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

cw18

Arrrrgghhhh!!!

I'd started working out budgets for next year, but had forgotten one all important fact - until I got a reminder in an email this morning.

VAT is due to go back up to 17.5% on 1st Jan - which means the cost of various items (including the expensive dog food!) is going to rise by about 2.2% :mad:

So now I need to go back through everything, work out which items I pay VAT on, and then consider whether I'm going to have to increase budgets - and by how much :eek:

Frugaldom

Good afternoon frugalites.

Before continuing, I'd just like to say that although Cranky40 hasn't been on our challenge thread for a long time, my thoughs and wishes are with her and her family at this time.

This morning, I had to go into town to stock up on milk, fresh fruit & veg and some other basics, so I managed to spend £20.50 of my grocery budget. The £1200 doesn't look like it's going to last through the year for 3 of us but I'm still trying desperately to come in on budget overall.

CW, from what you're saying, the 2.2% difference in your 8k budget would be, at the very, very most, £176 but a lot of what you buy has no vat or is at a different rate, so estimating it at half of that - £86 - I think you could possibly raise that from the free scratch cards. It's a guaranteed £41 per year just for logging in and accessing the freebie every day, but there's always the added chance of winning the odd £5 or, indeed, £100. Apologies if you already collect these on a daily basis.

I'm planning on making the oat cakes today but picked up a couple of packs of porridge oats with bran that $a!n$bury's had on offer, so I'll blitz that and they'll be even healthier. I also dropped off a few bits and pieces to LETS buddies whilst in town, so my credit there is building up again. Must start spending that again but haven't found anything I need yet.

SF, like SM says, you'll learn how to control the classroom of kids, my guess is that you keep the upper hand and don't ever let them think that they're in control of you, but that's probably why I'm not cut out to be a teacher.

cw18

I reckon similar extra to find to your sums Nyk

And no, it doesn't sound a lot - but I don't "offset" any of my expenses like you and some of the others. Did some of the scratchcards about 12 months ago, but it kind of 'fell by the wayside', so I guess I could start doing them again and off-setting any 'extra' income - but I prefer to use extra income for treats, so I know I can survive on guaranteed income

Frugaldom

cw18 wrote: »

I guess I could start doing them again and off-setting any 'extra' income - but I prefer to use extra income for treats, so I know I can survive on guaranteed income

But as there's no gamble involved and no cost other than a few minutes of time dedicated on a daily basis, you could always look at it as a form of guaranteed income. IF you won extra, then that could be the extra, IYSWIM. I'm glad that I've persevered with it, although I fell off the daily clicks wagon. All my offsetting is done against spends outside my 4k

Savvy_sewing

Sorry to be a bit thick, but Free Scatchcards? Where are they then? I am obviously not doing things very well. I have never done a scratchcard,? Not even a real one.!

savingfortravel

SF-Even after years of teaching I still spend hours working out the psychology of children.
My advice is simple. Go in strong, you're not there to be their best mate. They'll respect you more if boundaries are clear. Make sure you're top dog. Some teachers I know don't even smile for the first half term. After which you'll have them eating out of the palm of your hand and be able to relax. Always stay calm, even when things get out of control through no fault of your own. And be positive. Teaching is like a performance..the children will learn if they are stimulated and entertained. Hope that helps.
I found my PGCE one of the hardest yet most rewarding things I've ever done and by the end of it I'd worked so hard they would have had to chuck me off the course, I'd invested too much to consider leaving. Good luck my dear and PM me if you need just to chat

SFT

Skint_Lynne

Hi gang,

I'm still here, but have been travelling around all over the place as usual. Today, it was Aberdeen and went to the slimming club, I lost 2lbs tonight (but that only made up for the 2 I put on last week after going wild ).

I can't believe that we are on the last quarter of our challenge. I am still thinking that I'll do the all in challenge and see how it goes, but I still have a bit of time to think about it.

I'm a bit sad, my brother, SIL and wee fella are going to India on Sunday for 3 weeks.:eek: I think it's not a good idea:o, but what can you do, his other family have to see him I suppose.:rolleyes: My brother keeps telling me that he will leave SIL and wee one for longer and he will come back, then go and collect them in time for Christmas. He is telling fibs, he is at the wind up so SIL tells me. I know he is lying anyway, because he will not even let any of us take him out in the car, so that's how much he will leave him on the other side of the world for about a month.

SIL says that she will be ready to come back after her 3 weeks, cause she will be fed up of her mum by then.:rolleyes: Those 2 could stay for as long as they want, but they could get the wee one delivered back here and I'll watch him.:rotfl:I will miss him loads, but 3 weeks will go in quickly I guess.

Still staying on the straight and narrow, it's a lifestyle now. I try my best. I'm sleeping in the spare room tonight, DH was out with his aunt today, he is like an old bull snoring away, so I will steer clear. I wonder if his aunt is okay, they both get into some state (can't you tell that I don't really drink?:rolleyes:). He goes back to work tomorrow, so I can get back to normal. I wonder what I will do when he is at home all the time.:eek:

Speak later. xx

sophiesmum_2

SL - sounds like you are missing the litle fella even before he goes
Lol at the old bull :rotfl:

lyndasharp

Hi all, been a slightly expensive week so far. Stayed overnight in a lovely hotel with a few colleagues on Wednesday, and spent more than the evening meal allowance buying wine with dinner. So that's £10 spent, and I'm meeting up with a couple of work people for lunch today. We were going to eat in our canteen, but I just had a message to say lets go out to eat. Grrr. I've got a packed lunch, so think I'll just eat that and only have a drink in the restaurant. Then there's the Knitting and Stitching show tomorrow....

Frugaldom

Hi guys and gals,

Just been reminded that it's now LESS than 11 weeks until the festivities, so shopping HAS to be on my mind. However, I just can't get into spending mode and still haven't even got my velcro or draught excluder tape to finish doing the doors & windows. It's quite cold here, about 12 degrees in livingroom, so I have my wooly socks and legwarmers on plus fleece & bodywarmer - and that's just to sit at the computer! :rotfl:

Looks like it'll be mince & tatties for tea tonight, we'll have soup and hm bread for lunch.

Can anyone remember me telling them about the escapee red panda last February? It escaped from an animal park not too far from here? News just in that he's now been found, after surviving for 19 months in the Galloway wilds, killed in a road traffic accident I am completely amazed that such a creature could have lived for that long in the wild without having been spotted, only to end up hit by a car. Makes it all the more likely that the tales of the big cats are true - they could exist here no problem and I am a firm believer that they are out there in the forest somewhere.