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

Frugaldom

kittiej wrote: »

Can I join the 4k challenge please?

Mine is to cover gas/electric, diesel and food.

Not many things I know but I feel as though I can keep control of these four things

Hi KittieJ, Welcome to the frugal challenge
I'll add your name to the list on the new thread for our 2009 challenge, you can link to the new thread here. Thanks for joining us, please contribute whenever you like and don't be scared to join in the fun or share your frugal spending stories. Good luck for 2009

thriftylass

Thanks Nyk for organising the new shiny thread. :T:T:T

I'll be only lurking from now til the new year when I'll start the challenge properly . I also already closed my last years budget (well, this years test budget) and what I have left (~ 50 qiud) I'll happily fritter away before it gets all serious, sorry I know not very frugal:snow_grin. But I don't have to spend anything really anymore apart from a few groceries, a bit of leccy and New Years party money as christmas pressies are sorted and I'm going home for a week soon.

So I wish you all already a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy the rest of frugal year 2008.:xmassign:

cw18

cw18 wrote: »

Arrrggghhhhh!!!

Just seen Martin's email with the T@lk T@lk offer, so I've had a quick look at it. It would mean B/band plus phone line rental (plus evening & weekend calls which are negligble to me) for £14, whereas I currently pay £19.99 + £10.50. So a saving of just over 50% + the bit I spend on calls, which would almost double my 'anything else' budget for 2009.......

But it looks like you can only sign up on this offer during December, and if I sign up now it would switch me over on 11th Jan -- and my current B/band is on the minimum contract until 1st Feb, so it looks like I can't do it

Change of plans.....

I spoke to my daughter, and the deal halves her current bill as well.

We both spoke to our current B/band provider (different companies - DD is officially 'locked in' until 29th Feb), but we can "buy out" for a minimal cost (under £40 for me, around £15 for DD), so the savings in the early months more than outweigh paying these.

We've both now been through the on-line process and signed up for it -- so that changes my 2009 budget a "wee bit"..... off to update it on the new thread now

ETA: Budget adjusted. My 'everything else' has shot up from £153.88 to a much healthier looking £375.77, though it does now need to cover final payments on my existing broadband and line rental contracts -- but they shouldn't even reach half of the extra I've gained :T

Brighton_belle

cw18 wrote: »

ETA: Budget adjusted. My 'everything else' has shot up from £153.88 to a much healthier looking £375.77, though it does now need to cover final payments on my existing broadband and line rental contracts -- but they shouldn't even reach half of the extra I've gained :T

I love this challenge - it so inspires to go for things like this doesn't it:T .
Had scrumption HM soup at friends today (lentil/tomato/carrot/herbs): I will definitley be making that one.
Taka - deep breath, you can do it: have you made a list of essential things that need to be done, as opposed to what you would like to achieve in an ideal world?
I too am so excited at the prospect of the new challenge:j . Can't wait:D

sophiesmum_2

good evening frunchkins:D

Quiz night now completed and oldies despatched to their flats. We hd a good night, quite hilarious at some points. I did a 100 question xmas quiz and some of the answers were so funny, wrong- but funny(apparently according to one person mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem on ring and ride, :rotfl: and the last words of frosty the snowman were "Who turned the heating on?"":rotfl:)along with the hot pot supper kept them entertained from 6 - 10:30pm.I didn't need ny hot pot as still stuffed from xmas lunch. Our area line manager used her brains this year and bought us all bottles of wine to take home as we were driving, instead of putting out with meal, and also big box of ferrero rochers:eek: .Third box already this week. Methinks a bit of recycling for January birthdays may be happening with those.;)


cw - good result on the phone and broadband, even better that DD has benefitted too:T

cw18

I think the fact I called her to check out how much she'd benefit has impressed DD, (and shown her just how seriously I'm prepared to help her get her money under control) -- and even more so as I pointed out it was worth both of us paying our penalty fees if we have to terminate existing contracts early. She couldn't see beyond the first month when she'd have to pay both bills, so I made her total it up over 18 months for her current package, and then over 18 months for the new one including what she has to pay to her current provider. She then admitted she wouldn't have looked at it long-term, and was astounded to realise she's saving from her 2nd or 3rd month, and I'm saving from the 4th.

grandma247

Good to see the new 2009 thread. It made me a bit more optimistic about next year.
I finished my cupboards and even managed to get rid of a few things. I still have some more to do but little by little. I also managed to bake 3 coconut and banana and 3 chocolate cakes.
Went to Mr T to see what they had reduced but not much that I wanted so had a look at some of the prices and got a bit depressed. Marge, Mr t's own gone up 18p since friday, cereal we get went from 84p to 1.34! lots of other stuff gone up too and most of it by at least 20p.

Sophies mum your oldies are great legpullers. I loved the one about the snowman. Have you tried drying cooked beans etc? I did some chickpeas today as I needed to make some room in the freezer and whilst putting them in the jar my DS3 pinched one and said they tasted good so I tried one and they do. A bit bland but I think I am going to cook them in some sort of seasoning before drying next time. We could be making our own bombay mix soon. They are healthy too as there is no fat and they have protien in them.

slowlyfading

eee I've never been so excited for the start of a new year before bought the last of my birthday/christmas presents today, and they're all packed up ready to post tomorrow, so hopefully after that I can have a string of NSDs!
sf xx

sophiesmum_2

grandma247 wrote: »

Good to see the new 2009 thread. It made me a bit more optimistic about next year.
I finished my cupboards and even managed to get rid of a few things. I still have some more to do but little by little. I also managed to bake 3 coconut and banana and 3 chocolate cakes.
Went to Mr T to see what they had reduced but not much that I wanted so had a look at some of the prices and got a bit depressed. Marge, Mr t's own gone up 18p since friday, cereal we get went from 84p to 1.34! lots of other stuff gone up too and most of it by at least 20p.

Sophies mum your oldies are great legpullers. I loved the one about the snowman. Have you tried drying cooked beans etc? I did some chickpeas today as I needed to make some room in the freezer and whilst putting them in the jar my DS3 pinched one and said they tasted good so I tried one and they do. A bit bland but I think I am going to cook them in some sort of seasoning before drying next time. We could be making our own bombay mix soon. They are healthy too as there is no fat and they have protien in them.

Haven't dried beans before but may have a go at doing some with some kind of spice mixes as OH would love those. I do lots of dried banana chips, blackberries etc which we use for snacks but not tried down the savoury line for snacks.:D

Frugaldom

slowlyfading wrote: »

eee I've never been so excited for the start of a new year before bought the last of my birthday/christmas presents today, and they're all packed up ready to post tomorrow, so hopefully after that I can have a string of NSDs!
sf xx

Now you're getting the hang of it! :rotfl: You've been frugalised!

Good morning frugalers, hope you all have great days. Sophiesmum, I am definately going to book myself somewhere like your scheme for my pensioner years, sounds like such a fun place to stay!

Just hanging about waiting for electricians who were supposed to be here at 8am! :rolleyes: With the weather we are having, I wouldn't be surprised if the excuse is a tree down somewhere blocking the road, as it's still blowing an abslute gale out there. Most annoying, though, as I was up early to make sure we had flasks filled and place heated before they turned off the power! That's 2 weeks since they first said they were coming and closer to a month since they came last time to fix the kitchen heater, which still isn't working! :mad:

Update 1 - I now have an electrician in the kitchen :T
Update 2 - I now have a real cooker wired in and working! :j
Update 3 - I now have an automatic timer and boost switch for my hot water