It seems just as I take a big step back from doing challenges, everyone else is upping their game and getting stuck in.
I've always been a bit different, never one to follow the crowd I prefer to be ahead of it, but I am very pleased that this particular crowd seem to be taking up the reins ... in their own ways ... of all that I have done in the past.
We now have a brilliant set of bloggers planning their year ahead with a fine toothcomb and being frugal, money saving geniuses ... Angie of Small Treasures Revived springs immediately to mind. We have more and more YouTubers of our age group (50s/60s/70s) taking over from the so called 'influencers' that drive a lot of us mad with their 'look at me using this product and then buy one with a 20% discount' ... making them a shed load of money in the process.
Instead these lovely ladies and Frugal Stu too, are showing the next generation how to save their money, cook simple foods and budget wisely. Now as well as our blogging buddy Ali, the other day I happily stumbled upon someone who used to be part of our blogging circle, Tania formerly of 'Frugal in Essex' and then for a while with her newer blog 'Living Well in Your Sixties,' who has now started her own YouTube channel. It's called Living on a UK State Pension and is similar in a lot of ways to Ali's channel Ali Lives Well on Less.
Am I tempted after only a few days of this brand new year to pick up the challenging reins again? Absolutely not, the baton has been well and truly passed. 😀
Sue xx
I am always interested in frugal ways of doing things. I am trying to set my grocery budget for 2025, wondering whether to keep it at $100 a month for me or raise it to $125 to keep up with rising costs. A dozen large eggs have gone up in price from $3.99 to $8.99 this week, for example.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a huge increase isn't it. ☹️ Perhaps see how the first couple of months go and then increase it if you have to.
DeleteLike Bless, after a lifetime of frugality, it is something we practise automatically. I love the fact that my daughters, just into their 40s, share their money saving tips. Liz has been batch cooking & freezing different soups in this last week. Steph, who needs a smart "work wardrobe" is brilliant at sourcing bargains on Vinted. But right now I am still being ultra frugal as a Very Big expenditure is looming.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that they have learned from your money saving ways and now have more of their own tips to pass on too. 'Very Big' expenditure sounds interesting. 😀
DeleteThank you for the info about Tanya's you tube channel.
ReplyDeleteI thought there would be a few of her previous blog readers who would be interested in seeing her again, and supporting her new channel. It's really taken off in the last couple of days, just like Ali's did. There is obviously a gap in the market for more experienced frugalistas. 😀
DeleteThanks for that post, Sue. I didn't know about Frugal Stu and Tania on YouTube. I used to read Frugal in Essex when Tania blogged. I watch Ali, of course. I watch Frugal Queen in France too: some of her videos are good, some resemble the curate's egg.
ReplyDeleteYes I used to read Frugal in Essex and then her later blog, which only lasted a short while, so it was really nice to see her pop up on my feed with a new YouTube channel. It's funny how the algorithms work with YouTube, one day a channel is not there and the next it's being offered up to you. I feel exactly the same about Jane's channel, some of the videos are really good and obviously most are really helpful to people starting on a frugal or money saving journey, but some are a bit preachy for me.
DeleteThank you for taking the time to share al these links, I will be checking them out.
ReplyDeleteThey're worth checking out, and having a root around for others while you're there. Although these days I find myself watching less YouTube and reading more, so my subscriptions list has shrunk dramatically.
DeleteI don’t like watching YouTube and prefer to read blogs where I can dip in and out. Yours suits xxxxx me perfectly along with a couple of others I like.
DeleteThank you . Regards June
I'm glad you enjoy my witterings and musings. Thanks for reading. 😀
DeleteThank you for the mention Sue! I didn't know that Tania is now on U Tube so I'll go find her. I do, however, watch Frugal Stu and Ali. They are so much better than the 'influencers' who I have no time for. Shoestring Jane is another lady I follow too.
ReplyDeleteI love the memes. I'm getting slower and slower at doing things the older I get, and appreciate the slowness of life we have now.
Angie x
You deserve a mention for starting so well, hopefully the rest of your year will go just as well. Tania popped up on my feed a couple of days ago, it was quite a surprise to see her there. I'm looking forward to slowing down again, just as I was embracing it all this with Mum kicked off last March and the year simply went into fast-forward.
DeleteI love Ali's channel and will have to check on Tania's channel.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
They are very similar but different, you'll see what I mean. 😀
DeleteThanks for sharing the links, Sue. I already watch Ali as I have followed her blog for years. We are ending a new bathroom suite and have been putting it off for a couple of years. However, thanks to Joy doing her budgeting yesterday, I made DH do the same with me to see exactly how much we thought we would be prepared to spend. Due to the prevarication, we have the money saved! Catriona
ReplyDeleteThat is perfect, the prevarication project worked then. 😄
DeleteThank you Sue, I'm another one who didn't know Tania had re-emerged. I've just subscribed. Are you sure you won't be doing any more Challenges? ;-) Although I can well understand you not, you have more than enough going on, and retirement to look forward to very shortly! xx
ReplyDeleteI'm not even slightly tempted, although what I'm doing at the moment would have worked brilliantly as a Challenge. With everything else that's going on here at the moment I wouldn't have been able to document it properly.
DeleteI allow a budget of £200 per month for all food, cleaning materials and basic toiletries for myself and husband (my daughter and daughter-in-law keep me in my preferred skincare and hair care products at Christmas and birthdays). As prices go up so I stretch that £200 further and further and some months manage to save a bit into my Christmas food savings pot for extras.
ReplyDeleteThe way I manage it is to start each month with a shop costing around £40-50 and then putting £15 into envelopes for each Monday and Friday through the month). Sometimes, if I don’t need anything on the Monday, it rolls over so that I get £30 on the Friday. This wouldn’t work for everyone but has worked well for me for the past two years.
I love to read frugal blogs and always take something away from the raft of good ideas.
Regards, June
You way of budgeting sounds like you have worked things out in a way that really suits you. I always think if I can pick up a tip here and there and it works for me too, my reading or watching has not been in vain.
DeleteFrugal Stu & Ali's channel are a couple of my favourites. I shall look for Tania's channel as I used to read her blog - wonder if she still has her little Bertie? Thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteYes she still has Bertie, she shares custody of him with her ex-husband. Two weeks at a time each. 😀
DeleteIt was lovely to see Angie starting to blog again ❤️ Many thanks for the links on YouTube and will check these out soon. Loving the memes 🙏
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to see her suddenly appear again wasn't it. She was missed.
DeleteI’m an American, living in Massachusetts and did my weekly shopping today and we had a massive increase in pricing from last week. It was jarring and had to think on my feet and make a new plan for meals while I shopped. Looking forward to reading more of what you all have to say from your perspective. I grew up with a mother who was a child of the depression, so frugality was instilled in me but there’s a lot more I need to learn
ReplyDelete