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

cw18

OfficeSpace wrote: »

At the moment most of it goes into my savings or petrol tank so not much to change there. The following have been my estimations though. Some are probably too much, others too little. I am hoping it balances out!

Home insurance £30.00 Payment protection £50.00 TV License £15.00 Council tax £125.00 Water £30.00 Electric/gas £75.00 Food £250.00 Broadband £30.00 Phone line £15.00

I take it those are monthly figures? How many people are they for?

The figures for Broadband and phone look high -- especially compared to combined packages. I've been paying £20 and £11 respectively (plus cost of phone calls), but have just changed to a combined special deal. Without the offer it was still under £17 month -- and that includes evening and weekend calls to 01/02/03 landlines.

Food is another I'd question..... I reckon I can feed 2 (me and a 17 year old) for just over £100/month -- but that's no take-outs, no eat-outs, no ready meals and lots of Whoopsies (mark downs) especially in the meat dept. But if you work long hours and have young children, then the 'no ready meals' and 'lots of Whoopsies' may be a lot less achievable for you

Frugaldom

Lalaladybird wrote: »

Thank you nykmedia.... where in Scotland are you?

Hi again

There are a few of us in Scotland, I'm in the southwest, Dumfries & Galloway region. Where are you?

There's plenty of info about how to increase your budget and reduce your spending in the old threads, but feel free to PM me if you have any particular questions you can't find the answers to when you need them. I may not know the answers but I can certainly help you find them

skint_chick

My budget is sorted - spreadsheets are at the ready!
-food £1200
-petrol £600
-household items - toilet roll/cleaning/laundry £85
-pet supplies for hamster £10
-toiletries £40 - soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shaving stuff for OH - i have tons of everything else stockpiled
-haircuts £48
-heating £700
-electric £300
-phone/mobile/internet/tv £720
-tv licence £139.50
-clothes/shoes £100
Total £3852.50

Presents and holiday spending money is going to be earned by mystery shopping. The huge savings I'm making from this will be used to repay my loan hopefully by the end of 2009, and then start tackling the extra borrowing I did on my mortgage last year - £11,100 remaining which will be paid by the end of 2010.

Hoping 2009 will be a better year for me than 2008!

Skint_Lynne

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ,

You are all waaaaaaaaay too chatty, and then I discover the new thread!!! I'm just trying to read through everything, and am very excited that the challenge is nearly upon us. Let the games begin!!!!!

slowlyfading

Wooooo! New thread :j :j :j I've not actually worked out my budget, I will do soon. But it will be less than 2008, it has to be!
sf xx

glendam

So pleased to have joined this thread I am going to reduce my spending this year not sure what too yet but any saving has to be good.
Glenda

bails

Hiya everyone,WOO HOO new thread! :j It's great to see so many people on the challenger list, our frugal community is expanding :T

As you know I don't have time to post my budget etc yet but just wanted to say a few words to any newbies. Firstly, DON'T PANIC! When I was umming and aahing about signing up to this challenge this time last year, I was both excited and terrified at the prospect! It seemed so impossible and 'out of my league' and I worried that I was simply setting myself up to fail fantastically. But I took the leap anyway and haven't looked back since! I've learnt so much over the past year and found a wonderful little community of friendly and helpful MSEs. We help each other with the money/frugal side of things, of course, but we support each other in so many other ways too. My advice is to take it a step at a time - focus on one area where your spends are quite high e.g. groceries and gradually you'll find yourself frugalising each area of your life. I feel I've achieved a lot this year and also still have a long way to go, yet this isn't daunting but something I look forward to achieving. So good luck with taking the plunge and be warned - this challenge is highly addictive!

fizzel81

Lurked more in 2008 and struggleing due to so much happening in last 10 weeks BUT doing this has helped me out now when i need something to fall back on

anyway count me in for 2009, im not working anymore so back to earlier this year, will be working out my figures etc tonight.

im now living on what ive saved this year and should start january with a chunk in the bank still, i would have had more but the money saved in the start of the challenge was used in removels to the house i moved into in march.

and my new years resolution for this challenge in 2009 is to participate a little more even if it just keeps me in track, i would like to challenge myself to cut back more in the next year (but i am only allowed to have a certain amount in savings).

to get ahead of myself i am going to clear any oweing gas and electric as my bills are comeing higher than the dd covers (and ive now cut back more on heating) and get some storecupboard basics in

i have nearly £150 on my boots card in points which will cover all toiltries etc for the comeing year, will be doing as i started last year and recording all in a book as im unsure of spreadsheets on compuetr maybe someone can point me in right direction for good ones.

what i wont be including in 2009 is

rent (i pay towards this lha does not cover whole of rent)
have no council tax as i will be back on benifits in january
debt payments £755 to go
childminder the 2 little ones will still be going monday and tuesday untill september 2009
any items for my 2 boys eczema (ie clothes and creams brought)

everything else will be included, i dont drive so there is no car to run and shop on foot

bulk of presents through the year will be paid for by selling on ebay, i may try and pick the boys up in the sales when hugely slashed (as i did this year), clothing wise i feel that there will not be much needed and only brought if its a must, the only exception i the shoes for my 3 little ones, i a going to try not to buy any new clothes for the whole challenge as am having new jeans and tops brought for xmas this year

everything else in the house is working as it should or being replaced as xmas presents, shopping will be hopefully lots of woopsies

i need to cancel sky and just get the free channels saving £21 a month and mobile phone is payg at £10.00 a month, my broadband is not being changed (i need my computer) but will be compareing in the new year to see if i can cut ths costs as my phone rental, calls and broadband average £60 a month

anyway i will stop talking my popp now and come back later with some figures

kayharcombe

Thanks for putting my name up already Nyk, I failed miserably last year, dont think i went too much over budget, but record keeping was pants, so have bought a little notebook to put in handbag wherever I go.

I wont be stockpiling food before end of year, as i feel that would be cheating, but have pretty much full 2 freezers and pantry of dry goods tins etc, im such a hoarder.

Wont be including rent, and I will be excluding £50 a month petrol, as I have a disabled son who i have to drive to school quite a way away, so see that as absoloutly essential, and comes out of mobility allowance anyway. Any petrol over the first 50 a month will be included in challenge, IYKWIM

Budget is roughly
Food £2600 (50/week)
Petrol £520 (extra 10/week)
Haircuts £75
Gas/elec £700
phone/internet £540
TV licence £140
Clothes/shoes £500
Gifts/christmas £300

= 5375, with 907 contingency, excluding increase in CB in april, cant find what this will be yet

for 1 adult, 3 kids

cw18

kayharcombe wrote: »

excluding increase in CB in april, cant find what this will be yet

They've brought the increase forward to January.

First child up from £18.80 to £20
Other children up from £12.55 to £13.20

So an increase of £2.50/week for 3 children (making for an extra £130 in 2009)