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

1274

18 degrees at mine, so positively balmy compared to some, but I hate being cold! The downside is that my gas and electric DD has just gone up from £45 to £60 per month. Oh dear.

Can't be *ssed to log in the online banking to check my exact remaining total for this month, but it's over £200 and I have just submitted invoices for a couple of thousand more :j. I'm really pleased that I have finally found a method of controlling my spending that works for me (after struggling all last year to keep up a spending diary, missing a few months when I had a career change and then losing it all in December when my computer crashed). Counting down is so much easier.

How do all of you get such good supermarket reductions? I think the London ones only take 1/3 at most off. I've tried Waitrose, M&S and Sainbury's and seen lots of yellow stickered items, but no big reductions. I guess they think we can afford less of a discount in London.

OK. Have just checked online banking after all so have updated signature. I received a whole 4p interest last month, wow!

redglass_2

DdraigGoch wrote: »

What temperature do you keep/manage to get up to in your homes? .

I have a piecemeal system, stove, fires, bits'n'bobs (am partly saving to get CH because it's all such a nuisance, much as I love the romance and frugality of the woodstove). Downstairs is 13 degrees (have just checked) and colder than that in the bathroom, but I'm working entirely upstairs at the moment - 13 would be too cold for me if I were in those rooms. Upstairs has gas fires which are warmer but don't have a thermometer up here so can't give a reading.

I started off all macho with a very cold bedroom and very warm bedclothes but this didn't work - I got broiling hot (menopause) and then freezing cold, hot, cold, hot, cold all night. Now Ive found that putting the fire on very low means i can use a lighter quilt and it sort of evens out the temperature - fewer peaks and troughs - so I'm doing this even though it's less frugal, as otherwise I probably wouldn't sleep at all and go like this....(imagine a wild-eyed, haggard, flushed, staring, mad-looking 'menopausal' smiley).

I remember Janey saying her bedroom was 'a balmy 6 degrees' - just thinking about that makes me shiver! :eek::rotfl:

Sarah147

Evening frunchkins

I am just chilling on the net after having a very ralaxing long soak in the bath. Bliss, looking forward to this programme on later though...


The True Cost of Cheap Food

Thursday 22 January
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Channel 4

Documentary. Food critic Jay Rayner examines what goes into budget food products and asks why low cost often means low quality. Enlisting the help of Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal, Jay discovers some of the tricks retailers use to make products look more attractive and finds out just what goes into a 5p sausage. Jay argues that, given their market dominance and huge profits, supermarkets have a responsibility to provide more nutritious, cheap food in tough economic times.


Looks very interesting and I am sure the good old supermarkets will get a good slating too! I am currently reading a book by Janet Street Porter called "life's too f***ing short" :rotfl: and it is very good (and that from someone who does not like the woman), all about living better. Is a great chapter in it about food. "There's nothing shameful or middle class about caring where your food comes from. You are going to put this stuff in your body, the body you spend hundreds of pounds choosing clothes for and slapping cream on in the hope of staving off old age- so why do you care less about who produced your lettuce or your eggs than who made your shoes or shampoo? Why do people covert John Galliano shoes or a Prada bag, delighting in the exquisite workmanship, beautiful sticthing, fine attention to detail... but are prepared to eat an oven ready pizza that is full of additives, chemicals and processed ingredients?"

Its so true, why do we put so much rubbish in our bodies? My new job is in a very deprived area and the people generally do not eat well, it's all Greggs, pop, chippy suppers and crisps, and I have been doing the same. It's not healthy and things need to change. A real back to basics approach is needed I think! and my sluggish body (caused by this bad food) has made me overspend more than £100 over my budget this month, sigh still, at least I can see where I am going wrong so can now take the steps needed to make changes. Yay! Will read through the new posts in the thread now to see what you all have been up to.

