Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 1

Frugaldom

Live on £4,000 for a Year - 2009 Challenge
Part 1, January 2009

Part 2 of 2009 challenge is now here

Part 1 - January to March 2008
Part 2 - April to June 2008
Part 3 - July to September 2008
Part 4 - October to December 2008

====================================
Please read the MSE forum rules and help us to keep this challenge on track, thank you.
If you have any questions about this challenge, feel free to PM me.
The following is taken from the official MSE forum rules section:

KEEPING THREADS ON-TOPIC

Please try not to take threads off-topic. This can be confusing for new users and makes it especially difficult for people ... Where requests from Board Guides for threads to be brought back on track have not been followed off-topic posts may be removed. We encourage community, but not thread derailment.

Please bear in mind the main purpose of the site is to save money. The forum team has therefore been instructed to prioritise its time on the MoneySaving forums.

KEEPING TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE BOARD

There are two boards provided for off-topic chat and discussion. The MoneySavers Arms has been set up for fun, more lighter-hearted chat (although do still remember this is a family forum – keep it clean please). Discussion Time is for discussion of current issues (read Martin’s description).

If you post a topic that does not relate to the board it’s posted on it will be moved to a more relevant MoneySaving board or to Discussion Time/The MoneySavers Arms.
===================================

This challenge is about paying for needs so we can afford to pay debts and save for wants. It runs from 1st January to 31st December 2009. The links will give you an idea of how the 2008 challenge went.

To help work out your personal budget amount, you can try the following method:

1. Add up entire annual income, all sources
2. Deduct entire year's rent or mortgage payments
3. Deduct the entire year's Council Tax & water
4. Deduct essential annual property insurance and maintenance fees if relevant,
5. Deduct ALL costs associated with work (travel, childcare, lunches)
6. Deduct ALL regular debt repayments
7. Deduct annual essential health-related costs

The amount you have left should be your disposable income to cover the cost of living plus all other extras & savings. The following is my £4,000 budget for 2009. Please note that slight alterations are made according to inflation and price fluctuations, such as energy prices.

Groceries - £1,200 (includes toiletries, cleaning & laundry products for 3 adults)

• Toiletries £65
• Laundry & cleaning £25
• Groceries (£1 per person per day) £1,095
• Miscellaneous £15

Electricity - £1,200
Coal - £125
Logs - £125
Internet - £240
Mobiles - £30
Telephone - £160
TV - £145
Clothing & Footwear - £75
Essential travel - £120
Insurance - £47.50
Everything else - £532.50 (gifts, pets, hobbies, entertainment, days out etc)
Total = £4,000

The above are all my basics plus things I choose to include within my £4,000 budget. Some people may choose not to have TV, telephones or Internet at home, as they are not essential. Gifts, pets, entertainment, gardening & other hobbies are things I WANT, so I try to budget wisely and allow for these within my £4,000. How you prepare your 2009 budget is up to you. Whatever you include in this challenge, the choice is yours. 2009 will be my 3rd year on a budget of £4,000 and I have no intentions of heading back down the road to frivolity and mounting debts. Feel free to join us all here on our frugal adventures, where every little really does help.

There have been many different variations introduced by different people according to their individual lifestyles, so I will not be including individual challenge amounts in the 2009 list.

Anyone is welcome to join in at any time as this challenge is mainly about household budgets with regards to the cost of living. Frugality is our watchword.

HANDY LINKS
I am not endorsing or recommending any of the links provided here, I have simply found them to contain helpful information.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Approved Food[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - amazing bargains if you don't mind short dates or past sell by – save a fortune whilst saving it from landfill![/FONT]
Bite Card - 20% off food at train stations
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Complete (MSE) cooking collection[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Loads and loads and loads of recipes[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Electricity & Gas savings[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - monitor your electricity & gas with the MoneySaving Carbon Club[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Free crafts ideas[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - how to make papier mache banks etc[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Freecycle[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] (UK) - don't bin it, rehome it.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Greenfingered money saving[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Gardening & growing your own food[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Grocery bargains[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Supermarket price reduction times[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hunger Site[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Charity site where every click counts[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]i-Measure[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - log your meter readings and try to reduce your carbon footprint[/FONT]
Martin's mad moneysaver ads - a surprising new addition to the site - advertising offers!
Martin's current offers & discount codes - updated daily
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Menu Planning[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - hundreds of options and suggestions[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Nutrition and diet info[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif], an excellent thread - thanks to Weezl74[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Old Style indexed collection[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - Indexed collection of links, hints and tips for anything old style, moneysaving and frugal.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Recipes part 1[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - thanks to Rosieben on the Grocery Challenge[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Recipes part 2[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - thanks, again, to Rosieben[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Remoska discussion[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - everything you need to know about Remoska ovens[/FONT]
Rural Moneysaving Hunt - official MSE discussion
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Selling on eBid[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - decluttering and recycling for cash with no listing fees[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Soapnuts[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - The frugal, eco-friendly alternative to soap powder or detergents[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Soapnuts thread on MSE[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - discuss, ask questions here[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Spending Diary[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - excellent free resource for recording your spends[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Start a cottage industry[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] - the official MSE discussion[/FONT]
Will Power & Billy Can - part 1, part 2, part 3

This post will be updated regularly

Frugaldom

NYK'S CHALLENGER LIST FOR 2009

Please note that there are NO challenger numbers for 2009, any numbers that may appear here are for the purposes of counting how many people we have participating. The list will be kept in alphabetical order to make it quicker for finding names.

1. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]*Mari*[/FONT]
2. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1274[/FONT]
3. 1st Time Mum
4. 2ndTimeRounder
5. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]87p[/FONT]
6. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Affordmylife[/FONT]
7. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]All_hours[/FONT]
8. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Alli_Baba2[/FONT]
9. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Always_amazed[/FONT]
10. Andan
11. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Andromache[/FONT]
12. AngelatGraceland
13. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Angelofthenorth[/FONT]
14. Angelwings
15. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Angie_baby[/FONT]
16. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Ani*fan[/FONT]
17. Annie021063
18. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Artnoble[/FONT]
19. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Azjh77[/FONT]
20. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Bails[/FONT]
21. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Barefootlinzi[/FONT]
22. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Barole[/FONT]
23. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Bigbullyweedave[/FONT]
24. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]BigEars[/FONT]
25. BigSpender2
26. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Blackfairykitten[/FONT]
27. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Blairweech[/FONT]
28. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Bleufleur[/FONT]
29. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Blissfullydebtfreewannabe[/FONT]
30. BlondeMuppet
31. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Bluesteel705[/FONT]
32. Bonaventure Babes
33. Boomdocker
34. Boring Beige
35. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Brighton Belle[/FONT]
36. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Broke mum of three[/FONT]
37. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Buffythedebtslayer[/FONT]
38. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Candygirl[/FONT]
39. CannyClaire
40. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Carlsberg[/FONT]
41. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]CarolBee[/FONT]
42. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Carolinabirichina[/FONT]
43. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Catzine[/FONT]
44. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Cha97Michelle[/FONT]
45. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Chaddee[/FONT]
46. CharlieDavis
47. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Charlies Angel[/FONT]
48. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Che75[/FONT]
49. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Chewits[/FONT]
50. Chika (from 23/02/09)
51. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Chriz1000[/FONT]
52. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Cornishinfens[/FONT]
53. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Cranky40[/FONT]
54. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Cumbrianmum[/FONT]
55. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]CW18[/FONT]
56. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]DdraigGoch[/FONT]
57. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Debrag[/FONT]
58. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]DFW844[/FONT]
59. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Djenks[/FONT]
60. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]DJJoJoJuice[/FONT]
61. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]DND[/FONT]
62. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Don't want to be in debt[/FONT]
63. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Doom_and_Gloom[/FONT]
64. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]EagerLearner[/FONT]
65. Eilo1007
66. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Elantan[/FONT]
67. Enjoyfinancialchallenges
68. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Ephemera[/FONT]
69. Esthomizzy
70. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Fairywings[/FONT]
71. Fallen Angel Shelley
72. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Findingmyfeet[/FONT]
73. Fireangel
74. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Fizzel81[/FONT]
75. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Flowerofthewest[/FONT]
76. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]FrankieM[/FONT]
77. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Freyaluck[/FONT]
78. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Frugal Fox[/FONT]
79. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Frugalmum[/FONT]
80. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Funbrum[/FONT]
81. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Funkyfunkymonkey[/FONT]
82. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Gem2509[/FONT]
83. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]GemGems[/FONT]
84. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Georgiasmum[/FONT]
85. Gillst
86. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]GlendaM[/FONT]
87. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Grandma247[/FONT]
88. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Grunnie[/FONT]
89. Guesty6
90. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hansolo81[/FONT]
91. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hardup Hester[/FONT]
92. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Headofsteam[/FONT]
93. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]HH62[/FONT]
94. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hopeless_Spendthrift[/FONT]
95. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Hypno06[/FONT]
96. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]IGiveUp[/FONT]
97. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]IhateDebt[/FONT]
98. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Ilovetea[/FONT]
99. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Impomdasp[/FONT]
100. In Search of Me
101. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]InTheRed[/FONT]
102. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jamiedodger[/FONT]
103. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jammiejen[/FONT]
104. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Janey51[/FONT]
105. January20
106. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jay1[/FONT]
107. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]JennyBee[/FONT]
108. JennyShrew
109. JTB2412
110. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Juliejay[/FONT]
111. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jumble-Bee[/FONT]
112. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Junglegirl[/FONT]
113. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]JustKeepSwimming[/FONT]
114. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kayharcombe[/FONT]
115. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kayleighj[/FONT]
116. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kbarty[/FONT]
117. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Keren29[/FONT]
118. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kerron7[/FONT]
119. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kiki[/FONT]
120. KittieJ
121. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Kittikins[/FONT]
122. KiwiGirl
123. Kizzie01
124. Ladymoon
125. LadyRoughneck
126. Lalaladybird
127. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Laurabelle[/FONT]
128. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Lexxi[/FONT]
129. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Lilac_Lady[/FONT]
130. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Liloandstitch[/FONT]
131. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LilyBee[/FONT]
132. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LingoJingo[/FONT]
133. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Little_Miss_Moneysaver[/FONT]
134. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LittleMissClimsy[/FONT]
135. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Liuhut[/FONT]
136. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Lmac[/FONT]
137. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LoadedIWish[/FONT]
138. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Loadedlaura[/FONT]
139. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LollopyBear[/FONT]
140. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Looby-Loo[/FONT]
141. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Deleted_User[/FONT]
142. Loveday69
143. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]LyndaSharp[/FONT]
144. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Lysasparkles[/FONT]
145. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Macwah97[/FONT]
146. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mah_Jong[/FONT]
147. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mama67[/FONT]
148. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Marru[/FONT]
149. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Masomnia[/FONT]
150. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Maverickangel[/FONT]
151. Mbaz
152. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]McSaver[/FONT]
153. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Micron[/FONT]
154. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Milliemonster[/FONT]
155. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mini_huny_money[/FONT]
156. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Miss Empty Piggy[/FONT]
157. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Miss_Pink[/FONT]
158. Miss R
159. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]MK Wotsit[/FONT]
160. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mollymop5[/FONT]
161. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]MrDT[/FONT]
162. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]MSHAWX[/FONT]
163. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mumzyof2[/FONT]
164. Naomim
165. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Nate123[/FONT]
166. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]NEGirl[/FONT]
167. Nickynoo08
168. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Nicola1982[/FONT]
169. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Nimbo[/FONT]
170. Nodebtdiva
171. Nonstepfordwife
172. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Notanothergreyhair[/FONT]
173. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Nykmedia[/FONT]
174. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]OldMcDonald[/FONT]
175. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Oliveoyl[/FONT]
176. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]OptimisticPair[/FONT]
177. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Paul Varjak[/FONT]
178. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Paulgonnabedebtfree[/FONT]
179. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Penny2myname[/FONT]
180. Penny54
181. PetitePeche
182. Pip's Mum
183. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Pollydaydream[/FONT]
184. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Princess Leia[/FONT]
185. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Protogenia[/FONT]
186. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Prudent[/FONT]
187. Purple_Sparkles
188. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Purplevamp[/FONT]
189. Puss14
190. Queen_B
191. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Rachyp[/FONT]
192. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Rafiki[/FONT]
193. Ram_murdock
194. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Raychee[/FONT]
195. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]RebekahR[/FONT]
196. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Redglass[/FONT]
197. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]RedMel1621[/FONT]
198. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sallyrsm[/FONT]
199. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sam79[/FONT]
200. Sammey90
201. Sarah147
202. SarahB123
203. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sashacat[/FONT]
204. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sassamac[/FONT]
205. Save-a-holic
206. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Saverram[/FONT]
207. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Savingfortravel[/FONT]
208. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Scorpio04[/FONT]
209. Scrooge2008
210. Sewbocushions
211. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Shaz_mum_of_2[/FONT]
212. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Shazrobo[/FONT]
213. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Shell37[/FONT]
214. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Shelovestobuystuff[/FONT]
215. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Shorelines[/FONT]
216. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]SiannieLaz[/FONT]
217. Silkbeast
218. Sillylittlejill
219. SixteenthofJune
220. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Skint Lynne[/FONT]
221. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Skint_Chick[/FONT]
222. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Skintwellie[/FONT]
223. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Slackster[/FONT]
224. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Slowlyfading[/FONT]
225. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Smart21[/FONT]
226. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]SmlSave[/FONT]
227. Snow White
228. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]SophiesMum[/FONT]
229. Sorting Out
230. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sos999[/FONT]
231. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Stefejb[/FONT]
232. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sue09[/FONT]
233. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sukielou75[/FONT]
234. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Summertea[/FONT]
235. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Sweetpea03[/FONT]
236. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Taka[/FONT]
237. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The_Cat[/FONT]
238. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]ThriftyLass[/FONT]
239. ThriftyScotsLass
240. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Tigerseye[/FONT]
241. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Tigwell[/FONT]
242. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Tracey04[/FONT]
243. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Trex170104[/FONT]
244. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Truthseeker[/FONT]
245. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Tryingtodobetter[/FONT]
246. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Twinkle_Star[/FONT]
247. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Wendyw1947[/FONT]
248. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Wendywitch[/FONT]
249. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Wherediditallgo[/FONT]
250. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Whiskylizzie[/FONT]
251. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Whitetigeress333[/FONT]
252. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Whitevanwoman[/FONT]
253. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Whitewing[/FONT]
254. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Whowants2brich[/FONT]
255. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Wornoutmumoftwo[/FONT]
256. XNatalie81X
257. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Yoshimi2306[/FONT]
258. [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelie[/FONT]

