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

Blairweech

Is this running again next year?

I deliberately did not do it this year, as I knew I would have to buy furniture etc for the house, but I am keen to join next year if it will be running. I am desperate to buy my own house (currently rent, on my own) so need to start saving up a deposit.
My 'ideal' goal for my house deposit would be £5000 in 2009 (gosh doesn't that sound like SUCH a lot when it's written down), but in order to do that I would need to save almost £100 a week, which is virtually impossible. So, I will probably lower that target to £3000

Anyway, I did my sums and figured out I am pretty much living on the £76 a week now, so I think I could manage to have a go at this challenge. No major purchases planned for 2009 - I did want several things, but must choose between house deposit or flat screen tv etc. It is just me on my own, so I think I could do it.

I hope it is running!

sophiesmum_2

Good evening frunchkins:D
Just come up after clearing up after party. Oldies and kids had a great time, surprise birthday cake went down really well, and everyone scoffed everything that was put out. Kids did some carol singing for us and oldies enjoyed joining in. Then they gave oldies card xmas stockings that they had made with choc bars in. We had bought selection boxes for the kids which they got when going home. It was 3 hours of noise, laughter, balloons popping, kids shouting, jelly everywhere, spilt drinks and mess and my oldies loved every minute of it:j :j :j . We have already made a date for another party at Easter:p It's great seeing the different generations interacting and having fun together.
Unwinding now and catching up with everyone's posts on here.

janey - frustrating about having to refund your amazon sales:mad: lol at the slow roasted moggie:rotfl:

Looks like everyone is getting well sorted with their budgets for next year, may have a tinker with mine over weekend still haven't decided whether to do £4000 or all in

Took my last block of butter from freezer today so will have to buy butter and also need more uht milk but apart from that stores still doing really well. Mind all these meals and parties with oldies are having a beneficial impact on my food spends/usage.

cw18

cha97michelle wrote: »

what sort of account do you have with them? I have an ISA with them but i bet i don't qualify. Shame.

It was for shareholders.

I got Abbey National shares when they took over N&P as our mortgage was with them (and I was first name on the mortgage, so the shares came in my name). Then when Santander took over Abbey they changed the shares from Abbey to Santander....

Skint_Lynne

Evening all,

I'm just in from costco, I was getting stamps for a mailshot I am doing for the shop. I'm having a 3 day discount weekend next week, so will need to let the customers know. I done it last year in November, and again this year in March and it was pretty successful, so I need to try it again to see if it will bring in some custom.

I also got some butcher meat whilst I was there. I got mince, steak, chicken breasts, turkey joint, stew and bacon. It came to about £70, but it will feed us for a long time, so I am happy. The sausages looked good as well, but I do prefer the butchers for them. Maybe I'll take the plunge and get a sausage maker!!!

So, I think I am set with my shopping for DH coming back. Just need to get fruit and veg I think. I'll start cooking on Sunday so that when he comes back, I just need to bring the meal out of the freezer and that will be that!!

I am getting soooooooo organised since I started on here!!!

cha97michelle

thanks for that cheryl. I doubted i would qualify anyway as the ISA was only opened in April and they changed hands soon after. Would have been nice though.


child benefit:
oldest child - increases from £18.80 p.w. to £20.
2nd and subsequent children -increases from £12.55 to £13.20.

it increases from the 5/01/09 rather than the increase we normally get in April. I only looked because it was part of the budget change a few weeks ago and i wanted to know how i would be affected.


I scared myself when i did the all-in budget, as it was a scary amount, and not much less than what i predict will be coming in, worst case scenario. The highest costs for us were childcare, closely followed by mortgage (due to end a 5 year fix at 4.99% in May, so should perhaps get a better deal as i am assuming we will still have a good credit rating and we have lowered the mortgage from £95 to about £58,000 in these 5 years when i will have had 2 years off work on mat leave and paid to have a big wedding, so not bad.)

Car costs were astronomical. My car has been very cheap as it is a 51 plate but only has 12,000 miles on the clock. Our only cost this year was when some plank hit DH and didn't stop, and they knocked off my wing mirror - DH repaired it cheaply by getting one at a salvage yard and doing the repair himself. DH puts about £10 of diesel in his car per day, we worked out this pretty much covers his work commute and any trips we make to visit rellies.

I NEED to lower the budget somewhere, and it is likely to be the food/household budget, and clothes for us. I don't buy that much for the boys as my sister has a boy 1 year older and passes us a lot of clothes, but i won't let them go shabby, and they need decent coats and shoes. It isn't cheap. Plus both of them have healthy appetites, but luckily a bowl of HM soup and a hunk of bread is well appreciated.

I'll think about sharing my whole budget, don't think i missed anything off, but it might prompt some suggestions from you lovely and helpful frugalists. Presents also need to be cheaper.

Enough rambling from me anyway for now.

Michelle, x

Penny2myName

Looks liek my CB goes up but £10 4 weekly
£185.60 £2412.80 = £130 more a year so almost pays the TV licence for the darling [STRIKE]snarling demons[/STRIKE] angels to watch.

Frugaldom

Just reconfirming that this challenge will be running again in 2009, budgets are whatever you think you can realistically afford to live on whilst either paying off debts or saving for something special.

Blairweech, I'll add your name to the challenger lists and then I'll have a new thread started in time for the 2009 challenge Welcome on board!

candygirl

Hi everyone:D
Hopefully my benefits will be well and truly sorted this week, still not sure about the mortgage payments, but I still want to be included in the challenge, and will update when I know:o

grandma247

I want to thank you for your idea of making a folder as a present, I think you made one for your niece?
I got some lever arch files from freecycle (8) I have used 3 of them to make presents for 3 of my grandsons. I did 3 filefolder games ( an American thing)each, card games with boxes, colouring pages, reading books, all printed from the computer and some were laminated for durability. I punched holes in the bottom of button folders like they use as bookbags in school and put coloured papers, bits and pieces of card and other craft bits and stickers in it then added it to the file along with all the other stuff.
I decorated the outside with their names in foam sticky letters, from my craft stash.
I also added a new box of crayons from home bargains.
Their mum rang the day after I gave them to the kids and said it was the best present, they loved it. She also said it was so quiet because they were all busy colouring
I just have four more to make for the others now.

Blairweech

Thanks Nyk, OMG now I really have to do it :eek: