Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

cw8,first thing to remember about the OMG cash-short problem is don't worry, you can work something out by improving on your juggling skills and living on your wits. Grocery shopping can be cut to the bone, utilities curbed, ALL extras stopped, free socialising & entertainment only, evening earning even if it's only a few pounds extra, decluttering, sharing & swapping within family & social circles to avoid the need for spending and a few well chosen words in the correct ears can also help to work wonders. Prioritise and then re-prioritise, it always works for me and helps make a little bit of better luck go a long, long way

Thanks for that Nyk. I'm still trawling through part 1 of this challenge, but am really finding it hard to see anywhere I can cut back more than I have -- although I love the support that is so clearly visible between everyone on here

I actually realised this morning I've not costed in for the window cleaner or chap who mows the lawn which currently comes to another £31/month averaged over the year!! Neither of us is fit to do the former, and I wouldn't dream of sending teenage son up a ladder -- and onto roof to reach 3 of the windows -- when we wouldn't do it ourselves even if we were, as neither of us is happy at heights.... If I don't pay the gardener I'm gonna have to shell out for a new mower, 'cos the one we have is about to 'conk' (won't let son touch it) and wrecks my back everytime I use it. Am thinking it's going to be much cheaper to get the new mower (and pay the fuel -- whatever type -- to run it), though it's probably going to mean me walking the dog on a day that should be sons turn as I don't want to take too much of his study time off him.

Groceries are already pared back -- almost every meal is based around Whoopsie! ingredients or value/smartprice items, and I think our utilities are about as low as we can get them (though I may be able reduce the gas/electricity DD by £10/month without getting into debt, but want to watch it for a few more months before doing so).

I haven't allowed a penny for socialising (or non-essentials) for me - I only need for one thing a month, and my daughter has been giving me the tenner for that in return for a baby sitting session over the last few months I don't want to give up on that day out (a crafting day with friends), as it's the only time I get out of the house apart from food shopping, dog walking, and taking elder grand-daughter to school.

Not sure I can commit to a job of any type -- hubby's health is up and down, so I never know when I'm going to be needed at home (the last time I went out for my monthly "jolly" he was fine when I left home at 9:50, but I had to head home at 3 instead of 4:30 as he wasn't feeling well). As such even the baby-sitting for my daughter is provisionally booked a week or so ahead, firmed up the night before, and confirmed a couple of hours before she wants me.

I guess we're not in dire straits yet though as we will have my redundancy payout to cover the 'overspend', and I reckon we can actually stay afloat with expenses as they are for around 4 years from the end of November -- as long as interest rates don't climb any higher (fat chance!). But I really don't want to rely on this long term as I can never know what nasty surprises are just around the corner :eek:

So I'm going to monitor all spends for the rest of the year very, very closely - and question every little thing that tempts me before reaching for my purse. I've kept a note of all shopping this month, and it's both surprised me at how little I've managed to spend on food -- about the same as I used to spend in 7-10 days (hubby used to buy bits on top of that whereas I now do all the food shopping) and I always though I was a canny shopper back then!! But it also scared me when I think how much I've also used from the freezer/store cupboards -- at least half as much again value wise, but that still means the whole month has come in at less than half of what I used to spend and without any top-ups by hubby. I think the next few weeks are going to be spent trawling through all the various recipe threads looking for new things I can try on the family to see if I can possibly get away with dropping it even lower.

I have a HUGE amount of respect for those of you who are successfully managing this challenge -- especially those of you with families at the £4k (or less) a year :T

Frugaldom

Hi cw18, how about turning your gardener & window cleaner into a mini-challenge? At £31 per month it would be handy to aim at £1 per day average at the computer?

bobbie78

nykmedia wrote: »

cw8,first thing to remember about the OMG cash-short problem is don't worry, you can work something out by improving on your juggling skills and living on your wits. Grocery shopping can be cut to the bone, utilities curbed, ALL extras stopped, free socialising & entertainment only, evening earning even if it's only a few pounds extra, decluttering, sharing & swapping within family & social circles to avoid the need for spending and a few well chosen words in the correct ears can also help to work wonders. Prioritise and then re-prioritise, it always works for me and helps make a little bit of better luck go a long, long way

Welcome to Cha and Bobbie, don't worry if you can't work out £1000 for the final quarter from October 1st (we'll be starting a new thread) as this is just a little practise run for you before 2009.

National Trust membership - it's available via some of the cashback sites. We have annual membership to the Scottish one and I managed to get 18 months for the price of 12 by paying £6.50 per month DD. I only renewed my membership (it had long since lapsed) in July, so we have right up until December 2009 and have already visited enough local places for the membership to have paid itself.

Also, as part of the challenge, vouchers and money off coupons are used EVERYWHERE POSSIBLE in this challenge. The less of our own money it costs, the better, so start gathering the points, rewards, coupons and vouchers and if they were free, then think of them as an added bonus.

Regarding the bulk buying, Sophiesmum started us off on a bulk buying stockpile mini-challenge within this one, so the answer is a resounding YES, if it can be bought cheap and it's something you use regularly, stockpile it anywhere you can find a space. I believe some people on here even have supplies stashed under beds! :rotfl:

Thanks for letting me join in nykmedia, clarifying a few things for me and making me feel welcome. Unlike cw18 below it appears I've just completely fallen of the DFW horse and hadn't even realised till today as I have been paying extra on my debts but no where near as well as I could have been. So this challenge it just the thing I need to help me get back on track and try and get this sorted a bit more.

Thank goodness for the vouchers as I have a lot of tesco ones coming next quarter thanks to the green points printer cartridge thing so that will help with entertainment I think a lot.

I'm also just starting an evening course next week, which I've already paid for but will need extra books for possibly, but as the course is not for work so is really just entertainment too really as history isn't really going to help me in my IT job. I'm going to focus on making sure I don't buy any books I don't need which is my other guilt pleasure of buying books. I do read them, but I'm not good with the library as I end up with fines. I do try and do bookcrossing when I remember and get books that way but have got slack with that so need to go back to bookcrossing I guess and not just buying what's out this week.

Anyway thanks for letting me join in hopefully I won't fall off the wagon as quickly this time. :j

cw18

Thanks for the idea about a mini-challenge Nyk -- will have to see what I can come up with

I will not let the situation get me down, and what I've not yet allowed for is that the monthly spend will slowly dwindle as I pay off finances (if only by a few quid a month) -- nor that as I shove redundancy payout into the best accounts I can find it will actually earn some extra in interest to make it last a bit longer I actually need to do figures to work out how/where we'd stand by paying off some of the finances to reduce the outgoings as soon as my redundancy money comes through, 'cos the benefits office will still treat it as if we have the capital in the bank and I'll have to make the remaining cash last as long as it would by making the minimum payments on the current level of debt.

Plus the endowments for the interest only part of our mortgage pay out in August and October 2011 and March 2012 which is around 3 years into my 4 year plan -- so that will reduce the outgoings (if only by the endowment premiums which is over £88/month, as if we're still in the same situation then our mortgage interest will hopefully be being paid for us via the IS Mortgage Interest Assistance thingy) and "buy" us some extra time. We'd still have the repayment part of the mortgage left (currently 6 years into a 25 year term), but I can't help feeling we'll be a lot more positive about things if we look like holding out long enough for those three policies to mature

The biggest worry I have (and that I can do nothing about at the moment so I can't factor it in) is that the benefits agency will say our house is too big for our needs and refuse to help with the interest on the full loan much sooner than that. If that happens things will go horribly wrong for us -- especially at the speed houses on our estate aren't selling at just now!!!!

I'm planning on joining the grocery challenge from next Wednesday (1st October), and will try and "unofficially" play along with this one from that date to the end of the year -- though my target is going to be much, much higher than anyone else's as I'll be including all expenditure including mortgage, council tax and water due to the fact I'll have to account for every penny I spend to the powers-that-be

1274

cw18 wrote: »

Thanks for the idea about a mini-challenge Nyk -- will have to see what I can come up with

I'm planning on joining the grocery challenge from next Wednesday (1st October), and will try and "unofficially" play along with this one from that date to the end of the year -- though my target is going to be much, much higher than anyone else's as I'll be including all expenditure including mortgage, council tax and water due to the fact I'll have to account for every penny I spend to the powers-that-be

You're welcome to join me on the slightly more (LOL) than 4K "all in" challenge for next year. I'm planning a target of £16K!

