2019 Frugal Living Challenge

I'm another one emptying the cupboards and freezer at the moment to lower the grocery budget. I've also cleared one credit card (the other one is 0% til August 2020 so just letting that one tick over), opened a top-paying easy access savings account and a Help To Buy ISA, and closed an inactive account from when I was living abroad. Next thing on the financial to-do list is to sort out my invoices from the last couple of weeks so people can pay me!:D


On a slightly different note, does anyone make their own Christmas presents? It's something I'm thinking about for this year.

I really knocked buying a lot of presents on the head last year thanks to Martin’s rant about buying unnecessary and unwanted gifts. We just bought for the kids and it worked really well; I also didn’t do the secret Santa at work which saved me money and a trip to the charity shop to donate the unwanted present :rotfl: I only have 4 children to buy for, one of those is my son so I have to do mummy and Santa gifts so call it 5.

I’ve already started buying some bits from the secondhand shops but did think I might knit my son a “dinosaur” jacket I got a pattern off the Internet for about a year ago. Its basically got coloured “spines” along the top of the hood and sleeves but the rest is plain. Hoping my evenings will no longer be filled with job applications after I’ve finished the latest one tonight; there are 9 positions going at work for a job I previously did before I relocated; fingers cross for releasing some crafting time

I have also checked out cards and paper from last year to see what I need which isn’t much. I plan to wrap as I buy and write cards with plenty of time so not having to spend December evenings Christmas prepping. Not going to make a Christmas cake as only me eats it and last year I didn’t get mince pies or Christmas pudding (no one really eats these either) and they weren’t missed. For Christmas Day I did a Sunday type dinner with a cheesecake for pudding and we were happy. I’ve already booked Santa special steam train and panto tickets and have a card advent calendar instead of tasteless chocolate to have arguments about. Will also look to see if either of the local National Trust properties have things on over Christmas break as a trip out

I've been doing that for years. I used to get paid on the last working day of the month, and all my bills went out on 1st - which wasn't a problem using just one account. But then my employer changed pay day to 15th of the month, and I couldn't change the payments dates for all my outgoings so I opened a second account for bill payments.

It worked well after my hubby died, which coincided with my salary stopping. I was getting child benefit weekly, child tax credits either weekly or forntightly, widowed parents allowance either weekly or fortnightly (not sure which way round they were, but one was weekly and one was fortnightly), and a widows pension from a company scheme at the end of every month. The only way I could be sure the money was in the bank to cover the bills when they went out was to move part of every deposit to a different bank account.

When I started working again 12 months later, my first job was paid every 4 weeks - so yet another deposit schedule I had to factor into things !! (And tax credits increased as I also gained entitlement to a small amount of working tax credit.)

These days I only have a salary every week and the widows pension at the end of every month, so using a different account for outgoings continues to suit me best - and I can't see that ever changing now.

I have had a great year of debt clearance & Saving.

I love using budgeting and online banking apps, I check these daily and find using them a big motivation. Since using a budgeting app and setting up standing orders and direct debits for almost everything I have cleared all my debts and saved almost £7000 ,growing by £850 every payday . I'm a bit unusual in that I spend less when I pay by card rather than cash, I only withdraw cash to pay for travel and my hair cut and I always budget these cost in advance.

I have bought 2 tickets (for husband and I) to go see Hans Zimmer in concert. He wrote the music to Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Lion King, and many more films, and has re-written the music for symphonic orchestra, with lightshow. It is very expensive (to us): €65 each! But I am very much looking forward to it.

We will have food in the car for before and afterwards, and I will arrange sleepovers for dds (saving babysitting costs). We hardly ever go out together, and when we do, it's to free events, so this feels very much like a splurge!