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

sophiesmum_2

Just trying to decide whether to do the £4000 or go for all in - all in would mean adding OH's car costs and his mobile phone costs, council tax bill and holidays. Holiday costs aren't fixed though so would be hard to budget properly , think I might just stick to the £4000 this year.

shorelines

hello all! :hello:
Can I join the challenge? I live at home so don't pay electricity (tho I go around turning everything off!), rent etc so it feels like cheating almost! But I'd like to get control of my finances and try and be of the mindset 'do I really need that chocolate?'

redglass_2

the_cat wrote: »

I have heard that in general it's best to use one company for claim purposes. If the worst comes to the worst and you are flooded or something awful, it would complicate things no end if you had 2 insurance companies fighting over which bits each would pay for.

Been there! Sorry if I bore anyone as I have told this story before, but will repeat it because it illustrates the pitfalls. I lost the key to my back door (double-glazed affair with lots of locking bits). Contents insurance wouldn't pay up as they claimed it was the DOOR that was really the problem, while Buildings insurance swore it was the KEY. :wall:The company that fitted it had gone bust, so no help there, :eek: and a locksmith told me it would cost hundreds to break it down. :eek::eek:The row dragged on for weeks and I couldn't use the back door. :mad: In the end I found the key - whew!

sophiesmum_2

My book buys today have led to browsing through my frugalibrary again, my remaining well loved books -left after selling off the excess on amazon. Most of these are frugal related/cook books,war time recipe books.tightwad gazette, money diet, veggie growing, john seymours self sufficiency book,marguerite patten wartime books, etc. Love dipping in and out of these.

Was dipping into tightwad gazette tonight and came across the egg substitute for use in baking recipes if anyone is interested:

one tablespoonful of soya flour and one tablespoonful of water(mixed) replaces one egg:D (must buy small bag of soya flour for "egg" substituting will probably work out cheaper price of free range now)

might help anyone trying to cut down on eggs/cholesterol or if you run out unexpectedly.

Another tip I don't remember reading before,probably just forgotten but it is a great idea - cut the fingertips off a pair of damaged rubber gloves and use for blackberry picking - you can pick fruit easily but your hnds and wrists don't get scratched to pieces:T - after blackberrying this year I looked like I had been in a fight with all 8 of bails' and janey's cats- so will be making a note of that one - might even buy some smart price gloves especially:D

Just wondered what books everyone else has in the frugal section of their library at home;) ???

looby-loo_2

redglass wrote: »

Been there! Sorry if I bore anyone as I have told this story before, but will repeat it because it illustrates the pitfalls. I lost the key to my back door (double-glazed affair with lots of locking bits). Contents insurance wouldn't pay up as they claimed it was the DOOR that was really the problem, while Buildings insurance swore it was the KEY. :wall:The company that fitted it had gone bust, so no help there, :eek: and a locksmith told me it would cost hundreds to break it down. :eek::eek:The row dragged on for weeks and I couldn't use the back door. :mad: In the end I found the key - whew!

I agree, it could apply to the car too. My neighbour had an expensive camera stolen from the boot of her car. The car insurance said claim on the house insurance and the house said claim on the car insurance. She had a proper battle to get either to pay. I can't remember which paid in the end but I do know we both have house, contents and car on the same on now.

Janey51

nykmedia wrote: »

Electricity £65 + Internet DD £19.99 = £84.99

I just HOPE that I haven't forgotten anything needed for Christmas dinner because the milk budget just won't cover it unless it's whoopsied to near zero and, seeing as we don't have a shop of any description within about 5 miles, it's very hard finding batgains! :rotfl:

There are sheep in them there fields....how about ewe's milk :rotfl: cheese, yogurts.... and roast lamb.

Skint_Lynne

Good morning everyone,

I'll be having a busy day today, plenty of cooking and cleaning going on. Less than a week now until DH comes back!!:eek: :eek:

My dad and I had the steak and kidney I made in the slow last week for our dinner last night, it was really nice. I'm going to make another batch today and maybe keep this one for DH. I'm making some soup as well, but have a cauldron for that purpose.:p (I might even fire the breadmaker up as a surprise for my dad, he loves the home made loaves).

I went with MIL to visit FIL in the hospital last night, they don't keep very well and it seems as if one of them is always in there, my car knows it's way there by itself. It was her birthday during the week and she was delighted with her prezzie, from amazon courtesy of qype. I'll defo be on the lookout for offers like that come January.

Whitewing, did you ever get the ipod and the toy they offered? It's not arrived with me yet, and was hoping to give them to my brother as part of his christmas present.

dND

OK, deep breath here - can you count me in for next year too please :eek:

I've been following the thread for the year and using the difficulties of being in France to stop joining. - no woopsies, not easy to change insurance co's, not able to do clicks or cash backs online or even the competition pages I dabbled in back in the UK. But having watched the value of the small amount of savings I had in the UK go into free fall and the interest I was planning to live on dwindle to insignificance I need to be kept on the straight and narrow.

I tried keeping a spending diary over the year but 'forgot' over the summer when I had my children and friends here. I must monitor costs next year as I know I spent far too much this year.

I'm not going to post a goal at the present as I still have the receipts from the summer and am inputting what I can every so often to get a better idea of where it all went :rolleyes:

I also have to work out how to differentiate between the items for the farm and the renovation work from the general living costs; things like the tractor fuel and the heating fuel are the same thing (basiclly red diesel) so I fill the heating tank and decant the fuel for the tractor as and when needed.

But I can procrastinate for ever, as it's has been said on previous posts, this thread isn't a competition it is an aid and encouragement. So yes, after a year of lurking, lets go for it :j

sophiesmum_2

Welcome dND,
looks like Nyks challenge is going european this year with Mrs Mc in Germany and you in France:j

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D

Early start for me this morning after one of those nights when I can't sleep,- went to bed at 3:30 nd up again before 6am:rolleyes:
Have already been to gym, made a loaf,started batch cooking a load of quorn curry for OH work packups,and just had a yummy sarnie of HM sausages OH wants a mandarin trifle for later so need to defrost some cream for that before I go out.

Off to asda later to do some stockpiling with what is left on my grocery savings card - about £80 I think:j UHT milk def on list,bread flour,beans and toms.Need to have a quick shufty what else is getting low
Have started receiving little pressies of chocs and biscuits etc from my oldies so won't need to be buying any of those.Usually get enough to last to Easter.:eek: