FRUGAL FEBRUARY 2012 IS HERE! CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED DETAILS, AND PLEASE CHANGE YOUR LINKS IF POSSIBLE!

http://www.gemmacartwright.com/blog/frugal-february/

A few people showed interest in Frugal February when I mentioned it the other day, so I thought it’d be worth putting together a full page of info in case anyone fancies joining in. It’d be great to have some other people to share the torture with!

I’m not super-strict on the rules – if you spot this on 3rd Feb it’s not too late to take part, just run it into the first few days of March! Really this is about saving some cash, making the most of what you have and realising that you don’t need to spend on loads of new stuff to create some fabulous outfits. At the bottom of the post are a few hastily made buttons if you fancy popping one in your sidebar so other people can join in too. It’d be great if fellow FFers could spread the word!

So, here are the basics of Frugal February…

I vow, for one month from 1st Feb, to avoid shopping for anything other than essentials.

This means buying no clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, cosmetics, books, DVDs, music, magazines, gadgets etc for a month.

Food and drink don’t count, though it’s worth paying attention to unnecessary expenses in this area – do you really need that bottle of wine? Do you have stuff in the cupboard you could use to make dinner, rather than getting convenience food? I also suggest banning takeaways and any unnecessary eating out if you’re really serious!

Daily use items such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo etc are fine to buy, but only if you’ve run out completely! Same goes for any makeup you might ‘finish’ during the month. On the off chance you use up the last dregs of your only foundation during the month, you can replace it, but only if you don’t have an alternative.

Frugal Feb doesn’t mean waving goodbye to a social life. Though you may choose to cut down on nights out to save a bit more cash, my time spent with friends is important to me! My Frugal February ‘no spend’ rule doesn’t include things like the occasional ticket or cover charge, or travel expenses. If I want to go somewhere and there’s a cost associated, that’s fine.

Frugal Feb is mostly about not buying clothes and unnecessary items, and using the ones you have, so I’ll be keeping track of what I wear, the things I’m getting use out of that I wouldn’t otherwise, and blogging about it. I would, of course, encourage anyone else taking part to do the same, and don’t forget to tweet / email me the links. Obviously this can be teamed with any other challenges you may be doing (like the 30 for 30 challenge or Frocking Fridays).

If you’d like to take part, pop a comment below with your URL and I’ll add you to my links list and check out your blog during the month. It’d also be lovely if you followed BGB using google friend connect or bloglovin’ and follow me on twitter too – nudge nudge, wink wink. I’ll try and do the same for you, of course.

I’ve made a few Frugal February buttons that you’re more than welcome to pop in your blog sidebar too (you don’t have to). They’re a bit rubbish, so please feel free to make your own if you’d rather. Give me a shout if you do and with your permission, I’ll add it here.

The Frugal February hashtag on twitter is #frugalfeb – make sure to add it to the end of any tweets so I see them!

2011 PARTICIPANTS

Gemma | @GemmaCartwright
Blog: Big Girls Browse

Emma | emma_cossey
Blog: Emma Cossey

Sophie | @sophcrownglory
Blog: Crown & Glory

Lauren | @LaurenEACooke
Blog: A Typical Atypical

Abby | @abbzzw
Blog: Abbzzw

Michelle | winyeemichelle
Blog: Daisy Butter

Lauren | @dollipopsB
Site: Dollipops

Courtney | @knorkyat
Blog: What Would Darcy Do

Alyse | @AlyseIntegral
Blog: Integrating Alyse

Helen | @ohthedecadence
Blog: Clear Your Heart

Laura
Blog: Laura Laments

Hannah | @theroxyloves
Blog: The Roxy Loves

Alex | @alexsheppard
Blog: Alexandra Sheppard

Vicky | @utterlyconfused
Blog: Confused in Bristol

Lauren | @noirnouvelle
Blog: Noir Nouvelle

River
Blog: River’s Day Zero Project

Camilla
Blog: …And Other Stories

Ria | @RCagz
Blog: Wishing For Chanel

Seanna
Blog: Make up and Me

Aimee | @theaimeeshow
Blog: The Aimee Show

Selina | @NeverEnoughShoe
Blog: Never Enough Shoes

Lou | @Lou_tweets
Blog: Nearly Thirty…

Victoria | @VicThompson
Tumblr: Things I Thought About Today…

Leanne | xXxStundonxXx
Blog: Stundon

Kitty | @KittyBonkers
Blog: Life With (Kitty) Bonkers

Sian | @Sian_lb
Blog: Shutterbug

Tori | @mythriftychic
Blog: My Thrifty Chic

Ash | @ashvw87
Blog: Emerald Doodles

Steph | @stephsimplelife
Blog: The Simple Life…

Tamsin | @miss_believer
Blog: Miss Believer

Rae
Blog: sickbunnyy

Vicky | @Vanityfashionis
Blog: Vanity-Fashionista

Jess | @LovelyChaos

Kelly-Marie | thekeletubbie

Kerry | @egokerry

leave a comment or tweet at me if you’re not on the list and would like to be, then pop one of the banners below in your sidebar (if you wish).

[photo: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Touchstone Pictures]