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

xnatalie81x

Got my vertbaudet order yesterday - 4 pairs towelling shorts and 3 t-shirts for ds2 (and daughter - to share) practically kitted out for summer now! And 2 really pretty gypsy tops for DD. Also got free talking computer thing which is 2+ so will save for either daughter b'day july (be 3) or sons b'day in nov (be 2).

Also got argos vouchers ready for sons b'day in march (£92 for £100 worth through work discount scheme thingy) - DS will be £97 is and leaves a few quid in argos vouchers (i assume they will give me more vouchers...) for saving for a pressie top-up for his lil friends when they have parties......

Monthly totals are not looking bad although clothes budget is double this mth and was double in jan so no more for few mths now. Did buy school shoes for ds1 and the vertbaudet order plus the next sale managed to spend 46.95 but that was before i joined this challenge and payed off now. I dunno how i spent that much! What a waste.....

Groceries at about £120 but that included my bulk nappy order from boots (£40 for about 6wks worth) and i am awaiting cashback from TCB although will only count it when clear and in account. Am hoping to spend about £30 more which brings me well under budget of £240mth.

Need to save as much as poss to put towards full and final offer payment to equidebt but also have a ton of cover work so upping income to cover some plus the additional i have left at the 'end' of the year based on income - essntials - live on 8k yr = enough to pay f&f. A lot of juggling going on but it's working

jtb2412

Morning everyone.

Was up at the crack of dawn today for a guiding event but have had a really lovely fried breakfast cooked for us all.

Popped into town yesterday to try and get DH birthday pressie but was out of stock. Took DS with me and we went on the train which was really nice. He bought his two older sisters a red rose each for valentines day (bless !) Spent about £10 on train fare and roses so not too bad and me and DS had a really lovely morning (can't put a price on that !)

Then went down the allotment in the afternoon - going back up there shortly so will be more or less a NS weekend for us.

Hoping to not spend much next week either (half-term) - planning on staying at home and doing some planting/gardening and probably pop down the beach to do some beachcoming or DS with his metal detector.

However, i'm over on my grocery budget and we're only half way through the month - eek ! I do have lots in though so should only need to buy bread and milk over the next couple of weeks.

Right off to get my wellies on ! Have a lovely day everyone xx

mama67

whitewing wrote: »

DH and I shared the cost of the Motown 50 CD that has been advertised on the tv a lot lately. So we didn't do cards. We've also had some lovely food including a massive salad and wine. It's a real holiday at home. I think he's going to have a day's pay rather than take a day's holiday, to cover the cost (not that we spent that much).

Other than that, budget's okay. Except that while DS is 12, we're having to pay his £10 a month top up. He's happy but in love. Bought her chocolate but gave to to her early. When I asked why the early gift, he said if he'd kept it any longer he'd've eaten it! Very moneysaving but obviously not true love!

Whitewing, does your DS get pocket money?

My DS1 (13) gets £5 p/w but pays for his own topups, football tickets etc and puts £1 p/w away for Christmas and birthday presents for DS2 and us. He hardly uses his phone usually talks to his mates on msn. but has got a deal that he gets free evening and weekday texts for topping up £5 per month as he has stayed with the same provider for 3 years. He pranks me if needed and i ring him using my free minutes.

During the better weather he also has a p/t job which he banks most of that money.

skint_chick

I've just updated my spreadsheet as I had to buy another £10 of electric and I treated myself to a £3 magazine as they didn't have it in the library. But I have a 6 issue subscription for £6 now so I don't need to buy anymore. I'll maybe ask family for a year subscription for my birthday. I also organised my savings, £2500 emergency fund, £500 holiday fund and £500 bills and home improvements are all in place and I've got £20 spending money in my main account for next week -if I don't spend it I'm overpaying the mortgage.

It's a nice feeling not having anything to spend my money on I'm planning 5 NSD's this week. New diet is working well I feel soooo much better, not as tired, and far more positive. I've even lost 2pounds :j

My brother got engaged so I have to get him and his fiancee a card and small present - I have no idea what as they don't live together so can't get anything house-y and I got them framed photos for Christmas. If anyone has any suggestions.....

sophiesmum_2

Well done on getting to grips with the diet SC, and on the weightloss:j :j

How about bottle of champagne for pressie - you can often get nice gift boxed ones in supermarkets very reasonably.

Frugaldom

Good afternoon, inhabitants of Frugaltoon

Skint_chick, Congratulations on 2 counts - weight loss and DS's engagement. As suggested by Sophiesmum, I opted for the bottles of plonk when my DD got engaged last year but then ended up catering for 100+ when they decided to throw a big party. :rotfl:

JTB, will pop onto your thread soon to see how things are progressing at the allotment. It looks like a great project already, loads of space even just with it being a shared one :eek: Is that half size of a 'normal' one? Yours looks the size of my garden, except where you are doing raised beds, mine's going to end up having feathered friends and I fear the veg growing will be greatly reduced if I'm not careful. Billy Can is on the desk threatening me with all sorts if I overspend on my PVL budget (Pets, Vets & Livestock). :rotfl:

Set the quail eggs into the incubator at 8am this morning, so the countdown starts now - 18 days and, with any luck, something will hatch for me. I have everything crossed as all the eggs took a bit of a hammering coming through the post. So much for Royal Mail respecting 'Fragile' labelling! :rolleyes:

Washing machine is on as it's clearing up and looks like the sun is trying to shine. Hoping to get the washing dried outside this afternoon whilst we do a little more work on the dog house/duck house project. Curtain sewing being set aside in preference for garden work during good weather. Suppose I should also take something out of the freezer for dinner. I get so fed up with mealtimes!

Have a good day, everyone. Catch up again later.

wendywitch

I admit defeat, I just can't do 4K a year . What with on going vet bills etc I just can't do it so I'm going to go back to lurking until I get my life sorted a bit more :rotfl:

whitewing

No, don't give DS any pocket money. When he's 13, later this year, he will work for me, get paid and do his own budget.

When I agreed to the phone for xmas, it didn't occur to me that he'd use it so much. However, he uses it a lot for family as well as friends so I don't regret it. Socially, it is value for money. But he needs to understand himself how lucky he is. He is doing more around the house. I have just confiscated the phone/laptop from him too for lying to me. He used the laptop a lt yesterday as I didn't need it. I told him not to use it any more. Not only did he use it, he tried to pretend he hadn't and even after that outright lied about it. I don't expect to be lied to so he is having a think about that.

He does use msn, but that relies on me not using the laptop for business and pleasure so he doesn't always get a chance.

Having a use up leftovers today, so today's planned lunch will do for tomorrow. Forgot it was half term. Been out this morning. Treated to coffee and cake by my friend. And got a 15% discount of an art book for DH's birthday. And will go for a walk this pm. So a good day.

Hullo to you all.

jtb2412

Just popped home for some lunch and thought I'd catch up while I have my coffee (keeping up better with the thread now)

wendywitch sorry to see you bowing out but stay with us, even only in lurkdom - I hope you manage to get what you want achieved xx

whitewing re: pocket money, my DD (15yrs) gets £20 a month but I do top up her phone by approx £10 per month - she knows that's all she gets so has to learn to make it last. She's looking for a job at the moment but finding it very hard - not many jobs around for 15 yr olds in the current climate :rolleyes: .

skint_chick well done on the weight loss ! I'll get on the scales after a few more jaunts down the allotment :rotfl: .

nyk - the allotment is 1/2 a full plot (6 rods I think is the official term). Most are 5 rods but our site is 'special' lol. I think i'll take a tape measure with me when we go back up in a few mins - I keep meaning to but forget :rolleyes: . I hope the eggs hatch ok ! Keep us updated please

Having a freezer meal here tonight (got a choice between spag bol and chilli) so can spend the next few hours digging :T .

Have a lovely Sunday afternoon guys n gals xxx

Masomnia

Mama67, sounds like your son is learning valuable lessons about money :money:

Wendywitch, we all seem to be working on different interpretations of £4k, I include everything in my challenge, but I know some people only include essentials and not holidays for example. So maybe try rebudgeting without the vets bills and see how you can manage? Would be a shame to lose a challenge member!

Natalie, good luck with the full and final payment

For me, a NSD yesterday, and almost today. I'm going to chruch later for the first time in a long time, was invited by a friend so it should be good. So I'll put a pound or two in the collection, and that'll be all I've spent today. It gets me out of going to the pub with my housemates, much more expensive, plus I don't want to go anyway!

Focusing this week on using up food that's in my cupboard. I've got loads of soup stockpiled and lots of rice, chopped tomatoes and onions. So plenty of tomato sauces and rice! Hoping to get back on track this week, since I have no direct debits/phone bills etc going out.

Hope you're all having a jolly weekend.