2025 Frugal Living Challenge

kayannie

Although I don't contribute very often, I regularly read along & enjoy dipping into the older frugal living challenges. 
I don't actually set a budget but I know what our income is (state pensions only) & what is available to spend ( not a lot!). 19 years ago I was able to retire at 60, but that means I get the lower rate of state pension, as does my DH. It annoys me when articles on pensions state that pensioners will be getting X amount after the increases. The figure referred to is for pensioners who retired after April 6th 2016 who received the higher rate of state pension. 
Having said that, thanks to always living frugally & never having debt (apart from once having a  mortgage), we manage well enough on what we receive & we manage to save. We never eat meat, we grow some of our food, never waste anything, I bake & I make all meals from scratch. If I'm lucky, I might get a £1.50 fruit & veg box from L!dl, but the last I got was about 3 weeks ago so i can't rely on that. 
I look forward to reading of everyone's frugal endeavours for 2025.
KA

Cas

Hello everyone, I'm joining in again and hoping to be more of a contributor this year than a lurker! Thanks @Frugaldom for setting up this year's new thread.
I'm now an early retiree having lived off my redundancy money for the last few years and with DH wanting to retire early in 2 years time we have got our work cut out in massively decluttering, getting some much needed home improvements done (kitchen, bathroom, new windows), cooking more from scratch, using up the food in the cupboards & freezer and generally spending less.  
I find increasingly that I’m going back to the way I was brought up in the 70s when we had very little spare cash so things like growing our own veg, foraging, eating seasonally, and generally making do and mending where it makes economic sense to do so. I've also gradually swapped our shower gel and hand wash for bars of soap which not only last longer but fill the bathroom with a lovely scent (unlike the carbolic and coal tar soaps I remember my grandparents using!).
We came in on budget with our Christmas spends so I'm hoping to be under budget next year. We decided that apart from close relatives and non-Faceb00k friends we wouldn't send any Christmas cards this year. We didn't have any "oops we got a card from so and so but didn't send one to them" incidents so we'll do the same going forward. In the past we only ever sent a small number of cards but the cost of sending them second class was just getting ridiculous.
Some of our saving accounts bonus rates have expired recently and our cashback credit card (paid off every month in full!) has reduced some of its benefits so I need to switch to new products which are more beneficial to us.
Think that's enough of my ramblings for now so good luck everyone with 2025's frugalling!

mumtoomany

Hi all. Back again, for a other year of frugality. We are better off than we were at the turn of last year. OH is now getting state pension, as well as some small occupational pensions. I earn a little from selling eggs, plants and vegetables. Still spending as little as possible, so that we can spend on repairs mostly! 

Welcome to all the new names, welcome back to all the returners. Such a lovely bunch on this thread. Thanks to frugaldom for hosting us all again to this "party".

Hope to post a little more regularly this year, hugs to all, mumtoomany.xx

sheilavw

hi enjoy reading everyone's posts daily, It is my second school year on 4 days, 63 in February, need to think about when to reduce another day, or if can afford to finish maybe at 64/65. Just bought an air fryer and plan to make full use of that, also plan on making my own soups for work lunches

fionaandphil

Lovely to see so many people joining. For anyone looking to save for next Christmas, there is a Principality account paying 7% for up to £125 per month

Cas

fionaandphil said:

Lovely to see so many people joining. For anyone looking to save for next Christmas, there is a Principality account paying 7% for up to £125 per month

Thank you @fionaandphil, I'll need to have a look at that. 

Prudent

fionaandphil said:

Lovely to see so many people joining. For anyone looking to save for next Christmas, there is a Principality account paying 7% for up to £125 per month

I started using the Principality this autumn. It was a revelation. As well as getting three good fixed rate savers, this 7%, a 7.85% and a 5.15%, the customer service is superb. I had to phone them three times. Once in relation to me forgetting a password and twice in relation to ISA transfer questions. I was astounded when the phone was answered after a few rings and they went above and beyond to be helpful. It was like going back in time. If they continue like this then they are a keeper.

lilian1977

Hello all

I would like to join this please. I have my own diary called 2025 will be the year, but basically I have been debt free so many times and keep building it back up again. I now have around £6k of debt that I am adamant I will clear in 2025. My DH turns 50 in December so I want to make sure that we start 2026 on an even keel.

We have paid off out mortgage and save for pensions and emergencies already, so it's just a case of getting this off my back. My figures are in my signature but basically I pay £158 pm to my Post Office loan, and the rest is on an interest free CC and some tickets I bought on PayPal Credit which needs to be paid by 1 March.January is the final payment for our holiday, so I will be £94 a month better off then too. I have set myself the challenge to earn £2025 extra through sales, surveys etc too. 

Good luck all, excited to join!

Kerry_Woman

Wishing everyone a happy and frugal new year.

Treasurequeen

Frugaldom thank you for setting up this years page. I’m rejoining and will try to post a bit more as I keep veering off the frugal path. I’ve been following and reading all posts though. 

My aim for  2025 is to invest in well made quality items. Being frugal in some ways to pay for things that enrich my life. 

I’ve signed up to some free events online through Eventbrite. I’ve attended a few this year and they’ve been really interesting and I’ve learnt a lot from them. Usually around 1-2 hours they are something to do and enjoy. I’ve learnt how to grow veg and fruit vertically, how to make good compost, how to make lip balm, make jams and virtual tours around Italy all from the comfort of my own home.