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

Frugaldom

Good afternoon to all! can you believe we only have 11 weeks left to go?

Whitewing, sorry to hear your news, I was thinking you were self-employed. If it helps any, can you think of it NOT as being made redumdant, which you aren't, you are simply having to adjust your source of income and that can include income through what you can save

Janey, your mum sounds such a character! I am going to hark back to the book 'thing' because I really think you have what it takes to get at least 3 novels out of your stories! Perhaps you could think a little more about it and aim for a trilogy? I'd be first in line for signed copies, that's for sure!

I really don't know what I have been doing today other than some online research and some housemoving preparations of the administrative variety. One thing I can be sure of, I certainly DID NOT expect to find £22,165.54 in my Egg account when I checked online this morning! :eek: Not surprisingly, they seem to have solved the site problem and I'm back down to earth with a bump and my actual balance, but it was great whilst it lasted and I did copy, save and print the screen to look at, just so I knew how I would feel if and when I ever get there! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: I really don't know what I'd have done if the balance had still been there when I logged out and back in again!

I've now packaged up my box of 'stuff' that sold via G*mtree ads, it'll be colloected by the courier tomorrow. I'm now going to try to find out about telephone numbers and stuff for the new house and just hope that we aren't going to lose broadband.

MONEYSAVING: I had been pricing to get carpets shampooed before leaving here and for when we moved into the new house - it's quite costly, even hiring a machine from the supermarket, when you count up how many rooms and the couple of days it could take, so I did a search for 'carpet cleaners' and found a portable, non-electric one on eB*ay for £19.99 plus £9.99 overnight delivery... it's just arrived! I am now the proud owner of yet another new 'toy' and it came complete with a free bottle of carpet shampoo. What's more, the carpets should dry in no time with the help of the dehumidifier Off to update signature with the latest spend (Payment for dehumidifier not due off until next Monday, so time yet to sell the tumble dryer to cover that cost.)

Frugaldom

The_Shiner wrote: »

I hope this challenge will happen again in 2009 as I would like to give it my best shot. ...
Is there going to be an inflation allowance for 2009 (the REAL number - not the rubbish spouted by the powers that be)? :-) .
See. I haven't even started yet and I'm trying to move the goalposts. :-)

Hi Shiner, welcome as a trainee to the challenge. Several of us on here are self-employed, so you aren't alone. Payment of debts is NOT included in the cost of living amount, only the actual cost of living after payment of rent/mortgage, council tax/water and debts, if you see what I mean.


Here's my budget to date along with what gets counted:

2008 budget targets

TOTAL FOR GROCERIES £1098 / £978.84 (equates to £1 per day per person)
TOTAL FOR GIFTS £400 / £186.32
TOTAL FOR UTILITIES £1500 / £1030
TOTAL FOR HOUSEHOLD £200 / £191.90
TOTAL FOR INTERNET ACCESS £240 / £136.84
TOTAL FOR EVERYTHING ELSE £366 / £317.15 (equates to £1 per day)
CONTINGENCY FUND - £196 /

TOTAL £4000 / £2841.05

Groceries includes all food, toiletries, household cleaning products, laundry and cosmetics (if you use them).

Gifts includes everything other than special large items that take long term savings, such as a special gift for partner/daughter/son etc

Utilities - fuel, heat & light (electricity, gas, oil, coal, logs etc) telephone landline, mobile phones.

Household - contents insurance, television, essential maintenance contracts etc

Internet access - not strictly an essential but we count it anyway

Everything else - pets, vets, new household appliances, clothes, footwear, socialising, entertainment

Contingency Fund - for emergencies and stuff you hadn't previously budgeted for in advance.

Work out your own budget first, do an SOA and fin d out how much money you really have after paying all monthly debts, rent/mortgage, council tax, water and buildings insurance if you have a mortgage.

We do not count work associated costs as these are not essential to living, only to aid you in your job. However, I do recommend that you keep a note of how much it costs you to have a job if you need to incorporate childcare, nursery fees, running a car, transport to and from work, lunches, coffee breaks, extra spent on groceries to facilitate 'quick' meals, a cleaner, a gardener etc, etc, etc... it all ads up

Good luck and please let me know if you would like me to add your name to the list on post one as a challenger 'in training' for 2009

lingojingo

nykmedia wrote: »

Janey, your mum sounds such a character! I am going to hark back to the book 'thing' because I really think you have what it takes to get at least 3 novels out of your stories! Perhaps you could think a little more about it and aim for a trilogy? I'd be first in line for signed copies, that's for sure!

And I'd be second!

The_Shiner

nykmedia wrote: »

Hi Shiner, welcome as a trainee to the challenge. Several of us on here are self-employed, so you aren't alone. Payment of debts is NOT included in the cost of living amount, only the actual cost of living after payment of rent/mortgage, council tax/water and debts, if you see what I mean.



