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

bails

Thanks MrsM. I'm so sorry to hear about your sister, she can't have been very old at all. Big hugs to you and what a great way to honour her and the care she received xx

I can't give time at the mo either (well, technically I have the time but not the energy due to my illness) and I didn't buy charity Christmas cards as I hoped they'd get more if I gave to them directly.

cw18

bails wrote: »

CW, is 8k the amount you will have to survive on or is it a self-imposed target?

Almost all my incomings are as yet total guesswork.....

1. Widows pension (Occupational Pension) -- this one I now know for definite as a gross figure, but it's taxable. Should also go up slightly in April.
2. Dependant Childs pension (Occupational pension) -- this one I now know for definite as a gross figure, but it's taxable. Should also go up slightly in April.
3. Widowed Parents Allowance -- still waiting to hear from Benefits Agency, and it's taxable
4. Child Benefit -- still waiting on this to be re-instated from DS going back to college in September !!!
5. Child Tax Credits -- still waiting to hear on this, as they've had to change it from a joint claim to a single claim. I've used the on-line calculator to get an idea of what could be coming both now and next tax year, but I won't know for definite until after normal review and change of income recalculations after 6th April (as next years income will be significantly down on this years)
6. Interest on savings - anybody's guess :rolleyes:

At best guess, I think 1st Jan - 31st Dec 2009 will see an income of about £11-11.5k, plus interest on any capital in the bank. But I'll have a big drop in 2010, as DS will finish college in June of that year (I'll lose incomes 2 thru 5 :eek: )

As such, I really want to keep my outgoings in 2009 as low as possible -- partly so I don't rely on the income I'm only going to have for 18 months, and partly so I can keep some of it back to help offset the drop in 2010

The £8k budget doesn't give me any money for 'fun' (for which mainly read craft events and materials), and I know my outgoings for that for a monthly meet, a bi-monthly meet, and a monthly kit will come to around £50/month (dependant on $ to £ conversion for the kit) -- so that's another £600 (or thereabouts) of it gone !!

And I've also not yet factored in keeping a small amount on the mortgage. The more I think of doing this, and talk to friends/family about it, the more it appeals to me. It means that should I start working again (as a child-minder or anything else) and need finance for something like a replacement car, then I should have some sort of credit record. But it should (need to check with Building Society) be possible to pull back some of the 'overpayment' -- which is how I think they'd treat anything I pay off using life insurance now -- if I'm in need of capital, and a mortgage is generally cheaper than any other sort of loan (Unless I can get 0% of course )

cw18

bails wrote: »

I want to give some money to a cancer charity this year as lots of my friends have recently been diagnosed with various forms and was hoping to pick your brains about the best ones.

We had no contact or support from anyone except Christies Hospital.

The local support group (which includes MacMillan) were supposed to be coming to see us for an intial assessment on 18th Nov, so after DH went back into hospital on 16th I phoned on 17th. They said they'd get someone to call me on 18th (the lady who was meant to be coming to see us wasn't in on 17th), but I never heard a thing. I don't know whether we just got lost in the system, or whether the hospital told them about DH's death (early hours of 18th) -- but it would have been nice to have still had a call to check we were OK, and that I could cope with all the necessary paperwork

MRSMCAWBER

Bails..

Im like you -its partly down to being out of the country, but Im also unable to work through ill health -so this way I get to sit on my behind and make things:p ..I want to do smaller x-stitch things for me or them to sell and hope to do a bigger pic for them to raffle....
My lovely sis was only 41..and it was only 9 months from diagnosis to losing her battle... but right to the end -she kept it quiet and was actually sat in bed on her last day declaring to the Dr -that she was fine and just needed a couple of months to get her strength back and then she would be fighting fit :eek: ...So I figured that rather than sitting getting upset about it -I would follow her lead and try and be positive and constructive ....

bails

That is a real shame CW, a little support can go a long way can't it?

Thanks for explaining, I see why you're trying to live on less so next year doesn't come as a shock. I'm in the same boat for this coming year as benefits will all go down (except DLA) as OH is now working (he graduated this summer). I don't do being dependent very well (it's been agonising enough with benefits, let alone relying on OH :eek:). It would soften the blow slightly if he was earning to his potential (as an engineer) but he wanted to give sculpture and shiatsu a go and I wholeheartedly want him to be happy. The sad thing is if our situation gets much worse I can see him doing all building work (his bread and butter money at mo while he sets the other two up) and no sculpture at all, just to support me :(
Sorry to hear you can't work either MrsM, I had been hoping it was your choice. Have you been off work for long? I think it's great you have thrown yourself into what was the traditional 'housekeeping' role and clearly get so much joy from your garden and cooking :T BB and I have both been trying to adapt our mindset towards feeling our input is making a valuable contribution to the happiness of our households. Your sister's determination to fight is a great approach to life.

