2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Frugaldom

Just a bit of Frugaldom fun but it's also worth considering as a frugal challenge... We are all familiar with patchwork, patching up old clothing and using up scrap fabrics etc, etc, etc... 
Well! I have only just this minute learned the prices being banded about for the Dolce and Gabbana Patchwork collection, especially their 'cargo pants'. I had to go looking, didn't I! They look pretty much how my everyday work jeans would look if I kept patching the worn out bits so you can guess what I want to do now. 😆 Yes! I'm going to challenge myself to patch up all the worn out patches to make some designer wear. Can any of you remember my online fashion show challenge from some, possibly many, years ago? 😆

Frugaldom

2026 Plans

Put more effort into growing fruit & veg

Make better use of space

Strive to make projects cash neutral

Offer more opportunities to others

Stay within budget

Improve existing facilities at the project

Implement a plan for retirement 

Win £1million

OK, so that last one is a bit of a stretch of the imagination but it isn't beyond the realms of possibility for anyone holding NS&I Premium Bonds. I'm a big PB fan, despite the negativity expressed by some money gurus. I also save spare change, use a regular saver account, don't have any private pensions and haven't the ability to fill an ISA because my personal income equates to less than half the 2026 national living wage and I've hungry animals to feed who produce nothing but manure in return. 😆

kimwp

Frugaldom said:

Just a bit of Frugaldom fun but it's also worth considering as a frugal challenge... We are all familiar with patchwork, patching up old clothing and using up scrap fabrics etc, etc, etc... 
Well! I have only just this minute learned the prices being banded about for the Dolce and Gabbana Patchwork collection, especially their 'cargo pants'. I had to go looking, didn't I! They look pretty much how my everyday work jeans would look if I kept patching the worn out bits so you can guess what I want to do now. 😆 Yes! I'm going to challenge myself to patch up all the worn out patches to make some designer wear. Can any of you remember my online fashion show challenge from some, possibly many, years ago? 😆

Don't think I was following when you did your fashion challenge, but I was admiring my 2yo nephew's patched up trousers recently - patched at the knees by my dad and looking like something from a designer baby shop. - one knee a red oblong, the other a blue rectangle on green trousers.

Rowan9

Loving the patch stories. I’m in my 60s and my 3 favourite pairs of jeans are patched. I bought a pair of children’s  jeans for £1.50 a few years ago and cut them up for the patches as I didn’t have any I could part with

daisy_1571

I'm forever patching the knees of mr ds jeans, believe me he is anything but designered 😆 🤣 😂 

Frugaldom

I always patched jeans in the past, especially knees and thighs, as I would be pony riding most days back then. I'm finding the designer wear versions quite fascinating as cargos mentioned at thousands of pounds. I can't add links or photos from my phone but a quick search will show them up on Google or any other search. On first glance, I thought cowbow chaps with farrier apron and tool belt, hence my looking closer. (Eyesight not perfect nowadays, especially when using a mobile).

A long time ago, 2 of my moneymaking challenges were online fashion show and online art exhibition. I can't remember the ins and outs but it was to create a unique outfit from old clothing or charity shop purchased. The art one was basically creating artwork from nothing. From the latter, the word ecoart got adopted - economical artwork. To this day, we still have the Ecoarts challenge but it became an actual project with H building sculptures from beach cleaning and driftwood collecting. The original challenge might have been posted elsewhere as I can't seem to find it on here. (I also ran challenges elsewhere.)

retiredinfrance

Patchwork is beautiful , especially with “found”fabrics, not bought readymade ones and Im all for visible mending.

Frugaldom

Mini dilemma as I wasn't expecting to pay out anything more before new year but I'd ordered some logs. They got delivered today, as the guy was travelling this direction and it was a dry day. Do I deduct from the last of my 2025 budget, which I've not even talked up completely, or do I deduct from my new 2026 budget. I will be using them before new year so I'm thinking best add into my 2025 totals - what would anyone else do?

I'm currently scouring the interest rates but they all seem to be dropping again so the other thing I'm wondering is if I should restart my interest beater challenge. Anyone remember that or take part in it? Basically, you attempt to beat the interest rates on savings based on what you would earn if you had your entire annual budget banked. Eg. If my annual frugal living budget is £7,500 and the best interest rate I can find is 4.5% then I'd have earned £337.50 by the end of the year. That doesn't sound impossible to me. I'm off to read the old challenge to see how long ago it was. Anyone else interested in taking part?

Frugaldom

For anyone interested, this is the link to the original Interest Beater Challenge that I'm restarting.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/844891/home-based-enterprises-interest-beater-challenge/p1

maryb

I'd put it in this year - bit disheartening to start the new budget with a big expense, lol