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

cw18

HH62 wrote: »

(I tend to hoard cleaning products for some reason :eek:)

me too -- and considering I've done minimal housework for the last 12 years (since DH stopped helping with it, even though we both worked full-time) the amount I have is more than a tad worring.... Still. it'll come in handy this year as I need to blitz the place (otherwise I've no chance of passing any child-minder inspections )

HH62 wrote: »

Moved house recently and the place is still a tip....

My house still has a garage, loft and two bedrooms full of boxes from moving in too and we moved in at the end of May 2002!!

dND

nykmedia wrote: »

Oooooooooooh.... hello! Isn't it exciting?! :j 1 week until Christmas, 2 weeks until New Year and then the new challenge begins!.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Nooooo... surely there must be more time!!!!!!! - runs round in panic wondering what to do first.

Don't know why but Christmas always creeps up on me. I refuse to even contemplate it until December so actively ignore all the Xmas stuff that's put out early. I guess it's something to do with my birthday coming up too, definitely trying to ignore that :rotfl:

cw18

dND wrote: »

......so actively ignore all the Xmas stuff that's put out early.

I was chatting to a bloke from the local Rotary Club last night (they're currently doing the rounds with Santa's sleigh - including parking up outside various stores), and he said they'd been to one establishment last week that has started putting out their Easter stuff :eek: (I asked, but he refused to tell me where!)

redglass_2

Although I've been lurking so long on this thread, this will be my first proper budget and I'm a bit nervous about the number crunching, especially about leaving stuff out by accident. So I've cut and pasted a few of the budgets supplied by other frugalists into one Word document (I'm scared of spreadsheets ) and will use them as prompts/checklists for when I write my own, which should be sometime this weekend. I hope this will help others who, like me, aren't the world's greatest at working out budgets in detail.

Re rising cost of spuds - if it's down to reduction in pesticides, shouldn't some other things rise sharply as well? :eek: I seem to remember that carrots and lettuces, grown conventionally, are doused in pesticide....Now where are those packs of seeds...?

cw18

Mine's ready for the new thread -- but after I get a chance to discuss feeding and transport issues with DD it may change before (or shortly after) 1st Jan

The headings I currenly have are .....
[FONT=&quot]
Council Tax
Water (metered)
Gas and Electricity
Central Heating cover
Buildings & Contents insurance
Phone line rental
Phone calls
Broadband
TV Licence
Mobile phone
Unit Trust savings plan
Endowment policy
Window Cleaner
Dog Food
Boosters / Drontal / Frontline
Presents

Groceries (food only for myself and younger DS)
Groceries (food only for meals provided for GDs)
Groceries (food only for visits home by elder DS)
Cleaning & Personal Hygiene products

Car Insurance
Breakdown Cover
Road Tax
MOT
Servicing
Petrol

Anything else
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]car parking fees, bus fares, dental costs, prescriptions, optician, clothes and shoes for me and DS, any postage costs related to anything in my budget, and any house or car repairs and extra vet bills[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

The only thing I can think of that I don't have (and which I would generally expect to see on an "all in" version like I'm doing) is rent or mortgage.

But a lot of my list (plus the rent/mortgage) would be excluded by anyone running the way Nyk did for 2008

Penny2myName

cw18 wrote: »

Had to chuckle when I read this -- looks like a 12 month housework ban/strike and a starvation diet is the order of the [strike]day[/strike]year :rotfl:

Come January its going to look like there has been a 12 month ban on housework, as council will be starting work on house then (kitchen torn out floor boards up, re-wiring, radiators removed, windows taken out ) OK its going to look like a war zone. Apparently its going to take 20 working days, so will be mid Feb before I get properly tidied up again.
Anyhow we may be starved, in a messy house, but will smell pretty from all the toiletries already bought in:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Janey51

What a flurry of activity on this frugal forum :j

Did anybody ever imagine they would get excited over saving money or, should I say...using money more wisely

I have forgotten who posted what today but well done everyone :T

I am on Budget Version 3
Have now decided to take all car expenses out of budget for 2009 because, as well as needing car for work, I live 6 miles from civilisation so really need car to be part of the human race :rotfl:
I will instead take money used for diesel for jollies (not food shopping etc) out of housekeeping. So, I will be increasing my HK allowance a bit to compensate.

This challenge is teaching me that managing money is all about being sensible and making compromises rather than sacrifices.

I am staying with friends on Thursday and Friday nights so making a couple of cakes to take with me.
Back home Saturday then off to Christmas Party at the Home where Mum is.
Fingers crossed I win something in the draw. Have bought £3 of tickets and there is a big food hamper as first prize :T Plus I get fed at the Party
Sat night I am staying at my son's house and then Sunday I am flying to the Eastern Bloc to stay with my sister for Christmas

HH62

cw18 wrote: »

me too -- and considering I've done minimal housework for the last 12 years (since DH stopped helping with it, even though we both worked full-time) the amount I have is more than a tad worring.... Still. it'll come in handy this year as I need to blitz the place (otherwise I've no chance of passing any child-minder inspections )


My house still has a garage, loft and two bedrooms full of boxes from moving in too and we moved in at the end of May 2002!!

:rotfl:My place needs blitzing too - if you looked at all the various bottles of Flash , Mr Muscle and Stardrops I had you'd expect the place to be spotless!!

Not sure whether to laugh or cry at all the boxes from 2002 - but at least I know I'm not the only one.

Well, I've spent the past hour sorting out toiletries and make up. I've got FIVE different tubes of mascara for starters! I could open my own branch of Boots with all the stuff I've got.
I will need to buy loo roll and deodorant but I've got more than enough of everything else.

Back to it. Tackling clothes next!

grandma247

Just a quick hello while I am having lunch (yes I know it's nearly quarter to three) Had a mad idea to swap a few things round in some cupboards and clean them at the same time. I am beginning to wish I hadn't started. Anyone else feel like this? My problem is storage. I use most of this stuff on a regular basis but have nowhere nearby to keep it all tidy and clean.
I think I may have to replace the downstairs computer desk with a cupboard to put some of this stuff in. I mostly use the upstairs one anyway.

cw18

The new thread for 2009 is now up -- here

I see Nyk has put a link in the original post of this thread, but I hadn't thought to keep an eye on that :rolleyes2 So this post is for anyone else who hasn't been doing