Hi Nicola. I have ordered your budget planner. This month is the beginning of the getting my life together after my children's father left 6 months ago. I'm in control of my life and going to get a handle on my finances with the help of your planner and yoir videos have been very inspiring :)
Hi Nicola. I've received my Friday fiver budget card and planner envelope today. That was very quick delivery. Thank you for the lovely inspirational card and the tea bag. Such a lovely thought. I'm all set up to start this Friday. Thank you again. X
I am not doing a no-spend month per say, but I have had no-spend days already this month so it feels good to track them. £190 for the three of you is great for food budget. I spend about £120 a month for groceries for myself and occasionally my partner on the weekends (his work is long hours so evening meals often provided). I'll be increasing this to £160 to help curb dining out spending, so you are doing absolutely great- especially with two growing children!
Dear Nicola, I found your channel yesterday and I'm so impressed at how you are managing your life. I wanted to weep when you said you are not able to eat properly at times, but, obviously for valid reasons. Your children are very lucky to have a wonderful mum like you. I've just ordered your budget planner and hot pink folder to try and get my act together money wise. Sending you warmest wishes from a new subscriber x
It might be worth checking whether there's a community fridge/pantry near you. We have one and it's amazing- they give away free food, usually fruit, veg, and bread, that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets. It's open to everyone, and would be a good way to access more fresh food without spending more money if you have one available.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage Nicola please do! I have a local one and at first I resisted as I thought that it was a food bank and I didn't want to take food from people who need it more. But it is most definitely not like that and the food goes to allotments if people don't take it. On Saturday I was lucky enough to get lamb (they have frozen food) bread and lots of veggies. They really want to stop food waste so you are helping the planet, in my one loads of little kids go too, they are very canny and get all the cakes 😊
Definitely doing the no spend January! I get paid monthly and right now I’m strapped! I’m going to carry that mindset through till Feb! Good luck with yours!
Yes I’m doing a No Spend January for the very first time. I way overspent on Christmas gifts and now I’m berating myself. I did save for Christmas but because I’m a person who loves to give presents I went way over budget and I only buy for five people (one of whom is a tiny gift). Next year I intend to cut the present allocation in half and even then it’s too much to spend. So January will be very very frugal which I haven’t tried before because I love the sales but I’m not shopping at all. I’m a home person so it’s not hard for me to stay at home but once a week we go to a tiny cafe for coffee and a bacon sandwich - my partner will be really upset if I stop that but I’d like to for January. Sorry for the essay I’m thinking out loud since this is new but I fully intend to do it.
Since the boys are still off school and January is a hibernating month maybe you could do some movie nights in? Go to the library and let them pick out a few dvds, get into comfy pjs, build a fort and snuggle in for some movies. Or have a “fancy formal” night with candles and such or informal night where everyone get a chance to pick a weird place in the house to eat dinner.Just random diff things they may enjoy and look back on with good memories.
