2022 Frugal Living Challenge

Blackcats

Congratulations to your grandson JackieO.  That's a great start to the new year for Jack.

London_1

Indeeed it his he is absolutely buzzing about it ,even though his brothers keep asking him if the school is called Hogwarts it is a beautiful school and I think he will enjoy teaching there.its set in some lovely countryside ,if a bit off the beaten track, at least he will be able to save for the car he wants as the nearest pub is 3 miles away and no shops in the little local hamlet either

JackieO xx

Frugaldom

Hi fruguys and gals, I'm way behind with the news and updates on here but i'm now preparing the 2023 challenge after being asked if I'm still writing about the £1 per day per person for all meals part of my challenge. This has become more and more difficult to achieve over the past couple of years so next year will be more about how to adapt the diet to fit in with the budget without compromising too much.

Things are being cut to the bone by many who just aren't financially prepared for unprecedented energy price hikes, increasing inflation rates and, dare I say it, interest rates rising. For those of us who learned our hardest financial lessons during the late eighties, it's time to offer as much support as possible to those who need it most. If we can help others the way we wish we had been helped back then, we should all be able to weather this storm, making us all better prepared for the next one. Let's face it, there will always be financial storms, the pound will always be fluctuating, new currencies will come along, devaluation, quantitative easing... we have seen it all before and this won't be the last financial crisis. Being prepared is as important as ever.

A few nights ago,a good friend and I were having a discussion about the shocking levels of reported poverty in the UK and were disappointed, shocked even, to discover that our continuing annual budget of £4,000 for the year (after rent/mortgage and council tax) actually equated to less than destitution! This really stunned us.

So... as I prepare the 2023 frugal living challenge, I'm going into it with my eyes wide open, knowing that it's possibly impossible to repeat the original £4,000 for a year challenge as part of my own frugal living plan. However, as it's been over 15 years since starting this and having achieved almost all my original goals (and more), then I'm fully prepared to give it a go. Whether or not it should be renamed the 'destitution living challenge' is a matter of personal opinion but to me, it's simple frugality.. As yet, I have been unable to find the complete and current list of what's included in the cost of living that defines poverty in UK. It saddens me that being content to live a simple life is portrayed by the media as being in poverty or, in many of our cases, defined as destitute. If anyone knows the term that reflects a level below destituion on he financial scale then please let me know.  

willow_loulou

We use the Joseph Rowntree foundation for these things in my line of work. Here’s an explanation of destitution. 

https://www.jrf.org.uk/file/49074/download?token=tf2vsr3p&filetype=findings

I think there is no in depth explanation of costa etc because of the disparity of rents/income/prices around the country. 

Frugaldom

willow_loulou said:

We use the Joseph Rowntree foundation for these things in my line of work. Here’s an explanation of destitution. 

https://www.jrf.org.uk/file/49074/download?token=tf2vsr3p&filetype=findings

I think there is no in depth explanation of costa etc because of the disparity of rents/income/prices around the country. 

I referred to the JRF for my original info but there is a list of items considered essential that I can no longer find. It gets updated to reflect modern trends and is used to estimate or demonstrate the cost of living. I'll take another look once I have time. All I know is that the list has never really been frugal in as far as it only contains necessities, it contains luxuries that are deemed essential within a minimum acceptable lifestyle. I know one size doesn't fit all but the definitions of any terminology that gets sensationalised by media need to be emphasised. By the official definition, many of us live below the destitution level by choice and that's quite a scary thought.

[Deleted User]

I haven't read this thread for a few days, just catching up before posting my budget on the new thread

I usually been inspired reading this thread, not today.

I have just caught up and feel very very sad that there is talk of a backyard hen keeper being reported for their flock being free in their garden. Please please realise that whilst yes, that is the "rule" set by DEFRA, it is being highly scrutinised at top level because it simply isn't really a relevant rule for smallholders / back yard flock keepers. There is an awful lot of discussion going on around it, and APHA are reconsidering that position. If you don't read around these things and don't fully understand the position, all you will do is cause really very unnecessary distress to someone who is probably very well intentioned and well meaning.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Choose your battles. I don't want to cause offence but the world is hard enough with very real issues at the moment without inflicting stress for no real reason on another.

Take care one and all xx

tooldle

I thought the DEFRA rule or reg was aimed at separating wild birds from 'kept flocks' as the risk of bird flu in wild birds is presently estimated to be high. Social distancing for birds. 

mumtoomany

Well said, @Deleted_User. I wonder who or what we are trying to protect with these chicken lockdowns. If my eleven chickens die of bird flu, nobody, but me and maybe my grandchildren, will care. They were, mostly, bred here. They never leave. They cannot infect other foul. In Wales the hens only had to go into lockdown this week. Every day or so I get an email, saying where the latest bird flu has been found. I fail to recall a single notification in Wales, despite our birds being free for so much longer. 

@Frugaldom, I've just looked at the JRT site. All I can find is that a couple, with less than £100 per week after housing cost, are destitute. On that basis, I think a lot of MSEers are destitute! 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Primrose

I find The  debate about frugaldom and essential items is a very difficult one to navigate, especially when it comes to the issue of possessing a smart phone.  Although I own one and use it only on a limited basis on the cheapest tariff, I find that modern day life is increasingly forcing me to own something that I would previously co side red "a luxury"

My bank, online savings provider, my local Health Trust  and many other organisations I have to deal with now force me to use two stage verification to access their services so I,m forced to use a smart phone.  It seems that the need for security has forced many people into having to possess such an item to live a reasonably normal life so perhaps that is no longer a luxury item?

Woolsery

tooldle said:

I thought the DEFRA rule or reg was aimed at separating wild birds from 'kept flocks' as the risk of bird flu in wild birds is presently estimated to be high. Social distancing for birds. 

Well, it didn't work too well for humans.  There are now around 50 scientific studies that have concluded lockdowns and social distancing were next to useless, never mind the severe adverse effects they had on wider health and the economy which we're seeing now, yet some people remain convinced they were 'for our own good.' I could go on to add detail showing this 'collateral damage' was fully understood at the time, but the chances of my having this post removed increases with every sentence!

It makes good sense for chicken keepers to always have food and water where wild birds will not venture. There are other nasty diseases besides avian flu which may be passed between species. It doesn't make sense caging small flocks that have been used to roaming, because as I pointed-out earlier, there are other consequences that impact on their health if that's done.