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

sophiesmum_2

Janey51 wrote: »

Hi glendam. Welcome to frunchkinland :rotfl: :rotfl: :hello:
Before admittance, you are required to respond in the correct manner to the question below.

Do you have a money box/pig/jamjar?
A. Yes
B. I have 2
C. My house is full of piggy banks and my family are frightened to leave change on the table.

Please note, there is no wrong answer but some are more right than others

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Hve you been talking to my OH???
This is my current crop of savings pots:

Tom is £1000 in 100 days money.
Smiley is £2 coins for holiday spends
Fat Pig is for silver - not opening until he is full - for a surprise
Terramundi - seled pot chllenge
Chicken - anything OH leaves in his clothes for wash
Big tub - for coppers

cw18

I luuuurve that fat piggy

Brighton_belle

evening all. Too tired to post much ( a very good day but very tiring) but needed a bit of help: I have just found on isubscribe an offer of 12 weeks of Radio Times's for the price of one. Does anyone have any experience of isubscribe - is this too good to be true? After the 12 weeks are up you then pay 19.99 for every 6 months: also much cheaperr than at the newagents where it is £1.05 a week . Radio Times is one of the things we 'can't do without:o so would be a real saving.

sophiesmum_2

Hi BB
isubscribe are very good. I have had stuff from them in the past on th etesco clubcard offers nd also when other people have bought me subscriptions. Think martin mentioned the radio times one a few weeks back as being good deal - I would go for it:D

cw18

my turn to go a bit off topic......

In light of me struggling to keep within my planned £8k budget for 2009, I was wondering how much I dare lift it. A quick 'guesstimate' on 2010 income says I'll be lucky to get £8k, with most of that in the first 6 months -- so I really don't want to lift it much.

The major drop will be due to younger DS finishing his college course at the end of June 2010, and I know he wants/plans to go to Uni -- though as yet there's no specific course or Uni being mentioned.

This is a totally new area to me, as I didn't go to Uni -- and neither did either DD or elder DS.

Is there anywhere on MSE that I can find info on grants/loans/bursaries or whatever's around for a Uni student these days? And how they work these things out based on parents income and capital? I've been bobbing into various areas, but the only things I've found are about EMA (and what benefits can be claimed by the parents while on the type of course he's on now), or paying back student loans

If I'm going to end up having to support him through 3 years of Uni without any kind of help (or very little help) to do so, then I'm really going to have to work hard on cutting back even further than I have

He's the kind of kid who won't go if he thinks it's going to leave me struggling financially, but as I don't want him to give up on the idea I need to be ready to prove to him it's affordable........

JustKeepSwimming_2

Hi All

After failing dismally to keep to my budget this year (but probably would have spent far more if I hadn't been "doing" this challenge...) I thought I'd set a better budget for 2009. Just need to get a few more bits of info before I finalise it as will be trying much harder this year!! :rotfl:

I'm thankful that I haven't been in debt for a very long time (mortgage & student loan don't count as debt IMHO ) but I'm concious of how easy it could be to slip into it again. I have also been lurking on the house prices forum for the last year (interesting, some very switched-on posters over there, & sometimes confrontational, but not as scary as the housepricecrash tin foil hat brigade guys) & am imagining that 2009 is going to be a difficult year for many of us...

I'm hoping that by getting my behind in gear & doing my utmost to keep up with this thread, then things will be easier. I do find these posts so helpful & inspirational, & now I'm not working so many hours I'm planning on spending more time on here! I'm also going to try the grocery challenge & get over my phobia of all things "kitchen" this year!

Nyk - will post a final budget figure for 2009 when I've updated my 2008 spends (have been putting it off for a while as likely to be a blood chilling amount). **sits with head in hands, mouthing "how much?"**

Good luck to everyone!

Skint_Lynne

Thanks for the birthday cakes sophiesmum, I won't need to eat anything else for a week now:rotfl: :rotfl: .

I bought the chocolate for my butterflies last night from tesco, 200g for 96p. I would never have bought own brand chocolate in my life before this thread, but do you know what, I had to sample it to make sure it was ok. It was really creamy and nicer than the well known purple wrapper:T :T . My personal fave is green and blacks, I like plain chocolate and smelly cheese (but not together!!). My sisters say I have taste buds like an old man:rotfl: .

I did not do any more housework tonight, I am going to watch TV and get up early to start. I might make a curry and throw the ingredients in the slow for coming back home tomorrow. I have been sealing the meat before putting it in, do you need to do this with chicken as well?

Spoke to DH on the phone tonight, so he is getting ready for coming back. He had a day off today and was sunbathing, he is all sunburnt as he fell asleep. Things don't change very much, he always does that on holiday:D . Will need to write christmas cards and get the tree out as well. I am going to have a busy week methinks.!!!

I nearly forgot, I also bought a new hoover last night as my mum's broke and she borrowed mine, guess what, that broke as well,my sis hoovered up a pair of socks. Well, I am getting so careful (or miserly), I bought the own make one that doesn't need a dustbag. It was 34.95, it is brilliant. There's a lot to be said about own brand whether it is hoovers or chocolate!!!!

sophiesmum_2

It is mostly student loans now cw, although low income criteria may mean he could get course fees paid at least but there are savings and income restrictions to tht.
You would probably be better asking the local education authority for proper information as they pay the grants/fees. Student loans are through the student loan company - unfortunately it is a sign of the times that most students leave uni with a heap of debts.

just checked and if you go onto "family and health" at top of page there is a Prents guide to student finances - hope that helps cheryl.

cw18

I doubt the "official" bodies would talk to me yet though -- he's not due to start Uni until Sep/Oct 2010 :rolleyes2

sophiesmum_2

cw18 wrote: »

I doubt the "official" bodies would talk to me yet though -- he's not due to start Uni until Sep/Oct 2010 :rolleyes2

just checked and if you go onto "family and health" at top of page there is a Prents guide to student finances - hope that helps cheryl.