Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

BlueFleur

I think that publicity probably has a lot to do with her presence in newspapers/tv shows today. But, to be fair, if I'd written a book I'd probably do the same The £1 a day blagging part seems like a stunt- it isn't something that is sustainable. If you had children you couldn't take them to launches etc for the free food on offer. That's why I prefer this sort of challenge, as it is something that I can see myself using in the future. I'm going to be saving to buy my first house once my debt is cleared, and spending less will be the way I do it. I think living on £1 a day would leave you worse off over a year- you'd need to spend on clothes, shoes, presents for all the people you sponged off...

Managed to not spend a penny today (apart from the mobile phone direct debit). I think my bf is catching the bug slowly but surely. He even took a packed lunch to work today! :j

Frugaldom

Bails, like you, I'm intrigued, but also feel I'm missing out on things as we have no jumble sales near us either! :rotfl: If you do happen to find poundwoman, perhaps you could ask her to join here for the final quarter rather than leave it until 2009?
What do you mean Fergus the Foetus? Are the Weezl and AM expecting a frugalmite?? :eek: :j :beer: I haven't been on her thread for a while and haven't seen her back since the decorating stint. Must catch up soon.

None of my recent ads have netted me any response from Freecycle and I can't find anything listed, so I have set myself another mini challenge via eBid (because it's free and my allegiance lies firmly with 'free'). I have set up my own 'WANTEDS' section and am going to build on that to start practising for my self-sufficientish money neutral lifestyle that I have planned for 2009. I had planned on doing it this year but inflation and circumstances got in the way, so 4k seemed the easier option. But you lot all got me doing different things to generate extra cash that I hadn't considered before 2008. :T Sealed pot (Mumzy's thread), quit smoking (practically got chucked off that thread), £2 coins, Mr T clubcard points, free bingo, cashback sites, homegrown veggies, handmaking cards & pressies, collecting vouchers, free clicks.... I've altered what I thought was already a fairly frugal lifestyle and am now surprised at how much I wasted even whilst previously living on 4k! And now I even have a life assurance policy with my tax free friendly society bond! I feel RICH! :rotfl:

Anyway, anything that I need for myself, house or gifts for family, I am going to advertise for via my "NYK's Most Wanted List". If, and when, I succeed in sourcing these items then the amount I pay for them will have to be recouped by selling other stuff. That should make me get off my b*m and list I wonder if eBid allows you to post a wanted for free items? :rotfl: I'm off to find out now.

bails

Yes, Weezl and AM are indeed expecting a little frugalmite, due March 5th.
Good luck with the 'Most Wanted' list - mine would just read 'a job'

Just having a complete meltdown here over everything Going to go back over my budget to see exactly how much I really need to live (with some sense of happiness included) and translate that into number of hours I need to work. Then I have to write a list of questions to ask at my meeting on Monday, in the vain hope that there's a return to work solution I don't know about. My self-respect is at an all-time low and I am truly desperate to get out of this hole

Marru

nykmedia wrote: »

1. Being able to cycle or walk to work means living close enough in the first place Check - working from home, free bus to college, problem: DD needs to be taken to nursery and to be picked up
2. The library would need to be within cycling /walking distance Nope, a long treck for that
3. The major high street stores would all need to be within walking/cycling distance for make-up & perfume samples etc Nope unless willing to walk 6 miles one way with DD in tow
4. You need local bookshops to attend launches or art galleries to attend exhibitions etc. Same as point 3
5. Nightlife/social circle would need to be within walking distance and everything pre-arranged by word of mouth if there is no phone What nightlife?
6. For free chicken carcasses etc from a butcher, there would need to be a butcher within walking/cycling distance Check!
7. Hitch-hiking alone for a holiday in France with no expenses for passport renewal, currency exchange, insurance, travel of any form - can't understand this part at all. All passengers need to pay somewhere along the line as far as I know. Did some hitch hiking during my A levels (psst don't tell my mum) but wouldn't even dream about it at this ripe age of 39
8. All cards & presents would need to be homemade for everone for all occasions and no allowance made for wrappings, postage or delivery. Check, eveybody gets present from my book stock

Completely impossible with a toddler in tow and responsibility of several animals.

I am back from my shopping trip and I have spent total of £211.34 :eek:. And just when I thought that is it, no need to go even near the shops for like - never I realised that I forgot to buy the seed for HM joghurt, doh! But I can get this from my local. I am determined to get some pasta bake in the owen before bed and one soup bubbling in the slow cooker over night and also to get my stir fry done tonight. So that is one of the soups and two of the evening meals done then.

The amount includes shoes for DD (1.99) couple of trousers (bogof), some pants and socks for her, couple of long sleeved t-shirts for me (not allowed to work with animals in short sleeves). Also plastic containers to freeze soup and foil containers to use in batch cooking. And a cool bag for me (and pink one for DD as she will need it next autumn when she goes to big school ) and mug with lid and thermos and...Ok you get the picture.

Need to get our supper sorted as DD seems to be tired, so it will be veggie sausages and chips that will be ready in 20 minutes and guaranteed that DD will eat it.

How about the "Frugal living challenge" or is this too predictable and boring?

Have a great evening everybody.

Marru

PS got two beautiful hand made cards for DD's friends for their birthday cards (one birthday tomorrow, another next Sunday) for 75p each, which is included in total spent today, I know I could've found cards cheaper somewhere else but didn't have the time and they are truly beautiful so well worth the money.

PS2. Bails - we were posting at the same time, hugs to you, I will come and sort you out on Wednesday, please clear your diary :D

System

what about 'we welcome you to frunchkin land' as the name of the challenge?

(or maybe i have been stuck at home with my wizard of oz coasters for too long...)

wendywitch

nykmedia wrote: »

:beer: WELL DONE! You are correct - I use the challenge for everything except rent, council tax/water and debt payments, which have now become savings since the debts got paid off, so that's the way it works best for me too So long as I know that I have enough to live, I can avoid further debt and know how long things take to save for - like my house project.

I think I know where I've been going wrong I've for some reason started including my rent and D.D's no wonder I'm failing the challenge

Frugaldom

Hi Wendywitch - you can include standard DDs for stuff like electricity, gas, phones etc but don't include any loans or debt repayments as these are what you are trying to get rid of. I thought of another way to look at it...
Imagine you own your house outright - no rent, no mortgage payments - and you are absolutely debt free. You no longer need to go out to work, so there are no work associated expenses like the car, the childminder, the nursery fees etc... all you need to pay for is what it costs you to live and still have a little left over for some pleasures in life. (This is how I imagine retirement.) These are the things we are counting because we all need to live.

Brighton Belle - I already suggested to DD she stop buying bags & shoes and start selling them instead, but I don't think she was listening. She was probably too busy watching Footballers' Wives or a Posh & Becks interview. Where I grew up on The Good Life, Bread, Tiny Tears and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, her generation are growing up on 'girl power', plastic surgery, lottery winners, Princess Glitterbabe Barbie (or whatever) and star-studded wannabes - we just can't compete. :rotfl:

Have now listed 3 wanted ads:

1. a dehumidifier,
2. a black winter cardie and
3. a copy of the Complete Tightwad Gazette, as I want to read that before reading about Ms Kelly living on a £1 a day

Whatever it costs me for the above I will need to recoup by listing and selling. This is how I'm planning to do my money-neutral 2009

whitewing

nyk,

I think you asked about charging your children for lodging?

I seem to remember a sensible suggestion from another thread of a third of what they're earning, (then a third for saving, and a third for spending). How it would work in practise, I don't know. Personally, I found it very awkward charging MIL rent when she was here. Not that she complained...I felt terrible...but I did it anyway!

1274

Looking at my budget again as Saturday is spreadsheet day. My figure for next year's "all in" challenge will be £15,000. Can't believe it's so much. Nearly 2/3 of that is my mortgage, CT, utilities and phone, leaving just over £5,000 for food, clothes, haircuts, medical and dental, all travel, entertainment and holiday. Probably will need a new computer and some other spends in there too, which aren't in the £15K yet.

What do the rest of you spend or think you'll spend "all in"?

Frugaldom

Hi Whitewing, thanks for your response. I think I was on that thread discussion and did broach the subject with DS at the time about the 1/3 digs, 1/3 savings, 1/3 spending but nothing came of it. Trouble is, he's on a fairly good wage for a teenager (he earns more than me, for a start) but he doesn't seem to realise it and is still completely spent out by the end of each and every month. He has a car, goes to the gym twice a week, spends an absolute fortune on mobiles and doesn't think twice of paying £50 for a T shirt or £100 for boots (many pairs, he's almost as bad as his sister with her shoes!) I'm sure it's some sort of rebellion against frugalism! His redeeming feature is that he does save to buy the stuff, so things like his car & annula insurance he saved for and has no loans or debts. He's also quite good at asking me to find best prices for things or if I have links via cashback so I can order online for him, so he is quite sensible about avoiding debt. The day he brought in several loaves 'because they were reduced', I almost fell of the chair! But I'd still like him to start saving for the future and err... hmm! Now that I've typed all of this, umm... I can't help but think back to when his father and I were that age... NOT saving, spending on cars, foing out 3 nights a week, going on holiday and generally not being anywhere near as sensible as he is now! Umm... maybe I'll slink off for a rethink and just settle for the way things are at the moment. Afterall, I'm rich and live in a huge mansion... just ask Janey. :rotfl: