2025 Frugal Living Challenge

EcoIntent

Hi everyone, would love to join you .

I'm really aiming for a non consumerist year, based more on slower living and experiences not stuff.

Today is off to a good start so far, as back to work today. I have been up early and got a bean and sweet potato chilli in the slow cooker on low for the day. I have also got two loaves of bread on first rise. I am really lucky as work from home most the time, so can take the off few minutes between things to move to next rise in between, so maximising that as a benefit.

I have a lot to do work wise, so glad to have the food all in hand for the day. 

Frugaldom

Katiehound said:

The BS a/c interest could even be 7.85% if you choose the 6 month RS account
here: https://www.principality.co.uk/home/savings/savings-accounts/6-month-regular-saver

and yes, I clocked up 'reasons to be cheerful!'

my main reason to be cheerful- we escaped the snow- but due for heavy rain tomorrow....

Thank you. (No snow here)

Frugaldom

Good luck with the house hunting, @Kittencat, it must be really stressful time for you. Hopefully the perfect (or suitable to be made perfect) property will come along soon. We've no snow here in our corner of SW Scotland but it's damp and cold.

@ancientmum, I switched my premium bonds settings to transfer any winnings into new bonds so I know the money is safe but accessible. Those new numbers go straight into the next draw so no need to wait until the following month. I was really lucky last year when winning £1000 so that instantly pushed me well over any possible bank or building society interest rates. Planning to keep on doing that and have had 4 small wins in the past year. Nothing this year so far but will be adding to the pot each month.

Frugaldom

@Glittering_M I have successfully stored root veg like carrots, potatoes, parsnips, turnips in cardboard boxes filled with drybshavings. I haven't tried sand as it's not easy to work with, weight wise, but I've also picked from the ground months and months later. I still find occasional potatoes that have been overlooked and they just grow more potatoes. 😊

RosieCheeks247

Hi everyone, I'm excited to join.

I've been putting off sorting my finances and spending fully for a number of years. However, I made some changes to my employment last year and will soon feel the pinch of that.

I don't have my budget yet but I have some ideas for how I can be more frugal:

No impulse buying clothes and silly things to cheer me up
No buying reduced food unless I will use them
Cook and batch cook more
Take drinks and snacks with me so don't have to pop in to buy something 
No autorenewing insurance because I haven't been bothered to compare

I'm sure I'll get some more ideas as this goes along.

Frugaldom

@dND Wow! Fabuloud tgtg box! We don't have access to them here but we did ok from olio over the weekend when friends arrived with extra leftovers. I'll be conjuring up odd lunches this week and it's mince pies all round for any visitors. I just sit them on top of the logburner to warm them.

Frugaldom

@cybertortoise - welcome to the thread, I hope you enjoy your time spent here and can achieve your goals.

@Prudent - I'm old enough to remember the luncheon vouchers scandal. I laughed out loud when I was reminded of it by your comment. I also remember the LV signs is the shop windows. 

Frugaldom

Welcome also to @EcoIntent and @RosieCheeks247 It's good to see so many newcomers posting.

Apologies for multiple posts but I'm struggling to keep up already. 😆 Another aim for this year is to reduce the costs of communications. I'm now at £1,061.40 per year, made up of 3 monthly direct debits of £24.81, £13.86 and £40.98  These are for BT unlimited broadband, which we needed for H working from home, plus 2 mobiles on different networks, both with data, to enable work from Frugaldom project. There's no mobile signal at home. I try to avoid contracts like the plague but sometimes, it's impossible. Being self employed, much of these costs are business expenses, so they are deductible, but that's not the point. They still need to be paid.

MissRikkiC

@Frugaldom will you please share your b fee as recipe? I’m tinkering about with some recipes for sandwich bread as we get through quite a lot at home (and my son has allergies so have to shop in certain places). I’d rather make it myself

A few gifts for next Christmas purchased today, 50p boxes of sweets x 2 (that’s 2 young cousins sorted), terrys chocolate orange bar x2, so their parents also done and a bag of Christmas pasta for 50p as well which will go into a hamper with other bits come the time for an aunt and uncle. £2.50 spent on 5 people whereas they’re usually people I panick buy for last monte and spend £5 per person. 

Huge bowl of porridge, chia, frozen fruit, pumpkin seeds and protein for breakfast plus coffee. My espresso machine, even at its very high price ticket (my life time 1 off purchase of a coffee shop standard espresso machine) will over its life pay for itself. Especially since I purchased it used. 

dND

Frugaldom said:

@dND Wow! Fabuloud tgtg box! We don't have access to them here but we did ok from olio over the weekend when friends arrived with extra leftovers. I'll be conjuring up odd lunches this week and it's mince pies all round for any visitors. I just sit them on top of the logburner to warm them.

It's the opposite here, Olio is around 5 miles away, (and a difficult drive) as opposed to 1 mile and is often far later at night, .  I choose the Sunday boxes because the pick-up from my local A1di is from 15:15 so even in winter it's just about in the light. Dx