52 Week money challenge 2014 : Week 52!!! How did we do?

For those of us who remember, how ever vaguely, signing up to trying to save a bit of money this year (  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270397/52-week-money-challenge/0_100   ) I thought I would start a new thread to check out how we have all done, and how our year has been.

I wasn't at all sure how I would do because of leaving my previous line of work and starting a new job with much lower pay.   I was very strict with my self at the start of the year, and also took the oportunity when the amounts were small to add any extra I could afford to try and lessen the difficulties as the year went on.   Over the year I am amazed to say I have almost saved the final amount, and think I have just under £1200 in the account I opened to keep track of my self (it started off in a little money pot but after a couple of months that needed to be a bit bigger LoL).   I don't think I would have saved quite so much if I hadn't paid in extra at the beginning, and haven't managed to save anything since early November.

I'm going to use the money to get necessary repairs done on my bathroom early in the new year.   I got a quote for work that's needed, plus the luxury of a bigger radiator as it's always freezing in there, and I've saved just enough to get everything done.        Thank you!

Wow--good for you!  I quit part way through the year, mostly because I kept forgetting about it and then it was too hard to catch up....      Congratulations on sticking with the plan!  

I quit doing this by February. The money is in a piggy bank for Aimee but it's not nearly the amount it should be.

I think I quit in August to pay for something for the house, but I forget what it was. Maybe the composter, but I don't remember. Even in August it was getting a little difficult for me. Rick takes care of the family finances and gives me an allowance and that had to come out of my allowance. It was starting to get tricky. (I was a little surprised that I even made it that long, to be honest.)

Winchester said:

 
I think I quit in August to pay for something for the house, but I forget what it was. Maybe the composter, but I don't remember. Even in August it was getting a little difficult for me. Rick takes care of the family finances and gives me an allowance and that had to come out of my allowance. It was starting to get tricky. (I was a little surprised that I even made it that long, to be honest.)

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That's about when I hit the wall too and only saved a bit more because I'd managed to put a bit more in earlier in the year.

I think anything saved is a real achievement for all of us, when things are tight it is difficult to find even pennies not committed.   I'm good at putting change away in little jars but that's also becuase I know I often need to raid them for things and more than once it's helped with vet bills for Mouse.  @catlover19  when you've moved house and had a baby it's pretty amazing Aimee's piggy bank has more not less than when you started out in January!  

You know, I've been thinking about this for 2015. It really got to be too much during the fall last year and really started kicking me in the butt. So what I've decided for this year is that I'm going to put dollar bills back. Every time I get a dollar bill, I'm going to put it in my box. But just dollar bills. That won't be quite so bad and we'll see what I can manage to do and for how long. So far, I've got $12. (Twelve $1.00 bills.) It's still saving something, but it won't kill my allowance toward the end of the year.

Winchester said:

 
You know, I've been thinking about this for 2015. It really got to be too much during the fall last year and really started kicking me in the butt. So what I've decided for this year is that I'm going to put dollar bills back. Every time I get a dollar bill, I'm going to put it in my box. But just dollar bills. That won't be quite so bad and we'll see what I can manage to do and for how long. So far, I've got $12. (Twelve $1.00 bills.) It's still saving something, but it won't kill my allowance toward the end of the year.

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I think you can save quite a bit that way as long as you don't get naughty like me and raid.  LoL.  For the last few years I've saved any £2 coins I get and put them in a clay 'piggybank' that doesn't have a hole for emptying.  Periodically I check how much I have by emptying via the slit and can get as much as £200 in a year.  I have a habit of raiding occasionally if I get strapped for cash though, for things like little birthday presents.  Mostly I think of it as my vet fund to cover Mouse's annual vet costs: if nothing major comes up and I don't raid for anything else it can grow to cover a bigger bill which is a nice cushion for me now I'm on a low budget.  This year I took £100 out to cover some of the weekly saving plan.  

I think I'll try to save £100 each month this year if I can.  I should manage if I have a lodger but months I don't have anyone here I don't think I'd be able to save much at all as my basic wage only covers very basic living costs for me and food and litter for Mouse.  

I figure saving anything is better than nothing so even if it's  £50 / $50 a year it's still better than zero and helps if something unexpected comes up.