2024 Frugal Living Challenge

nannygladys

I've not been on the boards for a while and I confess I haven't been that frugal during that time, but I'm back with my right head on again and the frugalling restarts.
So I've been looking through the fridge and freezer and concocted a menu plan for the next few days that Im happy with and I have planned housework and trips, so I know what I should be doing for the next week. I just wish the weather wasn't constantly dire so I could get my washing dry outside but hey ho!!!!
I'm quite up to date with everything so I feel I can start with a clear head and goals.

Nelliegrace - My pooch was lying/sleeping in his bed and every time a there was a bang just raised his head , looked at me as to say 'tell the to stop distrubing me' and went back to sleep!!!! Mind you he is completely different if someone comes to door 

Prudent

Aww just lost a long post...

I will try again! Well done @nannygladys. Sometimes life just overtakes the good intentions and we need to reboot.

My Monhouse throw arrived yesterday and is lovely and warm. I felt sorry for the postie who was out until 9pm delivering. She said it was because of Christmas. OH is a retired postie and worked very different hours. Certainly the Christmas rush didn't start this early.

I won't be having a frugal day today as I am going out for a meal to celebrate the 'big' birthdays of a couple of friends. I am looking forward to it though and do budget for these occasions. I don't spend nearly as much on Christmas and birthdays now. I am a big fan of Martin's thinking in relation to gifts. The changing point for me was when my Christmas list hit 39 people. I was buying for family, friends, children of my friends, my daughter's friends, my classroom assistants, secret santas etc. It was a monumental task which took a week of my summer holidays and a day in the October holiday to wrap all the parcels for posting to family. The only reprieve on my pocket was that I was a comper and did manage to win quite a few of the gifts. I agreed with my family that we only would celebrate the 'big' birthdays, I no longer work so no colleagues, I now only buy for two friends because they have no partners and one also has no family at all. Now I am down to 4 people, my partner, my daughter and those two friends. I still buy for my dad's birthday but he wanted to stop Christmas as he feels he has more gifts than he needs or wants. I buy for a few raffles too but I generally just pick up some nice foodie things for those. My cat gets a wee stocking of treats which she adores.

joedenise

That's very similar to us @Prudent.  We only actually buy presents for a very good neighbour and my best friend.  My DH and I don't buy each other gifts at Christmas or birthdays as we prefer to spend the money on holidays!

Our DDs and their partners plus our 2 grandchildren have some money transferred to them for Christmas and birthdays.  All gifts are fairly low value so that Christmas and birthdays don't cost too much.

Having said that DH has decided for his 75th birthday (2026) he'd quite like to do a river cruise - definitely not very frugal!

Nelliegrace

I am not doing a frugal Christmas, just a sensible one. No junk food, no excess, no UPFs, I can make the Christmas cake, it is not difficult. I make this instead of faffing with mince pies.

https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2021/11/mincemeat-almond-squares.html

Pyjamas for the grandsons, the obligatory socks of course, and a book or two, their choice. Their great grandmother gave them school shoe money, and we will carry that on in her memory. 
We buy a flowering plant or honey from our beekeeping friend for our good neighbours. 

I must sort out the old decorations and crib scene, and any outgrown games for the charity shop. 

Dizzycap

Well done to all those crafting away and not buying more stash xxx Personally, I've loved using what I have left and it's certainly been far easier because I can now see what I have to use rather than plastic boxes full to the brim, shoved under the desk and never opened

The solution that works for all dogs with the fireworks disgrace, is Classic FM. It was suggested by a dog psychologist 4 years ago, so as much as I was sceptical, I thought I'd give it a go! It's worked for the past 4 years. I've put on Classic FM on the TV from 6pm to 10.30pm every evening for the past 2 weeks and pouchee just snuggles up in her fleece and snors her head off, even with loud bangs overhead - What fireworks?

Well, I'm on another painting project at the moment but only doing around an hour a day. My new acrilic paints arrived and what a bargain! They will last me for at least a year and I also recevied 4 free paintbrushes for £10.99 with free delivery. I've purchased 2 preprinted large canvasses from one of the local charity shops for £2 each, so I've spent £14.99 on absolutely needed art supplies and nothing else in 14 months - Nice!

I'm really shocked at the price of new painting canvasses. I couldn't find any under £29 for the size I wanted. Off to the charity shop we go!

I've just come back from my inpost sending from selling off the decluttered items, which has gone crazy again - soon have the last large black bag emptied , and I decided to pop into Sainsburys to get some milk as the shop was empty. I'm not surprised it was empty because when I walked in Christmas music was blasting away, so I walked out again........ It's one thing for the dreaded, often total Con, Black Friday Sales which have now moved to PRE-Black Friday Sales and today Black Friday Sales Month, and having the TV & Supermarkets joinging in the debacle......... If anything is going to put me off shoping more than ever, it's the all the hype......

