We are rapidly approaching the end point for the £10 Week Challenge which I found a thought provoking experience. I did not find the not spending difficult at all. I try to keep my larder, fridge and freezer pretty equipped and since I do my meal plan based on what I have bought at the market on [...]
I seem to be bumping into more and more ‘well off’ people that circumsances have changed whether it be from divorce, businesses failing or just the banks putting the squeeze on them. Well welcome to the frugal gang! We have all been there at sometime, I have been on frugal bandwagon for longer than I [...]
I know that Christmas shows up every year on the same date, 25th of December but no matter how much I budget there is always some bill that surprises me in January. I think I have covered all the bases this year: gifts, food, booze and I thought of one other expense that always gets [...]
Everyone wants to live somewhere lovely and desirable. But if you over extend yourself in committing to a rental or even worse a mortgage that you can not support you are in real trouble. In both America and the United Kingdom, your home is considered your castle. How much should your castle costs? Not more than [...]
This is a sign that is on every bulletin board on my estate. It scares me but it speaks of the brutal truth, there are people that will forgo paying their rent so they can have an impressive Christmas spread and more stuff under the tree. In the UK, Christmas advertising starts in October so [...]
We all try to be super precise when noting down our spending and a lot of the time we end up underestimating the amounts. Unless you have the time to go through every single receipt, it’s worth adding a bit extra to what you spend when you draw up your budget. Think about your morning [...]
Today I am at day five of the £10 week challenge, what a relief! Actually, all in all, it is not too bad. I don’t spend a huge amount of money during the week, where I freelance there is absolutely nothing in the area so there are no temptations. I bring my lunch and they [...]
Starting tomorrow I am joining forces with the mighty Penny Golightly to see if we live for 7 days with only £10 spending money. Penny has done this before but I have never put such a tight budget on myself, on purpose that is. This is not a week to just hibernate and watch tv [...]
Friday is tip day on The Lean Times. It has happened to all of us at one time or another; we lose a job. This has just happened to me so here are a few tips on what I did as soon as the lightning bolt hit. 1. See what you can cut back on [...]
No, budget fun is not an oxymoron. I am talking about budgeting for your fun. Being on a budget can seem a bit dreary, especially if you have a deep hole to dig yourself out of, but if you make sure you keep yourself happy in small ways you will find being on a budget [...]
Personally, I think the first of January is a rotten time to attempt to make positive changes to your life. January and February are dreary months, not exactly the best time to give up vices or pick up virtuous behaviours, so I do it around March. The spring is the time of rebirth so what [...]
Being a freelancer means it is even more important to know where every penny is going, when you are not sure where every penny is coming from. A freelancer’s budget is slightly different than the budget of your average, work five days a week, person because you have to factor in sometimes having a work [...]