2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Dizzycap

Nice to be on the new Frugal Living Challenge thread ready for 2025. Let's Go for it Everyone xxxx

My Challenge for 2025 is a 'NO Spend Year' - absolutely NO spending outside of anything absolutely essential - Bill's & repairs, if needed. Emergency fund in place for the unexpected, but most of the unexpected's have already happened this year, but you never know xxx

I'm going for another 'Totally FREE Christmas' in 2025 - Recycling Christmas cards into new cards & gift tags. I've been given some beautiful Christmas Card Boxes, wrapping paper & gift bags, which are always welcome & very handy. I received 10 non-perishable Christmas gifts that are useless to me, so they've been swapped, wrapped, tagged & put in a storage box under the bed ready for Christmas 2025

Having decluttered the house and sold a number of items online, I'm now on a mission to declutter my 2 large wardrobes of clothes, shoes, bags, coats oh, the list goes on and there's only so much you actually need.

I managed to drop off 5 black bags of clothing items to one of my local charity shops today who only have 5 shops nationwide and don't pay excessive manager wages, meaning a large % of sale proceeds actually goes to a very worth while and needed end of life care programme xxxx The other 15 large black bags I'm gradually listing and selling online with the proceeds going towards my 'Make £2025 in £2025' Challenge which I began in mid November but I managed to achieve it by mid Decemeber . I've now started on a 2nd 'Make £2025 in £2025' Challenge which thankfully has begun a little slower xx

I'm aiming for my usual 6/7 NSD's each week and have temporarily frozen my bank card in my banking app which means I have to unfreeze before I am able to spend on my card. I personally found that that worked wonders for me throughout 2024 as it really did make me stop and think about what I was about to spend my pennies on and whether it was a totally warranted and more importantly, needed purchase xxx

Frugaldom

It's great to see a few new names appearing with our returning frugal lifers. Here's to us all succeeding in living this lifestyle to the benefit of whatever or whoever, bringing us into and keeping us in debt freedom. In preparation for the new year, I already made 5 litres of laundry liquid from grated soap and washing soda. A few drops of lavender essential oil can be added at anytime and if anyone needs the recipe, just search for 'laundry gloop' in the MSE forums or else you'll find it on the Frugaldom blog.

I'm seeing a few mentions of no spends on new clothes and I'm all for that. We have a couple of charity shops and community shops in the area so they can be utilised if I need anything. Work wear for me usually comprises Welly boots, gloves and waterproofs so I took advantage of sales and have 5 pairs of Dunlop green wellies in store. Being self-employed, workwear is a deductible expense for me so hasn't affected my annual cost of living budget. 

Debt free, mortgage free and I use a cashback credit card, which is paid back in full each month, for almost everything. I also use topcashback, have a Nectar card and just signed up for a More card from Morrisons. Bring it on 2025

suzeesu2000

Having filled both my freezers and made sure there is plenty on my pantry shelves, I am having (I hope!) a no-spend January. Apart from bread, milk and salad there is no reason to buy more food.

Will also be continuing my “buy second hand” practice. Started in 2024 just buying used clothes and shoes on Vinted. From this experience, I see no reason to buy expensive new items. Having said that, I shall still be trying very hard not to buy anything at all as I am wanting to declutter this year rather than fill the house even more!

zcrat41

Sweetbriarrose said:

Hello and welcome Zcrat41, possibly a stupid question, what is? TOMM.

Yup it’s the organised mum method. Basically it’s a housework system of doing 45 mins a day to keep on top of things Monday to Friday. We’ve been lucky enough to have a cleaner the last 10 years but I found I was often mopping the floor the day after she came if the dog was muddy and I was deep cleaning a room a week anyway. At £200 a month I thought I might give it a go myself. Kids are also old enough now to muck in and start learning. 

The idea is you do 15 mins a day of wiping sides, one wash etc. Then 30 mins on a rotating plan with a focus Friday so most rooms get a deep clean. 

patentgirl

Morning everyone I would like to rejoin although absent for most of last year when my tablet packed up but have now got a new phone so this one with a bigger screen enables me to now look and post again my old phone was too much like hard work. This year we moved to bungalow which was the right move for us we are now near local bus and train so rarely use car unless picking up grandchildren I retired at  60,  65 this year so still a while till I can get my state pension DH gets his and still works part time so we manage ok but try to be frugal as I can, another one not buying new clothes trying to be more ethical with buying supporting local shops we are lucky to have good butchers /fishmongers/greengrocers near us which can be more expensive but feel worth it we also by sea so DH gets fish occasionally but lots of prawns/shrimps. Trying for limited spend in Jan our main goal this year is to get the garden done as frugally as possible concentrated on the inside this year  although smaller than our last garden we want to get lots of areas for growing fruit and vegetables  only managed few pots this year currently not much more than a building site.

Prudent

How lovely to meet lots of new frugallers and potential frugallers. Welcome everyone.

@patentgirl I have been on the look out for a bungalow with good transport links for about five years. Nothing suitable has come up in my local area (which has very few bungalows) and OH doesn't want to move. This year brings the dilemma of how much to keep investing in my existing property, with concerns about its long term suitability. However the garden urgently needs hard landscaping to make the washing line safely accessible for me and I need to make changes to my bedroom to improve space for manoeuvring. I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and get them done. They will be my budget 'big spends' this year. 

ladybird1106

My aims for 2025are to put £2880 into a private pension and build up an emergency fund. I’m my daughter’s full time carers so unable to work, OH works full time. Hopefully frugaling will help build these 2 pots up. 
Love 🐞

Nonnadiluca

@Prudent, bungalows are becoming as rare as rocking horse poo! We bought ours, in a very sorry state, in 2010 on a small estate of bungalows built in 1960 and the majority now have been knocked down and huge 4 and 5 bedroom houses built on the plots. We reckon ours will soon be the only 2 bedroom bungalow left and will be worth millions for its rarity value! 

bellabella

Well i really need to get on board with this as DH retires in 15 months and after that and just before we have 4 major super holidays to budget for which are an eyewatering amount but are dreams and a celebration so i just need to get my head down we will be able to save a bit as not having DGS for 2 nights a week those nappies different food clothes and petrol to collect him sure add up . I need to start working on a budget to work to so i will probably have a good scroll through the boards x

Kerry_Woman

Have sorted out budget for 2025. Up from this year. Do not have the service charge for flat as yet. The property maintenance company is trying to sort out through solicitor about lease extension for flat, so not sure when I get the bill for that. They are doing it for flats that they manage on the estate and if owner agrees.  I agreed. Have to try and be extra careful about emotional spending.  I know I have stepped back from several nearly spends this year. Got another 3 and a half years until I am 60. Can get the pension from a company that I worked for.  I currently work full time and 5 days a week in the office.  Can be stressful  but at least it is a local job. Have provisional planned to see some plays and a short break in the UK.  Will look for free events that I can attend. Still bringing lunch to work and refreshments for any event/plays that I go to.