Really looking forward to this weekend, its a friends 30th and she has hired a big cottage in the middle of nowhere in Derbyshire. Lovely home cooked meals, country walks, sports and fresh air! I cannot wait, it is just what I need. Have a lovely weekend whatever you do and make the most of it, it's Monday before you know it... :eek:

Brighton_belle

An TV evening here too: Master chef, & victorian farm & recording the 'cost of cheap food' prog. About to finish cooking our roast dinner, yum, so nothing more will be done, but very pleased with myself for what I have got done:
Thurs 22 Jan frugal/simplifying plans

1. trolley full to charity shop DONE at last!
2. Spend an hr on mosaics
3. 10 mins blitz on dining room clutter DONE, do another tomorrow
4. put washing on DONE
5. order lakeland voucher through pigsback points
6. Contact 'bidders' on freecycle to reoffer old round sink and glass worktop DONE
7. Put 3 x items on ebay in exchange for purchases yesterday : relisted 2 and photos done of 2 more

Frugaldom

DdraigGoch wrote: »

What temperature do you keep/manage to get up to in your homes? Currently our main living room is, 3' away from the fire, 11.9'C [53.42'F]. This is with a half filled wood burner burning all day, although the room is huge, I'll confess. I just wondered what other people regard as acceptable as I know the government seems to think we should all be wandering around in T-shirts and shorts most days ......

Hi Ddraig I made the most of the offer via the carboncreditz website and now have my freebie thermometer/solar clock sitting about a meter from the side of the fire in the livingroom. The fire's been lit since about 4ish and door kept closed, so temp is now bobbing between 16.8C and 17C. Rest of house is between 13C and 14C just now and that's with storage heaters. 11.9C sounds rather cold, I'd stay near the fire if I was you. Our last house ground floor was 10C and I could always seem my breath at that temperature.


On a warmer note, the sun shone for part of the day here so I got all the washing out and dried without it blowing away, plus I got the other 10 raspberry canes planted at last. :j

Tonight we had sweet & sour made with turkey from the second defrosted leg, which is now in the slow cooker with a homegrown leek, onion and broccoli stalks to make soup tomorrow. I'll get another 2 pies out of the meat and, possibly, a curry. Trouble is that I can't freeze any of it, so will need to summons DD to collect half of what gets made. I'm making the pie 'gravy' using a tin of Campbell's mushroom soup from App F00d order. That was a great buy!

angelatgraceland

Sarah147 wrote: »

Evening frunchkins

Its so true, why do we put so much rubbish in our bodies? My new job is in a very deprived area and the people generally do not eat well, it's all Greggs, pop, chippy suppers and crisps, and I have been doing the same. It's not healthy and things need to change. A real back to basics approach is needed I think! and my sluggish body (caused by this bad food) has made me overspend more than £100 over my budget this month, sigh still, at least I can see where I am going wrong so can now take the steps needed to make changes. Yay! Will read through the new posts in the thread now to see what you all have been up to.

Really looking forward to this weekend, its a friends 30th and she has hired a big cottage in the middle of nowhere in Derbyshire. Lovely home cooked meals, country walks, sports and fresh air! I cannot wait, it is just what I need. Have a lovely weekend whatever you do and make the most of it, it's Monday before you know it... :eek:

So you have the proof that its not deprivation that causes us to fill our bodies with carp then as by your own admittance its expensive! That is why you have overspent by £100?
I coulndt afford to live on "Greggs, pop, chippy suppers and crisps"
and how these "deprived" people do it I do not understand.
What "they" are deprived of is not so much monetary as education by the sounds of it. Its also having a good role model of a mum or someone in your life and some natural good common sense which is priceless and not always coming naturally. Doubling benefits would double the problem with double portions I suspect-we have all proven on here that we can make some very good meals on very low budgets. All of this overprocessed junk is making us an obese nation and is costing us a lot of money in so many ways.
I know from my own experience that being poor can actually mean being well-fed. If we look back to the war years the nation was at its healthiest.
I will find the programme interesting and the books sounds good that you have(I don't like the woman either)as its by someone who is outspoken.

fizzel81

evening all

telly on here, watched enders after my bath (smellies free curtosy of boots)
now watching the real cost of cheap food followed by victorian farm whilst ironing.

ok so me ive been a tad bad, brother and girlfriend have been over so 2 shopping trips

trip one 35 in boots (but got more in points plus shampoo and lots of number 7 items)
but then it went bad when the lacoste shop has a 70% sale, ive brought 2 bags and a very quality huge purse, ive wanted a full size purse for many many years but decided i could warrant it by all the ebay selling plus my bingo win (ok so yep im trying to excuse myself)

shop 2
just lots more from boots, and a tub of dream cream from lush.

thats the bad bits out the way

went to the market yesterday and down where they have the take away burger vans is a little gem of a stall selling food, its like a mini approved foods, spent £11 and walked away with a buggy full of all sorts plus treats for the boys, some in date some just out, by the afternoon the stall was almost empty so is popular and i will be going again (i asked and stock changes weekly)

my heating has been on lots since tuesday so im now cutting right back on it to make up, but the bonus for me is hearing bg are lowering prices, im also hoepfully saving by using the remoska, ive not had the big oven on since ive brought it, using the rack for meat i can do the potato's on the bottom, ive now done 2 cakes in it, 2 crumbles, and 2 cottage pie's if its as enegry saving as they say surely it will pay for itself in under a few years? (could someone clarify this?)

cottage pie (again) tomorrow the boys like it and it always go's down well. plus the freezer is mainly full of chicken and mince

Sarah147

angelatgraceland wrote: »

So you have the proof that its not deprivation that causes us to fill our bodies with carp then as by your own admittance its expensive! That is why you have overspent by £100?
I coulndt afford to live on "Greggs, pop, chippy suppers and crisps"
and how these "deprived" people do it I do not understand.
What "they" are deprived of is not so much monetary as education by the sounds of it. Its also having a good role model of a mum or someone in your life and some natural good common sense which is priceless and not always coming naturally. Doubling benefits would double the problem with double portions I suspect-we have all proven on here that we can make some very good meals on very low budgets. All of this overprocessed junk is making us an obese nation and is costing us a lot of money in so many ways.
I know from my own experience that being poor can actually mean being well-fed. If we look back to the war years the nation was at its healthiest.
I will find the programme interesting and the books sounds good that you have(I don't like the woman either)as its by someone who is outspoken.

Its definately a lack of education, though I have many friends who would consider themselves upper class, and they live on processed ready meals so it's not a class thing! I certainly cant remember being taught about healthy eating in school (or how to manage money for that matter) and all we cooked was flapjacks, not much use when making meals Ttrouble is, the only shops in the estate are two newsagents, a Greggs and a chippy so there is constant temptation. Far easier for all of us to nip in there for lunch than walk half a mile up the road to the fruit and veg shop!

You can make lovely, cheap meals from scratch, it's just knowing or being shown how to do it. We get the local young Mums into the centre and show them how to cook good food cheaply, it really makes a different to their lives, and they find the actual cooking to be very relaxing too

skint_chick

Moneysaving today - I fancied something different for my dinner so have bought 2 packs of Whoopsied 3ciabatta rolls for 27p each - leftovers in the freezer. Also needed new shirt for new job as I only have one white interview number - trip to New Look got me a sale green shirt for £4!! Goes perfectly with my black trousers and my grey wool look ones.

HUGE dilemna about work - new job starts Feb 2nd and I'm really looking forward to it and the changes it'll bring - although very very scared about having 15% of previous income. My boss rang to say I am welcome back at old job when I'm ready - this was not previously an option - if I had returned from sick leave I was getting a P45. I don't know what to do - old job would give me proper maternity leave/sick benefits/permanent full time position and would allow us to have savings and mortgage repaid in no time. But would leave me feeling mentally and physically drained. And they have treated me very badly and caused me a lot of stress at a really difficult time. It is a good career though.

New job is interesting, 2days a week, flexible, would fit around kids, and well paid for the hours. But isn't a career, doesn't come with attached social aspects, and would leave us fine but not in a strong position financially and if anything happened to OH's job it would be a disaster.

I don't know what to do - I think I would be happier with the new job -I had a huge sense of relief at leaving my old job behind because of the stress of the last few months - but if that stress was gone I did like the job and the people I work directly with are great. But I've got used to having time to myself and really really want a family and to be able to spend time on things for myself. I feel selfish for this because economically the old job would allow us to do so many things like nice holidays and travel that I really love. I could do this with the new job but it would be a struggle. I have been so miserable recently and I'm now even more worried about making the wrong decision and choosing something that won't work long term and will make us financially worse off or unhappy. HELP!!

Sarah147

Skint chick, I don't know the fully story of your old job but it sounds like you were unhappy there and not appreciated. It is so hard to work under those conditions (I have been there) and while taking less money is not ideal, think of the things you ARE gaining, like more time to yourself and happiness.

That is worth much more than money in my eyes