sophiesmum_2

Have returned from asda stockpiling trip having filled up on tinned toms, beans, beans and sausges, stock cubes,pulses and other tinned and dried goods and the Uht milk. Used £42.45 of my £80 left on card so just over £37 free money left on that for further visits.
Also picked up some boxes of reduced gingerbread men for 20p box, one lot of which is currently in the bottom of tonight's trifle soaking up the orange jelly. Trifle is now made - mandarin and ginger trifle - enough for 6 good sized portions.Parents, OH me, DD and DS will be tackling in a short while:D
cost gingerbread men 20p, 2 x 8p jellies,tin sp mandarins 22p, 2 x 18p tins custard, 2 x 10p reduced 10oz creams, 1 x flake 30p. Total cost from storecupboard supplies £1.36 .:D Not bad for a treat for 6 of us.


Doesn't look very big in photo but is 4 litre pyrex dish. Yummy!!!
Here are the stowaways:

thriftylass

Good evening and :grouphug: to all that need it.

Phew finally five minutes to sit down. Been busy all day finishing my christmas pressies and cleaning. Made various chutneys, sauces and cookies for hampers. I'll save me the money for the hamper baskets though as I won't be able to take them home with me on the plane, so I got gift bags that were on offer instead. I also found some very frugal pressies for 3 friends back home, good books that we had in the house and that looked unread . Also found a secret santa pressie in Tesco that was on offer. I wrapped all my pressies and while going through the wrapping paper found yet another box of christmas cards, so definitely won't need to buy any next year.
So only the beef stew and dinner to cook and then it's couch time :T

Frugaldom

Aaaaaarg.... Sophiesmum! I have been going over and over in my head all the posts I've just read and was about to comment on, then I found the trifle! :rotfl: I have completely forgotten everything I was about to say, so bare with me as I try to catch up without drooling on my keyboard. (I WILL be strong, I will not make trifle until Christmas dinner.)

I have added the new names to my list, which I have on my computer all ready and waiting for the new thread on 18th, so welcome newcomers and those who have surfaced from the kingdom of lurkdom. Cheers for joining us and I hope you all have fun. :beer:

Frugal Sunday here has been spent emptying more boxes, moving stuff into the attic and putting up the Christmas tree & decorations; it's now very festive and will be even more so just as soon as I get around to kindling the fire. The sun was shining here, so I had a washing on and out by lunchtime; surprisingly, it almost dried, despite it being freezing out there!

Janie, BBQ roast lamb al (frugal) fresco sounds so good right now! So does a pair of lovely, warm sheepskin slippers, gloves and earmuffs! :rotfl: I don't blame you for having the heating on, you are worth it! You may also find a new career in cosmetics advertising - makeup free, winter woolies, a blazing fire, glass of your fave tipple, chocolates... I'll bet any one of those L'0r!al girls would swap places given half the chance! :rotfl:

Now I'll need to go and reread the previous posts. My mind is too fully of yummy trifle!

glendam

I would like to join the thread too. I feed five adults and spend far too much. My husband id retiring in just under 3 years. He is a worrier so I want to try and make it easier for him. We are lucky the at the moment we have no debt. House paid off and credit cards paid as they come in. We are also saving to go to Australia when he retires for as long as we can afford and if by saving now I can buy us a little longer I will.
I think with the help of you great people on here we will get there.
I think I intend to spend the first three months cutting down and really getting to grips with what I spend. I intend to use cash as then I will feel it and I will have change for my sealed pot and £2 challenge I have already joined.
I know my reason for joining is different from some members,(hope that's ok) but I want to enjoy the future and not have to worry so time to get a grip.
Sorry for long post.
Glenda
ps . can I come for trifle please

Masomnia

Hello everyone! Since this is my first New Year here I think it's a great idea for me to join up for next year's challenge!

I intend to live on £3,000 in the year, which should be plenty as a student, and this will cover everything except my rent.

I can't really work out specifics as far as my budget goes, since my income is worked out by academic year, my savings by financial year, and this challenge by calender year... Also, spending varies hugely between home and uni, so it's pretty tricky!

BUT I do know that I want to max out my ISA at £3,600, and I'll pay on average about £3,000 in rent (I'm moving over the summer to somewhere more expensive). My income should be just under £10k when loans, grants, bursaries, money earned etc are taken into account. So it should balance quite nicely. I won't know my income for the second half of the year until March at the earliest I don't think. So it's all pretty tricky.

I may do some more sums later and see what I can work out, but for now £3,000 sounds about right.

Really looking forward to taking part in this next year, you all seem a great bunch!