2023 Frugal Living Challenge

Bluegreen143

I ate lunch at the Colintraive hotel when I had a weekend away recently (we were staying in Dunoon) - was lovely 🙂

Madbat60

@zaxdog both look amazing.  So sad people are buying up second homes in these areas.  We'll be in the van so won't need a home but it's always good to find a pub! 

Frugaldom

Good evening, frugalers. I'm just thinking aloud in type mode so  scroll on past if you want to avoid my witterings.

 I wonder ho is still here taking part in the challenge and how many will be joining me in 2024, which will mark 17 years of my frugal living challenge on the MSE forums. I'm making mine a little bit different next year as it's an extra special anniversary year on several counts.

2024, for me, marks 25 years of publishing frugal living & money saving challenges and it will be 10 years since setting up the Frugaldom project. If you have followed for any length of time, you'll know that it began as living on £4,000, a year while saving everything else.

Most of the above savings have been invested into projects that will hopefully generate passive income for retirement. The  COVID pandemic brought an abrupt end to saving. Legislation changed, I registered Frugaldom as an animal welfare establishment (our sanctuary) and our cost of 'living' escalated to include several more rescue  ponies, goats, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, the cat and the wildlife we support. My 2024 challenge is going to be the start of my retirement preparations, assuming the State Pension still exists in another 7 years.

When I began this challenge, the ISA savings limit was £3,600 a year. This year, it's £20,000!.

Back then, minimum wage for 22+ was £5.52 per hour, in April 2024 it will be £11.00.

There is a clear disparity.

The equivalent of a full-time basic wage in 2007 is about the same as basic state pension now.

The numbers simply don't stack up.

KajiKita

Hi @Frugaldom, 
I’m not actively participating but learning a lot from reading and following. I think my biggest challenge is that I am so time poor as I work full time out of the house and there is a limit to what I can do with my energy and need some downtime too.
I often spend time reflecting over the Christmas break what I want to achieve in the coming year (reading books was a big one for me this year - nearly hit target 😊), so this will form part of my musings in late December ….
As an aside, those numbers are bleak …
KK

mumtoomany

Good morning, @Frugaldom and everyone else. I'll be back again next year, if you'll have me. We, OH and I started this year on a joint guaranteed income of around £700 per month, plus any extra bits we made from selling plants/veg/eggs/lambs; and a few extra pounds from the government cost of living payments. Luckily we are mortgage free. Two more small pensions started paying out a couple of months ago, our income is now £900. In January OH turns 66, his state pension will be paid and we will feel rich! If course by other people's standards we will still be dirt poor, but these things are relative. 

I will still be frugal, nobody knows what is around the corner. I remember when our children were small, our joint income dropped almost overnight from £1000+ per week to a little over £100. Frugality has become a way of life for both of us. I don't always post as often as I should, but read along and am cheering you all on, in the background.

Thank you for keeping this challenge going Frugaldom, it is needed now more than ever. Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

Van_Girl

I've been a lurker and occasional poster for several years (including a lost profile), love reading all your updates, tips and advice. I have my own version of the challenge so sort of pootle along beside you all

Asparklierblonde

I am still taking part and will definitely be in again for 2024.

I don't post much, simply because I am so time poor and the times when I "draft" my posts in my head tend to be outside when I am seeing to the animals then I come indoors and re-commence work and I just don't post!

I have said it before but it merits saying again - @Frugaldom you have changed my life, for the better. I still dip into your blog for advice and inspiration, looking through the archives for things that are relevant to me now. Following the frugal path, out of necessity, has meant we can realise our dreams of keeping our own livestock. As many on here know, @mumtoomany I am looking at you!, livestock are an expensive hobby and whilst it is without question the best meat/eggs you will ever have, there is NOTHING moneysaving about it. The joy they bring outweighs the cost, although when I fell over in the mud this morning and a sheep almost wee'd on my head I was ready to pack it all in

I will be posting my new full budget for the year within the next month or so. My goals are simple - expand the livestock, be as self sufficient as possible, and enjoy time outdoors. Take care all xx

fionaandphil

I'm another one who would like to continue @Frugaldom. We will never get to your level but try constantly to reuse everything we have, share with friends and neighbours and generally make every penny work. We all slip up from time to time so this keeps us grounded and makes me think outside the box. You've made me look more closely at generating more power, even if we haven't achieved it yet. Quite apart from that, I love keeping up with the animal antics!

cuddlymarm

Hi Frugaldom
Time flies doesn’t it. I jointed the MSE family around 2006 I think and was supported by you lovely guys through bankruptcy in 2009. Now I’m 62 and have a beautiful granddaughter, a flat that’s paid for ( very small but ours)
However life continues to throw problems at you when you’re just settling down for a comfyish old age. Early this year I was told I had cancer, all removed now and I’m recovering nicely but OH also had a nasty health scare. But it’s been a wake up call that we’re not going to live forever. So our frugalling ways will be so that we can afford to do things rather than have things while we are healthy enough to do them. So we will be frugalling away with you if that’s ok but any saving will be well spent, no frittering just living well if that makes sense.

mama67

I’ll be here again running alongside whilst doing all we can to enjoy life in the here and now. 

Having also acquired a complete new family earlier this year comes with additional needs. 

For those that don’t know. DS2 did a DNA test kit a couple of years ago. Out of the blue DH got a text message from someone asking if he could be her dad. (Her husband had done some Facebook sleuthing)

Turns out yes indeed he is from a relationship he had 4 years before we met. 

She is married and has 3 boys. 

It is all good and they are all lovely. And we have already built a good relationship with them all.