Frugal February!

[Psychoticbreak]

I failed in January but definitely need to reign in Feb or my mortgage will not be paid. Best of luck to us all!

@2024Hackathon @Disneyland2022 thanks for the suggestions. I enjoy all those things but like to get out in the evening if I’ve been working from home all day - hence non-negotiable gym membership! But am wondering about meet ups that aren’t in pubs or restaurants etc where I’ll get giddy and spend too much! Maybe I should do volunteering somewhere?

May I join you? We're attempting to be frugal this year; January has been an improvement on 2023's spending patterns but I'd really like to tighten the belt quite a bit further. I spent today fretting about the state of the world and didn't finish dinner prep, so I splurged on a pub meal (it's just me and my young child so under £10) despite deciding to have a very frugal Feb. Maybe some accountability will help!

Day 1: spent £4.38 on a gift for a friend I'm visiting later today and £9.90 on petrol.
Day 2: £60 on a loo roll and kitchen towel order. Will last me 6 months. And booked a swim costing £6. So all spending on what I think of as essential. Managed to resist coffee out at work and looking at my Vinted saved items from January browsing.

Hoping to put the council tax that I don't need to pay this month towards my credit card balance. I'm on an 18month no interest card (no longer use it for spending) and need to clear the balance by May.

Volunteering will usually mean you covering your own transport costs. It won't cost as much as some other activities but a lot will depend on where you are and what you're doing.

I used to cook for a charity that delivered meals to people at the weekend. DH used to be a driver for them to deliver them to people's homes. We couldn't begin to afford that now.

I'll be interested to see what you can find in the way of evening volunteer opportunities that give you an opportunity to get out in the evening. Other than Chocolate/Soup runs, I feel very unimaginative. Do they ask for volunteers to pick-up food from supermarkets for Olio or foodbanks in your area?

https://volunteers.olioex.com/

Managed spend less on Friday food shop as didn’t get anything else in advance so felt like a good start to February. In for 3 big NSD now I WILL be good!

https://www.gov.uk/volunteering/pay-and-expenses

Consideration for volunteers

NSD yesterday but today I spent €12.50 on scones for my team in work and €25.50 taking a new colleague for work.

insurance will make a contribution to the shed roof of about 40% which I’m considering a result. However will still need to manage resources carefully if we want to do everything house related on our list.

I’ll have about £40 after the bills are paid this month so I don’t have much choice to not spend money randomly!! I just hope that nothing ends up happening where I need to spend money and I don’t have it!!

£145 in Aldi today, but that is the biggest shop of the month, and includes restocking the pantry, toiletries and cleaning stuff. I transferred the money that would have gone to council tax into the savings account to take away the temptation to spend it.

£62 diesel, so essential spend only again.
Tomorrow I’m baking cheese & red pepper scones for teens for weekend, and flapjack. Ingredients already in, food shop won’t be delivered until Tuesday. Kids have got 10 days off school from next Friday, always catches me unawares as we didn’t get that long at half term when I was wee.

Already feels like a long month!

Not part of the group but feeling a bit frazzled on day two of February
deposit for sons flat 2nd yr uni
plumber needed for leaks
doe gold payment
history trip payment
microwave dead…do we need a new one?
£500 to uni child per month (halls 800£month)
Elderly cat is weeing everywhere need a vet trip
🤦🏻‍♀️

10 days of children at home sounds expensive!

Are they old enough to mostly entertain and feed themselves or do they need somewhere between constant or light supervision?

pistachios - insurance will make a contribution to the shed roof of about 40% which I’m considering a result
I'm relieved you have something. You've reminded me that I don't know what's happened after my friend's claim for their shed the size of a barn.

Nellieinthebarn - good thinking on putting the money aside already!

Hesleepswiththefishes - Welcome. You've a lot to be frazzled about but you'll find a lot of empathy here.

Good morning everyone, great start to the month.

I've had two NSDs, I did purchase something on Thursday but after some thought I cancelled. I downloaded an app to keep track of my no spend days and the thought of changing my green day to red put me off the order. I'm also using it to track flylady, but so far no housework had been done. I'm hoping to make a good start this weekend which should keep me too busy to shop.

Had a bad day yesterday healthwise, moneymaking was on the back-burner. Finances are on track but the extra would have been welcomed. I have a mystery shop to complete which will add some pennies to the pot.

Fingers crossed I should have two more NSDs in the bag this weekend

NSD as planned on Thursday, and planned spend day yesterday - got my bathroom print, bought a couple rounds and a nice dinner. I didn’t get around to the online shop though, so I’ll need to do that today.

Today is not a NSD. Long weekend here so some nice spends.

the child’s boots that were bought last week had to be returned as they split. Replacement shoes from specialist shop were €25 more expensive. An essential spend.

while returning the boots wee were near Tesco so popped in for some groceries. Some were essential as I’d run out if firefighters and baking paper. Others we probably could have survived without but we did only buy fresh food and no treats. Except for Dabs chewing gum supply again he’s not the high spender here so don’t mind them though he’d usually but from his own account whereas today it for lumped Into the joint.

we then went for breakfast so that was €22.50. Eating out is budgeted for and it’s the budget I don’t like to cut as it’s for family things and the odd takeaway. It’s my spending that I really want to tackle.

not sure about dinner tonight though we have plenty of options available but I’m not feeling well so I’ll see how I feel later.

@pistachiosanscream ahhh, hope you're feeling better soon.
Yesterday I spent under £20 in tesco, but it did include 2 x wine. My sister wanted me to go out but I declined. So, I suppose it would have been more.
Today I've not spent anything. Tad hungover so was wanting junk food, but just made a chicken curry, rice and oven chips. Really nice.

Tomorrow we're going out. I'm budgeting £100. We like to go out as it's the only time we have together really. We're going to drive to the seaside, have a walk, etc then a meal.
Good news - I'm due £350 tax back.
I was waning this morning, looking at clothes. I think it's because I'm feeling pretty drab ( I hate winter ), so I'm going to dye my hair tomorrow. That'll help. It's the little things with me.

Feel better @pistachiosanscream we've all felt off recently, the weather hasn't helped.

@Amdone123 sounds like a lovely weekend planned and I think spending on doing things and making memories is worth it over buying possessions.

NSD again, the app has helped alot. I also did some flylady cleaning, nothing intense, just my youngest daughters room and sorting out our bedroom but feel like I have accomplished something today.

Realised its half term end of next week. Lots of things like pancake day, valentines, Chinese New year to work in but have spoken to husband and we will meal plan around it so hopefully no extra spend.

Have booked the kids into holiday club that week due to working from home, but have an extra two at the weekend so we may need to do a day out. Anyone have any cheap but dun ideas?

Three NSD so far for me. Planning to spend tomorrow though - meeting up with friends for brunch.

Thinking about buying the wallpaper for the spare room but I have a lot of other jobs to do first so even if I bought it I wouldn't use it for at least a week.

Hi everyone, I'm coming across from the January thread - good to see some familiar names, and some new ones to help keep the momentum going!

I had a NSD yesterday and a low spend day Thursday (lunch with a work friend, but it's a subsidised cafeteria so not too expensive).

But today I've gone a bit overboard so I'm hoping that keeping myself accountable on here will help! Spent nearly £100 at John Lewis on a Lego birthday gift for ds (not needed, he has his main gifts bought already and we've been very/too generous!) plus a top for me, to go with a beautiful lilac skirt I bought last year, so that I can wear it on my birthday date with DH (mine is also this month). Plus I got two new duvet covers, on offer, because ours are so old (one is 15+ years old) they're developing embarrassingly large holes!

I've also stocked up on some household essentials, for about £50 plus a small top-up shop. There is a water bill on its way here, too...

Arguably some of that was necessary, but definitely not all of it. And I want a MAC lipstick as a birthday gift to myself, too. So I'll try and knuckle down again. I need to be careful not to spend too much early in the month and run out before it ends!

Please may I join?

I have no debts but no savings either which means that I can easily end up in my overdraft which I’m desperate not to.

I keep track the old fashioned way with a pencil and a book! My month is 24th-24th

This month after bills but before food and fuel I had £448 left.

So far:

1/2 £20 for a new driving license which wasn’t budgeted for but just means less on food.
2/2 NSD
3/2 NSD

Currently have £282 left. Only planned spends are weekly food shopping, maybe more fuel (hopefully I can make it last) and £10 medication.

I've had a week of NSDs (I don't include DH's spending in my calculations as I can only control my own spending).

I've a mass of work to do tomorrow but I need to catch up on the baking or we won't have bread for toast or rolls to have with soup etc. next week.

I found a bag of 'inherited' chopped dates (they're tossed in rice flour) and a good way to use them up might be as date slices with the dregs of a jar of mincemeat.

https://www.cranks.co.uk/recipes/date-slice/

Welcome Thehamsterthatcametotea - putting aside some savings is a very fine goal. It's been a revelation to realise how being accountable to people on a thread can help keep us on the path of financial prudence!

@moimichme
Just saying, for those about to buy lipstick or any make up item. please look on eBay, even with postage costs it's much cheaper on eBay, if you don't mind discontinued lines.

Thanks for the tip, Northern! I have a £15 voucher that I'm planning to use, which will take the lipstick cost down nicely. But I'll definitely check on eBay for similar items next time - every little saving helps!

Done the meal plan and the big online shop - such an effort but so good to have it done. I have meals planned for weeknights for three weeks, and spent £60 which includes a couple of treats and replenishing some staples. I just need to buy meat for a couple meals (too expensive online!) which I’ll do closer to the time. Other than that I plan to keep top up shops to a minimum. Except mega annoyingly, I didn’t get milk! So off to the shops for that today.

Other than that yesterday was a NSD. I worked late and was ravenous on the way home, started a Deliveroo order but couldn’t bring myself to spend £20 on something I wouldn’t even finish. I made some quick pasta which tasted even better knowing I’d saved the cash. This thread is definitely working for me 😁

Another NSD think it helps by Monday it will be 5th Feb so compared to Jan it’s ticking along nicely. Worked out what I can save IF I can stick to my budgets and looks promising. Went through all my food cupboards and labelled front with all dates so I know what I need use up this month to save wasting. I always feel like tinned food should last longer than it does. Before you know it it’s 2y out of date at the back of the cupboard.