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

sophiesmum_2

Good evening frunchkins:D

welcome to the new posters and hi to all the regulars :hello:

bails - glad the chat with headmaster went how you had hoped, good luck with the interview stage .

Erm, have completely forgotten now what eveyone has said brain like a sieve recently. busy day at work today and have also been helping someone's family to clear their flat, so lots of rehoming of stuff to different charities and people to try and stop stuff ending up in landfill. Grandma pity you didn't live local as I have a newish spin dryer to rehome here,strange coincidence, as not something you see everyday these days

cw18

the_cat wrote: »

This year I have decided to try a bit of a variation. I am going for an all-in target ( I think of about £16,000:eek: although in my defence that is absolutely everything for a family of 4)

I'm on £8k all-in for 2 of us (with no rent or mortgage, and also excludes DS's clothes and college expenses as he pays for all this out of his EMA), so the £16k for a family of 4 sounds good to me..... makes allowances for the gas/electricity for cooking and heating the property not really being much different, but things like rent/mortgage/full council tax (I get the 25% single person discount due to DS being a student) to be paid by a family

Does anyone have a recommendation for a downloadable spreadsheet or similar for tracking all this? CW in particular seems an absolute marvel with the figures - any tips gratefully received

I just use Excel. I have one spreadsheet file, but it has multiple (49!) pages.....

The front page is my overall budget tracking, with the spends being fed into it from the other pages. Each month then has 4 pages : one for regular payments (ie. direct debits for fuel and council tax, plus insurances and dog expenses - so some aren't really 'regular', but they fit best into here), one for grocery spends (I enter everything I buy in detail, not just £7.64 in Mr M), one for toiletries and cleaning products (same basis as groceries, but I have a separate budget for them), and one for 'everything else' (includes CDs, DVDs, clothes, household items)

If anyone who has Excel wants to try this system, I'm happy to pass on a 'blank' file once I get it set up for me for 2010.....

and YES, I'm in again for next year Nyk

but I need to figure out how I'm going to set my budget as DS is undecided about what he's doing after the end of his college course. He knows he wants to go to Uni, but doesn't want to live in 'halls' or a rented property - so he had been talking of staying at home. But he's now decided the most likely Uni is the one in Preston, and the journey from here is excessive with a number of changes - so has started to hint that he'd like me to sound out my parents about him 'renting' a room in their place (they're 10 miles the other side of Preston, with direct buses)


Mooloo - totally with you on making the twins (happy birthday to them ) cough up for petrol when you run them around. This is something I started to insist on from my DD in the last 12 months, and I clock the mileage from my home to pick her up, doing whatever it is she wanted to do, and then all the way back to my house after dropping her off. She also gives me a 'contribution' when I pick my GDs up from her workplace to take them to school, as this now makes up the majority of the mileage I do for her (and saves her a lot of time in the mornings).

Have to admit I've been very lucky with younger DS (the one at home), as he's the only one of my three who's always been good with money..... and as such he appreciates that I've had a huuuuge drop in income, and rarely asks for anything. Means he appreciates treats (like the corner yogs I picked up in Mr A today while they're down to 20p each) much more, and knows he has to make them last. But he also knows that when I have the money and there's an offer on I will get things like this, so I don't quite make him survive on a diet of bread and water :rotfl: His EMA took a few weeks to start paying last year, so he borrowed what he needed for bus fares and cheap lunches from me - and the first I knew of the first payment (with backpay) arriving in his account was him giving me back what he'd borrowed:T


Bails: Well done on the saving on the boots - and (as someone else who "doesn't do" pink) I think I could like with dusky pink for that sort of saving too Well done on the chat/invitation to be interview too :j


Work was chaotic today !!! One of the girls on the early shift phoned in sick, so when I got in at 1pm the other one was still struggling to try and get on top of all the packing - never mind keeping the shelves tidy and reasonably well stocked. She was due to leave at 2pm, but stayed until 3pm to help clear some of the back-log. I then stayed until 5:45 instead of 5pm, as there was still too much for the lady who works 5-9:30pm. Not sure if either us will be paid for the extra time (wasn't pre-authorised overtime), but I wouldn't have felt happy walking out at shift end even if the other lass hadn't stayed to help me

The dept manager should have left at 1pm, but he stayed until 3:30pm to help out - and make sure I was happy with everything that still needed doing. As he was leaving I asked who's down for the early shift tomorrow, and it's only the lass who was off today :eek:

He must have seen the horror on my face, and - when I expressed concern about what would be awaiting me at 1pm if she's not back - asked if I was volunteering to go in earlier. I said I'd rather go in a couple of hours early than leave loads for the 5pm shift (tomorrow that's the lass who stayed on for me today), and gave him my phone number in case he felt the need to call me in. I did say I know I'm not totally up-to-speed yet, but was happy to go in and help out as a pair of slow hands is better than no hands at all - to which he responded the only way I'll get up to speed is by doing all the work, which I agreed with.

He then disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later..... Guess he'd been to speak to personnel or admin, as I've been changed from 1-5pm to 7am-4pm (same as my Tuesday) in case she's not back. If she is back it'll give us a chance to catch up on everything that got overlooked today

Seems strange to be offered over-time in the second week of a job though, so I can only assume he's still happy enough with what I'm doing

sophiesmum_2

Sounds like you are settling well into the job Cheryl I worked in the butchers at Mr M's when I was in sixth form it was invaluable for learning the different joints of meat etc.I used to get high as a kite off the fumes from the plastic wrap sealing machine though :rolleyes:

Brighton_belle

You are definitely doing very well Cheryl. I can only think it is a god send to a manager to have a willing and reliable member of staff like yourself. Is your back holding up well? And your son sounds a credit to you an you have taught such valuable life skills.

I have finally entered the last 2 months spends in to my accounts - I have let myself slip a little in recording. I use my cashback CC a lot for most things so have a good recipt/statement record(always payoff each month) but alas, my cash spends I seem to have lost the drive to record so well. I have to get back on top of this if only to help me forcast how much I need to allocate to differnt things for next year (& I will def be in for challenge).

Off for a swine flu jab tomorrow as I fall into the at risk group .Hoping I don't get any reaction that knocks me out of action for a day or two though.

Everything crossed for you re the agriculture Blair.

the_cat

CW . :T:T New job seems to be working out well. You'll be indespensible within the month!!

Thanks also for the budget info. I don't feel quite so bad about my shocking £16K total now:rotfl:
It does include my (admitedly small) mortgage and also a payment in lieu of EMA to oldest son as my OH earns too much for him to qualify. Although it adds a big chunk to my yearly total, I think it is important for him to learn to budget before he can get his hands on credit, so feel this is money well spent. He has to use it for all his travel, social, clothes, mobile and any incidental costs. If he runs out, I have told him there will be no bail outs and so far he has been brill (has saved about half of it so far)

Would love to get my hands on a copy of the spreadsheet if it's not too much trouble, as keeping track of everything is likely to be my big downfall

Kittikins

Another request for CW's fantastic spreadsheet please. Having attempted to live a more streamlined life for 2 years now on both challenges (and failing but doing better than I could have anticipated without this great thread), I am going to keep going onwards and upwards, so I can put some savings behind me and keep on chipping away at my mortgage.

Blairweech

Mama - I like your idea about doing your meatballs in a roasting tin, I always forget to save my drippings. Bet that was nom!
Mooloo - Not sure if you have already talked about this, but have you considered giving your DS a weekly/monthly 'allowance'? Will teach him money management and when it's gone it's gone! Does he have a little part time job or anything?
Grandma - Could you ask on freecycle for a spin dryer? I have heard they are really excellent things, and work better than the spin on a WM in many instances
Bails - Very very well done to you :j Is it an in-person interview (ie, waiting until you come back?) I know I say it a lot, but you are a truly amazing woman. All that you have done/are doing...wow
CW - How long do you think it takes you to do all of your spreadsheet work? I definantly need more detailed spreadsheets for next year, but do not want to spend hours tied to my computer (what am I talking about, I already spend hours on the damn thing!). You sound like you are really enjoying your job, and will soon be a valuable asset to the place
SM - lol at your story about the plastic wrap! I often have to load trailers which have just had all their fridge coolant changed and boy does that stuff make me silly!


So um....I got offered a place

and for those who are slightly further away

I GOT OFFERED A PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:rotfl::beer::j:money::p;):D:D:D:D:D:D:o:cool::eek::eek::T:T:EasterBun:bdaycake::xmastree:_party__pale_:dance::dance::dance:

In that order I think! I did 3 victory laps of my house It is an unconditional offer, as I already have my results. So now I can start planning what I am going to do with the next year of my life.

Phew! Ok, now I'm worn out after all that running around! Have been sent some cereal bars for a survey :money:nice treat as usually too expensive-for-not-a-lot-of-food for me. Had fish pie for tea, as got back late this morning - was meant to feed 3, but it just fed me :rolleyes: The wind sounds like it is going to blow my front door down, so I am going to curl up in bed now

Vixstar

_party_:beer::jBlair

cw18

Brighton_belle wrote: »

You are definitely doing very well Cheryl. I can only think it is a god send to a manager to have a willing and reliable member of staff like yourself. Is your back holding up well? And your son sounds a credit to you an you have taught such valuable life skills.

Back seems to be OK. Have felt a couple of twinges after long sessions on the slicing machine, but generally managing to alternate tasks to minimise it. Did have a problem on Tuesday taking a basket style tray out of a rack, but it was as much due to the fact it the very top one, was stiff, was full of heavy loaves, and had a bag on top of it that meant the contents were too high to come past the front bar as anything else. One of the bakers (not the boss - he's as 'vertically challenged' as me ) was passing as I was eyeing it up, so I asked him to lift it down for me - and he did without expressing any surprise that I needed assistance

I think DS is careful with his money due to seeing how quickly DD and elder DS frittered theirs away - and then heard them complain when they didn't have money to buy things they wanted like a games console That was the first major item he bought himself (must have been December 2004, so he was 13.5 and had been doing a paper round for a few months which had topped up pocket money savings and birthday & Christmas money from a couple of years), and even that he shopped around for..... I always refused to buy any of them a console (or even to help out with the costs), but I managed to convince DH that we should buy the boys a portable TV with built in DVD each that year as their main present (making sure they had a Scart socket in the back). Elder DS moaned that this meant I was helping his younger brother buy his machine, but withdrew the allegation when I offered to return both TVs and replace with with something else :rotfl: Younger DS really appreciated his

cw18

Blairweech wrote: »

CW - How long do you think it takes you to do all of your spreadsheet work? I definantly need more detailed spreadsheets for next year, but do not want to spend hours tied to my computer (what am I talking about, I already spend hours on the damn thing!).

I try and update it on a daily basis (or at least on days I shop for 'non regular' things - the DDs can be updated at any time in the month as they're all recorded on my on-line bank statement). Only takes a couple of minutes a day, unless (like today) I've done a reasonably large grocery shop - today's (split over 4 stores) may take me 5 mins. Would probably have taken me 10 at the start of the year, but I've got used to the s/sheet now

I GOT OFFERED A PLACE

Congratulations :j:T:j:beer::j:T:j