know where all my money is going because I write it all down on the trackers. Its just fab. And really works for us as a family. I also aim for as many no spend days a week as I can. I'll definitely be sticking to it for the long run. 

I'm really looking forward to doing the rest of this year as frugal as possible and seeing how much we can save. 🤩

I have already written down some goals for 2023! 

And I hope to achieve all my goals for this year that I reset in September. 

Part of being frugal is being organised so I have gone back to my paper diary and block scheduling. 

My main goals for this year are 

Keep on track with my diploma - don't fall behind 

Save as much as possible  

Get the house more organised / Declutter 

Get myself more organised 

Pay £3000 extra off the mortgage 


Oh also its felt cold here recently. I've been wearing my dressing gown over my clothes round the house and got the blankets back out for the lounge (no one else has said about feeling cold recently) 

Hope everyone is well hugs to those that need or want one 

cw18

mumof3.12kindebt said:

It's starting to get abit worrying. I'm going to make a point next week of going to the pharmacy or gp surgery to find out support regarding quitting smoking. It's just something I can no longer warrant wasting money on. I have cut down considerably this week. But I need a bit of extra support regarding nicotine replacement especially when I'm at work. It's all routine based with me. And I'm not a heavy smoker but something I have done on and off since I was 15. I'm now 30 ! Probably could of bought a second property by now all the money I've wasted.

I went the Champix route, though I failed miserable the first two rounds.   My GP said they normally only allow 2 rounds, but as I was also coping with my hubby going through chemo at the time they accepted it probably hadn't been the best time for me - driven more by finances that a desire to give up (I personally think it was a mix of both, but I had too much on my plate to cope with this as well).   My third attempt was 4 years after he passed away, and I didn't even complete the course - but I hadn't been a particularly heavy smoker (12-15 menthol a day).    The GP did suggest I try vaping instead, but I wanted to break the hand-to-mouth movement and was worried that even if I came of the real things I'd never get off the vaping.

My OH switched to vaping about 6 months later.   He mixed his own solutions almost right from the start, as it gave him more flexibility with the nicotine content.   At the time it sounded like he planned to reduce the content every few months, meaning he should have been off it in 2-2.5 years.   It's now 9.5 years and he's still at it, and less than half way down the reductions he'd planned.   In that time he's bought 2 new vehicles, and says both of them were funded by what he saved by having switched - but it does make me think I was right to push for a third attempt at Champix rather than agree to trying the vaping route myself.

RateTartExtraordinaire

Has anyone else noticed that you can make a saving by buying bubble bath instead of hand soap?
Same ingredients! I'm now washing my hands with Camomile and Ylang Royal approved product
You can buy bubble baths for around 20p per 100ml, whereas hand soap costs around 30p per 100ml. 

mumtoomany

Aldi hand wash, 11p per 100ml. I fill the kitchen hand wash with washing up liquid, just under 10p per 100ml. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

newlywed

I use a bar of soap… no plastic 

RateTartExtraordinaire

mumtoomany said:

Aldi hand wash, 11p per 100ml. I fill the kitchen hand wash with washing up liquid, just under 10p per 100ml. HTH, mumtoomany.xx

Good to know. Thanks
I'm just using up my bubble bath for now...it has been sitting around for years and no-one was using it.

cw18

RateTartExtraodinaire said:

 
I'm just using up my bubble bath for now...it has been sitting around for years and no-one was using it.

I'm using mine up as shower gel.

Jellytotts

If you’re using any liquid soap/shampoo then make sure you dilute it too. We always do a 50:50 mix on washing up liquid/shampoo/ liquid soap and conditioner.  Still works perfectly. 

florianatwobob

Popped into one of our local charity shops and found a one mug sized thermos flask for £3.99 which will be handy when standing on breezy trains station platforms this winter. I have a long wait for my connection in the mornings when I go into the office (which is lovely for reading) but a bit chilly in winter and this will save me being seduced by the chain coffee shops.