2025 Frugal Living Challenge

mumtoomany

Hello all, not been on here for, what seems like, an age. I've  spent the last few days reading the first quarter of the original living on £4000 challenge thread. Yes i know I'm sad, but when the only tv is tennis, football, cycling, etc, needs must. So interesting to look back. I wasn't part of that challenge. I think because it was on the DFW section and I had no debt, I never looked there back then. So many things have changed. Talk of Greasypalm, Netto and Woolworths. So many names now not on here. Looked at the bunker house you found, Frugaldom, which apparently was last for sale for only £20,000. (Good job you didn't buy it back then.) 

Anyway, all the nostalgia got me thinking. Could it still be done today? According to Google, £4000 in 2008 is now around £6300 today. So who could manage on only £3150 for the last half of this year? Or even the original £4000, so having only £2000 until the start of 2026? I think I'm going to tally my spends and see how far I get. 

In keeping with the original thread, I won't count council tax, house insurance or water rates (meter). We have no mortgage or rent. Nor will I count car expenses other than petrol, the nearest bus stop is over half a mile away and we have no pavements! Nearest town is around 8 miles. A car is a necessity, but the number of times we choose to use it is up to us. 

I will include everything else, from July 1st to December 31st 2025. 

Hope I am OK to put this on here, @Frugaldom. If not, just let me know and I'll move it to a new thread. 

I'll be back later with spends so far this month.

Hugs, to all, mumtoomany.xx

mumtoomany

So, food shopping for the month to date is £64.86. This includes the veg shop yesterday. For £4 I got: three lettuce, 24 perfect peaches, 6 slightly bruised peaches, 10 assorted apples, 2 tangerines, 4 bananas, 8 peppers, 2 huge sweet potatoes, 2 button mushrooms and a single radish. Do love my veg shop!

Will update other spends later, when I've worked them out. 

Eventful day here. Cow escaped from the field over the road this morning! Got caught by the BT man, who was passing, and put back. We now have cloven hoof tracks all across the front garden. I fell over, again, in the polytunnel, whilst watering and collecting produce. Not hurt, fortunately. It's like a jungle. Collected a wheelbarrow full of veg, to sell on the table by the gate. 

Of now to do some weeding, speak soon hugs to all, mumtoomany.xxx

kayannie

@mumtoomany . If you're sad, then I am too! I also like re-reading the old challenges. I'm just back from doing my 7-10 day 'weekly' shop. Luckily for me, the nearest town is 10 miles away so that stops me 'popping to the shops'  I try to spend as little as possible while being healthy, but with all the price increases, that's getting more difficult each week. I noticed today that the price of milk has increased again!  I am envious of your veg shop!  We do have fruit & veg in the garden & this year I have taken on a very neglected & overgrown allotment  which is keeping us fed - potatoes & courgettes so far! It's amazing how versatile courgettes can be! 
KA

fionaandphil

I am also a saddo!  Thanks @KayAnne I didn't spot the milk had gone up again when I picked some up last night - it does seem never ending.  So glad that we have garden and greenhouse to supply plentiful produce during the summer, we just need to buy a cow or goat now 

Frugaldom

mumtoomany said:

Hello all, not been on here for, what seems like, an age. I've  spent the last few days reading the first quarter of the original living on £4000 challenge thread. Yes i know I'm sad, but when the only tv is tennis, football, cycling, etc, needs must. So interesting to look back. I wasn't part of that challenge. I think because it was on the DFW section and I had no debt, I never looked there back then. So many things have changed. Talk of Greasypalm, Netto and Woolworths. So many names now not on here. Looked at the bunker house you found, Frugaldom, which apparently was last for sale for only £20,000. (Good job you didn't buy it back then.) 

Anyway, all the nostalgia got me thinking. Could it still be done today? According to Google, £4000 in 2008 is now around £6300 today. So who could manage on only £3150 for the last half of this year? Or even the original £4000, so having only £2000 until the start of 2026? I think I'm going to tally my spends and see how far I get. 

In keeping with the original thread, I won't count council tax, house insurance or water rates (meter). We have no mortgage or rent. Nor will I count car expenses other than petrol, the nearest bus stop is over half a mile away and we have no pavements! Nearest town is around 8 miles. A car is a necessity, but the number of times we choose to use it is up to us. 

I will include everything else, from July 1st to December 31st 2025. 

Hope I am OK to put this on here, @Frugaldom. If not, just let me know and I'll move it to a new thread. 

I'll be back later with spends so far this month.

Hugs, to all, mumtoomany.xx

We are still doing the living on £4k thing but my budget posted includes the council tax, car and mobile phones.   You are welcome to post anything Frugaldom living and budget related in here, it all makes for helpful information. Thank you.

Frugaldom

Stodge, stodge, stodge .. that's my latest freebies from Olio as it was mostly baked goods plus 2 turnips, which will get fed to the goats. We are also about 10 miles from the nearest town so I tend to use home delivery when there's a £1.50 delivery slot. It means no yellow stickers or other bargains but I do try to offset that with some swaps and home grown whatevers. Many of the fruit trees, however, have not grown any fruit this year.

Sad.. I love reading back through the old challenges. It is a bit sad seeing all the names of people we have lost along the way but it also makes me happy to know that some of the departed made it to Frugaldom before they passed. RIP to those dear frugal friends.

Frugaldom

@mumtoomany please send me a link to the bunker house so I can take a look. I'm still in contact with who bought 'the house over the river with no bridge', although 'the ish life' sadly passed away in recent years.  

mumtoomany

Thank you, @Frugaldom. The link, if I can post it properly, is from your original post in 2008. It's  https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/17997839#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY. Not sure how old this is. 

Will add up other spends and post tomorrow. 

Had home grown brocolli and potatoes with tea. Can't do any more shopping now for a few days. OH is fixing the car. New clutch, two strut things at the back welded and a new thing fitted for the suspension at the front. Note all the technical terms there! Should all be done in about a week, then it will need MOTing. At least we are only paying for parts. OH is a self taught mechanic and self taught welder. 

Right I'm going to try and post on Facebook, see if anyone wants any courgettes or marrows. Anyone in Southwest Wales, please come and help yourself, before we are buried in them! 

Hugs to all, mumtoomany.xx

Frugaldom

Ah, I see now, I misread and thought you'd found an updated listing of the completed bunker. I saw a link some time ago if the place after work had been done - it was interesting but I lost the link and then forgot all about it. We had some really interesting 'alternative property' links posted back then but I can't remember if they got posted on here or on the old Frugaldom forums. I remember a big barge or boat of some sort, and an aeroplane fuselage, among other things. 😄

mumtoomany

The bunker is the only one I've seen mentioned on the thread, so far. Will keep my eyes peeled for others. Mumtoomany.x