r/frugaluk

I got paid every 4 weeks for years and never understood why my budget kept drifting. Turns out the maths was never going to work.

52 weeks divided by 4 is 13. So you get 13 pay packets a year, not 12. Every "monthly" budget template assumes 12. That means one month a year you get paid twice and it feels like a windfall, and every other month you're quietly a bit short, because your bills are monthly and your money isn't.

Fortnightly is the same problem in a different shape. 26 payments a year, so twice a year you get a third payday in a month. Weekly, you get four months a year with five pay weeks in them.

The other one that got me, and it's worth 30 seconds of anyone's time whether you budget or not: council tax is billed over 10 months by default in England and Wales, so February and March are free. That's not a discount, it's just how they've split it. You can ask your council to spread it over 12 instead, which drops the monthly amount by about a sixth. Same total, cash flow only, but if your problem is that every month is tight rather than that the year is tight, it genuinely helps. Takes one phone call or a form on their website.

What fixed it for me was budgeting by payday instead of by month. So it isn't "January", it's "pay packet 1, pay packet 2". Every payday you give every pound a job until you hit zero and the calendar stops mattering. Sinking funds do the rest, so the annual stuff like car insurance and the MOT gets a monthly set aside instead of ambushing you.

Two things that made the biggest difference once I'd switched:

• Carryover. Whatever's left in the account on payday needs its own box, otherwise last month's leftovers get mistaken for this month's money and you overspend on paper money you already spent.
• Percentages, not amounts. Splitting the bills into essentials, living costs and fun as a % of take home told me more in five minutes than a year of tracking totals did.

Anyone on 4 weekly pay? I've never met anyone who found a template that handles it properly.

I work full time and most days I'm too exhausted to cook a proper meal after work. To avoid just grazing on snacks all evening, I've been buying Tesco frozen ready meals (£2-3.50 with Clubcard) for about a year.

Problem is, the 400g meals don't fill me up, but two is too much. I've also worked through the options I actually like and I'm getting bored.

I've tried HelloFresh, Gousto and Plathood during their discount periods, but honestly the prep is still too much after a long day.

I do meal prepping on the weekends when I can, but that doesn't cover everything.

I'm not picky, I just want something quick, cheap, and halfway nutritious to actually fill me up. Any go-to meals or brands you'd recommend for days like this? Ideally under £5 per meal 🙏

Your help is massively appreciated!

Ps: i miss when chicken shops where the cheap and low effort option 🥲

I sometimes get shorter shifts at work where I don't get a break, so by the time I get out, I'm starving, I'm looking for other foods to bring to snack on, protein bars being one of them.

I'm currently in a calorie deficit and working out so they'd be helpful in a pinch.

I know some stores do a single bar for £1 but are there any other methods to look for good deals in-person and online?

Hi folks, what cash back cards would you recommend?

Preference for ease of use, easy to pay back amount owed in full at end of each month, clear rules and no faff.

It’s time to share your frugal wins from the past week.
They don’t need to be impressive. Small wins absolutely count.

Did you:

• Save a few pounds on your food shop?
• Avoid buying something you didn’t really need?
• Use something up instead of replacing it?
• Cook a cheap, cheerful meal?
• Cancel, downgrade, or rethink a subscription?

You can also share:

• A near-miss (something you nearly bought but didn’t)
• A habit that’s starting to stick
• A small mistake that taught you something useful

If it made your week a bit cheaper or a bit smarter, it belongs here.

Drop it in the comments and let’s normalise the small victories.

One expires tomorrow and one in three days - croissant/almond and hazelnut donut or cronut. Another croissant/almond croissant. Just don’t want them to go to waste!

Hi, i hope this is the right place to ask.

Me and my mum are wanting to go to the hunger games re-releases happening in september but at full price it would be almost £60 for the both of us for tickets alone if we see all 5 films. Is there anywhere (other than insurance, phone, broadband etc) that offer cinema tickets (preferably vue but we’re not picky for this) discounted or even for free?

We’ve booked the first showing using o2 priority, but i’ll be cancelling that in about a week as i can count on one hand the amount of times it’s let me actually log on and use it since i set it up in June so won’t be able to use that in September.

Thanks :) sorry if this question is common.

Prohibit hospitality businesses from automatically adding "discretionary" service charges to bills, and ban digital card readers from prompting customers with pre-set tip percentages before payment. We believe all tipping must be 100% voluntary and initiated by the customer

​

In our view, the current tipping culture has become coercive and stressful as some restaurants routinely use "drip pricing," adding a 12.5% charge at the end of a meal, forcing customers to awkwardly ask to remove it. We think digital payment screens with pre-set tipping suggestions use psychological pressure to guilt people into tipping for basic counter service. We think this creates a hostile environment and anxiety for consumers.

We 2 friends are deciding to go Liverpool for studying from new Zealand. how do you guys even face the heavy apartment fees? Per head 400 pounds is kinda diabolical .

Apologies if this is a little off-topic for the sub... but I'm interested to hear your opinions/advice.

I earn a decent (but not huge) salary. My partner and I have a modest house with a mortgage. We don't have kids yet, but hopefully will soon.

I've always been a saver and between us we have a decent amount of savings. That's come from years of being careful with money (rather than earning loads): cooking from scratch, buying second hand or only when needed, taking budget holidays, having an older car outright, and generally just not spending for the sake of it. A big factor has been not having lifestyle creep - I was on £18k a few years ago and I still live a similar life despite now having a better (pretty much double) wage and more savings.

We still enjoy ourselves though—nice meals occasionally, the odd spend on clothes if I really want it... I don't feel deprived... The only major expenses we can see ahead are converting our garage into another bedroom and getting a family car. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what I'm saving for...

When I was younger, I imagined I'd go on luxury holidays or have a flashy car. Now what matters most is having things like financial security, a happy relationship, and time with family and friends, and I have that. I also like my job, so even retiring early isn't a goal right now - aware that might change.

So I'm curious - if you've built up savings through being frugal, what are you actually saving for? If you're like me and maybe too frugal for your own good, please help me out!

I'm curious how people actually shop when they're trying to save money on groceries.

Which sounds more like you?

A) "I need milk, bread, eggs, cheese, butter, etc." Then I compare what's available and buy whichever is the best value.

B) "I want Anchor butter, Walkers crisps, Heinz beans, etc." Then I look for the supermarket selling those brands the cheapest.

Or are you somewhere in the middle?

I'm trying to understand whether most people shop by the product itself or whether they're loyal to specific brands and just hunt for the best price.

Would love to hear how you do it.

What are the most cost effective products you have found? Especially toners?

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It’s time to share your frugal wins from the past week.
They don’t need to be impressive. Small wins absolutely count.

Did you:

• Save a few pounds on your food shop?
• Avoid buying something you didn’t really need?
• Use something up instead of replacing it?
• Cook a cheap, cheerful meal?
• Cancel, downgrade, or rethink a subscription?

You can also share:

• A near-miss (something you nearly bought but didn’t)
• A habit that’s starting to stick
• A small mistake that taught you something useful

If it made your week a bit cheaper or a bit smarter, it belongs here.

Drop it in the comments and let’s normalise the small victories.

Robinhood UK is currently offering new users a free share worth up to £130 when they sign up via referral and make a qualifying deposit.

✓ Only £1 deposit required
✓ Quick sign-up process
✓ Free share awarded after qualifying 🤑

I’ve completed the offer myself and received my reward successfully.

Here is my lucky link ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
https://DELETEjoin.robinhood.com/lornan-fd8231a

Just delete the DELETE part of the url. I have to add it so it posts

Or dm me if you’d like me to send you the link. 😁😁