Resolution Thrifty

This challenge of spending only £5 a day has been much harder than I had anticipated. For instance, do I count buying after school snacks for the children within this budget, and what exactly is a necessity? The weather here is freezing and I would love go get some thermals but are they really necessary or would an extra t-shirt do instead? I also discover how easy it is to mindlessly spend, when I'm out and about I think 'oh must get a paper' and then I remember I can't or I'm peckish and start looking eagerly at the rows of snacks and again I have to literally hold myself back as it is so easy to think, it's only 60p! It's these 'onlys' that have resulted in a larger than desired credit card balance, a muffin top and a house full of clutter! So I simply choose not to buy, and soothe my rumbling tummy with the fact there are some uneaten biscuits at home. There have been many failures though, meeting friends and staying in budget has been almost imp

Having read a book about a lady who lived for a year on a pound a day, I have been inspired to be more thrifty, to spend less yet still live well! A pound a day does seem a little extreme so am going to attempt it at the more reasonable £5 a day. This will exclude necessities & bills like food for family meals, mortgage and loo roll but will include anything for me that I don't actually need,e.g, magazines, newspapers, snacks, take away coffee. If I am going to go out for dinner, I'll have to save up the £5. I also plan to generally be more thrifty so less food waste and expensive brands are out whilst meal plans and own store brands are in. With the world economy looking a little ropey still, I think it is worth tightening belts and learning to reuse and recycle. If anyone has any tips, would love to hear them! My first gem is the rediscovery of the local library, I have always loved reading and spent a lot of my childhood in the library but in more recent years I have bro