A question about : Frugal Living 2010 -The Cost of Living Challenge, INTRO
This is the follow up thread to the 'Living on Ј4,000 for a Year' challenge. The following links will take you to all the previous challenges. This is the introduction to the newly revamped challenge. 
Introduction to the 2010 challenge
Part 1 - January - March 2010
Part 1 - January to March 2009
Part 2 - April to June 2009
Part 3 - July to September 2009
Part 4 - October to December 2009
Part 1 - January to March 2008
Part 2 - April to June 2008
Part 3 - July to September 2008
Part 4 - October to December 2008
IMPORTANT.
Please respect other peoples lifestyles and beliefs. We are not here to judge, we are here to support. Thank you
The challenge is about establishing your true cost of living, sticking to your budget, clearing any debts and making savings wherever and however you can to enable you to live the life your really want.
Frugal living isn't for everyone, but everyone is welcome to join us. Methods employed by our merry band of frugallers include batch cooking, stockpiling, preserving, foraging, mending, shopping in charity shops, reducing, reusing, recycling, Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS), Vegetable & fruit growing, allotments, keeping hens, using cashback sites and earning whatever it takes to become self sufficient in managing the cost of living without incurring debt. For some it is initially about clearing debt, for others it's about increasing savings, buying property, becoming stay at home mums or paying off the mortgage early. Some choose the lifestyle on ethical grounds. Above all, this is a fun and supportive way to manage your budget so you have control of your own cost of living.
If you would like to join us for 2010, I need to SEE THOSE NAMES, so make them big, bold and colourful.
Living on a budget = living within our means. Frugal = thrifty, living without waste
Ideas to help you achieve and/or maintain debt free living
housesharing
getting a lodger
shopping via cashback sites,
buying reduced items in stores,
batch cooking,
making the most of charity shops,
joining Freecycle or other similar waste awareness and recycling associations,
becoming active members of trading & exchange groups such as LETS,
growing our own fruit & veg,
preserving & winemaking
card & gift making
order splitting for better discounts,
landsharing,
free scratchcards,
matched betting,
free online bingo,
eBid and eBay trading
etc, etc, etc...
HANDY LINKS
I am neither endorsing nor recommending any of the links provided here, members of our extended frugal community have simply found them to contain helpful information.
Ј1000 in 100 days - our challenge thread to earn a few pounds extra, hopefully Ј1000.
Approved Food - amazing bargains if you don't mind short dates or past sell by - save a fortune whilst saving it from landfill!
Bite Card - 20% off food at train stations (ideal for regular travellers)
CASHBACK - The official MSE list of sites offering the best cashback deals
Complete (MSE) cooking collection - Loads and loads and loads of recipes
Crafting for Christmas - homemade presents
Electricity & Gas savings - monitor your electricity & gas with the MoneySaving Carbon Club
Flannel Cake making - unusual gifts
Foraging & Preserving - free foods, when, where, what to do with them
Free 2010 OS MSE calendar - download and print
Free crafts ideas - how to make papier mache banks etc
Freecycle (UK) - don't bin it, rehome it.
Gift Baskets & Hampers - an index to the MSE relevant threads
Gifts in a jar - you don't need a canner for these
Greenfingered money saving - Gardening & growing your own food
Grocery bargains - Supermarket price reduction times
Hunger Site - Charity site where every click counts
i-Measure - log your meter readings and try to reduce your carbon footprint
Leftovers - don't bin them, get creative, make another meal.
LETS - Local Exchange Trading Schemes and alternative currencies within communities
Martin's mad moneysaver ads - a surprising new addition to the site - advertising offers!
Martin's current offers & discount codes - updated daily
Menu Planning - hundreds of options and suggestions
Nutrition and diet info, an excellent thread - thanks to Weezl74
Old Style indexed collection - Indexed collection of links, hints and tips for anything old style, moneysaving and frugal.
Preparing for winter the frugal way
Recipes part 1 - thanks to Rosieben on the Grocery Challenge
Recipes part 2 - thanks, again, to Rosieben
Remoska discussion - everything you need to know about Remoska ovens
Rural Moneysaving Hunt - official MSE discussion
Selling on eBid - decluttering and recycling for cash with no listing fees
Snowman Soup - always a favourite with frugallers during the festive season
Soapnuts - The frugal, eco-friendly alternative to soap powder or detergents
Soapnuts thread on MSE - discuss, ask questions here
Spending Diary - excellent free resource for recording your spends
Start a cottage industry - the official MSE discussion
Weezl74's 50p per person per day eating healthily thread
Will Power & Billy Can - part 1, part 2, part 3
The bits we need to include to make this work
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Please read the MSE forum rules and help us to keep this challenge on track, thank you.
If you have any questions about this challenge, feel free to PM me.
The following is taken from the official MSE forum rules section:
KEEPING THREADS ON-TOPIC
Please try not to take threads off-topic. This can be confusing for new users and makes it especially difficult for people ... Where requests from Board Guides for threads to be brought back on track have not been followed off-topic posts may be removed. We encourage community, but not thread derailment.
Please bear in mind the main purpose of the site is to save money. The forum team has therefore been instructed to prioritise its time on the MoneySaving forums.
KEEPING TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE BOARD
There are two boards provided for off-topic chat and discussion. The MoneySavers Arms has been set up for fun, more lighter-hearted chat (although do still remember this is a family forum - keep it clean please). Discussion Time is for discussion of current issues (read Martin's description).
If you post a topic that does not relate to the board it's posted on it will be moved to a more relevant MoneySaving board or to Discussion Time/The MoneySavers Arms.
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This challenge is about paying for needs so we can afford to live debt free and save for wants. It runs from 1st January to 31st December 2010. The links will give you an idea of how previous challenges have gone.