Hi Nicola, just binged watched & liked Dec months worth of vids & ads. I bought your fiver Friday wallet & onboard for no spend Jan as bills were all up & down through recently moving house. Take care. 😊
Please find your local surplus produce provision you can get free fruit and veg most days alongside bakery products, tins, herbs etc - they are designed to stop good food going to landfill so zero shame in going to them and you’d be helping the environment and your purse - you must eat well as you can’t pour for am empty cup and if you got ill that’d be no good at all for your children, though as a fellow single mum of 2 boys (for 12 years) I totally appreciate how this happens and why - please look after yourself as a priority as you are the one who keeps all the plates spinning Vinted is so easy to use, just list a few things and try it out - it’s only a few £ gained here and there we say but I have now made £700 in about 7 months. Happy New Year to you and your boys and keep at it, don’t be disheartened you are doing amazingly and inspiring us all as well ❤xx
I’m joining in with the No Spend month this January. 👍 I’ve been paid early in December too so always feel like January is soooo long. £190 for food for 3 is very good. I’m cutting down my grocery spend this month. My teenage son is eating me out of house and home 🙈 I’m going to try and fill him up with more cheap protein basically bulking out meals with beans and frozen vegetables and not buy hardly any snacks. We’ll see how that goes 😉
I have just bought your savings envelopes and i definitely might try a no spend month,maybe not January as i have a lot of birthdays in this month but i do eant to try one, this will be my first year in properly trying the envelope binder system, im really looking forward to it, i tried last year but a lot of things got in the way 😕
Vinted will change your life! It’s saved me so much money buying clothes and shoes but I also made £420 on it last year just selling stuff from around the house - clothes/toys/shoes etc. As long as I’d be happy to receive the item then I’m happy to sell it! Let us know how you get on
Getting back on my health kick will save money...no snacks, alcohol or street food. Will need to use what I save for course fees though. Maybe I'll start a fund for next Christmas with what I save in Feb/March when there's no council tax to pay. I'll start some sort of visual chart for Christmas savings, as that's worked in the past, haven't decided whether it will be stickers on a chart on the door or maybe improvise using your page of stars for NSD. Whatever I decide to do in 2025, your budget planner book will feature! My pension will go up 1.7% in April, but it sounds like many of my bills will go up by more than that!
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I've finally decided how I'll save for Christmas 2025, or rather the end of 2025 with some left over I hope! I've had to be really frugal this past week as was totally over budget. The start of 2024 was very stressful, I'd had to pack up most of my home and find pet friendly temporary accommodation during renovations in my rented house. It took months to sort out so I forgot about purposeful Christmas savings and didn't put a chart up on the door as in previous years. But today I've planned the chart. It will be a Christmas tree, the base will be made up of 12 stick on dots and the tree 78. Each dot will represent £10. Some extra money is going to come in over the next few days, so that will cover Jan, and as I said above I'll use the council tax free months to add more. After that I'll need to save smaller amounts regularly. I'll keep it in my sinking fund account, but record separately on paper. Feeling excited now!
Here is Canada, families get a monthly child tax credit per child based on income. This credit helps families immensely. When my kids were young it was not a lot but these days, some families get over a thousand per child per month. Does the UK have something similar?
No spend January for me too. I have a few changes in 2025. I am giving up work so will loose my small salary. I have reduced a few of my out goings. One or two of my out going will increase. So lots of changes in early 2025.
Hi Nicola Just received the A5 Budget Planner from your Etsy store and I'm loving it. The smaller size suits me. I tried to email you on Etsy but don't know whether it got to you? Thank you and have a happy new year Liz
When I was a single mom of 2 littles, Jan-March was the most difficult $$ for me. I got no support from anyone bu,t my job offered many $ perks, including overtime, April-Dec. The level of 'thrify' that my office partner and I would exercise was crazy. During the profitable mos, I would pay ahead my most expensive bills (car & house payments) so that by the time Jan-March rolled around, I had those paid for and it made the burden MUCH easier. Also, I purchased an additional $10 grocery gift card each week to use during thos months. Id encourage you to hit the food banks for at least, YOUR fruits and veggies. They are what keep us at our optimum health. When I got gift cards for gifts, I always used them to stock up on toiletries. If they were restaurant gift cards, Id strategically review the menu and do a take out of that item. I ususally chose a pasta dish and we would eat off of it for a couple days. Good luck! Ive no doubts you will crush the new year!
Well worth selling clothing and household items etc online. As a private seller, you can sell up to £6000 tax free per financial year. I've never hit that target though! but even a few extra quid per month comes in handy.
Good luck! Loved it when you did video updates through the month. Have you tried eBay, gumtree etc? Vinted seems similar. As a side note, what is the £50 children budget for? I mean different to your kids sinking funds?
I’m v impressed at £190 a month for food! Do you ever buy frozen fruit and let it defrost to put on yoghurt/porridge etc? I think it’s a bit cheaper than fresh
I wouldn't consider £190 for the 3 of you to be alot... I live alone abd work part time and i allocate myself £140 pcm for groceries. This includes general toiletries and household cleaning items. Part of this amount is used to add items to a small back-stock pantry of shelf-stable food items.