Boomdocker

Thanks Nyk, gosh a new year already!! I'm an active lurker and love this thread and the friendly banter and advise. Good luck to all in 2009. :beer:

MRSMCAWBER

:j Happy new year :j

Sorry - couldn't resist...:p
right off to finish listing all my stored supplies and work out what extras I need to top up on ready for the on slaught of 2009 :T

Can't wait to make a start..good luck everyone

cw18

Here's my "all-in" budget for 2009 As and when I realise some of the figures are way off track, I will be back to adjust it - whilst aiming to keep the bottom line at the same £8k......


[FONT=&quot] Council Tax : [strike]£1000[/strike] £977.14
[/FONT][FONT=&quot][strike]I’ve included the actual payment for January, and 9 out of 10 payments from April (the ones that fall in 2009) after allowing for an increase of just over 5% on last years full figure. This is after my 25% single person discount[/strike]
Bill received 24/3, so now reflects actuals due[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Water (metered) : £300
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]this is based on the assumption my Direct Debit doesn't go up in 2009.
having received the first bill of the year, it's actually looking hopeful I can stick to this
[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Gas and Electricity : £720
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]budget set at payment level negotiated in Nov due to no longer needed the heating on for as long/at such a high temperature (and being substantially in credit[/FONT][FONT=&quot])[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Central Heating cover : £210
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]this allows for a small increase against 2008. due for renewal in May[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Buildings & Contents insurance : £350
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]based on £342 renewal in Dec 2008, when I didn’t have time or energy to shop around[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Phone line rental, calls & Broadband : [strike]£155.99[/strike] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot][strike]£255[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] £261[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]final charges on old package, special deal for first 12 months on new package, plus £29.99 set up fee
[/FONT][FONT=&quot][strike]Phone calls : £60[/strike]
[/FONT][strike][FONT=&quot]based on 12 months to end of October.[/FONT][/strike][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]TV Licence : [strike]£145[/strike] £140.44
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]part of the year is paying for the 2009-10 licence and part for 2010-2011[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Mobile phone : £352.64
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]on contract until 11/08/2009, thereafter PAYG at £10 every three months. I think/hope I’ve calculated this right, but have a funny feeling one of my contract discounts expires after January – so I may have a shortfall on this one !!!![/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot][strike]Unit Trust savings plan : £240[/strike][/FONT][strike][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]I’ve decided to run this for a further 10 years! I’m now keeping my fingers crossed the economy (and the unit price) recovers in that timeframe!!![/FONT][/strike][FONT=&quot]
Endowment policy : £345.60
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]this is the one I took out on my first property, and matures in March 2012[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Window Cleaner : [strike]£104[/strike] £200
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]have costed at £4 a time. I’m currently paying £3.80, but they’ve not raised the cost on me since early 2007 so I need to anticipate an increase.
have lifted this from £104 to £200, so I can ask them to do the gutters and eaves this year - was quoted £80ish in 2007, but couldn't afford to go ahead. Now in desperate need of doing.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Dog Food : [strike]£440[/strike] £400
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]have based this on having to put the larger dog back onto the dearer foods as we had some “issues” with him which just may have been down to having taken him of a hypo-allergenic diet in an attempt to save money[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
note: he appears to have settled down on the new food, so have started to decrease this part of my budget as others are having to increase!
Boosters / Drontal / Frontline : £140
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]this is a couple of quid up on what I’ve paid in 2008, but I still anticipate it coming in slightly above this!!![/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Presents : [strike]£400[/strike] £405
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]GDs : Birthday*2 + Xmas*2 @ £20 each = £80. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]My “kids” : Birthday*3 + Christmas*3 @ £30 each = £180. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]BIL & SIL : Birthday*2 + Christmas*2 @ £5 each = £20. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Parents : Birthday*2 + Xmas*2 @ £20 each = £80. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Brother & SIL : Birthday*2 + Xmas*2 @ £5 each = £20. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Nephews : Birthday*2 + Xmas*2 @ £5 each = £20. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]This breaks down as : Mar £35/Apr £20/May £25/Jun £10/Jul £35/Aug £20/Sep £5/Dec £50+£200 for Christmas presents[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
plus Easter Eggs for my 3 plus 2 grand-daughters : 5 @ £1 each = £5

Total for this section : [strike]£5059.23[/strike] [strike]£4823.24[/strike] [strike]£4818.68[/strike] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot][strike]£4795.82[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] £4801.82[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Groceries (food only for myself and younger DS) : £1314
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]have decided to budget this at 70p/head for the cooked meal, 60p/head for the snack meal (we eat a lot of cold meat or cheese sandwiches), and 50p each a day for breakfast, drinks and snacks – making for £1.80/day each for myself and younger DS. should be able to make a saving here as younger DS uses his EMA to cover a couple of snack meals a week during term time[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Groceries (food only for meals provided for GDs) : [strike]£84.10[/strike] £65.70
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]term time only until the start of the Summer holidays. 21 cooked lunches for younger GD (Mon only), 68 snack teas for younger GD (Mon-Wed), and 116 snack teas for elder GD (Mon-Fri). Calculated at 50p/main meal and [strike]40p[/strike] 30p/snack meal[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Groceries (food only for visits home by elder DS) : [strike]£50.40[/strike] [strike]£75.60[/strike] £151.20
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]no idea how much annual leave he’s likely to spend at home, but am making assumptions on [/FONT][strike][FONT=&quot]4[/FONT][/strike][FONT=&quot] [strike]6[/strike] 12 weeks during 2009[/FONT][FONT=&quot].[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Daily figures calculated as per those for myself and younger DS[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Cleaning & Personal Hygiene products : [strike]£73.00[/strike] £109.50
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]initially set to £10/month. adjusted to [strike]20p/day[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot]30p/day[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Total for this section : [strike]£1583.20[/strike] £1640.40
Total so far : [strike]£6642.43[/strike] [strike]£6463.64[/strike] [strike]£6459.08[/strike] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot][strike]£6436.22[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] £6442.22[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Car Insurance (2009-10) : £275
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]closest I care to “guesstimate” based on £260 for current policy, as not due until August 1st[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Breakdown Cover : £69.50[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]confirmed as my renewal cost in January 2009[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Road Tax : £120[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]as best I can tell this will be my renewal cost in January 2009[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]MOT : £50[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]last MOT cost £45, so I’ve allowed a bit extra on this[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Servicing : £125[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]cost of last service in July was £117.50, so I’ve allowed a bit extra on this[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Petrol : £500[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]based on £1 per litre, doing 4,000 miles a year at 8 miles/litre. (Hoping to make a saving of around £60-£70 on this over the year, based on current figures being 90p/litre for 3,500 miles at 8.5 miles/litre)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Total for this section : £1139.50 [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Total so far : [strike]£7781.93[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] [strike]£7603.14[/strike] [strike]£7498.58[/strike] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot][strike]£7475.72[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] £7481.72[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Anything else : [strike]£375.77[/strike] [strike]£458.07[/strike] [strike]£396.86[/strike] [strike]£401.42[/strike] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot][strike]£424.28[/strike][/FONT][FONT=&quot] £418.28[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]this has to cover [strike]final payments on existing landline rental and broadband packages,[/strike] car parking fees, bus fares (often cheaper to use the bus than pay for petrol and parking), dental costs (minimum of £33 for two check-ups), prescriptions, optician, clothes and shoes for me and DS (though he’ll probably buy most for college from his EMA -- as he’s good and sees that as what it’s intended for, along with his bus fares, stationery and “eats” when at college), and any postage costs related to anything in my budget (eg. posting presents), and any house or car repairs and extra vet bills :eek:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]So my overall total / budget is £8,000[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
As my “anything else” category looks to be my ‘Achilles Heel’ (especially given the shoes I’ve just replaced lasted 8 months and the replacements cost me £85 :eek: ), I’ve decided that anything I earn from websites -- such as free scratch-cards, no-spend cash-back or survey payouts -- or receive in the form of loyalty card vouchers will be added to this budget. If I use vouchers for something from a different category (eg. C00p “share of the profit” vouchers will be used for groceries), then I'll move the equivalent amount over into the “anything else”. I did consider using this “income” to make presents money neutral, but somehow I can’t see me managing that while sticking to the “anything else” budget – so I decided to admit defeat before I started [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Any money I can save on presents (probably by making some) will be added to the fund available for my kids for Christmas, as I like to get them some novelty “bits” but the £30 budget is pretty restrictive compared to past years. (Though I seem to have just about managed to stick to it in 2008) [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The only thing I haven’t included (which I feel should be included to make this a true “all in” budget) is mortgage payments, as I have no control over these (other than using capital to repay the balance and bring the payments down to zero).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]HOWEVER : These figures are all subject to change around August / September. I’m currently giving serious consideration to becoming a registered child-minder (need to knuckle down and get the house sorted), at which point a number of these are going to increase (groceries / gas / electric / water and quite possibly house and car insurances. At that point I’ll need to figure out if/how I’m going to split the bills between personal essentials and work related overheads !!!!![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In light of this “change of occupation”, I‘m also not accounting for some work needed round the house – a few carpets need replacing, some decorating is needed, and the back garden needs sorting out -- mostly as I could live without any of them being done if I decide against becoming a child-minder, but they’ll be essential in order to pass inspections if I go ahead. Nor am I including the cost of a new lawn-mower as it’s a toss-up between this or paying a gardener to do it on a fortnightly basis – and if I register as a child minder I have a feeling it will need doing more regularly than that, hence making it a business expense of sorts......[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If I don’t register as a child-minder, then I’ll either be looking for a job outside the home, enrolling on a college course of some sort, or staying at home looking after my GDs “for free” for a bit longer. Each of these will impact the budget in a different way, so it’s all change in the summer for me :rolleyes2[/FONT]

