Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 2

KKP

nykmedia wrote: »

KKP - nice of you to drop in, do share how you manage on your £50 as every penny's worth of info is worth a fortune to us here! My £4,000 is for 3 so, technically, that's only £25 per week per person.

Thats right. But the exclusions mean you're only really considering food, clothing, toiletries and non-work travel. Plus any leisure costs.

Food can be quite cheap, especially if you literally make your own by growing it (I happen to have easy access to a farm). Using fresh ingredients is the main perogative. As for clothes, there's always the charity stores - I don't think any of this is new to MSE veterans. Even Tesco sells items of clothing for £5 or less. Toiletries can be bought in bulk, which cuts cost considerably (my typical spend averages at £8 a week). I usually walk for transport, or use buses (which cap at £3 a day, and a lot less with a monthly pass in the Southeast).

But yes, it does require a spartan lifestyle, along with some practical skills. Sure, I may exceed £50 at some points, but that is rare as I'm doing my best not to use credit of any kind.

Edit: utility bills are included? But the exception list specifically states the water cost is excluded. Can someone clarify this?

Frugaldom

CW - If you were living in my neighbourhood, I'd happily trade you some gardening hours in exchange for your submitting my tax return - it's getting to the embarrassing stage now and I'm thinking of changing my profession to 'out of work actor' to explain the lack of income. :rotfl:

I will not touch my savings, I will survive
I will not touch my savings, I will survive
I will not touch my savings, I will survive

Even if it means waiting until SM's back from her hols and then knocking on her door to ask for a sannie made with her hm bread and jam. :rotfl:

KKP

By the way, I don't actually have more than £50 a week to spend, so I should clarify that it isn't so much a "challenge" as reality

As for utility bills, I don't have an exact figure to offer but its in the region of £12.50 a week. (the bill is in the landlord's name, I don't get to see the numbers)

Frugaldom

KKP wrote: »

Edit: utility bills are included? But the exception list specifically states the water cost is excluded. Can someone clarify this?

That would be my fault - I started the challenge some years ago, I live in Scotland and Scotland doesn't have seperate water bills. The £4,000 is for everything except rent and council tax, as far as I am concerned. Many people have joined the challenge over the past couple of years and many have adapted the figures to suit their own lifestyles and help them keep control of budgets so they can clear debt and set aside savings for extra luxuries.

aeb_2

I've just been reading and my goodness what a kindhearted lot you all are. Thank you so much. I must have painted a black picture

I must tell you all so I don't mislead anyone that although I set my challege at £6500 that is because I am trying to save other money for doing up the house - not because I am living on the breadline. I have half my DH's pension so I have enough, it's just the planning and organising I'm falling down with but I can do it.

house things
I did something very positive today. I took my DH's computer round to an 'expert' (17 year old:rolleyes:)and he somehow found all his passwords so I am now able to look at the plans for the alterations. Took him 10 mins:eek: Tonight I have printed these off as it will be so much easier to show tradesmen. (Tip to anyone, write your passwords down, put them in a sealed envelope and have them stored in a safe place, perhaps with your will - it can save so much trouble) That's if you've nothing to hide of course

This afternoon we had great fun with felt pens, measuring and drawing lines on the walls in the rooms where stud walls will go to make en-suites, three altogether, and window shapes. Even DS2, 21 months had a go:rolleyes: The house has good wiring but a retired electrician friend and wife is coming to stay soon to do all the extra cables, lights, fans, switches etc in exchange for a weeks 'holiday'.

So we made progress today

sft - be sure to label everything in storage and write down where it went, we did that 15 years ago and it can be a nightmare remembering. I'm still convinced there are boxes in gararges around the Midlands.

