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

dfw844

Lynda I really hope you get everything sorted out.

In the midst of everyone else's bad days, I'm doing alright. I've taken inspiration from Nyk and am going to make muesli bars from some stuff that's been hanging around in my cupboards for too long. I don't know why I always buy muesli when I really don't like it and end up dreading seeing it everytime I get breakfast cereals out of the cupboard. Anyway, as I was searching the site for a muesli bar recipe I also found one for muesli bread, which I'm going to try too. Have lots of home baking stuff in, never get around to using it, so this will kill two birds with one stone as I can hopefully get rid of ALL of the muesli this way. And never buy it again (unless I fall in love with the baking results!).

I've also finished my budget calculations today. My signature is updated I can report I have spent £3082/4000 to the end of September. So I'm only over by £82!! That said I haven't got many Christmas presents yet, but I'm doing much better on food, and having joined Magni's 100 day challenge I can't buy any more toiletries until Christmas so that should slow my spending.

Total spends this year (I exclude entertainment, house improvements and holidays):
Jan 178 (so eager!)
Feb 242
Mar 541
Apr 317
May 227
Jun 308
Jul 585 (argh!)
Aug 418
Sep 266 (much better)
TOTAL £3082.

I'm considering an all-in challenge next year, because I have a feeling I sometimes cheat a little and say 'that's entertaining, not food' so that I don't include things... naughty me. If I have to include EVERYTHING there is less room for that!!

Anyway, hope everyone's day improves. I seem to remember Marru is nursing puppies today? I'm going to think that happy thought.

Frugaldom

lilac_lady wrote: »

In my local Co-op yesterday, at 2.30pm, I bought a pineapple - 25p, 4 kiwi fruits -25p, large carton of cherry tomatoes - 50p. All were in excellent condition so I think that's the best £1's worth I've had for a long time. Felt very virtuous!.

:T That's brilliant! And I thought I was doing well getting 5 loaves of their wholemeal bread for £1.50, which saved me nbaking any yesterday. I just need to make some tomato ketchup and some apple sauce now and that takes care of the last of the homegrown apples and the green tomatoes that eventually turned red in the windowsill.

dfw my 4k challenge is 'all-in' this year and it will certainly be the same next year, although I'm trying to neutralise that as much as possible by getting ahead of the game as best I can with my 100 day challenge

Has anyone thought any more about the stoozing? I don't really like asking on the stooze thread, as I always feel I'm too much of a small time. I am really small time - I fill my ISA and then have been using ICICI's high interest account for the rest of the switching about, but I don't want to end up in the situation that I can't transfer balances and, at the same tme, find out I can't access the lump sum to pay it all back if things go wrong. And I certainly don't want to withdraw from my ISA as that's my housefund. I'm tempted to turn my stooze pot into premium bonds for the 6 months or so that I have left of my 0% interest... any thoughts on this? I don't know what to do.

lingojingo

Lynda that's awful - my fingers are crossed tightly for you.

I was just coming on to report my interest of £1.84 that has suddenly appeared in my A&L plus saver account (I only opened my accounts in August and am still really excited about being able to see everything online, so I look at least twice every day - how sad is that? It's really useful for keeping track of things although I'm still waiting for some of the DDs to be transferred from my YBS account - that's my excuse for checking so often!).

Nyk, I've never had enough money to stooze, so can't help you.

taka

nykmedia wrote: »

Has anyone thought any more about the stoozing? I don't really like asking on the stooze thread, as I always feel I'm too much of a small time. I am really small time - I fill my ISA and then have been using ICICI's high interest account for the rest of the switching about, but I don't want to end up in the situation that I can't transfer balances and, at the same tme, find out I can't access the lump sum to pay it all back if things go wrong. And I certainly don't want to withdraw from my ISA as that's my housefund. I'm tempted to turn my stooze pot into premium bonds for the 6 months or so that I have left of my 0% interest... any thoughts on this? I don't know what to do.