In other news, I've gone mad with my spending again this month. Nothing too drastic like a new car but just those little spends on lunches, coffees and the like which have the power to completely derail my budgeting. It's always a bad sign when I don't update my spreadsheet daily and I haven't done it for 2 weeks now! Plus I got hit by a stinker of a gas and electric bill (probabky my fault for not adjusting the DD which was set too low but I now have to find several hundred) I'll be better in October I promise

cw18

1274 wrote: »

You're welcome to join me on the slightly more (LOL) than 4K "all in" challenge for next year. I'm planning a target of £16K!

that's getting closer to the figure I'm currently looking at :eek:

Marru

Good morning all,

I have spent half the night in tooth ache and worrying about my finances. I can't go to the dentist until DD's CTF has been sorted so that will be one more month of sleeples nights for me. Called her dad today and spoke nicely about it and will send email as well trying as gently as possible to plea him to put the money in. Fingers crossed. Also "invested" £1.- for lotto tonight so I have everything crossed here.

Tasks for this weekend:

- update spreadsheets and signature
- do MB
- do washing (foggy day here but hopefully will clear to be nice day for outdoor drying)
- sort out fridge before more stuff goes to bin
- find out prices and best way to sell DD's old buggies
- list DD's Baby Einstein DVD's in Amazon (failed to do it last weekend)
- find out best way to sell roll of Aida fabric that I got from closing down sale (will try cut it in squares and sell bunches of these in eBay and eBid)
- enroll on corresponence course that will enormously help with my future career and plea for them to allow me to pay in installments
- do cover letter and CV to apply for block placement place for next summer
- stay away from the shops
- find a best way to advertise books of local history that I have four boxes of (free ad in local paper + Gumtree?)
- email DD's dad
- finish sorting spreadsheets for my accounting work and send out invoice

Wish me luck!

Marru

PS I might get a new piggy rescue called me yesterday telling me that a lone boy is looking for a home - I am sooo excited!!!

Skint_Lynne

Janey51 wrote: »

Hello Skint Lynne. I don't think I have said "Hi" yet but welcome to a great bunch of people.
Not everything I post is about moneysaving but it is always playing away in the back of my mind and this challenge has taught me a lot.
My DH died 3 months ago and it has made me realise how unimportant "stuff" is.
And my Mum is suffering from dementia and is going into care. But, sitting with her has taught me a lot as well.
All she wants me to do is hold her hand and be with her.
And, if you take away all the "stuff" we surround ourselves with..that's what life is all about really.

Friends, family and having people who care about how you are and want to be with you because you are "you" and not because you have "stuff".

Hi Janey,

These are wise words. I have been reading through and know that you have been through a lot lately. You are quite right, is it really neccessary to have 3 cars, 10 watches, diamond rings, fancy houses and all the rest of it? No, not really as these things usually spell out debt, which is making me very unhappy at the moment. I am now just looking to get myself sorted out, get a job, run my business alongside this and get myself sorted out.

I am adamant that when I am sorted out, I am never going back to this place again. It will be nice to have some savings, a cushion in case anything happens, eg my fridge breaking down and having the cash to buy a new one.

I really don't mind the 4K challenge, the way things are just now, I am probably living on less than that anyway.

Speak soon,

SL x

mah_jong

I have not posted for a while here, but an update shows I am on target, in fact I added my going out money ( pub) to the total before realizing that was not counted....never mind! I wont change it back toll next time.

According to Money ((I am consistent in keeping that accurate) I have spent just over 700 in food for the year, heating is still at zero but that will take a huge jump when I buy 1000 litres of oil next month! Clothing as been expensive this year, needed all sorts and have spent 120, thats way more than usual. Gifts too have been high with weddings and 'big' birthdays.

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redglass_2

Hi, Bobbie 78.
What's bookcrossing? Is it swapping?
Re the beetles, a few pages ago, they came inside the sealed plastic packets, not out of my store cupboard, but I can't remember where I bought the packets - I buy at lots of different places. Anyway (look away now if you're squeamish) I've rinsed and checked and I believe I've got everything out of the lentils so I'm going to boil them. I got over worrying about this kind of thing when I saw a market in West Africa where the sacks of pulses were totally unprotected from insects, including flies. They were the same pulses we were eating - local women picked them over and soaked them and boiled them, which sterilised them. I ate them every day and was absolutely fine - never felt better! (Thinks: some people are going to look like this :eek: reading my post, good job we're all anonymous!) :rotfl: