2024 Frugal Living Challenge

amber03

Usually by now, I have been to the shops to look and buy Xmas decs, cards,paper etc. Decided Xmas just gone to have a simple Xmas and just a few decs out, many stayed in the loft. It did look and feel better. Hoping to avoid the shops till the weekend.x

slm6002

We have gone for a less is more this year and agree it look better and I am not fed up with it and desperate to get them put away this year like normal.  I do need to get rid of some that I wont use that are in the loft.  I did buy some cards in the sale though for next year

Florenceem

I want a frugal year but can't set a budget yet. There are still areas from Mr F's closed business to sort.

peony40

Hello,

I’d like to join you all this year.  Next year there will be a change in circumstances so I would like to save as much as possible this year.  I have put myself on a no spend on “internet shopping to cheer myself up”, which I was using far too frequently in 2023.

I will work on our budget tomorrow and Wednesday.  It is me and my husband, both early retired due to health issues, managing on small company pensions.

[Deleted User]

Happy New Year everyone.

Budget set for 2024 and I have started creating a spreadsheet to track it all, I will finish that off tonight and start inputing January details.  I've also set up a gifted notebook to be my spending diary and reciept holder to keep a track of day-to-day spending.

A few months ago I switched to a cash based budgeting system for certain categories and this has worked well. I am adding in clothing to this system and will move back to actually going shopping for clothes rather than online to stay on track with this too. 

https://m.youtube.com/c/BudgetwithIra
I used this YT channel to help me get my head around setting up my cash budgets. I found the videos on setting up really useful. Posting this here in case it's helpful for anyone else.

I've not been to the shops to look at sales - I have enough wrapping paper and Christmas cards for next year I think. I will be cutting down on the number of Christmas cards going out as well.  I have a reasonably well stocked gift closet and have planned for big birthdays this year. My friend will be 50 in a few days time, her gift is wrapped and ready to go. She is a huge Outlander fan so I bought 2 prints during the Black Friday sale and framed them. I know she will love them.  My niece is 16 in November and I bought her a beautiful heart necklace with a bee coming down the chain using a MSE 40% off code. My sisters 50th is also in November and I am struggling a bit with what to get her. I though I might crochet a keepsake blanket for her and go from there - still mulling this one over.

DH has now finished up in the kitchen so I'm off to have my turn in there, making Choc Orange cheesecake for our NY pudding this afternoon.  I hope everyone has a good NY day xx

natnat13

Happy new year

I'd like to join please, I am a serial lurker but want to post to keep me accountable. 

I will complete my budget ASAP. I have been trying hard to clear debt last year and want to succeed this year! I have about £2500 on a credit card which is interest free until May so that's my first priority. 

I try not to buy non-essentials, buy second hand, limit takeaways etc. 

This year I want to be more strict, make and stick to more of a plan rather than working it out month by month. 

Thank you.

natnat13

amber03 said:

For the last few years I have saved with Mr T Xmas savers on their clubcard.  Each month I have put £10 on it as well as collecting points each time I shop, receiving the vouchers in November. Yesterday I received an  email from Mr T, saying that I can only save money on it till the 1st April,as they are stopping it. They have said the points collected on your shopping will remain and vouchers produced for these and any money saved next November, and that in due course they will inform customers of their new scheme. Think I will start saving with Mr A instead. 

I used to buy the saving stamps from Mr T but when they stopped them me and DH put £20 each month in a pot from Jan-Oct and use the money for Christmas and New Year food / drink shopping. It doesn't benefit us as we don't get interest or bonus points but it is easy and we don't notice it and we have a nice lot of cash to treat ourselves / family each year. We're also not tied to one supermarket. 

suzeesu2000

I save my points with Nectar and am very pleased with how its going. I have bought my pet insurance through the Sainsbury offer this year - yes its only Jan 1st lol - Got a good price and also 8000 points! Also got them when I got a small carpet cleaner for mu  - 500 points, plus you get them on eBay and Argos.

Intention is to keep ALL my points and use for anything needed at Christmas time 2024.

Already have first item to sell, just got to reorganise the landing and then photograph.

Will be taking everything out of the freezer to itemise exactly what I have so I can meal plan for this month. With the tins and things on the pantry shelf I should not need to buy anything other than bread, milk, eggs and maybe onions this month and possibly February too.

Good luck everyone and Happy New Year

London_1

Good evening chums , gosh its a chilly night tonight. I have been collating all my vouchers ,gift cards, bonus points etc, and I think I may even get through spending even less this month I have about £40 odd pounds in odd amounts on various left-over gift cards mainly from M&S, and Sainsburys, and some from Tesco so I'm going to use them when buying any essential food needed this month I even have some Waitrose vouchers to use up.OK I will have to do a 12 mile round trip to my nearest Waitrose shop, but if I have a list of more than say 12 items to get at some point it will be well worth the petrol. This is really going to be the frugality of months fingers crossed

JackieO xx

basketcase

Happy New - and Frugal - Year, everybody

OK.  I've got a first draft budget using the MSE Budget Planner.  (1st draft because I'm bound to have forgotten a few things.)  It's already made me aware that there's a magazine subscription I can cancel, as it isn't as useful as it once was and that I need to change our internet package because it's astronomical and we don't use the landline any more because it's not reliable now it isn't a landline IYSWIM.

I've entered my bank accounts, standing orders etc into my trusty old home accounting package, transferred all money and paid all bills (in the package!), so I can see how much I've got left at the end of January.  The next job will be to set up regular transfers (within the system aot actually with the bank) so that I can keep a check on how much 'spare' cash I really have, if any.  I can also make categories and it will keep a note of what I spend for me.  (I'm dyscalculic, so setting the thing up takes a long time, with total concentration, then rechecking it at least 3 times every time I enter a figure.  The more automatic entries I can set up, the better!)

Ideas for how to live a bit more frugally?
Money In: change to/open new bank accounts offering bribes, set up a couple of high interest savings accounts and transfer my ISA over to them; use cashback sites for purchases; do some temping (retired, but registered with an agency);

Non-discretionary spends (rent, Council Tax, food, petrol, fuel etc): Check that I'm getting the best deals (eg on internet); ask if I need to make that journey; use alternative transport; reduce gas/electric usage; change CT from 10 payments to 12; batch cooking, more cooking from scratch etc.  I've set myself a budget of £660 a quarter for food and £70 a month for petrol.  Internet isn't discretionary because DS works from home and really needs a good connection.

Discretionary spends (Books,   clothes, meals out etc): No buying new books until I've read the ones I've got; join Borrow Box and cancel Kindle Unlimited (though I do get my money's worth...)  I've joined the NSD thread and also one of my 24 for 2024 aims is NSDs.  I'm trying for 24 a month but, being realistic, I may have to build to that and have started with 12 in January NSD.  Clothes - I don't think I need that much, but will try for CS buys, using my yarn stash and getting the sewing machine running.  I really enjoy the cinema and have budgetted for a basic Cineworld package which more that pays for itself.

That's about it really.