2025 Frugal Living Challenge

EatingBeans

…Decluttering continues for us, two, with H clearing out the sheds. I'm strapped for time most days but want to completely empty one room at a time, freeing it from everything I no longer need, use or want. It's such a daunting task. I'm even here procrastinating rather than empty a shelf to go through things. Has anyone else got shelves of empty boxes saved from things bought years ago that will never be put back in their boxes? 

Oh yes @Frugaldom you are not alone in having random boxes for things bought years ago! I‘Ve got almost as many boxes as random orphaned cables whose use has long slipped my mind. 🤣

fionaandphil

Yup I think we are all like that, especially the cables. I have reduced them to 2 shoe boxes but no idea what some are. Saying that I was looking for an old style cable for FIL the other day and found one in that box 😄 I am aiming to get rid of more books this year - I could open a shop!

kayannie

Any boxes that contained new appliances etc get 'rescued' by my DH & stored in the attic, whereas I would probably have put them in the recycling bin.

A microwave bought in August last year went wrong recently - the box was in the attic so I was able to return it to the store in it's box.

The boxes were very useful when we moved home & together with boxes begged from supermarkets etc, we didn't need to purchase any removal boxes.
KA

Topher

Bunga12 said:

Hello

This is my first post but I've been following the thread and writing down lots of tips since the start. I suppose you could say I'm a trainee frugaller (or is it frugaler?) for now. Trying to earn my stripes!

I've decided I'm going to focus on two areas: growing some stuff and getting rid of some stuff. Today I bought a bag of seed potatoes as a start (using money from my money box so it didn't feel like a real spend as it was all silver coins) and I'm going to plant them in pots on Friday after I complete my long run (I'm marathon training).

Then Saturday morning I'm going to declutter my bedside drawers. Does anyone have a process for decluttering? I like the point @Topher made - Would I want to pay a removals company to move it? I've written that down. I'm thinking I'll get it all out on the bed and channel Topher and Marie Kondo. How does that sound?

Hi Bunga12, best of luck with your decluttering, I just felt I need to give credit where it’s due, it wasn’t me who suggested the question “would I want to pay a removal co. …. Etc.” I believe it was Prudent who raised that idea, I tried and probably failed to quote their comment before responding. I’m currently struggling with the types of clutter that I gathered intentionally but no longer use, specifically for our 1940s reenactors hobby which we no longer attend, have our house environment decorated as &  the clothing I have “grow” out of, but I’m still partly in love with. 

Gem-gem

Good evening everyone, 
Frugaldom, At one point we had a half a loft full of old appliance boxes. Some we have used to send books / parcels in the post. Some have been thrown. Others are still up there. 

Bunga12 good luck with growing your own food, I still get a thrill when I dig up and eat food that I have grown.

Had a lovely swim this morning. Managed to do quite a few lengths on my back. 

Spent the afternoon with DM helping unpack another box and rearrange things in her kitchen. Also, completed various paperwork - to get a council tax rebate plus putting DM bungalow up for sale. 

This evening, I visited my DA, where we swapped jigsaw puzzles. 

As I had lunch with DM, had h/m toast and h/m raspberry jam for tea.

weenancyinAmerica

Bunga12 - I am now almost to asking "Would I want someone like a fireman to risk their life to rescue it". There is a lot of stuff that 1) no, I wouldn't pay to have it moved and 2) I would rather my sisters didn't have to deal with it after I die. Working through the Swedish Death Cleaning book is helping. But I have a long way to go.

Bunga12

weenancyinAmerica said:

Bunga12 - I am now almost to asking "Would I want someone like a fireman to risk their life to rescue it". There is a lot of stuff that 1) no, I wouldn't pay to have it moved and 2) I would rather my sisters didn't have to deal with it after I die. Working through the Swedish Death Cleaning book is helping. But I have a long way to go.

That's another good one, thank you. I'm not at the 'Stacey Solomon sort your life out' level of clutter but there does seem to be stuff everywhere. I guess I just need to be methodical and work through it. Definitely a job that's getting done this year. I'm determined to start 2026 with a streamlined bunga.

Prudent

It has been so lovely to open this thread this morning and read other people’s declutterring stories. I have almost finished the rooms in my house. My stationery shelf in the side board still needs tidying up and organising. I have four under bed draws and a large unit in my bedroom to do. I can’t get into them at present. We are decorating bedroom two and we have moved things into bedroom one while we paint. I also have the loft and garage to do. I had a look in the loft and it isn’t too bad. I think I could do it in a few mornings. Like @Frugaldom, I found some stored boxes. These have been torn up and are in the recycle bin. The garage is a bigger job and will involve more negotiation as much of it belongs to OH. I a, definitely enjoying the space above the sense of keeping things ‘ just in case’. I am also reminding myself that I don’t t need objects to store my memories. 

B&Q also have paint on offer until 3rd March. We had to buy an extra tin for bedroom two as we are painting a light colour over a dark colour. I also wanted to buy some beige grout for a small job in the kitchen. They only had one size of tub and it was £18, so I will check to see if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.

Three houses came on the market in the village yesterday but still no bungalows. I am also looking at the potential of all the houses for adaptation in the future. None of them suited our needs anymore than our present home. I also sat down with OH and looked at costs of moving versus what we could do to this house with the same money. 

Frugaldom

Prudent said:

Three houses came on the market in the village yesterday but still no bungalows. I am also looking at the potential of all the houses for adaptation in the future. None of them suited our needs anymore than our present home. I also sat down with OH and looked at costs of moving versus what we could do to this house with the same money. 

The comparison is always a great way of looking at things. At some point, we will need to sell the house and move as it's just not equipped or set out to provide comfortable living for elderly or for my knees going up and down stairs with a turn in them to get between bedrooms and toilet. Plus it's single glazed (listed building) with open fire, no proper central heating.

I've had to source more logs - found an ad on Faceb00k and ordered a load for delivery today so I hope it's genuine. I've told them cash on delivery so no bank transfers in advance. £60 per builders bag so ordered 3 to see if they can last until spring. As luck would have it, it's raining now. Hoping it doesn't amount to much as H won't be there to help stack them when they get tipped.

Olio listings last night so friends dropping my rescued goods off - croissants, cauliflower, broccoli & green beans plus whatever surplus leftovers there were suitable for the animals or wildlife. Just needed to buy milk this month so far as still on no spend, shopping from stores at home. Absolute use-it-up mode from now until whole house is decluttered.

mama67

I've had to source more logs - found an ad on Faceb00k and ordered a load for delivery today so I hope it's genuine. I've told them cash on delivery so no bank transfers in advance. £60 per builders bag so ordered 3 to see if they can last until spring. As luck would have it, it's raining now. Hoping it doesn't amount to much as H won't be there to help stack them when they get tipped.

Based on prices for wood here and with what we sell in logs I would guess at £60 per builders bag they will be soft wood. 

We sell kiln dried hardwood at £110 and seasoned hardwood is sold at £80 - £95.