Live on £4,000 for a year - 2009, Part 3

Frugaldom

Thanks CW and BB, I've been onto the supermarket.com site and can now see that my problem isn't just lack of local suppliers, it's lack of cheap tinned fruits! That's what I get for stockpiling them last year at 9p to 19p per tin and then not buying any this year! Prices have doubled, trebled and quadrupled since I last stocked up on these things! 'Cheap' is simply no longer an option if you've been used to buying basics for the past few years. So... I took another look at my 4k budget, of which I have just over £1500 remaining, and came up with the following:

TOTAL £1,528 (I'm currently £61 over average budget)

Groceries = £250
Toiletries (Mainly toilet rolls) = £6
Electricity - £220 + £250 winter increase = £470
Coal = £46 (allowing for 4 bags & no price increase, but trying not to buy any)
Logs = £80
Internet = £120
Telephone = £90
Clothing & Footwear = £25 (Runaround boots need replacing)
Gifts - £300
Share of TV licence - £50
Essential Travel = £80
Everything else = £11

The above is how I need to budget between now and year end if I want to succeed on the 4k annual budget. I still think it could be possible but only if we don't incur any further price increases between now and the end of the year.

CW - I was intending stockpiling every opportunity I had but since the downsizing house move, I just haven't managed to get organised enough or make enough storage space. Another rething needed on the garden front, too, as I feel I wasted too much space on plants that still haven't produced anything. Even the potatoes are really slow here and there certainly doesn't look anywhere near enough to last us a year.

BB, hope you can get OH to fo out cycling, try bribery, it may work. :rotfl:

SFT_2

Hi Everyone!
HWGA-Hope you get the flooding sorted out. What bad luck!
Nyk- I agree about healthy eating not being cheap. I want to cut down portion sizes when I get back, then I can stretch the food further and not suffer the cost. We'll see how that goes on the GC!

Day 13
i went for a wonderful swim in the warm waters of Lake Nicaragua. Beautiful scenary of the twin volcanoes, covered with lush vegetation. Suddenly a storm came in, it got very windy and the waves increased. We decided to return to the safety of our hammock and watch the tropical storm (and rescue our washing). It lasted about 3 hours and was very dramatic. I treated myself to a couple of Mojitos (sp?) today. They are such a refreshing cocktail and a change from the local beer (Imperial-with a very strange label design in the style of the 3rd Reich). When the storm had calmed, we walked along the beach on dark volcanic sand. Great egrets stood elegently in the shallow waters and a pair of Crested Caracara fought over their prey in the trees above. A lady stood at a table at the waters edge washing her clothes and a group of horses played in the water, then rolled on the sand.
Later we went to see a Yellow Naped Parrot in a tree. Someone had taught it to shout Ola!
I ate the same warm fish tonight. But not flies as we sat in a different area of the restaurant

Day 14
We left Ometepe Island behind. Returning on the ferry with an equally bizarre, cert 18 film. I wondered if the Nicaragua children learn the English swear words first, in an American accent of course. We travelled to the old colonial capital of Granada. Protected by UNESCO, it is a very interesting place, full of life. After the most lively tropical storm so far, we toured the City square, statue of Independence and Cultural Museum (watching local artists at work). We walked down to the lake's edge.
For dinner we went to the best steak restaurant in Nicaragua. Mr SFT ate a mouth watering steak and fortunately they had my favourite Salmon on the menu too. We splashed out on wine and had our most expensive meal so far! But so worth it.

Good news about the roof-it looks like only wet rot so we will be at the 5K mark and Mr SFT's parents and mine have given us 1K each towards it. It will be just a loan from my parents as I know they can't afford it. But it has taken the pressure of us and I feel much happier.

Our MS from food had a boost because we have missed some planned excursions so it is now standing at $370 ($60 needed for South Africa's food).

Glad Bails got off ok. Looking forward to her reports.

SFT

Frugaldom

Loving the updates, SFT, especially the bits about the birds. Glad the food budget is working out so well when you could so easily just blow the lot. MSE in Amazonia, Martin'll be doing a travel book soon, at this rate. :rotfl:

My delightful DS has just announced that he's invited a friend to stay for a week's holiday! :mad: It's not so much the fact that he didn't ask first, nor the fact it's another mouth to feed, nor the fact that we live in a tiny house, it is the simple fact that it's one week before DD's wedding and I'll be stressed out enough without an extra body about the place! Am I wrong to be a tad furious at his lack of consideration, especially in wake of the fact he didn't return home last night when I'd left the outside light, his bedroom light and a hall light on for him? :mad: Aarg, kids! :rolleyes:

Friend just sent me details for a 3 bed detached bungalow complete with grazing land, outbuildings, a second (derelict) cottage and a steading with planning permission for conversion to 2 x 3-bed properties. That could be Frugaldom for 4 families! Guess the asking price? :rotfl:

cw18

Ooooooo...... sounds promising Nyk..... 1 for me, one for DD and GDs and one each for elder and younger DS.