Here's my budget to date along with what gets counted:

2008 budget targets

TOTAL FOR GROCERIES £1098 / £978.84 (equates to £1 per day per person)

TOTAL FOR GIFTS £400 / £186.32

TOTAL FOR UTILITIES £1500 / £1030

TOTAL FOR HOUSEHOLD £200 / £191.90

TOTAL FOR INTERNET ACCESS £240 / £136.84

TOTAL FOR EVERYTHING ELSE £366 / £317.15 (equates to £1 per day)

CONTINGENCY FUND - £196 /

TOTAL £4000 / £2841.05

Groceries includes all food, toiletries, household cleaning products, laundry and cosmetics (if you use them).

Gifts includes everything other than special large items that take long term savings, such as a special gift for partner/daughter/son etc

Utilities - fuel, heat & light (electricity, gas, oil, coal, logs etc) telephone landline, mobile phones.

Household - contents insurance, television, essential maintenance contracts etc

Internet access - not strictly an essential but we count it anyway

Everything else - pets, vets, new household appliances, clothes, footwear, socialising, entertainment

Contingency Fund - for emergencies and stuff you hadn't previously budgeted for in advance.

Work out your own budget first, do an SOA and fin d out how much money you really have after paying all monthly debts, rent/mortgage, council tax, water and buildings insurance if you have a mortgage.

We do not count work associated costs as these are not essential to living, only to aid you in your job. However, I do recommend that you keep a note of how much it costs you to have a job if you need to incorporate childcare, nursery fees, running a car, transport to and from work, lunches, coffee breaks, extra spent on groceries to facilitate 'quick' meals, a cleaner, a gardener etc, etc, etc... it all ads up

Good luck and please let me know if you would like me to add your name to the list on post one as a challenger 'in training' for 2009

Thanks for the clarification Nykmedia.
As the amount to live on is about £333 a month, to be fair to myself, I think I ought not include my life/health insurances too. I say this because although I am in good health (touch wood), my premiums are pretty high due to a chequered medical history in my distant past. No point trying to switch either as I reckon I was lucky to get cover at all and don't want to rock the boat. Does it seem reasonable for me to exclude those premiums on those grounds or would it be fairer to include a part of those premiums (the level at which they would have been pitched if I had been considered low risk)? My insurance would eat up over a third of the entire budget.
Yes please. Please put me on the in training list (not sure how much the nappies cost though) :-)

Janey51

Did not do any of the jobs I should have done but found a book in a charity shop which is selling for £20 on Amazon.
I paid £1
Ethical dilemma looming.

lilac_lady

I'm planning to join you all next year for the challenge but will do a £1000 per quarter one that doesn't include any DDebits or SOrders. I want to curtail my spending but don't want to go back to the time in my life when I HAD to economise (greatly). I'm still reading and following advice from this thread so hope that you'll allow me the leeway of having an easier challenge than many of you great people. I wish you all well as you reach the final of your 2008 challenge.

Penny2myName

I'm going to die, just got first phone bill for this house, and its £71:eek::eek::eek: I am not pleased with my daughter, especially as i have free calls for evenings and weekends.

BT want to up my DD's from £12 a month to £52:eek::eek::eek: Called them and said I would be willing to go as high as £30 and thats it.

£7.96 came from daughter doing two reversed calls that lasted all of 1minute 9seconds together.
Daugther then turned round to me and said..if i had my own mobile....I have bought her two, she has lost them both. Told her I am not buying her another one. What she doesn't know is I already have her her third and last one hidden for xmas, but she is to provide her own credit.

Janey51

There is an article in this week's Woman Weekly (Mum likes it) about money saving.
It says that if you reverse your car out of your parking area on a cold day it costs about 40p more in fuel :eek:

I never knew that so I will be making sure my car is facing the right way just to drive off.

40p a day is a lot of money over the winter months.
I am sure nyk can work it out

sophiesmum_2

The_Shiner wrote: »

Thanks for the clarification Nykmedia.
As the amount to live on is about £333 a month, to be fair to myself, I think I ought not include my life/health insurances too. I say this because although I am in good health (touch wood), my premiums are pretty high due to a chequered medical history in my distant past. No point trying to switch either as I reckon I was lucky to get cover at all and don't want to rock the boat. Does it seem reasonable for me to exclude those premiums on those grounds or would it be fairer to include a part of those premiums (the level at which they would have been pitched if I had been considered low risk)? My insurance would eat up over a third of the entire budget.
Yes please. Please put me on the in training list (not sure how much the nappies cost though) :-)

Hi Shiner:D
Bails excludes her health/medical costs as she has a large amount of money expended on that area - so don't think that would be a problem for the concept of the challenge;)
At the end of the day it isn't a race - you are challenging yourself - so you are the best person to set your own limitations:D

mumzyof2

Hello everyone

Today at about 1.30 i decided i would go to b&q and get some paint so i can paint my front room. I had to carry 15L of paint up the hill with a pram and my DD walking.. was not that bad to be honest.
Got DS home from school, fed them and then set about painting my front room, as soon as i had started the kids started fighting so i put it all away and as soon as i had stopped painting.. the kids started playing nicely and have been doing so for about half a hour now. Going to finish the painting tomorrow and friday when DS at school or hopefully my friend or one of my friends will have DD while i paint..doubt it though!. Got headache now i think from the paint. So going to get kids to bed and go bed myself untill my "friend" arrives after the darn football!!!
Also my "friend" fixed my locks on bedroom door from when DS got locked in.