Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

redglass_2 · 1 April 2011 at 12:15AM

Thanks Tumpty and Cheryl, I wanted to quote you but something went very weird with my cursor and it wouldn't appear in the quoted messages and I couldn't add any comments, so this will have to do!

Welcome to all our newbies. :-)

I was going to watch the scrimping programme but from what other frugalists have said I don't think I'll bother now.

franticflyerSue56 · 1 April 2011 at 7:11AM

Hi everyone!
I'm a newbie on here, but would like to join this thread, probably lurking and looking!:)

I'm 55 this year, and will be made redundant from my job in the library service. The redundancy package isn't bad, but not enough to live on, and at my age, finding employment might be a bit of a challenge:eek:. Therefore, I am taking the opportunity to change my lifestyle one step at a time, and that means living within my means!!

I've already seen some great ideas, thoughts and plans.

FFS56

cw18 · 1 April 2011 at 7:35AM

Quarter 2's thread is now up and running - here

ceridwen · 1 April 2011 at 7:55AM

MINNIE

You make me feel positively exhausted just looking at your timetable:eek: - but you deserve a medal for putting in so much - and with health problems to contend with too.

Re NMW (ie National Minimum Wage) you might find it useful to have a read of this:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/TheNationalMinimumWage/DG_10027201

LauraM65 · 1 April 2011 at 9:22AM

LauraM65 wrote: »

Hi

I am posting this, as from tomorrow onwards I am planning on living a frugal life, having a massive debt of £12,000 this needs to be paid off, I have just kind of got a second job as a sessional worker although it will be work on an adhoc basis but this money will certainly be going to pay my debts.

I am off from work at the moment with a chest infection and have had a great time looking at all the money saving advice. Today I have cleared my storecupboard and made an inventory of what I have, am planning to do the same tomorrow with the freezer and fridge. I have to say I had a huge surprise, not much shopping needed this week or probablly next other than the usual milk, bread, sandwich filler, veg and fruit.

I am currently making a batch of freezer veg soup up, and am writing this as the veg is cooking, I also added a chicken stock that I made up from an old carcus earlier today, I may even put the small bits of chicken that have come off the carcus and bones in at the end when the veg has cooked and then whizz it all down. I am the planning to freeze once I have taken some out for my lunch tomorrow. Hubby going to work tomorrow with left over chilli from tonights tea.

I also had a lot of baking stuff in my store cupborad such as dried fruit so am making up 4 tea loaves (yum) great with butter and an afternoon cuppa. Really cheap to make as well.

Going to keep a diary of my daily spend as well as a monthly one for April and hopefully I will be able to continue on from there. I am also planning to get a Cashbuilder Card in order to put monies on so that I can try and keep to a budget for my shopping and hopefully this will leave me with some money in the bank at the end of the month or to pay off some of my debts.

Well I am so excited to be taking my frugal living challenge and would welcome any money saving tips, recipes of advice anyone has to offer. Will look forward to hearing from you all.

Cheers :beer:

Well here's to day one, have got up early as my chest was tight from my chest infection, so not feeling too great anyway, good job I got organised with food yesterday for today. Have decided to send letters out to credit card companies to try and claim charges back, this will then hopefully go to paying off a bit of my debt. Been looking at other ways on here of raising some cash, especially been looking at raising £11,000 Challenge thread for some inspiration and tips. Also going to apply for a Cashbuilder card in order to try and budget more for my shopping which may leave me with a little bit more cash in the bank at the end of the month. It will also help me build my credit scoring as mine is pretty bad.

So any advice, tips or help would be most welcome, thanks to a couple of people already who have welcomed me and given me a great recipe to try to use up all my beans that I have in my storecupboard. (Done a storecupboard inventory yesterday so amazed at what I had, no expensive shop this week).

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::T

redglass_2 · 1 April 2011 at 1:22PM

Welcome, FFS56!

LauraM65 wrote: »

So any advice, tips or help would be most welcome, thanks to a couple of people already who have welcomed me and given me a great recipe to try to use up all my beans that I have in my storecupboard. (Done a storecupboard inventory yesterday so amazed at what I had, no expensive shop this week).