So spill on the price..........

groatie_queen

Nyk, how about Approved Foods? They have these in the snacks section:
Del Monte - Fruitini - Fruit Juice Jelly - Raspberry/Blackcurrant 4 x 120 g pack.

£0.40 each pack or 3 packs for £0.99.
Del Monte - Fruitini - Fruit Juice Jelly
100% Natural Ingredients. 2 x Raspberry and 2 x Blackcurrant Pots per pack.
No Added suagrs
No Artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.
4 x 120 g pack.
Best Before: 30/03/2009 ! but I have survived eating tinned fruit that was past date....

Maybe if you and SM could put together a combined order you could get free carriage? Just a thought....

PS Sorry, now I have my glasses on I think it is jelly only, I thought it had fruit in it.... sorry!

sophiesmum_2

Good evening frunchkins:D
Plan for today was to clear out the porch walk in cupboard and start sorting it out for a store for my preserves, that didn't last long. Had to go into town with OH to get some expanding foam filler to seal up some gaps, and ended up at the garden centre where I bought two rhubarb plants to add to the two the sheep savaged last week, and 3 bags of compost for next raised bed. Went from there to fencing/shed place to get prices for some posts and panels (think chicken area ) and then OH wanted to go exploring nearby so had a little ride about, stopped in next town where I bought a coriander plant,and did not buy any books despite being surrounded by bookshops :rolleyes: then stopped for a cold drink outside a pub before driving home - so storecupboard never got started.
The next three hours were spent mowing the lawns, clipping the conifer hedges, turning compost in bin, raking, and tidying the garden, and before we knew it another day had nearly gone.
Will hopefully get the cupboard started tomorrow. Need to get late tea sorted soon.
Enjoy the rest of the evening everyone:D

Brighton_belle

Had to use up my bribery option Nyk on other household shenanigins:D.
Will try again with bike ride tomorrow.

The only problem I forsee with your tinned fruit idea (er...except the expense and locating it) is that fruit contains a lot of sugar so with the 5 a day thing, it is only recommended that 2 of those portions are fruit. I adore fruit and am sure this doesn't help me weight wise and am constantly trying to limit my portions from umpteen to about 3 a day. Helps the purse too. Bananas are my weakness:o.

Used up bits and bobs today in egg fried rice for dinner. And need to freeze the slow cooker lentil dish in to lunch portions to freeze - one of the things we sustitute for sandwiches in packed lunches. Originally adapted from one of weezl recipes last year.

Great stuff sft:T Good news about the roof - phew. With your skills, you'll soon pay that back. And very impressive news on your food budgeting.

Right Nyk - guessing a price - how about £250,000?

EDIT: SM if you are anything like my OH near a bookshop, that took great strength of character for which I commend you:D

ram_murdock

Hey everyone...first week of work over and i'm just relaxing enjoying a chip for the chippy!
Had to pay £80.00 to get my car fixed this month which has really dented my budget.
Although i have cashed in my topcashback money and bingo money which should help this month. Won a fiver on the free scratchcard this week! :j
Been checking out the mystery shopping sites lately - but there seems to be hardly any visits - anyone else finding this?
Spent quite a lot today on takeaways but nothing else so i suppose not too bad for a saturday.
I'm sitting preparing a money plan for the rest of august. I do this every week to evalute how much i have, how much i have spent and how much more i need to spend before pay day. When i dont think i have enough money i usually cash in all my online extra money e.g. scratch cards etc to give me a little extra.
Tv licence due 1st September as well -definately going to pay by direct debit as cant afford the up front payment.
Hope all is well with everyone well. AEB -not long until your due date now!

cw18

ram_murdock wrote: »

Tv licence due 1st September as well -definately going to pay by direct debit as cant afford the up front payment.

Just a warning (in case you weren't aware)....

When you first go on this scheme you only get 6 months to pay for the license. From month 7 the payments halve, and the next 6 payments are 'in advance' for your next license, meaning from here on in it's "6 in advance, 6 in arrears' with the payments.

ram_murdock

thank cw - i had read that before on this form but had completely forgot about it? Maybe i'll try scape together the money to buy it for the year.

Quiet on here tonight!