2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Arrietty

Thank you for cheery welcomes 

@Prudent those gift bags are lovely; I am no seamstress but we do tend to reuse bags or baskets for gifting - it's essential to say " I recognise that bag ".

@MayDogsandCoffee - it will be good to have someone around in a similar situation, especially to remind why I am doing this when I'm feeling a bit spendy!  I am not usually a great spender either, unless horse related.
Is there really such a thing as too many rugs ?  And therein lies the problem  

MayDogsandCoffee

@Arrietty

I think we are def the same, never enough rugs, leads, beds, brushes etc etc.

Gem-gem

Welcome to all de-lurkers. 

I retired last year at 53. I am now self funding my retirement until I take pension A at 60, pension B at 65 and my state pension at 68??? In the years on the run up to retiring, I practised living on the equivalent to a state pension or less and saved the rest. Prior to that I overpaid on my mortgage and made AVC to my pension rather than allow mission creep to my spending when I received an increase. I started off with £10 a month into my AVCs and £10 a month extra off my mortgage and increased it when I could. I had a housekeeping budget of £50 - food, petrol and going out. If I wanted to go to the cinema I had to make £5 saving in my food and petrol. A bag of chips with a saveloy was a treat. Once again, if I wanted them savings had to made elsewhere. 

Finding MSE was eye-opening. Realising how much I could save by overpaying. There was no encouragement to save in my early life / early career. I just remember saying to myself that I didn't want to receive letters from the bank with bank charges on them. 

Good luck to everyone who is working towards early retirement or reducing days.

Gem-gem

Today, I visited a NHS dentist for the first time in 30 years. I have been private most of my life. My new dentist was very pleasant and the check up was no different. The cost for a check up was a fraction of what I had previously paid. I sat this evening wondering why I have paid more than needed. Especially since my previous dentist, who I had known since I was five had retired. 

kimwp

Gem-gem said:

Today, I visited a NHS dentist for the first time in 30 years. I have been private most of my life. My new dentist was very pleasant and the check up was no different. The cost for a check up was a fraction of what I had previously paid. I sat this evening wondering why I have paid more than needed. Especially since my previous dentist, who I had known since I was five had retired. 

We make the best decisions we can at the time. I have wasted so much money on various things in retrospect, but at the time, I thought it was the sensible thing to do/buy.

MayDogsandCoffee

@Gem-gem I paid my mortgage off early after coming onto this site, and added the 'payment' savings.  I do wish I had added to my pension too but never mind, I am in a fairly good position - mainly because I hate shopping and spending.  

Gem-gem

Another forum has been talking about Christmas and has some good ideas/ tips: 
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6591665/a-totally-free-christmas-2025/p1

Prudent

Thank you @Gem-gem that is a super thread. My Christmas spends will be fairly low, but it is interesting to read all the ideas for making them even lower.

Gem-gem

Another super busy day for me. 

Tonight, I finished crocheting a cover for a three year garden / wildlife journal. This will be a Christmas present  (2026) for a dear friend who spends lots of time out in nature. Journal £0 as regifted. Cotton £0 as using up Mum's old stock. 😀

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Today, I had a pay day. (A bond has matured and I have received some interest). This money (bond and interest) needs to last me through to April. I want to possibly stretch it to the end of April. I have totted up my outgoings and including hair dressers. I just have enough. 

The last six weeks has been fairly hefty spends in places. With a holiday, some new clothes, Christmas presents have been bought, wool for the coming year has been purchased.

The spending now has to stop. 

Once again, December and the beginning of the year needs to be a no /low spend period. A time to reset. I do this most years. I usually start at the beginning of December rather than January. This helps keep me focused over the sales period.

I am going to start to think about which items are no spends and which are low spends. 
I will post these soon. This coming year, I would like to keep a more detailed record of my spends. The major ones are easy as they are on my CC but it is the small consumables that I pay with cash that also need to be tracked.