I've thought about it but have chickened out so far. Balance transfer fees costs tend to make it break evenish unless you get a great int rate and I already have plans to fill my ISA. That and I'd probably muck it up... Would you not possibly LOOSE money as you might not win enough to cover the balance transfer fee it cost you if you "invest" it in Premium bonds?

thriftylass

All excited:j, got my materials in today to make candles, soap and paper (for the labels, cards etc) for my christmas hampers. Can't wait to get started. Plus it didn't have to come off my budget since I already paid for it before I started here .

Nyk, sorry can't advise on stoozing either, I was always a bit wary of credit cards anyway, probably because I don't know enough about them. Usually only use them to buy flights (e.g. to have the purchase insured) and pay them off straight away.

Maybe some of you are interested. Although not sure if it's ok to post this (let me know, if not then I take it off again). Just got an email from Foxy Bingo. You get ₤ 10 free play when you sign up with the promo code FOXY without having to put down a deposit. Unfortunately, I missed the bit about the code and proceeded with the sign up, doh. Maybe another time.

sophiesmum_2

(((hugs:heartpuls :heartpuls ))) Lynda hope you get sorted with your money soon, must be really worrying for you, particularly while the house purchase is underway.

(((hugs :heartpuls :heartpuls ))) Bails - sending you lots of hugs because you sound so exhausted at the moment, take care of yourself.

OH has booked us a short break in a log cabin in the lakes for November This was to compensate for the malta holiday that we cancelled when Andrew became ill. He originally was looking at two weeks somewhere sunny but the frugalitis must be catching as this break is about a fifth of the cost:D
Will need to pack my walking boots and thermals I think:p

Just been looking on the OS board and there is a poster on there just starting a six month stockpile challenge see us frunchkins are trendsetters:rotfl:

Marru

Hello all,

Not nursing puppies but lots of kissing horses.

Hugs to everybody especially Lynda!

Nothing else really to report except that I got some nice frying steak whoopsied down to £1.- so that hopefully will boost my energy as Tuesday is the day when I am always really tired. I might not go to college for couple of days. I really like the stuff we do there but just feel that at the moment it is not the best way of me using my time as I feel pulled from all directions and only after six weeks am exhausted and the assignments haven't even started properly yet. I will see my councellor on Friday and after talking to her can go and see my tutor and then take it from there.

I am going to go and lock myself into bathroom now.

Night night,

Marru

PS I do have some good news, the farm came back and confirmed DD's birthday booking. I will try to get invitations printed tonight.

Pippilongstocking

Hiya reading this and very interested, are any of you able to do this with oil fired central heating? I spent about 2k on oil last year I think as well as 40-50 electricity and 80 a month on logs and coal just to keep warm and cook muttering and counting up - um a big chunk - my fuel costs must be in the region of 3k a year - and I dont think we were very warm!!!!! We rent, we have no alternative fuel except solid fuel (but I am working on it!!)

Went back to the original posts and seriously thinking about it for next year - I have a meagre stipend anyway but the thought of it going further is very tempting.

Without being a pain, how are the fuel costs mounting up?

Hi Sophies mum - not stalking you honest!!

sophiesmum_2

:hello: :hello: Hi fayjmck
Nice to see you here on my other home:D
I think there are a couple of folks on here who have oil heating - off the top of my head I think Draig and Janey are the two likeliest candidates although not sure if janey uses mostly logs.
I'm sure they will be along to let you know if so:D

lyndasharp

I've had the survey report through for the house, and there are a few urgent sounding problems that I'm going to have to get quotes for. For example, probably rewiring, and it seems that the roof isn't properly attached :eek:

On the slightly more entertaining side: 'the loft access trap has a poorly fitted catch and this should be upgraded to prevent the hatch suddenly opening onto the landing'. So at least if anyone annoyed me I could get them to stand under the loft hatch and see if it fell on their head :rolleyes:

Will be renegotiating price once the quotes for the work are in, though I'll wait and see what happens with Icesave first, there's no point renegotiating if I can't pay anyway!