An Optimistic Pair's MFW Journey

setmefree2

Optimisticpair

Nice budget denting month so far with the MOT and car repairs which came in at £152.50 which was a relief. Happy with the month overall so far though. Anything left over monthly will offset the gardening costs for seed, compost, fertiliser, propogator etc.

We rescued both two halves of a massive plastic container from the recycling centre the other weekend. These will do very nicely for the vegetable growing. Just pure good luck we went looking for them at the right time. Couldn't pick up any kindling though as the boot was destined for a big shopping trip. The freezer is jam-packed with batch cooked meals.

Spending breakdown January 1st to 25th.

Food/ toiletries/ cleaning & laundry £179.95 / £200 month / £2,400.00 year
TV Licence £142.50 / £145.00 (£2.50 over for garden)
Gifts £300
Landline £120 year
Mobile £20 year
Coal £30.00 / £150.00 year
Logs/Wood & kindling £6.96 / £150.00
Electricity £300.00 year
Oil £700 year
Building and Contents insurance - £86.50 (paid for year 09/10)
Non-work transport costs £12.50 / £360 year

---

Haircuts £50.00
Non-work clothes and shoes £2.97 / £50
Furniture/ Household repairs/maintenance 140.00
Miscellaneous spent on garden £28.50/ £28.50

---

Garden not in the budget spent additional £68.18

wheeeeeeeeeeeeee:j

evab_2

Well done, sounds like you've planned your year well but arrgh to the oil budget!

Optimisticpair

evab wrote: »

Well done, sounds like you've planned your year well but arrgh to the oil budget!

Cheers

I know the oil is a big chunk. But there's no gas bill. There are two of us in all the time. I checked and it seems cheaper to use oil to heat the water than leccy. Cest la vie.

Optimisticpair

Blimey hang out flags there was actually some whoopsied mince in the S'bury's. We snaffled three kgs for £8.22 (£2.74 kg) and somehow managed to stuff it into the groaning freezer. Well, they do say keeping it full costs less to run.:j

It snowed/sleeted again so the washing didn't get put outside, that's all draped on the radiators. Cold is good for the garlic though so never mind.:)

We have plenty in stock so MrOP got his standing orders this morning not to spend again until 1st Feb. :rotfl:

Optimisticpair

January was a heavy month with the MOT due and Feb saw the first electric bill.

Freezer well stocked and dry/tinned goods shop done yesterday 13th Feb.All we will need for the rest of this month is bread milk and veg.

I worked out that the local shopping place is expensive but costs £2.25 a trip in petrol and the most economic place to shop costs £8.40 in petrol. I therefore reason that I need to buy enough in one throw to offset £6.00 and over.

When I say expensive locally I mean locally a packet of toilet rolls costs twice the price of a cheapo brand we like. Despite the usual brand going up by 5p a pack it is still unbeatable value. Special offer 24 rolls for £4.79 v £2.76 for the brand we prefer. We saved the £6.00 just buying a stock of toilet rolls and saved on the rest of the shopping to boot.

MrOP offered to buy me flowers or chocolates for Valentines Day but I opted for a plant pot. If anything I prefer something I can plant in the garden that keeps on growing and is a reminder of the sentiment every time I look at it. I'm just an old romantic at heart.

The budget didn't include the garden or car originally so actually I'm only over budget by a small amount for January. I'm loathe to alter the 5k upwards to include both though!!! I scrapped the mobile phone amount to put into the garden amount. I'll wait and see how it pans out.

Optimisticpair

I've just squeaked in for Feb under budget.

£413.83 / £416.66 average per month.

I'm thinking of sitting down this afternoon to draw up an ALL IN version to follow from April instead of the previous standard Live on xK challenge. I didn't include for either the garden or the car in my original budget so including them is busting the budget 'target'. The electricity bill was a sizeable chunk of this month's expenses.

Optimisticpair

Original figure was £74, 349.00 1 November 2008 (no offset)

Start figure was 71,160 on 31 October 2009

Estimated figure for March 2010 is £70,500.00

Target of 68k by 31October 2010
Target by end October 2011 65k
Target by end October 2012 62k

Savings in hand for living expenses and car replacement

Debts include CC 1,780 and loan

setmefree2

well done on those OPs :T:T:T

Optimisticpair

Monday 10th May

Finally got the garden cleared of anciently dead and decrepit shrubs, self-sown saplings, the excess of dismal, grey and cheap looking breeze block walling and a dandelion infested concrete path and steps. :j

Clearance filled two skips which have cost an arm and a leg. I think plant hire and builders supply businesses are seeing reduced trading and have put prices up.Plaster has apparently doubled in price. This puts me off buying locally which is a shame but I simply can't afford to carry a business through hard times.

I've offered the remaining topsoil to a neighbour and the rest went on offer on freecycle. I have retained a Buddliea davidii (Butterfly Bush) the Lonicera nitida hedge and a bed of perennials in front of them which now needs a drystone wall building to retain the soil. I saved tons of stone back for this. I spent a while yesterday cutting more of the hedge back. The area has been levelled to a gentle slope. I'm still stuck with three tree stumps but I'll find some way round that. Usual thing is to build a rockery over them.:rotfl:

I will need to shell out for a garden fork and a rake on Saturday and a wheelbarrow would be useful. I'm hoping that on our next trip to the recycling centre there will still be pallets and that a couple will fit into the car as I need to build a wood store. May be able to pick up some kindling at the same time.

Having finally worked out how to post pictures I'll do this the next time it rains. It hailstoned yesterday for ten minutes. Neighbour tells me it is frosty by the river, which is close enough to hear, :eek: but the garden seems to escape it.

The vegetables are doing well despite having to be in containers of all shapes and former lives. I caved in and dug up our first early new potatoes. I got enough for three meals for the two of us from two seed potatoes. Cost us 20p. The first lot we had with a bit of steak and Yorkshire puds and I made a lamb and potato curry last night.

Much jollity in the house this week since Mr Op discovered for himself just how good Martin's advice on cutting car insurance cost is. I see we can reduce ours considerably. :T

We cleared the credit card off and MrOp has cancelled the card. No sign of the loan to family ever being repaid unfortunately though so we will have to keep on budget to clear the loan we had to get out for installing new heating. By the end of this year we will be in a much better position to offset on the mortgage and overpay.

We invested in a £12 Wilko greenhouse which is resplendent with the vegetable seedlings and a tray of lettuce that takes up the whole bottom shelf. Indoors I have chilli peppers and tender herbs waiting to go outside.

Today it is fine and dry so it is a garden construction day. :beer: