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

Marru

Good morning!!

Only frugal tasks for this weekend are storecupboard meals. I might need to pop into the shop later thou as didn't realise we were low on oranges and that is essential for DD's snacks so if I want to have a bit of a lie in tomorrow morning I better organise good snack box for her otherwise I get this "Mummy - I am hungry again" waking me up.

When I was doing my tax return yesterday I was going through my old bank statements. I can't believe now how I have managed to live without marking all the spends down. So thank you thank you thank you for this challenge as I don't think I will ever stop keeping my spreadsheets going from now on. I am sure that next tax return is easier to do as I can easily pick up all the business related costs and incomes from my spreadsheets.

2ndTR: MB is matched betting. I did it very successfully in the summer but don't have the float anymore to do it. There is info about it in the gambling board.

Wishing you all a frugalistic weekend.

Marru

kittiej

Hello one and all!

I thought I'd better show my face as I haven't posted for a while.

I've just added up all my spends for the month and they total £313.14 so I am in the black as far as my challenge is concerned, so yipee.

Most of my spends went on groceries but I did buy loads of tinned stuff from Lidl's, soap powder from Mr A's and other stuff like frozen veggie stuff for myself and meaty stuff for everyone else.

I'm being a bit old fashioned with my book keeping, I have a diary instead of a spread sheet, but it enables me to staple each receipt to the page so I can run through the shopping list. I wouldn't have time to enter the price of every item into the computer lol!

Hope everyone's doing OK both with this challenge and personally.

Saturday night is curry night, can't wait, by stomach's rumbling at the very thought.

That's all folks!

Laters xx

Oh dear edit coming :- had to go to S'fields so spent another £8.93 so my new total is £322.07. I will not be spending anything else today and that is definite!

candygirl

Yipeeee I have managed to stick within my monthly target, so am well chuffed:D
Have just taken lappy round to next door to be mended so hopefully that'll save me money, and am off out to a meet up from a different forum I frequent.My head is still very sore and can't move it much yet, but am hoping it's just cold
It'sa gorg day here today, but v cold:eek:
BAILS have you decided on the puppy yet?

cw18

cha97michelle wrote: »

and without doing anything our rate will drop to 3.5% with the option of unlimited overpayments that we can borrow back at any time

Sounds like my lender -- which is why I never considered moving around, and why I plan to leave some on the mortgage (plus it leaves me something for my credit record should I ever need anything that's on a 0% offer!)

mumzyof2

Good Morning Everyone

I just want to say thanks to sophiesmum for the dvd player and the goodies I heard the door but i didnt get there in time.
I was suppose to be going to a play area for DD party but i shouted at the kids last night :rolleyes: and hurt my ribs. So can hardly walk or get comfy. Feels like something is popping in my side everytime i try and bend down.
So going tomorrow instead

I will update my spends tonight. I decided to record ever spend but not got a aim.

purplevamp

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a good weekend.

Well, I've surprised myself by sticking to the challenge for the whole month. This is what I've spent:-

Expenditure for January
TV Licence - 9.95
Gas/Elec - 92.50
Catalogues - 78.84
Home insurance - 19.48
Telephone - 35.50
Sky - 37.50
DFS - 42.00
DS1 Bus, etc - 36.50
My bus fares - 35.30
DS2 & DD bus - 7.60
Lottery - 10.00
Shopping - 184.99
Clothes - 9.94
School things - 15.00
Christmas/B’day - 21.41
Everything else - 21.26

Total - 657.77


:eek: It is quite a lot, but not nearly as much as I would normally spend. It's quite shocking to see it written down in black and white. Shopping is normally about £350, but I think as we were living off Christmas leftovers that's why it's so low. I think £4K +CB is a bit ambitious (catalogue and DFS will be finished by July/Aug) but we'll have to wait and see.

sophiesmum_2

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Good Morning Everyone

I just want to say thanks to sophiesmum for the dvd player and the goodies I heard the door but i didnt get there in time.
I was suppose to be going to a play area for DD party but i shouted at the kids last night :rolleyes: and hurt my ribs. So can hardly walk or get comfy. Feels like something is popping in my side everytime i try and bend down.
So going tomorrow instead

I will update my spends tonight. I decided to record ever spend but not got a aim.

You are welcome mumzy , just glad it wasn't raining:rotfl:

sophiesmum_2

Good afternoon frunchkins:D
Having a good productive day so far. Went to town with my friend this morning recycled some xmas goodies and dvd player at mumzy's on way. Had free hot choc from Mc D's using loyalty cards courtesy of friend, which was lovely as it was so cold out.
Picked up some bananas and a bag of cheapy veggies from market for £2, then went to Boots to use up my no 7 vouchers.
Eventually ended up with 3 no 7 vouchers as was offered another by lady in boots who couldn't see anything she wanted - nice lady:D
Picked up two of the sets of no 7 make up brushes - had to put £2.83 to each of those and also picked up another nail varnish for £1.12, but as this had taken me over the £18 threshold I qualified for one of the free no 7 gifts - lovely make up bag with about 9 no 7 products in worth £31:j so was well happy with my bargains:D

If anyone else gets one of these gift bags there is also a 250 point coupon inside(against any no 7 skincare product) - so take it out before you use for a pressie;)
Had lovely veggie soup for lunch made with yesterday's leftover veggies
Going to go out to garden in minute and rescue the remaining beetroots and leeks that had been forgotten about:eek:
General frugal aims for today;

• storecupboard lunch and tea
• reduce, reuse,recycle one item- rehomed some goodies and dvd player
• do something nice for me - go for swim and jacuzzi later
• do something nice for someone else -took friend to town
• fitter not fatter - swim and jacuzzi
• Start doing something to prepare garden/greenhouse area

Todays frugal meals;

• HM muesli with tinned peaches
• HM seeded bread,veggie soup from leftovers
• spaghetti,HM spicy tomato sauce, spicy pork balls(made from sausagemeat/dried chillis etc)

Fruit and veg portions;
1 fruit, 0 pulses,4 veggies,:D

Expenditure or additional income
£2 veggies
£6.78 in boots (but got goods worth £52.78:j )

andan

Hi guys, not had a chance to catch up with all that is going on, so hello and hugs all round. i have decided that i will only ever read the last five pages, as there are just too many pages to keep up with.

I wanted to post my monthly update.

This month i have spent £402.99, wiht the majority going on petrol and food. However i have been buying quite a lot of food to stockpile and don't anticipate buying much food through out feb, so feb will be a cheaper month.

I stocked up on coffee and tea bags an two ketchups for £2.50 from somerfields today, so that will keep us going for the next 3 or 4 months, so other months should balance out.

When the weather gets nicer i will cycle more, so that should help with petrol costs. However feb will be an expensive month as my car has its mot, fingers crossed all is well.

I have spent more than i normally would a month, but this is largely due to doing lots of stockpiling, all my cupboards are now fit to burst!!

sophiesmum_2

Had half an hour in greenhouse sorting out and dug out the last 1/2 dozen leeks and 7 beetroots, surprisingly all are still okay and edible aprt from one leek which had gone all stalky. Had to come back in as just so cold today out there.
Had quick peep at everything else, chives are growing again, mint just started sprouting, strawberry plants all looking quite healthy, all rhubarb crowns got new growth, so not a bd start to the year. Can't wait to get started on the gardening again, getting really impatient now.