You don't need this one yet, if your cupboards are full, but Approved Foods (they do other stuff besides food, but not a lot) is one of my favourite moneysavers. You have to be disciplined and only buy stuff you know you'll use, and also maximise your purchase to offset the delivery cost, but it has saved me a fortune over the years.

I always do the homework on gas, electricity, insurance etc and try to get the best deal. Boring but worth it. And I keep the house cool, not tropical, and just wear an extra layer or two instead. I can honestly say that you do acclimatise and that most people's houses are too hot for me now.

Topcashback and Quidco and the Nectar site come next (I don't use any others but I expect other moneysavers have got good suggestions besides these three).

Lots of batch cooking (mine is mostly soups and stews whereas a lot of people do baking too).

I have an allotment but by the time I've purchased bits'n'bobs I'm not sure how much cheaper it is, really, but it's nice to do.

On the subject of growing your own food: I've got some chitting potatoes and have bought some potato bags to put in my back yard. They are cylindrical, 45cm deep and 35cm round the top rim. Are these supposed to hold one plant each, or can you put more than one in? The picture on the package is clearly fake, with about 5 big plants all throttling each other! Has anyone used them?

23rdspiral · 1 April 2011 at 5:17PM

woops, it looks like the new thread is up and running away with itself. i'm going to repost and delete my last message over there if no- one minds? see you there...

LauraM65 · 1 April 2011 at 5:30PM

redglass wrote: »

Welcome, FFS56!

You don't need this one yet, if your cupboards are full, but Approved Foods (they do other stuff besides food, but not a lot) is one of my favourite moneysavers. You have to be disciplined and only buy stuff you know you'll use, and also maximise your purchase to offset the delivery cost, but it has saved me a fortune over the years.

I always do the homework on gas, electricity, insurance etc and try to get the best deal. Boring but worth it. And I keep the house cool, not tropical, and just wear an extra layer or two instead. I can honestly say that you do acclimatise and that most people's houses are too hot for me now.

Topcashback and Quidco and the Nectar site come next (I don't use any others but I expect other moneysavers have got good suggestions besides these three).

Lots of batch cooking (mine is mostly soups and stews whereas a lot of people do baking too).

I have an allotment but by the time I've purchased bits'n'bobs I'm not sure how much cheaper it is, really, but it's nice to do.

On the subject of growing your own food: I've got some chitting potatoes and have bought some potato bags to put in my back yard. They are cylindrical, 45cm deep and 35cm round the top rim. Are these supposed to hold one plant each, or can you put more than one in? The picture on the package is clearly fake, with about 5 big plants all throttling each other! Has anyone used them?

Thanks for the advice, I already use Quidco and will probablly need to be looking at my gas and electric now as well.

With regard to growing your own food, we do this and also have potatoes chitting but ours will go directly into the veg patch. Hubby says that you should probablly put 4 or 5 plants in each sac as that will be fine. Am also growing runner beans, onions, garlic, beetroot and a range of other bits and bots. Keep me posted on your growing and good luck.:T

cake21 · 1 April 2011 at 8:17PM

Reporting in for the end of Quarter 1...overall result is that I'm 32% over budget which looks bad and is, but I'm underbudget for gas/electric after winter which I'm really happy about. Probably won't make it back but if the food/gas/electric/books/newspapers & magazines/snacks are right down then I'll be very happy at the end of the year. Hope everyone is ok, can't keep up with the thread unfortunately but my monthly post along with the SoW does keep me going

redglass_2 · 1 April 2011 at 8:24PM

LauraM65 wrote: »

Hubby says that you should probablly put 4 or 5 plants in each sac as that will be fine. Am also growing runner beans, onions, garlic, beetroot and a range of other bits and bots. Keep me posted on your growing and good luck.:T

Thank you! My allotment plot is very small so i keep it for the more expensive stuff. Good luck with yours, too!

I'm off to the exciting world of the New Thread now...see y'all over there...:)

Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

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