Hello I better join this year. I’m newly single stay at home (ish) mum of two admittedly feral children (4yo and 1yo). I’m not currently in debt (except the mortgage) and I don’t intend my change in circumstances to put me into debt so will need to adjust.

Good luck everyone will sort out budget before new year!

Hello,
I’d like to join please.
We have a large debt to clear. Our main downfall is eating out, takeaways and online purchases on a whim. Meal planning and batch cooking is the way to go. Checking into MSE and less on shopping sites!
Good luck everyone. I’m looking forward to picking up some interesting tips.

hi ,hopeing to join in
no debt ,some savings - i hope to save up a deposit for a flat this year . the mortgage on flats same street as mine are less than what i pay rent so thats been a bit of a wake up call. some are even 2 bedroom to my studio style....
i have a sharesave at work which takes out 250 from my pay per 4 weeks . i would like to match that just from being frugal and from online sites such as swagbucks.

Hi all, just reposting here, I posted on the 2018 thread! I'd like to join up again this year please. Our very low income (around £10,000 to keep three of us and all the livestock) is set to fall again in summer, yet to know how much by. So this year needs to be extra frugal. Happy new year to you all, M2m.

Lovely to see some more frugallars (That's now a new word!)
My down fall is holidays , and I don't big expensive ones , But even the cheap caravan holiday adds up if you are doing 3 a year. I have terrible bouts of depression so I feel a bad need to run away often, ..although i'm sure my family are more than willing to assist me in this sort of healing , I need to find a cheaper and better outlet.

I'm pretty old school elsewhere though, grow my own (well try to) Make gifts, recycle etc.
Todays Mse was to look at unfair od charges. Put the last of the beef in the freezer minus some for a leftover stew for dinner.
Cut up some very old t-towels and made those into cleaning rags, I got new t-towels for Christmas My others are 10-20 years old!

Looked at my bank. loans etc , Managed to totally lock myself out of Facebook, (and a temp ban!) which is annoying as I use it as a free online message to contact my family, they don't have skype.

Gernal tidying and absorbing christmas into the house. Thankfully fairly minimalist here , we get given things we can use up, But lordy I have enough treats to last until Easter ! lol

Have a great day all xx

Hello, count me in please x. I have become a pretty quiet MSE'er so may mostly just read. I hope that's okay x

This year for me is about adjusting to a new budget. I took a year off to be with the children (my jobs have always been stressful and lots of time travelling). I'm due to start a new job early in the new year which is much closer to home meaning I can have a better family/work balance but is also a good chunk less pay.

This year is also about rebuilding savings. I still have my emergency fund in tact, but have learnt to really value having a bigger cushion

Looking forward to the journey

I have done my budget for 2019. I am planning to move to Norwich next year(hopefully after my holiday in April), so I am paying the property maintenance monthly for the flat. I really have to cut down on my spending. I did end an very toxic friendship this year which affected me emotional and financially. I have started a new journey in 2018 since my Mum sadly died in December 2017. Still on a learning curve.

I'd like to join in to this challenge this year!

I've managed to pay off most of my credit card, and will pay the last chunk off after January payday so I'm very grateful for that.

However, I'm starting a new role in January with a fair salary increase and I'm concerned that without some structure I'll slip into old habits and go crazy on spending it all and not reaping the rewards in a positive way!

I've set up my spreadsheet with what I believe will be my income from January (will be getting a new tax code so am unsure of the exact amount) and am keen to get cracking!

I would like to join. I have debt to pay off this year and need to start being more savvy with my money. I have looked carefully at my bills and switched to different providers. Now i need to look at other ways i can save. Im not a very good cook and don't have much time (I'm a teacher so work is always busy). any advice and help welcome and appreciated.

Just been revising my spreadsheet for this year. I used to do it for the actual year. I now do it for the financial year as that is when a lot of my bills change and obviously pay changes due to tax changes.
Have reduced my weekly presents budget from £5 to £4- saving of £52 a year. Have also reduced home improvements budget from £20 a week to £15 a week- saving of £260. Started looking at my phone bill- currently £11.19 for 5GB data- and yes I do use it, on a couple of occasions I actually have to get more, but not often enough to warrant paying for a bigger data allowance. Looks like Vodafone have a 25% off sale- £13 contract would be £9.50 (estimated £10 following RPI increase), need to check terms to see if is for duration of whole contract. Though might give them a ring and see if they can do any better- don't ask don't get.

Pliease count me in. Life got in the way re retiring in 2018 but need to focus to achieve this in 2019(for my own sanity)

I am in again did qute well last year but dipped around October preparations for Christmas went slightly overboard still saving for retirement both DH and me want to retire in 2 years both will have few years(me 5 years) before able to claim state pension we will look to do something part time then but both need to get out of stressful jobs for our own health which is why we need to build up our pension reserves. Another one who likes their holidays but budgeted in beginning of year into another account.Definitely going to look for ways to continue cut back on housekeeping bills, like Treasurequeen idea of supporting local businesses for gifts etc My downfall last year was lack of posting my old ipad died so can only use my phone now to post but will try to get hang of it better as always do better when reading everyone elses journeys and updates.
Good luck everyone

Hello all would like to join please. We live with my parents but our expenditure still seems quite high! Our annual total is £11,909 - which, in theory, leaves us with £10,615 to pay off debts/save. We only moved in with my parents in Sept/Oct last year, so we definitely haven't seen this amount of money yet, but it would be awesome to do so! We have about 11k worth of debts to pay off and we also want to buy a house. I really don't want to be living with my parents by next Christmas, so I want to do it all in a year! Haha. I go back to work in April, which will add income of £8640 to that, and hopefully only slightly increase my outgoings (petrol etc). The sooner we can move out the better for my mental health so I am really going to focus on this challenge!