£190 for 1 adult and 2 children isnt alot of food. That's 63 pound a month for each person. If you can stay at that figure youre doing well but don't be hard on yourself if you go over
I came to say this, got to fuel yourself as well. I do freezer soups/currys so I’ve got easy already made food in and I use frozen veg to do these (can bulk out with beans/lentils to keep the protein high too). My current favourite soup is a tin of coconut milk, with a bit of water, 2 veg stock cubes, 1 bag frozen butternut squash and 1 bag frozen sweet potatoes, garlic, salt/pepper, and paprika/chilli)then blitz smooth… I portion into ziplock food bags and then add a bit of water to reheat - it’s quite thick (that I wash out and reuse). I’ve pulled one for my dinner later to…..
This is none of my business so dont even answer, but i hope your ex is contributing to the boys expenses. Will watch this a few times to try to add ad income, haha
Hi Nicola. I have ordered your budget planner. This month is the beginning of the getting my life together after my children's father left 6 months ago. I'm in control of my life and going to get a handle on my finances with the help of your planner and yoir videos have been very inspiring :)
Thank you for your order 💜 If you ever want to chat, just sent me a message.
Hi Nicola. I've received my Friday fiver budget card and planner envelope today. That was very quick delivery. Thank you for the lovely inspirational card and the tea bag. Such a lovely thought.
I'm all set up to start this Friday. Thank you again. X
Thank you so much for your order 💜
I am not doing a no-spend month per say, but I have had no-spend days already this month so it feels good to track them.
£190 for the three of you is great for food budget. I spend about £120 a month for groceries for myself and occasionally my partner on the weekends (his work is long hours so evening meals often provided). I'll be increasing this to £160 to help curb dining out spending, so you are doing absolutely great- especially with two growing children!
Thank you!
Dear Nicola, I found your channel yesterday and I'm so impressed at how you are managing your life. I wanted to weep when you said you are not able to eat properly at times, but, obviously for valid reasons. Your children are very lucky to have a wonderful mum like you. I've just ordered your budget planner and hot pink folder to try and get my act together money wise. Sending you warmest wishes from a new subscriber x
Thank you for subscribing and thank you so much for your order 💜
It might be worth checking whether there's a community fridge/pantry near you. We have one and it's amazing- they give away free food, usually fruit, veg, and bread, that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets. It's open to everyone, and would be a good way to access more fresh food without spending more money if you have one available.
Brilliant idea!
There is one, actually! I should look into that more.
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage Nicola please do! I have a local one and at first I resisted as I thought that it was a food bank and I didn't want to take food from people who need it more. But it is most definitely not like that and the food goes to allotments if people don't take it. On Saturday I was lucky enough to get lamb (they have frozen food) bread and lots of veggies. They really want to stop food waste so you are helping the planet, in my one loads of little kids go too, they are very canny and get all the cakes 😊
That sounds amazing. I shall have a look ☺️
Definitely doing the no spend January! I get paid monthly and right now I’m strapped! I’m going to carry that mindset through till Feb!
Good luck with yours!
You’ve got this! ☺️
Yes I’m doing a No Spend January for the very first time. I way overspent on Christmas gifts and now I’m berating myself. I did save for Christmas but because I’m a person who loves to give presents I went way over budget and I only buy for five people (one of whom is a tiny gift). Next year I intend to cut the present allocation in half and even then it’s too much to spend. So January will be very very frugal which I haven’t tried before because I love the sales but I’m not shopping at all. I’m a home person so it’s not hard for me to stay at home but once a week we go to a tiny cafe for coffee and a bacon sandwich - my partner will be really upset if I stop that but I’d like to for January.
Sorry for the essay I’m thinking out loud since this is new but I fully intend to do it.
You’ve got this 💜
Since the boys are still off school and January is a hibernating month maybe you could do some movie nights in? Go to the library and let them pick out a few dvds, get into comfy pjs, build a fort and snuggle in for some movies. Or have a “fancy formal” night with candles and such or informal night where everyone get a chance to pick a weird place in the house to eat dinner.Just random diff things they may enjoy and look back on with good memories.
Great idea 💜
Hi Nicola, just binged watched & liked Dec months worth of vids & ads. I bought your fiver Friday wallet & onboard for no spend Jan as bills were all up & down through recently moving house. Take care. 😊
Thank you for watching and for your order 💜
Please find your local surplus produce provision you can get free fruit and veg most days alongside bakery products, tins, herbs etc - they are designed to stop good food going to landfill so zero shame in going to them and you’d be helping the environment and your purse - you must eat well as you can’t pour for am empty cup and if you got ill that’d be no good at all for your children, though as a fellow single mum of 2 boys (for 12 years) I totally appreciate how this happens and why - please look after yourself as a priority as you are the one who keeps all the plates spinning
Vinted is so easy to use, just list a few things and try it out - it’s only a few £ gained here and there we say but I have now made £700 in about 7 months. Happy New Year to you and your boys and keep at it, don’t be disheartened you are doing amazingly and inspiring us all as well ❤xx
Thank you 💜
I’m joining in with the No Spend month this January. 👍 I’ve been paid early in December too so always feel like January is soooo long. £190 for food for 3 is very good. I’m cutting down my grocery spend this month. My teenage son is eating me out of house and home 🙈 I’m going to try and fill him up with more cheap protein basically bulking out meals with beans and frozen vegetables and not buy hardly any snacks. We’ll see how that goes 😉
Same issue with a teenage son...always eating and snacking. When does it end!??😂
I can imagine they’re constantly hungry 🙈
I have just bought your savings envelopes and i definitely might try a no spend month,maybe not January as i have a lot of birthdays in this month but i do eant to try one, this will be my first year in properly trying the envelope binder system, im really looking forward to it, i tried last year but a lot of things got in the way 😕
Thank you for your order - I hope you find them helpful 💜
Vinted will change your life! It’s saved me so much money buying clothes and shoes but I also made £420 on it last year just selling stuff from around the house - clothes/toys/shoes etc. As long as I’d be happy to receive the item then I’m happy to sell it! Let us know how you get on
I really need to get sorted. Hold me to this please!
Getting back on my health kick will save money...no snacks, alcohol or street food. Will need to use what I save for course fees though. Maybe I'll start a fund for next Christmas with what I save in Feb/March when there's no council tax to pay. I'll start some sort of visual chart for Christmas savings, as that's worked in the past, haven't decided whether it will be stickers on a chart on the door or maybe improvise using your page of stars for NSD. Whatever I decide to do in 2025, your budget planner book will feature! My pension will go up 1.7% in April, but it sounds like many of my bills will go up by more than that!
It sounds like you’ve got a great plan in place 💜
@@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage I've finally decided how I'll save for Christmas 2025, or rather the end of 2025 with some left over I hope! I've had to be really frugal this past week as was totally over budget. The start of 2024 was very stressful, I'd had to pack up most of my home and find pet friendly temporary accommodation during renovations in my rented house. It took months to sort out so I forgot about purposeful Christmas savings and didn't put a chart up on the door as in previous years. But today I've planned the chart. It will be a Christmas tree, the base will be made up of 12 stick on dots and the tree 78. Each dot will represent £10. Some extra money is going to come in over the next few days, so that will cover Jan, and as I said above I'll use the council tax free months to add more. After that I'll need to save smaller amounts regularly. I'll keep it in my sinking fund account, but record separately on paper. Feeling excited now!
Here is Canada, families get a monthly child tax credit per child based on income. This credit helps families immensely. When my kids were young it was not a lot but these days, some families get over a thousand per child per month.
Does the UK have something similar?
They do, though it’s not much per month. It all helps!
They do, though it isn’t much. It all goes on childcare costs in our household.
Yes every little bit counts.
No spend January for me too. I have a few changes in 2025. I am giving up work so will loose my small salary. I have reduced a few of my out goings. One or two of my out going will increase. So lots of changes in early 2025.
I hope it works out ok for you 💜
Lovely lady if your not fueled well your not your best for you And your kids stop putting yourself on the back burner ❤
💜
Hi Nicola
Just received the A5 Budget Planner from your Etsy store and I'm loving it. The smaller size suits me. I tried to email you on Etsy but don't know whether it got to you?
Thank you and have a happy new year
Liz
I haven’t had a message on Etsy - can you try again? ☺️
When I was a single mom of 2 littles, Jan-March was the most difficult $$ for me. I got no support from anyone bu,t my job offered many $ perks, including overtime, April-Dec. The level of 'thrify' that my office partner and I would exercise was crazy. During the profitable mos, I would pay ahead my most expensive bills (car & house payments) so that by the time Jan-March rolled around, I had those paid for and it made the burden MUCH easier. Also, I purchased an additional $10 grocery gift card each week to use during thos months. Id encourage you to hit the food banks for at least, YOUR fruits and veggies. They are what keep us at our optimum health. When I got gift cards for gifts, I always used them to stock up on toiletries. If they were restaurant gift cards, Id strategically review the menu and do a take out of that item. I ususally chose a pasta dish and we would eat off of it for a couple days. Good luck! Ive no doubts you will crush the new year!
I love this comment 💜 thank you so much for sharing that.
Well worth selling clothing and household items etc online. As a private seller, you can sell up to £6000 tax free per financial year. I've never hit that target though! but even a few extra quid per month comes in handy.
Wow, that’s a huge number!
Good luck! Loved it when you did video updates through the month. Have you tried eBay, gumtree etc? Vinted seems similar. As a side note, what is the £50 children budget for? I mean different to your kids sinking funds?
I’ll do some updates during this as well ☺️ and they do different clubs with fees, so it mainly covers those.
@NicolaatTheFrugalCottage quick thought- do your kids eat soup? Loads of veggies, lots of variety, super cheap supper!
One of them does and the other one doesn’t ☺️
I’m v impressed at £190 a month for food! Do you ever buy frozen fruit and let it defrost to put on yoghurt/porridge etc? I think it’s a bit cheaper than fresh
Yes! Frozen blueberries ☺️
I wouldn't consider £190 for the 3 of you to be alot... I live alone abd work part time and i allocate myself £140 pcm for groceries. This includes general toiletries and household cleaning items. Part of this amount is used to add items to a small back-stock pantry of shelf-stable food items.
It’s tough to know what to aim for - just hoping I can do it!
£190 for 1 adult and 2 children isnt alot of food. That's 63 pound a month for each person. If you can stay at that figure youre doing well but don't be hard on yourself if you go over
Thank you ☺️
I came to say this, got to fuel yourself as well. I do freezer soups/currys so I’ve got easy already made food in and I use frozen veg to do these (can bulk out with beans/lentils to keep the protein high too). My current favourite soup is a tin of coconut milk, with a bit of water, 2 veg stock cubes, 1 bag frozen butternut squash and 1 bag frozen sweet potatoes, garlic, salt/pepper, and paprika/chilli)then blitz smooth… I portion into ziplock food bags and then add a bit of water to reheat - it’s quite thick (that I wash out and reuse). I’ve pulled one for my dinner later to…..
Love your video but don’t skimp on food for growing children and yourself. Food is a priority over other things
This sounds so tasty! I’m going to give it a go - thank you for sharing ☺️
@@gwenhunter8454I’ll try this too... coconut milk is quite cheap in B&M in the tins...
You dont include fuel or water or council taxes etc
No, as they’re a fixed expense I can’t change.
This is none of my business so dont even answer, but i hope your ex is contributing to the boys expenses. Will watch this a few times to try to add ad income, haha
Thank you for watching 💜