Besides, for several years, I've either gift swaped or made my gifts saving a fortune, so it's all totally wasted on me....

Time for my dinner, so God bless to all, toodle-pip & have a great weekend xxxxx

Frugaldom

Matty246 said:

Do you have a Post Office easier to get to than your bank Frugaldom? A lot if banks deal in the PO now. I realise you probably already know this but just in case. 

No post office or bank nearby but I managed to find enough signal to scan the cheque via phone app. 👍

Frugaldom

ET22 said:

Hi, I would like to join for 2025.Once i have a decent income again, I really would like to save and not spend just because I have money coming in which will exceed my out goings. I think on the whole I live quite a frugal lifestyle in terms of household out goings but would like to cut back further and see real results for my hard work.  

Welcome to frugal living and all the frugal fun we can muster. 😁

Frugaldom

TizerCat said:

Good morning! mind if I join?   Get some practice in ready for the 2025 challenge?

My various health niggles leave me so tired all the time I'm yearning to reduce my working hours until I retire so I aim to live within a part-time salary and save the rest until I have an emergency fund built up. My impulsive spending needs to become impulsive saving!  

Welcome on board, I hope we can all be of help to you. Once the shock of non-spending becomes routine, you will soon be impulse saving. 😁

Frugaldom

Welcome back @nannygladys 😊

Nothing much to report here except another small premium bonds win, which takes my 'interest' equivalent to 15%. I was quite amazed by the win but it's been automatically reinvested rather than spent. 

Spent the afternoon barrowing free wood/bark chippings to make another path through the wildlife garden. The new strawberry bed is looking ok after planting all the runners in it so it's definitely looking like fruit and berries, rather than vegetables, are what grow best here.

Decluttering continues - now need to pack a sturdy box with crafting materials that I will donate to a frugal friend who can make use of it.

Dizzycap

Frugaldom said:

TizerCat said:

Good morning! mind if I join?   Get some practice in ready for the 2025 challenge?

My various health niggles leave me so tired all the time I'm yearning to reduce my working hours until I retire so I aim to live within a part-time salary and save the rest until I have an emergency fund built up. My impulsive spending needs to become impulsive saving!  

Welcome on board, I hope we can all be of help to you. Once the shock of non-spending becomes routine, you will soon be impulse saving. 😁

Congratulations Frugaldom on the small premium bond win:-) I've held PB's for a while and finally had a £50 win in May but knowing my luck, I'll probably never have a win again! 

Welcome TizerCat xxxx

You'll love the frugal board, although it seems to be little quiet at the moment.

For anyone who finds decluttering overwhelming or just needs a gentle push, I came up with the 10/10/10 daily task.

Choose one room that you want to start decluttering - 1 small bin bag and 2 boxes.

Find 10 items of junk that need throwing away - paperwork, rubbish etc - in the bin bag & throw away at the end of the week.

Choose 10 items to get rid of - put in box 1 - Sell these online.

Choose 10 items you want/need to keep - put in box 2 ready to organise and put back once you've decluttered the room.

It becomes an addictive task and before you know it, you'll be doing 30/30/30 and even higher completing a room in just a few hours :Although tbh, I ended up with more items I really didn't need or want, so I've been selling those off and I've only got 3/4 of a large black plastic bag left to sell from 10.5!

I've also got a gift swap box. This is for items that I receive as gifts that are inappropriate for my needs. I write down who gave me what on a piece of paper and put in the box with the items. When a birthday or Christmas comes along I choose something to give that wasn't given to me from that person - Swap Shop! :Saves a fortune and more importantly, I don't have to go gift shopping, which I absolutely hate Food shopping once a week is more than enough for me  

Having said that, I have a couple of friends who would rather I make them something with them in mind rather than receive a commercial gift. Hence the need to go to one of the local charity shops last week and pick up 2 large printed canvasses for a total of £4 ready to prep paint over and then do my thing I've completed one embellished painting, using only my art stash, but had to buy some more acrylic paints for the second because I had fully run out of which I got for an absolute bargain 8 large 500ml tubes for £10.99 along with 4 free paint brushes, which you can never have too many of those (Oh yes you can!) and they will last me a whole year, if not far longer, and I won't need to spend a penny more, other than pre printed £2 canvasses, if needed

If anyone is selling items online and using inpost for sending and receiving, as from today Sunday 10th, there will be inpost collections and deliveries on a Sunday from now until the last Christmas posting date, which I think is the 17th of December. I'm not selling or sending out anything else after the 22nd of November due to the unnecessary personal stress caused by crazy online shoppers who make the most stupid demands in addition to claims of items not being received when tracking shows items have been delivered along with the correct address and picture of the recipent taking the parcel!  No thank you - Calm & Peace 

Oh my goodness, I only got up for a quick drink and ended up on the MSE forum boards - Naughty!  

Back to bed for a little more sleep xxx