Softstuffs thousand day challenge

Softstuff

Id been thinking about doing this for a while, and last week was the crunch, when the idea of a thousand day challenge came to mind.

I'm not loving my job at the moment (trying not to sound too ungrateful, since at least I have one), and am tired of being yelled at by people, but have no prospect of other work in the current climate. So I needed a "light at the end of the tunnel", and the thousand day challenge was born.

Basically until OH and I pay off the mortgage, I have to work in my current job, so the idea arose that maybe if I went even more frugal and set a target, that we could pay it off in a thousand days. OH and I live in a small one bed unit, we both work full time for what's considered a reasonable wage here (Australia), have no kids, 1 car between us and are tight as is humanly possible!

I'm posting here rather than in a mortgage free forum, since the savings we can make and things we can do centre mostly around food and old style attitudes towards other necessities in life.

In order to make it in 1000 days I have a pretty tight household budget of $50 a week (about 22 quid). This covers (for the two of us) food (at home or eating out), entertainment, all toiletries and cleaning products and medication. I'm going to set aside $10 (about 4 quid) a week for gifts and events - this will cover birthdays, anniversaries, valentines and Christmas. Also anything I can earn over and above my wage at work can be spent on what we like. I'm unable to take a second job, as I work up to 80 hours a week (yet am paid for 40), but am keen to try bartering my home baking and sewing. We have nothing to ebay, it's been a very long time since we bought anything non-essential or anything we didn't really consider and want.

Every other cent we have is going to the mortgage, and once that is paid I can take a part time job somewhere, and volunteer the remainder of my time to some local charities.

I'd love some folks to join me along the way, I certainly could use some encouragement as this is really the long haul. And I'd love to be even tighter than I normally am!

Softstuff
x

nodwah

wow - more power to you!

Softstuff

Today is technically day 1000, since I'm going to count down. It's also my day off.

OH and I are heading to library, I can't recommend that enough. There's such a variety of entertainment that can be ordered, it just takes some patience. Here in Australia it is a little better than I recall it being in England, since we can order online. It's also free in my particular locality, though that may change soon in line with the rest of the state.

Today we have a couple of movies on DVD to pick up. Recently though I'd ordered and read Nigellas Christmas, as recommended on here, and many many others. Still stuck in the new Patricia Cornwell book so no need for any more books there. OH will likely pick something up for himself too, and possibly some music. So that'll be entertainment sorted for the week.

Neither of us drink much, it seems to me like the biggest expense we could easily do without. My vice though is a good tea or coffee each morning from the coffee shop at work, so I may have to look into at least cutting that down. At $3 a day it's a pretty big expense.

Also heading to the supermarket, check out some bargains. Trying to clear out a few things in my cupboards, oddities I've obtained cheaply with no idea of use. So will be buying a few things there to help with that, will post back later as regards that.

I'm contemplating also pickling some red cabbage today, and at least baking a banana loaf (thanks to reduced brown nanas yesterday at 50c a kilo). But I'll see what's on special at the supermarket. I prefer not to directly meal plan, but to see what is cheap and reduced at the supermarket first before working out from there what I can make from it.

Olliebeak

Good Luck to you, softstuff! Hope it all works to plan .

I don't have a mortgage - rented home that goes with my job and is quite well-subsidised (thank goodness) and that means that I am very protected from the problems of high rents etc. However it also means that when I retire, I have to leave my present home and will have upheaval, moving fees and resettlement expenses .

Softstuff

Thanks Nodwah and Olliebeak

Really it wasn't a logical decision to buy a home (I realise for some renting works out better), it was an emotional decision. I needed a place of security that was ours (after a previous divorce). Paying off the mortgage quicker isn't just a financial decision either. It's down to a feeling of insecurity that will exist until it's gone and I'm free to choose other work rather than being trapped in my current one.

Anyhoo... to the library!

pink_princess

Good luck soft stuff
I hope you get some people who can join your challenge soon.
PP

Softstuff

Thanks Pink Princess

Come back from that trip out with a heck of a haul! From the library we got magazines for the OH and I (I haven't bought a magazine in about 5 years!), books and DVD's - a couple of films and a Mr Bean DVD. We rarely watch TV as TV, though we do like to get entire series on DVD from the library and watch like that. We can't stand adverts and aren't patient enough to wait a week for an episode. I got another Christmas cookbook too, a Margaret Fulton one. I like the Christmas ones as they tend to come with recipes for preserves and gifts.

Went to the supermarket, spent $26.70 on a rather odd shop. Got bread (white loaf, soft rolls, bake at home ciabatta - the latter two reduced), 2 toothbrushes, 3 packs of Christmas cards (reduced to 19c each), pack of pasta spirals, 5 packs of minute noodles (a snacky add on to OH's lunch), 1 sachet of tang orange drink, smartprice tuna in brine, 500g smartprice cheese, 500g natural yoghurt, 1kg smartprice plain flour, a pack of veal tortellini (reduced, serves 4), half a kilo of potatoes and a 6 pack of loo roll.

