November Frugal Goals

So once again it’s time to set my frugal goals, and really focus on getting some funds banked in the savings account before the festive period. I can’t quite believe that here we are, already in November 2017 – two more months of the year to go, and two more months to really make 2017 the year that we got that little bit closer to where we want to be.

I feel that this time of year can be really tough if you’re living on a budget, with so many temptations to spend a bit here, and there. But with a bit of a plan, it’s entirely possible to stick to that budget and continue on your thrifty journey throughout the festive period!

Falling Back, Looking Forward

We were lucky to enjoy lots of sunny, uplifting days in October, and I hope November continues in the same vein! Although, last weekend the clocks went back once again, and my own internal body clock is still having trouble adjusting! Come 5pm, the world is once again dark and cold, and when I am unceremoniously awoken at 6am each morning, I’m still feeling my way around in the dark, not quite ready to face the day. As such, I have an inkling that this month is going to be a bit of a battle to resist the urge to a) put the heating on a lot, and b) go into winter foraging mode and eat everything. Everything!

This is partly why I think it’s useful to set monthly goals – to keep myself in check, to keep our energy usage and bills in check, and keep on a positive, frugal path that’ll see us debt-free in a few years. Otherwise I could end up centrally heating and eating my way into a heck of a lot more debt 😉

So on we go with my November Frugal Goals…

Introduce a pound coin saver jar
I know that some people like to do an annual challenge with saving £1 and £2 coins, but I’m an impatient type, and would rather save up my pound coins over a month, and then deposit them into my savings account regularly. I might not get a massive hit of cash, but I’m happy to top up little and often… and the urge to dip in and out will surely be less if the pot is emptied more often!

Continue skimming my bank account
I go with the ethos that no money I make can be considered disposable or as “profit” until I’m debt-free. One little trick I’ve picked up in helping to increase my savings a little each month, is to “skim” my bank account for a few pounds and pennies to get to a rounded-off number. For instance, if I have £374.38 in my account, I skim 4.38 into my savings, leaving me with a rounded £370. So no wasting money on treats and getting into the mindset that I have a spare £5 here or there… I keep chipping away when I think I have a little to spare, and into the savings account it goes. There are a few apps out there that do this automatically (ie CHIP), but I’m going to rely on my own judgement for now.

Bank another £250 in my savings
I have two short-term goals that involve making “big hit” payments. With all the skimping and saving that I’m doing, I’m hoping to make a number of “big hit” pay offs that won’t hurt my bank account. For November, I want to bank £250 in savings, to help me achieve this.

Pick sloes and make sloe gin for Christmas!
I see that sloe gin costs around £13-25 in the supermarkets at the moment. As one of my favourite festive tipples, I know I can make some seriously good, gluggable (eek! not too much!) sloe gin here at home, with a non-branded value bottle of super-cheap gin, available from your local discount supermarket for well under a tenner. Check out my sloe gin recipe here.

Spend no more than £60 a week at the supermarket
Yes, a repeat from last month. Already failed in this first week of November, but I’m determined to get there!

Enquire about getting a water meter fitted
I’m convinced that we could save a packet on water bills with a meter, and that having one fitted would make us much more aware of our water usage. Good for us, good for the environment.

Send off my unwanted books to WeBuyBooks
We have a TONNE of books that we never read anymore, sitting in storage boxes in the house whilst we finish decorating the dining room, where the bookshelf used to creak under their weight. This month, I want to go through my stash and send off any books worth a few pence or pounds, and the rest can go to the charity shop. Definitely on a declutter mission this autumn/winter.

Find a frugal solution for shoe storage!
Bit of an odd one, but we seem to have a surprisingly large collection of shoes for three people. I admit, it’s mostly me not wanting to let go of old, battered Vans, or old tired Toms, as well as “what if” party shoes (I never go out to party, ever, boo, sucks to be me, NOT), so I really need to Marie Kondo the hell out of my shoes. And with what’s left, I’ve got to find a suitable shoe storage solution in our coat cupboard, that doesn’t involve a rickety old shoe shelf that falls over all the time. It annoys the hell out of me that our shoes are constantly out and on display, and E seems to enjoy pulling out the neat rows of shoes and scattering them about.

Batch cook a tonne of pies, soups and stews
I started with chilli last month, but we’re almost out! Tonight, I made a new batch of veggie curry, and over the next week I’m going to go for leek and potato soup, more veggie chilli, and some sweet potato and lentil pie portions. We’re actually starting to struggle for space in our little fridge-freezer, so I might have to look at cheap chest freezer options in the new year…

Finish decorating the utility room
How does this fall under frugal aims, you ask? Well, it’s where I’m hoping we’ll be able to store bulk purchases of household goods, and we need to find a frugal solution for fitting the storage cupboards too. Do we refit the old, dated and wonky cupboards, or invest in new units that could last us much longer? It’s something I really want to get sorted as we’re desperate for storage space (and I also want to have a larder shelf too…)

Make a few more listings on eBay/Facebook selling pages
We have so much stuff to root through, that I’m going to try and make some bundles to sell on Facebook selling pages or eBay. I don’t mind if I don’t make a wad of cash, as it’ll be a relief to get rid of the “stuff” in our lives that we no longer want or need, without sending it to landfill!

I could go on and on, but I don’t want to end up with too many fails at the end of the month!

How about you? What are your November frugal goals? How do you think you’ll fare as the festive season approaches?