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Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.2026 Frugal Living Challenge
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@Frugaldom regarding “retirement properties”, make sure you check out the service charges. They’re usually larcenously expensive. (My MIL lives in a retirement flat.)
- Pip
"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2026 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 55.5 spent out of 80.5 coupons (66 plus 14.5 from 2025) 25 remain
25.5 coupons - yarn
12 coupons - 3 M&S thermal bodies
4 coupons - shorty pyjamas
1 coupon - bra
8 coupons - 2 t-shirts (Queens Club & 10CC Cricket)
5 coupons - black leather loafers15 -
plus retirement properties are difficult to sell unless you sell it back to the provider. Its the new time share swindle
July NSD 9/18
July Grocery challenge £76.08/£279 = £202.92 rem
w/c 8 June 4 weekly cold turkey week £59.70/£60 = £0.30 rem / June NSD 18/18 / June Grocery challenge £424.19/£270 = £154.19 over
w/c 11 May cold turkey week £49.18/£50 = £0.82 rem / May NSD 20/16 / May Grocery challenge £379.04/£310 = £69.04 over
Debt-Free April 202611 -
Yes definitely check out the service charges. Any management company can come in and raise the price to whatever they feel like. Happened to me and they went up by 200 quid a month. Got shut of them now but it was a nightmare
Current debt approximately 5000
Goal- Zero debt by mid 2025
Savings in 2026- an emergency fund of 500012 -
@ET22 That's awful! 😳 Are you in the UK? I'm naive enough to never even having considered that legal.
Thank you to everyone for all the feedback regarding retirement property. The houses I have been reading about sell really quickly on a five sixths ownership to purchaser and one sixth retained by the landowner, where the nursing home is. The service charge is about £500 a year for gardening, window cleaning and buildings insurance, but I haven't investigated any further than that so now I will... Just to find out the finer details. I'll let you all know how much of a bargain they really are... Or are not.
I reserve the right not to spend.
The less I spend, the more I can afford.
Original Frugal living challenge was living on £4000, but that's now equivalent to £6,845.15
Now frugalling towards retirement.12 -
@Frugaldom looking forward to following you on your 5 year plan to retirement.
Small money saving wins this week. Replaced the hook on my sports bra. I’ve had it for about 3 years. Bought it for £40 in the sale (reduced from £60). It’s one of the better ones I’ve owned, and I’m planning on getting a good few more years out of it.
As I was off on Annual leave this week, my daughter and I had a day trip to a forest park an hour’s drive away from where we live. I spent a total of £41, which included petrol, access to the forest park, a packed lunch, and an iced coffee for her. She received her university results, which she passed with flying colours, so it was a nice, wholesome celebration and well worth the money spent. The graduation day is at the end of the month—it will be an entirely different matter.
One more week to pay day… it can’t come quick enough.
16 -
It is sad to lose so many libraries. We have a small single room library in the village which is run by volunteers. The county online library is available, it is free, and has digital and audiobooks, reserving them is free. I have just enjoyed Dear Miss Lake, A J Pearce, and Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout.
There is The Open Library which is free online for many thousands of out of copyright books. Many are available as audiobooks, or old radio broadcasts, or the electronic voice will read them.
Fashion on the Ration 2026 Coupons, socks 6, 8 vests 24, cardigan 5, pyjamas 2 16, pants 10, l s vests 3 9 Total 66 + 4
Grocery Challenge 2026 £5 a day for food for 2 Total £1,825
Jan £128.45/£155 -£26.55
Feb £122.55/£140 -£17.45
Mar £154.50/£155 -50p
April £144.78/£150 -£5.22
May £151.63/£155 -£3.37
June £143.61/£150 -£6.3919 -
we’re very fortunate. Our local library is right opposite my house and is owned by the community. They have lots of activities, art shows, quiz nights, plant sales to help raise funds.
Saving 1 animal wont change the world - but it will change the world for that 1 animal
2026 Frugal Living Challenge
2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution
26 for 202617 -
love your signature line btw
Saving 1 animal wont change the world - but it will change the world for that 1 animalJuly NSD 9/18
July Grocery challenge £76.08/£279 = £202.92 rem
w/c 8 June 4 weekly cold turkey week £59.70/£60 = £0.30 rem / June NSD 18/18 / June Grocery challenge £424.19/£270 = £154.19 over
w/c 11 May cold turkey week £49.18/£50 = £0.82 rem / May NSD 20/16 / May Grocery challenge £379.04/£310 = £69.04 over
Debt-Free April 202616 -
Thanks @Sallyp2
Saving 1 animal wont change the world - but it will change the world for that 1 animal
2026 Frugal Living Challenge
2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution
26 for 20269 -
Good morning fellow Frugalers and happy solstice to all who celebrate the event. 😊
Small savings this week for the project as managed to repair some electric fence energisers, reducing the amount spent on replacements. Also managed to recharge a couple of old car batteries that are now hooked up to the old solar panels for trickle charging batteries when the sun shines.
In other news, personal spends up by t £170 this month as I'd to tax the car... Yes, the one I had planned on selling but never did, despite it hardly being used. Must go full it up with petrol soon, before what's left in the tank evaporates. 😄
I'm now on a definite use-it-up as far as food is concerned. Working through tins that have been at the back of the cupboard for too long but I'm not sure what I can do with mango pulp... I may just water that down into a fruity drink as the weather has turned hot and sunny. It will be the most tropical thing here. 😄
I reserve the right not to spend.
The less I spend, the more I can afford.
Original Frugal living challenge was living on £4000, but that's now equivalent to £6,845.15
Now frugalling towards retirement.19
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