Frugal things
Radishes and rhubarb from the garden,
nsd (hurray for felt pens and crayons)

cw18 - all those skills! Plastering is the one I need a professional for, the others I can have a go, without my 'helpers' around. My freezer is just the same. No matter how I try to empty it, I'm alway juggling. It's nearly 20 years old but it keeps going.
scrooge2008 - thanks for that
tryingtodobetter - we did look into grants, thank you, I just have to dig it all out again, it might have changed now

off now for a quick look on freecycle and gumtree

savingfortravel

KKP wrote: »

By the way, I don't actually have more than £50 a week to spend, so I should clarify that it isn't so much a "challenge" as reality


Although there are plenty of us who do use this thread as a challenge ..many others use it through neccessity. It is an incredibly helpful and supportive thread, where real friendships have been made. Maybe we could help you in that sense? It's up to you of course.

sft

KKP

savingfortravel wrote: »

KKP wrote: »

By the way, I don't actually have more than £50 a week to spend, so I should clarify that it isn't so much a "challenge" as reality

Although there are plenty of us who do use this thread as a challenge ..many others use it through neccessity. It is an incredibly helpful and supportive thread, where real friendships have been made. Maybe we could help you in that sense? It's up to you of course.

sft

I'm intrigued, do you hold forum meets or something? Or did you just mean sharing financial hints?

I must be overspending somewhere if one poster here can manage £1250 per person whereas I'm hitting £2600. That said, I'm pretty sure the OP indicated debt repayments should not be included.

cw18

KKP wrote: »

Thats correct. But then I am used to that.

Sharing tends to save on some things (food for example), as opposed to several people on their own though. So £4,000 for say, 4 people doesn't sound that unreasonable, especially when utility bills and rent\mortgage\debt repayments are excluded. Assuming you had some excess assets or expenditure to begin with (I don't have a TV personally) its surprising what you can do to cut down to within the limit.

I'm doing £8k all in (including a number of items others don't), but have just had a look at mine out of interest.

If I were on Income Support then I'd be in receipt of £64.30/week for me, plus (as best I can tell) £56.11/week for a dependant child (paid through Tax Credits), plus £20/week Child Benefit - making for a weekly income of £140.41 (annual income of £7301.31 - assuming 52 weeks rather than the acknowledged 52.1 weeks).

As such, I don't think my £8k unreasonable - especially given £977.14 of that is Council Tax which I wouldn't have to pay if on IS. Discounting that my outgoings come down to £7022.36.

It also includes £908.60 of costs incurred due to owning my home (building insurance, endowment policy and central heating maintainance/break down cover) which I wouldn't be liable for if I were in a rental (with my rent also paid for me due to being on Income Support, so that wouldn't add anything back in). So removing all that lot brings my £8k down to just £6114.26 for 2 of us -- so well within what the government say is the MINIMUM needed to provide for me and my son........

cw18

KKP wrote: »

Edit: utility bills are included? But the exception list specifically states the water cost is excluded. Can someone clarify this?

In Scotland it's included in the Council Tax bill, so most folk 'north of the border' exclude it. But I (along with several other folk 'south of the border') include it in our budgets.

ETA: I see Nyk beat me to an explanation of this one

KKP

cw18 wrote: »

I'm doing £8k all in (including a number of items others don't), but have just had a look at mine out of interest.

If I were on Income Support then I'd be in receipt of £64.30/week for me, plus (as best I can tell) £56.11/week for a dependant child (paid through Tax Credits), plus £20/week Child Benefit - making for a weekly income of £140.41 (annual income of £7301.31 - assuming 52 weeks rather than the acknowledged 52.1 weeks).

As such, I don't think my £8k unreasonable - especially given £977.14 of that is Council Tax which I wouldn't have to pay if on IS. Discounting that my outgoings come down to £7022.36.

It also includes £908.60 of costs incurred due to owning my home (building insurance, endowment policy and central heating maintainance/break down cover) which I wouldn't be liable for if I were in a rental (with my rent also paid for me due to being on Income Support, so that wouldn't add anything back in). So removing all that lot brings my £8k down to just £6114.26 for 2 of us -- so well within what the government say is the MINIMUM needed to provide for me and my son........

If you don't mind me asking, what is the figure excluding rent\mortgage?