The astute amongst you (and even the not so astute!) would notice the absence of fruit, veg....in fact anything much to make a meal out of. This would be because I obtained 6 readymeals (2 moroccan lamb with couscous, 2 italian chicken with pasta and 2 indian chicken with rice) for $1 each the other day (about 40p). So I figured I would use those this week and bulk them out into full meals using lentils (in the cupboard), extra pasta or rice and veg.

As for the veg, the other day in the supermarket my eyes nearly fell out of my head... birds eye steamfresh veggies, the large pack with brocoli, carrot and sweetcorn, were reduced to 40c a pack (about 18p). So I cleared their entire freezer.... 16 packs!! I'm using them not just as they were intended, but am opening the packs and using them as veg in other recipes too. They should see me through the next couple of weeks also.

As for what we eat in general: I tend to eat one main meal a day on a working day, occasionally with a snack here or there, occasionally with brekkie. Then 3 meals a day on my days off. It depends mostly how I'm feeling, I'm not a morning person and feel quite averse to food around then. Hubbie eats more than the average rhino. He eats 3 weetabix with muesli and milk for brekkie, for lunch he eats a dinner sized portion of something with either a sandwich or minute noodles, a few biscuits, a muffin and at least one piece of fruit. He then eats a large dinner portion and possibly a snack in the evening.

We'll eat pretty much anything, and have made a lot out of lentils and beans. I'll post recipes for things we eat as I go along.

Lunch today is going to be a sort of nacho dish. I have some broken taco shells from the cupboard, a tin of refried beans, a third of a jar of salsa in the fridge and a little grated cheese.

You may notice from the shopping list the store bought bread. Recently I haven't had the motivation to bake all of that again, I've just had too much on at work. Perhaps that's something I'll get back into. Also our little treat is on there, a sachet of tang, we mostly drink iced tap water, but from time to time a little something extra is nice.

We also rented a DVD on the way home using a voucher ($2.95) Wall-e. Just to prove we don't live like monks!! We don't much like the cinema, they object if you wear pj's, don't let you put your feet up, have extortionate food and drink prices and won't pause it for a loo break!

Thanks if you read all this, and sorry for such huge posts getting this started
Softstuff
x

positivelypurple

What a great challenge - I'll be keeping up with it as you go along. Best of luck :T

Softstuff

Watched Wall-e (great film) with some home made caramel popcorn. First time I'd tried it with the caramel (from the HM popcorn thread on here), and it was yummy. Didn't get around to baking today, and dinner is a cheats pizza (bought reduced ciabatta spread with tomato puree, grated cheese, olives and tuna). When it gets to my days off I'm pretty pooped, some days I do better than others at getting things done.... today is not a good day for that!

Did go and do my good deed for the day, walked around to the grandparents in law and gave them a few banana muffins from the last batch, that was nice but the feet are well and truly up right now!

ceridwen

Good luck with your challenge. Doing things this way does at least give you some "light at the end of the tunnel" to look toward. So - I can certainly see why you are doing it. I agree it was the right thing for you to buy somewhere in the first place - rather than rent. I always took it for granted from Year Dot that I would own my own home - and when I stopped and worked things out financially it made sense to do so, even though, in the event I've had to spend LOADS:mad: :eek: on the rundown old dump I bought.

I think it shows real commitment to be trying to live Old Style on top of whats not just a full-time job - but a hugely long hours one at that - 80 hours sometimes:eek: . I sometimes dont even manage basic stuff like making my own bread due to lack of time - after a standard length workweek - so I can see that would be very difficult for you.

I guess thinking twice/indeed thrice about everything you spend - with the "Do I need it/Do I want it?" mantra running through your head is one of the best ways to save money anyway and trying not to waste food. I have found it helpful to get a handle on money by reminding myself that advertisers/shops have worked out a battery of techniques to try and part us from our money to no good effect and I remind myself of my own personal goal - which is that I am going to retire at 60 come what may (though my State pension doesnt start till later than that:mad: ). I refuse to let that postponement of State Pension I got lumbered with by the Government affect my plans. So - I fully understand where you are coming from - particularly with that LONG workweek.

Good luck - I'm well aware JUST how determined you can be - so if anyone can make it, you can.:D

love
ceridwen
(aka another determined ornery old .....insert as applicable)

Pip-squeak_3

Good luck with your challange. We were lucky as when we decided that we had had emough of work our morgage was paid and the children were through uni so it was just the two of us to lead a frugal and very happy life. Have you thought about making a really good cup of coffee at home and putting it in an insulated mug? I do know it's not quite the same but think of the money you would save:j

Good luck I am enjoying reading about your progress and hope to pick up lots of new ideas.