Live on £4000 for a year - part 4 (Oct - Dec 2008)

bails

Thankyou dND, I had a look but couldn't get it any cheaper. The only offer on was with dinner at £30 a head :eek: I need to mull it over a bit more, may just make a ticket to put in the hamper and then we can book nearer the time and hopefully get a better deal (also, that way, if she would rather see a different show we can). Appreciate the help, thanks.
1274, can I ask how much your coffee habit is a year? This isn't a criticism or judgment at all, we all have different things we choose to spend our money on and different areas we feel are important to us; I'm just interested in how much your new plan could save you. You cold also tell us what you'd like to do with the savings if you like :T
I need a book for work and I've been trying to get it from the library with no joy. I could get it from Am@zon for 1p but can't face the postage costs :rotfl:so I'm going to summon up the energy from somewhere later to delve around in my parents' garage in the hope of finding a useful substitute. (The pain of this ordeal isn't apparent unless you can see my parents' garage!) :eek:

Frugaldom

1274 - a daily cuppa en route to WORK - operative word here is work - that would make it a work-related expense, not a cost of living one If you weren't en route to work, you would simply make the coffee at home, not buy it each morning.

Good morning all, it's sunny here again but I haven't got a washing done. As usual, the awful neighbour keeps lighting their bonfire so it's been pointless hanging anything out and it makes me so annoyed! I'm trying not to let it worry me as it isn't long until I'll be away from here. :j

I spent about 20 mins on an 0845 number this morning too! :mad: I was trying to sort out the electricity supply for the new house, as it's a card meter. However, after much debate, and a call back from Scottish Power, I have discovered that I'll actually be CHEAPER using a prepayment meter on what's called a ComfortPlus Control tariff. Apparently all the storage heaters and hot water heater are hardwired to a separate circuit that's currently set at 4.93p per unit (kWh). This is great news, as it means we'll just need to keep an eye on what's plugged in during the day and the washing machine can go on through the night using cheap rate of 5.56p per unit (kWu). Of course, there is a standing charge of about £1.60 per week but we're paying about £1.50 per week here. To me, it's all swings and roundabouts and the overall cost of electricity must be about the same however you choose to use it but it still gives us the opportunity to have a warm house this winter, backed up by a lovely log fire when the power goes out.

Going to do my weekly meter 'report' on i-measure - that should help adjust the national average in an upwards direction! :rotfl: Then I may need to try baking in my new toy. :cool:

Skint_Lynne

Good afternoon,

Well, it is Monday again, a fresh new week. I hope I don't spend as much money, but we will see............ It's the wee ones birthday today, so have £50 to put in his card, but this has been saved up. Would I count this as a spend? Now, I have another small problem, I'm sure someone can help me with this.

I have a damp smell in a cupboard in my house and also the 2 bottom drawers of my chest of drawers. does anyone have an idea as to how I would get rid of these. Theres no sign of dampness, just the smell. I've posted it on the In my home board, but I know that you lot are full of good ideas.;)

Speak later,

SL x

1274

bails wrote: »

1274, can I ask how much your coffee habit is a year? This isn't a criticism or judgment at all, we all have different things we choose to spend our money on and different areas we feel are important to us; I'm just interested in how much your new plan could save you. You cold also tell us what you'd like to do with the savings if you like :T

Oh dear, I was hoping I wouldn't have to fess up to the figures, but it's £2.50 per cup. My new machine was around £50, and coffee beans are £2 per week, so guesstimating milk and electricity costs at £3 per week, that gives a coffee total of £310 for the year, which seems OK given how much I enjoy it. I just need to sort out the cup issue and then I should save around £500 per year. I'm young(ish) with no kids and in London, so I have a lot more treats for me in my all-in budget than I guess those of you with families to support do. I would have liked to put the savings into my mortgage, but the price rises on my gas, electric and mobile bills and will swallow them all

Now I've started the confessions, what to do all you count as your most frivolous spending habits?

whitewing

1274, don't worry. I used to have lattes every day (and loved them). It was the Starbucks Xmas CD and other incidentals that finished me off!

My frivolous spending habits used to be books and magazines (especially if they were pseudo-intellectual as I could justify them more). And maybe toiletries.

thriftylass

1274 wrote: »

Now I've started the confessions, what to do all you count as your most frivolous spending habits?

I can proudly say (sorry to sound a bit pretentious:o ) that I cut out my worst/ most frivolous everyday spending, two examples - stopped smoking (£20.65/week saved :T ) & no more daily choc bar and crisps (buy multipacks of choc bars and only have them 2-3 times a week, no more crisps, at least £3/week saved:rotfl: ). But I have to work on pub visits and going out for meals. It's not that often yet if we go it's not the cheapest and if we're going with friends I can hardly say sorry not coming don't want to spent the money. Don't know why, but it makes that challenge a bit harder, also haven't told BF I'm taking part, he'd call me crazy. He's anyway the type, spend today and worry tomorrow.

1274

Thriftylass - well done on stopping smoking. You will save more with that than I will with my home made coffees! And after I sort the coffees out, my next target is how to find a substitute for the pub! At least in this country we can drink outside in public. You can't in some parts of Canada and the US!
Whitewing - glad to see I'm not the only one with a daily coffee habit. I'm good with not buying mags and books though, cos it's hard to manage a grande coffee standing up on the train and read a magazine at the same time :rotfl:

Marru

Ummm - for me chocolate and wine. My diet (that I am planning to start one day soon...) could be aided greatly without these indulgences same as my budget. And now crisps are creeping back in.

I am not really here, I should be in college, long story, anyway, lots to do, 7 down, 15 to go :eek:...

taka

frivolous spending habits?... hmmmmmm

books, jewellery making supplies (tools, semi precious beads and stones especially) and stationary!

I used to buy books a couple of times a week - I'm now down to a couple a month from charity shops (I've even worked out which charity shops are far cheaper for books as they vary a lot here ) and sometimes swapping them at work.

Stationary - I love it but I have so much its not funny I'm trying to go cold turkey on spending on this until I actually need to buy something. Bargins are only a bargin if I need and use them!! I'm also looking forwards to a suppliers fair in a couple of weeks as all the reps always give away lots of post-its, notepads, pens and other goodies (sweets, rucsacks and mugs etc if you get there early )

Jewellery stuff - I make silver jewellery but have sooooooo many semi precious beads and stones its not funny. I made a spreadsheet of what I have and what its worth/what I paid for it - its well over £300 worth :eek: and thats not including the silver or the tools... :eek: I now put aside any 1p, 2p and 5ps that I get in my change to fund this. If I don't have the money set aside then tough - I don't get it!

thriftylass

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

I have a damp smell in a cupboard in my house and also the 2 bottom drawers of my chest of drawers. does anyone have an idea as to how I would get rid of these. Theres no sign of dampness, just the smell. I've posted it on the In my home board, but I know that you lot are full of good ideas.;)

As a commercial option try Oust 3in1, the one you can use also on surfaces. Or the cheap/free option, sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda, leave for a while and brush/vacuum off.