Best answers:
- FRUGAL LIVING / THE COST OF LIVING CHALLENGE 2010
- Afiendforlife
- AJP233
- Always
- Andan
- AndrinaPerry
- Andromache
- Annie123
- Ansoff
- Aril
- AZJH77
- Bails
- Bay_tree_cottage
- BigMummaF
- Blairweech
- Boring beige
- Brighton Belle
- Buffythedebtslayer
- Bunnytoo
- Cake_21
- Candygirl
- Cardiffmatch
- Cha97Michelle
- Charlhrdy
- CharlieE
- Ches
- Chinatea
- Craftdaft
- CranborneKat
- Cuddlymarm
- CW18
- DaisySteiner
- Danielley
- Debtfree Dreamer
- Debtmess
- Dorastar
- Ddraiggoch
- Eco
- Edaniels1983
- Educateandsave
- Eggybread
- Elaine373
- Ellemm
- Enjoyfinancialchallenges
- Findingmyfeet
- Fishcake_Random
- Flying_Fresian
- FrankieM
- Gizmomum
- Glendam
- Grandma247
- Grannynise
- Hardup Hester
- Heather2409
- Homegrown_Life
- Huston_kw
- Ifonlyitwaseasier
- Iheart2poundcoins
- ILoveTea
- In Spired2
- HC2703
- JackieO
- Jane Manby
- Janiebaby
- Jat1
- Jayjay14
- JayneC
- Jfdi
- JTB2412
- Jules
- Julimk
- Justkeepswimming
- Kalojac
- Katholicos
- KayHarcombe
- KCSunshine
- Keeley_P
- Kellylee
- Kerfuffle
- Kerry Woman
- Kezlou
- Kittiej
- Kittikins
- Kiwisaver
- Knithappens
- La Diva
- Lady1973
- Lady Tara
- Larmy16
- Lilac Pixie
- Liloandstitch
- Lily_the_legend
- LindaDykes
- Lingojingo
- Linkypie2009
- Lismarlilmia
- Liz33
- Lottle_lou_pink
- Looby-loo
- Loopychriss
- Loopylou21
- Luxor4t
- Lyndasharp
- Mah_jong
- Mama67
- Mambury
- Mardatha
- Maz1964
- Meg72
- Merle
- Mollymop5
- Monaebrook
- Moneybag
- Moneyfritter
- Moneymission
- MoneyQueen
- Moo2moo
- Mooloo
- Mumoffour77
- Mumtoomany
- MushyPeas
- Nessa56
- Nikki20022008
- Nikkiev27
- NualaBuala
- Nykmedia
- OldMcdonald
- OptimisticPair
- Pammyj74
- Patentgirl
- Paulgonnabedebtfree
- Pink_numbers
- Poorbutrich
- Poppycat1
- PrincessDawnie21
- Prudent
- Puddleglum
- Purple_angel
- Queen.Bess
- Rachel021967
- Rachelet
- RedTop
- Rictus
- Robbm
- Rozeepozee
- Sallyknits
- Salnew
- Sammylds30
- Savingfortravel
- Shaz_mum_of_2
- Signs of recovery
- Skint_chick
- Skintbint
- Skint in Skirt
- Skint Jenny
- Skint Lynne
- Slm6002
- SLScarborough
- Slowlyfading
- Smlsave
- Snoppydog
- Sophiesmum
- Sparrer
- StitchingWitch
- Summertea
- SuzyWuzy
- Taka
- Tatu-rach
- Tesco Points Addict
- The_cat
- Thriftylass
- Tiddles
- Totaldespair
- Trex170104
- Trinny
- Trishamggirl
- Tryingtodobetter
- Twinkles08
- VickyA
- Viv0147
- Vivw
- Vixstar
- Watchthisspace
- Whitewing
- Wit40iwtwan
- Wornoutmumoftwo
- Xnataliex
- XSpender
- YoungAgedPensioner
- Lily_The_Legend
- Just popping on the new thread to say " H E L L O!"
- Welcome Lily_the_legend, I hope you have a fun year as part of the madcap frugal family that has evolved from the threads of the MSE forums. Thanks for joining us.
- hey, can i give it a go, i'm going to sit down and work out a budget for at least the first half of the year (may be moving after that) so i think this would be a good challenge.
IOIWE - Hello Nykmedia,
I can I join in please purple_angel.
Thanks. - HUSTON_KW
I will go read up last challenge, but good luck to all!!!! - OldMcDonald
Ok, I'm in. Will work out a budget over the next few days.
Good luck all who join in - Please can I join in......vivw
- I'm also popping in from the current thread to say hello xxxx
- Count me in please JC2703
Thank you
J x - Found you all!
Just trying to figure out how much I can do it for....will report back later - CardiffMatch...
Can I join in please?
I've dipped in and out of moneysaving over 2009 - and have done well getting started. This will be the kick up the backside I sense I'm going to need after what isn't looking like a terribly money-saving christmas - Please add me on the list.
Debtfree but keen on living in a self sufficient manner. Not in a position to join MFW so this is a good next step for me
Trin - I've never seen this challenge before. How come I've missed it?
- Yes please!!!!!!!!!!!
I currently have 5 sheets of paper listing ALL the food in my cupboards / frodge / freezer to use up, I found, last month, a trolley bag of fabric I'd been hanging onto 'just in case', OH is gonna revamp the allotment over the winter....... you get the picture!
j f d i j f di j f d i j f d i - MARDATHA!!!!
- Annie123
- Count me in please
lindadykes
This list will be updated regularly and kept in alphabetical order, the numbers reflect how many people are pledging to take part and should not be listed as challenger numbers.
- 472 reads