January Frugaleers thread brings no judgment just friendly banter & advice for like minded folk

[Happierwithouthim]

A place where all are welcome regardless of income, level of debt or reason for being in debt or debt free.

We're friendly, full of good advice and open to new ideas where to shave off expense and how to live your best life on the income you have.

Over the years we've celebrated debt payoffs, babies, leaving jobs, getting different jobs, bonuses, and we've been there for each other through difficult times.

New posters welcome always & I hope posters who have fallen off thread will rejoin too

Hello frugaleers old and new, I’m one that has fallen off the thread after some family difficulties last autumn. I’m being gentle on myself with New Year’s resolutions but I have made one about the food shopping which is my nemesis! When I was spending a lot of time at my parents’ last autumn DP did the food shopping online and we saved lots. I much prefer in person shopping but just can’t seem to rein it in. So…for Jan I have set myself a challenge to shop online and with the extra time on a sat, I’ll go to a cafe and get a coffee and read - something I’m always fancying but never do. Sharing it here eill
keep me accountable!

sorry to hear about your DP’s health hack and hope to catch up with others’ news as we go along. mary I don’t think you were back on the thread when I last was so lovely to hear from you and hope your family are ok.

Just to add cadburys I was going to say Martin Lewis too. You have reminded me that I need to look at similar accounts for my DC as my dad left them money when he died, with strict instructions to save for a house deposit so needs to be out of the way…DS2 is probably the risk for spaffing it on something else!

There are house deposit isa acounts I believe but third MSE

reminds me I have a vinted credit to use.
nsd planned today as need to take the tree down and do a good clean. Also need a meal plan & smaller shop

welcome back more returners and new people. I have a shocking memory so I won’t call you all out but please
do t be offended if I don’t as I’ve read and thought of you all

I’m with Monzo for pots and such like for non fixed spending. My fixed direct debits come out of another account. Which reminds me they will have gone this morning

Hello all. Pleased to come across this thread. I’ve read on and off for a while. I thought I’d join in earnest now as I need to save about £3k by late June for a trip abroad. I’m looking for tips and inspiration. Yesterday was NSD and today is looking like it too.

Hello wholenut. There are lots of good podcasts/YouTubers/bloggers around to help with starting out on personal finance. I like Claer Barrat (FT consumer editor), Making Money podcast (Damien and T), Ramit Sethi - there's lots - and of course Martin Lewis, who is everywhere - BBC, ITV, MoneySavingExpert.

I think squirreling away in an account you can't touch without penality is a good idea. But if you are persistently running down savings, maybe you are being a bit ambitious? Ramit Sethi recommends adding 15% to your essentials expenditure to cover the Shit That Happens.

If you are saving for a house deposit, the LISA might be a good option later - you can put up to £4k in per year, and the government will top up by 25%. One to think about?

Have you thought about opening a stocks and shares ISA for longer term investing? Something like Wealthify is easy (global index fund, low cost, passive investing) and you can open it with a tenner and invest a tenner a month. I don't know your age, you said you are a student, so I am assuming (maybe wrongly) that you are younger rather than older - and every £ you put into the market at an early age has a long time to compound and grow.

Just come across this thread - great to have some saving inspiration.
Aside from a £100 or so on credit cards we are debt free and have a decent income between us. But, when I sat down to budget I was a bit shocked at just how much money we have and how little we are putting away. So, I'm determined that we set and reach savings goals this year, rather than our usual habit of just saving whatever is left over.
We started by having people round yesterday where we would usually all meet and eat at a pub. We bought half price party food which didn't cost very much and our guests bought some prosecco. We had a great time - kids especially - and spend about £20 rather than about £100! Today we'll be snacking on leftovers, using up veg for a main meal and hitting the parks for some free fun outside while the weather is good. So, a decent start!

Following because I may end up changing jobs this year and this will mean a drop in income - I'm going to start by clearing out the fridge today and making sure we stick to the food budget and use left overs this week. Next shop is Monday so we have plenty of food in.

Great to see new people on board, the more the merrier.

I purchased a dehumidifier from Amazon last week- I made a hot press with the intention of putting a radiator in there but was advised dehumidifier would be better. My builder will put up my racks & shelves next week and then I'll try it out.

£63 in Morrisons, first shop of the year and not too bad. It will be nice to eat some normal things, craving a spag bol!

I have done a main meal menu plan for the week, lunch is usually sandwiches, soup or leftovers, and breakfast is eggs, toast or cereal. So they don't need much planning.

We've eaten up all the Christmas food apart from some parsnips and a little panetone. It was a gift from our neighbour, which was kind, but we are not overly keen on it, so I think it will go into a bread and butter pudding.

Back to work and reality today. Forcing myself out the door at 6am for a run took some willpower!

That said, a NSD at least.

Hi All, Can i join?
I used to take part last year until about May. This is when i start spending silly amounts on the garden so i bury my head in the sand. Hoping this year to not do this.

this year i want to setup some pension AVCs. DH and i have setup an appointment with a financial advisor to look at our pensions and also to save for our child's college costs. In ireland, so we don't have childrens ISA's so options aren't easily available here. As part of this we have to send them the full facts of our expenses an income so its a useful exercise though i kept most of the numbers anyway.

This year i'm really hoping to cut down on the emotional spending and i want to lose weight too. So i'll go back to doing the 5:2 diet which previously worked well for me. Last year was a weird year, but towards the end i really started to focus on my health and i know i'm in a better mental space than i was this time last year. Overall my goal for this year is to be happy with being boring around my finances. i want to give my money a job and then let it do it. But i lovea dopamine rush!

Hoping to keep my own spending low this January. its 23 days to payday and so far i've spent 0 yesterday and today. I avoided stocking up on cheap champagne which i don't need as i have lots of prosecco anyway and it will be on offer for valentines soon.

However the flu hit our house over christmas and the child still isn't eating well. i suspect i will buy food to tempt her appetite and will feel no guilt about this at all.

Happier would you mind letting us know how you get on with the Humidifier only l am thinking of getting one for our landing .
Thank you in advance ☺️
I succumbed to buying a few bits from Boots sale but I'm my defence they are for February/March birthdays .l have 6 in the space of 2 months £50

@Happierwithouthim , Ive just spent two hours clearing out the hot press, and that was just the linens . My HP is huge so its also my craft/nail room - Ive to sort that side another time. Doing my own nails is another way I save money. I learned to do them during lockdown and its something I keep at. Ive enough colours to last my life time, just costs for top and base coats now

Ive also vac packed 2 bags of clothes that are too big for me. I lost a lot of weight and so far Ive maintained for over a year. I gave loads to the charity shops but theres a wee bit of me who thinks the weight may go back on and the frugal me has kept back my old favourites

Also having a wee spend on a clothes rail. We have coats everywhere , in the garage, in the kitchen, in the kitchen - everywhere bar the front hall where Id like them to be, but mums electric buggy takes up all the room there. The house never looks tidy because there are coats everywhere

Ive been taking stock of my whole life slowly over the last two years. I decluttered near on everywhere, but I noticed areas were getting messy again, which to means my life is getting messing So Ive spent a few hours a day getting areas back ship shape

Shopping today. Circa £100 but that’s a cheap week. Going to Ikea tomorrow, pray for me

NSD yesterday. But today took GCs to Inflatables Play area while parents were at work. Spent £30 but that did include entrance fees, drinks, socks and a turn each on the claw machine for a guaranteed prize!!

40 in tesco
sure I only picked up about 3 things 😁

@Decafflatteplease thanks for vinted info, that’s good to know. Hopefully can find my inner photographer and get selling!

@Happierwithouthim and @MaryGreenhill i have a dehumidifier, bought in 2022 and I love it. House heats up more quickly when the humidity is low and it collects a shocking amount of water. I live in an old house and it’s been a wise purchase!

NSD for me. Took lunch into work - left overs from Xmas period still, bit fed up of them but they need eating! On working days I am out from 8am - 7pm so easy not to spend money. Have a mountain of ironing to do now but not complaining as it’s all hand me down clothes for my son from my sister in law. Saved me a fortune and she refused any money for them, the angel she is.

Sorry bit of a long post. Spent around £10 today at work on a coffee, a meal deal and some essentials for eldest DD. I work in a supermarket so get staff discount which helps!

Spent several hours this afternoon putting together a budget and I cannot believe the amount of money I waste on absolutely nothing! I seem to have 3 Amazon subscriptions for some unknown reason. I also have more debt than I realised. So, the meal deals are going to have to go - I need to lose weight as well as save money so I’m going to get some protein powder I can mix with water for breakfast/lunch. A bigger outlay up front but will save money in the long term. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know (non-dairy).

I’m on annual leave next week so am going to get some clothes up for sale on Vinted and cancel all the subscriptions I don’t use. I’ve also signed up for some overtime so will earn a bit extra this month.

Usual cashflow chaos today. Have vowed this will be the last time this happens. It’s so stressful! Have set up to save a regular amount into a Christmas savings account so am not wiped out next December 😢. Feeling determined but full of shame for how bad things have got.

It would have been a no spend day... apart from the nearly 27k I paid to hmrc

I have posted here before, but not for a very long time.

I am overspending. I need to get in under control but I'm scared of adding up how much I'm spending.

I saw on another thread or this thread maybe, about having one day a week to do non necessary spending. I am going to try this. If I want to order from Amazon or anywhere else I will save for later.

I am going to try to take good to work. I don't have easy access to a fridge or microwave or kettle, but have a nice new lunch bag as a gift and some mini ice packs.

I have lost quite a bit of weight and am considering sticking some stuff on vinted. But my ability to follow through is very poor!

We use meal boxes and then I do a top up in Aldi for lunches and breakfasts and weekend meals, that has been creeping towards £100. This evening I did an online order with Morrisons and it was cheaper. I think it's a need to be more disciplined.

Spent £25 in M&S food hall today.

In and out as had a busy day. Dinners sorted for 3 days until I can do a full week food shop.

BetsyBanana - need to lose weight as well as save money so I’m going to get some protein powder I can mix with water for breakfast/lunch. A bigger outlay up front but will save money in the long term. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know (non-dairy).

DH likes Protein Works. Dissolve well and good flavours. Big sale at present. Range of non-dairy powders.

www.theproteinworks.com/

Hope it's OK to join? It's really helpful reading through everyone's ideas.

Our house is DH & I, one 3yo and a dog. DS gets his 30 free hours at nursery from this month (he does 2 full days all year round, 20 hours per week) and they don't charge anything for food etc, so we will finally have £0 to pay for nursery from now on which is very exciting!

We both have decent incomes but I got into the habit of silly frivolous spending which it's time to get a grip of. I've been using an app called Financielle (no vested interest, just finding it useful) which is helping to make monthly budgets and to track my spending, debt repayments, savings and sinking funds. I saved nothing for Christmas 2024 through the year and I'm definitely not doing that to myself again.

I'm also attempting a "no buy" January because I need to reset my relationship with shopping, so the adding to cart but not checking out and putting things on a wish list is really helping. The buzz of seeing savings starting to grow is so much better! I hope everyone has a financially successful 2025

Thank you 2025Hackathon 🙏