I'd like to join as well. Aim is to build up a decent emergency fund and save some money for when DD1 goes to university. This is whilst overpaying the mortgage (its not much a month but every little helps) and saving for a car (in 4 years time). Another one who likes lots of holidays (always in the UK and always as cheap as possible, although camping in not an option as DD2 is in a wheelchair). Need to try and be a frugal as possible, no excuses other than it needs to fit in with our ethical values.
Looking forward to 2019
CRx

Hi


I would like to join in please. We are saving to go to Florida in 2020 on holiday so I would like to save enough for all that so we do not need to use any credit cards or anything to pay for it.


I know areas I can cut back on which are frivoulous spending eg meals, snacks when out as well as impulse shopping buys. I also know I can get the food burget down as we eat too much and also a lot we waste. More planning needed as its too easy to get a takeaway when I am tired.


Off to set a budget for each thing so I am ready to rock and roll on the 1rst

I would love to join please.
Fingers crossed i can do better than previous years.By joining this one it should keep me on track for the 1% challenge and £2019 in 2019.

I'm definitely in again!

I've got the house renovations to finish and the mortgage to pay off this year....other than that, it will be a doddle!!

I'm here.


Not yet set my budgets, but I know I need to reduce my grocery spends in the shops and use up a lot of the food mountain in my house instead.......

I've started a stocktake, and am working on a 10 week meal plan that I then plan to recycle every 10 weeks, but with a couple of random weeks when I go away with my fella (self catering in a family owned property that we do jobs on in return for being allowed to stay there). So 5 cycles of the meal plan will get me through 2019. I already know I have enough noodles and probably enough stir fry sauces to have that every 5th day (easy to make after work, one of my healthiest meals, and I can usually get the veg at 50% off at least twice a week).



I defrosted and did a stocktake of one freezer on Christmas Day (I see family on Boxing Day), and am currently working on the other. Pretty sure I have enough sausages (mostly high quality in a variety of flavours) to have that once a week


I should also have enough (dried) pasta and rice in the house for the year, as well as lentils to add to mince meals (though I think I'll need another bag of oats for the same use).


I've been warned by my utility company that my gas and electricity is likely to shoot up by 25% when my fixed deal ends early Feb due to a rise in wholesale prices - and a quick price comparison seems to confirm that So I either need to reduce comsumption by 20% to keep payments the same (don't see how when I'm already on very low bills for my type of property) or will need to reduce elsewhere to cover the increase!


I've spent a fair bit on my car in 2018, but it's now running much better (and I no longer have fumes coming into the car when I try and run a heating system that was also not working on all settings - it's only taken 3 garages about 4 years to sort the fumes problem!! The latest garage sorted it on 2nd attempt ) so I'm hoping it'll get through the 2019 MOT in July with minimal cost. But I'm planning on using my pushbike a lot more (I've also spent a fair bit on that getting problems sorted and improvements made), so that will reduce use of car hopefully reducing maintenance costs and definitely reducing petrol costs.


I need to stocktake toiletries, but having recently bought in several items I knew I was runing short of I think I should have enough to get me through the year (and then some for several items).



And I probably have enough cleaning products apart from 1 box of washing powder and maybe 1 bottle of washing up liquid.



Where I'm using groceries / toiletries / cleaning products from stock I plan to move what they cost me (or the current cost if I don't recall what I paid) to a savings account. That should give me something to fall back on for unexpected expenses, or to use to start stocking up for 2020 if I see good deals from late 2019


The main (partially) unexpected expense in 2018 was a new laptop just before Christmas. My old one was 7.5 years old and has been limping along for about 18 months - but since the summer has regularly been threatened with being thrown through a closed window and was NOT going to make it into 2019 for regular use (it will be cleaned up and kept as a backup, with my original from 2006 being totally cleaned and junked - that was terrible to use while mine was having a new keyboard fitted a monrh or 2 ago). I've worked out that the one I'm replacing cost me under £1/week (£350, as best I recall, over 7.5 years = £350 / 390 weeks = 90p/week), so I'd like to try and put £1.50 a week into a savings account ready for when this one needs replacing (in the hope it lasts almost as long). I'm lucky that my parents give me money for Christmas and my (January) birthday. A couple of years that went towards a new built-in fridge/freezer, and this time it's effectively paying a huge chunk of the laptop cost.




Anyhow, I guess I'd best get back to the freezer........

Spoke to Vodafone, first person wouldn't not even match detail via the app. So rang cancellations- they have matched the price of a competitor so £9 a month - £2.19 saving on what am paying now. I am estimating will be £9.45 once RPI increase applies later in year.

I'd like to join, please. OH and I have just retired in the last six months, and we really need to adjust to the lower income, and keep within our budget.


Biggest problem areas for me
1) Food. My family is riddled with coeliacs, and in addition, one son is allergic to caisin in milk and nuts and I have nuts and coconut to worry about as well as gluten. Other son's girlfriend is allergic to eggs. For us, the problem is not so much downgrading to a cheaper option as to find any option. I bake and cook almost everything from scatch, but scourcing and buying suitable ingredients can be difficult, and expensive.
2) Holidays. Another one who likes her holidays! Mostly in the UK and as cheap as I can make it, although plans are in progress for a family trip to Lisbon later on next year.

3) Miscellaneous items - this is what I called it on the Frugal Spreadsheet last year. All the stuff which didn't really fit into any other category. I started keeping a list during the last couple of months, and I need to go through it and see if I can manage to figure out why it ran out of control last year.


Still, I will be eating my way through a lot of left-overs during January, as well as using up what is in the freezer, so that's a start!