dND

Now the thread is up I really must get the budget cracked:j

candygirl

I'm in but posted my budget on the old thread last night[strike]trust me[/strike]:rolleyes:
Gas n leccy= £780
House ins=£270 (building and contents, I got £50 cashback via Quidco)
Phones n net, includes landline, mobiles n net £ 648
Life ins= £132
Food, groceries and dog food=£1560
tv licence £150 (can't recall exactly how much they are:o )
Birthday pressies n xmas £350
Nights out=£120 (prob grossly underestimated, but I wont be able to go out much whilst on benefits)
clothes n shoes £300
hair dye n cuts £120
total =£4230
I also have a car, and all the expense this entails, but as it's not a necessity am not including it:D

the_cat

Woohoo! Brand new thread:T :T

Have already posted breakdown of budget in old thread so won't bore you all again. Is it wrong to be this excited about NOT spending money:rotfl:

jtb2412

Hi everyone !

Been a complete and utter lurker on this (last year's thread) but thought I ought to say hello !

I don't think we will be joining you next year as we have a whole house to decorate and although we've been cutting down on spending across the board, we're not quite ready for the £4K challenge ..... yet ! We're very fortunate in that we don't have any debt but that doesn't mean that we don't watch every penny :money: !

We'll be trying very hard to save money next year (even after the decorating !) so we'll be watching very closely and taking lots of notes ! If we can finish the house next year then we'll be more than ready to join you in 2010

We wish you all the very best and look forward to reading how you're all doing ! :beer:

angie_baby

HI :j

Loved the thread for 08, can i please join this year? Need to work out figures, etc, but could really help me to clear some debt next year.

Angie

FrankieM

Hi everyone...

I wasn't expecting this to start till tomorrow!:T

I have added the challenge to my signature in anticipation. I haven't got a budget breakdown, I'm just going to try not to spend more than my total