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

FrankieM

Morning,
I've just been trying to see DH and DD3 on the Marienplatz webcam, but its not updating. They are off to the market..looking for pigfaces..oh dear!

I've got cooking/baking to do today. I got a load of leftover veggies out of the freezer last night and I'm going to blitz them and make them into burgers for tonights tea. Also going to make Shepherdless Pie for tomorrow and bake some mince pies.
Other than that its tidying and cleaning...yay!

Child Benefit has gone into my account, so it looks healthy but I can't spend it until next month, but I have £69.44 to last me...how hard can it be!

No snow here but its really cold..Oh I figured out how to make your house feel warmer. Go driving in your South African campervan that has no heat and no demister so you have to have the window open a little bit, when its about minus 5. Oh and forget to wear your hat and gloves! BBrrrrr!

BigMummaF

findingmyfeet wrote: »

.... iam afraid i do well for several months then lapse either by pressure from someone in the house wanting things or by seeing things i really fancy and cannot resist. My other weakness is not enough planning for the unexpected then the budget goes out of the window and i get disheartened with myself, anyone else get like this?....

Oooooh yeeess but there's a very wise saying--someone on these boards has it in their siggy--about there being nothing lost by trying & failing, it's when you fail to try the rot sets in

grandma247 wrote: »

....in the credit union....

I've been meaning to ask you about this for some time; I know a little about them & am keen to find out more. Unfortunately our closest appears to be 80+ miles but I'll have a read anyways & appreciate your opinion seeing as you're a customer. I guess the ones on the ABCUL list are the safest & best regulated...

cw18

findingmyfeet wrote: »

My other weakness is not enough planning for the unexpected then the budget goes out of the window and i get disheartened with myself, anyone else get like this?

I didn't build in an 'emergency fund' for 2009, and nearly collapsed because of it. With a budget of £8k, the £655 in emergency vets bills certainly came as something of a shock - especially as they amount to over 8% of my total budget, and didn't crop up until the latter part of the year (£560 of it in September) meaning less time to claw back from elsewhere.

Then the £55 for a new car battery this last Thursday!!

I'm still hoping to stay within my £8k - but guess I won't know if I scraped it or not for another 12 days, 12 hours and 13 mins (or thereabouts).


However, this has brought me to realise that (without emergencies) I really should be capable of managing on £7.5k/year. So my budget for 2010 is staying at £8k, but with over £500 in a contingency fund - the hope being this is all sitting in a savings account at the end of the year, but not the end of the world if I have to dip into it. By not allocating it all to other categories it means that, if an emergency crops up (and even in the last couple of days of 2010), I shouldn't need to try and figure out where I can claw the money back from

savingfortravel

I'd done 1kilometre on the cross trainer, 3 kilometres on the exercise bike, 200 rows and was about to tackle the treadmill (I only walk fast) when I thought I was going to faint. So stopped, rested and had a shower instead. Still not a bad session-haven't been for over a month-as I exerted myself I saw 2 swans gliding down the river, and bluetits and greenfinch in the trees-really beautiful colours against the snow.

Did manage to pop into Matal*n-found only 1 pair of jeans £10, Mr SFTgot some trousers and bought me my tracksuit bottoms. We didn't go to M and S as we saw further down the icy path an elderly man had fallen over and really hurt himself. Does the offer last all week Vix?

The reason I asked about the title of our thread is that I might challenge myself according to the variables in my budget, including the grocery budget. Most bills I can't do anything about.

CW-You have also been very inspirational this year. I have a very strong imagination and your home, son, dogs, even manager in Mr M are strong visual images for me..even you! I think you're an incredibly strong lady and crucial to our thread.
Nyk-You are definitely what I aspire to in a few years time...hence the downsizing in house size but upsizing in rural setting and land. 2013 is going to be my year!

Hope everyone is safe and warm

sft

cw18

savingfortravel wrote: »

CW-You have also been very inspirational this year. I have a very strong imagination and your home, son, dogs, even manager in Mr M are strong visual images for me..even you! I think you're an incredibly strong lady and crucial to our thread.

Awwww!! Shucks!!!!

Vixstar

SFT Unfortunately the leaflet hasn't surfaced yet.

Blairweech

Hello my lovelies

I HAVE SNOW :snow_laug:snow_grin:snow_laug BOOYAHAHA!!!!!

Have been for a stomp (to the pub;) in the lovely snowy countryside. Still lots of snow about, am so so excited

Now we are just chilling out, might go back to the pub later for dinner. Have pork chops failing that. Not sure with what!!

:T Hope everyone is good and staying safe in't snow.

FrankieM

DH and DD3 are currently stranded in Munich...no flights from Gatwick!
I think they are keeping themselves occupied drinking bier though!

cw18

My elder DS is due to fly some Sweden to Birmingham tomorrow...... guess I'll have to wait and see whether he makes it or not

FrankieM

I guess it depends on whether they can clear the runways for the planes and if it snows anymore. Airports are warm at least, if a bit boring!