1 mortgage, 2 babies, 3 years to be MF, 4 goodness sake!- weezl's diary

SusanC_2

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

I think it sounds like you are doing well with the frugal lifestyle. It may be that they account for other things such as someone with a regular prescription or perhaps the cost of running a car or getting the bus/tube to work. I guess what we class as essential spending may vary between people; the government appears to count having broadband as an essential expense. Does it include everything Martin includes on his spreadsheet e.g. Christmas and birthday presents? Charity giving?

Good points. Maximum prescription cost would currently be £1.79/week using an annual season ticket. My husband is self employed so his work vehicle is part of the business costs but we do have a car too. In some ways, I would count broadband as an essential expense because I consider it to pay for itself in terms of the savings I can make by using the internet but it is only essential in terms of the fact that it saves money - not that it is essential to life and effectively it is not a cost as it more than pays for itself. I did forget giving as I knock a percentage off our income so that is done separately from the main budget but that still barely takes us over the couple's figure. I can understand how people can spend more money than us - it's just that I don't see us as living in poverty. We have food, clothes, heat, light, running water, a car, nice furniture, hundreds of books (even our two year old has over a hundred books), all the mod cons like dishwasher, washing machine, phone, internet etc, we go on holiday every year and last year we bought our first house. Yes we have less money than most people in the UK but that doesn't mean we live in poverty. At a stretch I guess I can accept poverty as literally only being able to afford the very basic essentials (i.e. food, shelter, clothing, heating, light, water, basis furniture and medical costs) and not any luxuries but once you can afford luxuries, I think poverty is not the right word. I guess maybe my definition of what is essential is much smaller than other people's?

Pippajo

Susan, thats a very fair point, its what people believe is essential rather than what is a luxury that makes the difference to your budgets and whether you feel you are in poverty.

weezl74

I agree with you both too, and like sian, I'm amazed by what is being counted as an essential here. :eek:

Based on 07/08 in order to not be below that line, as a couple we would have needed to earn £27884.60 this seems preposterous as it is way above the average UK earnings!

edit: just looked for a definition of after housing costs:

These sums of money are measured after income tax, council tax and housing costs have been deducted, where housing costs include rents, mortgage interest (but not the repayment of principal), buildings insurance and water charges. They therefore represent what the household has available to spend on everything else it needs, from food and heating to travel and entertainment.


Ok so that means we would have had to earn:
£23318.8

Pippajo

Morning, thats a lot of income, providing you don't have a whopping mortgage to pay out.

We have Sky TV, but we don't go out, don't drink or smoke or do drugs, but I still class that as our luxury.

Has Kester turned round yet?

weezl74

Pippajo wrote: »

Morning, thats a lot of income, providing you don't have a whopping mortgage to pay out.

We have Sky TV, but we don't go out, don't drink or smoke or do drugs, but I still class that as our luxury.

Has Kester turned round yet?

Morning! You're up early

Think he's still breach, but no MW appt til next week

Pippajo

DH should have set his alarm for 4.35am but set for 5.35am by mistake, so when he woke up at 5.10 it was panic stations. I have lots to do for work today but got cold, cough and sore throat so sitting in bad wrapped up and on laptop. Just typical I have 2 days out and about for work and am ill, next week I could have stayed in bed for a few days .

You can't have long left now? Hope he has turned and you just haven't realised.

weezl74

Fruit & Vegetables Guide price in £


1.8Kg ASDA Braeburn Apples by Weight (100g) 2.70
2 x ASDA Smartprice Oranges (6) 1.36
2.9Kg ASDA Carrots by Weight (100g) 2.03
2 x ASDA Smartprice Beetroot (500g) 1.08
8 x ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg) 6.24
4 x ASDA Smartprice Potatoes (2.5Kg) 3.36
2 x ASDA Smartprice Salted Peanuts (200g) 0.54
7 x ASDA Smartprice Raisins (500g) 4.55
4 x Batchelors Bigga Dried Peas (250g) 0.96

Dairy


4 x ASDA Whole Fresh Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) 5.00 any 2 FOR £2.50 - valid until: 16/02/10 1 x ASDA Cooks Value Medium Eggs (30) 2.98
4 x I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread (500g) 3.00 any 2 FOR £1.50 - valid until: 30/03/10 1 x ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar 4.98

Meat, Fish & Poultry


700g ASDA Boneless Pork Leg Roast by Weight (100g) 2.03
4 x ASDA Smartprice British Beef Mince (400g) 3.88
2 x ASDA Smartprice Turkey Drumsticks (700g) 2.94
2 x ASDA Sausage Meat Pork (454g) 2.42

Frozen


2 x ASDA Fine Whole Green Beans (1Kg) 2.00
4 x ASDA Smartprice Cauliflower Florets (907g) 3.16
4 x ASDA Smartprice Peas (907g) 3.48
4 x ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (907g) 3.44

Tins, Jars & Cooking


1 x ASDA Pure Sunflower Oil (1L) 0.93 was 98p 1 x Gia Garlic Puree in Vegetable Oil (90g) 0.59
1 x Rajah Garam Masala (100g) 0.56
15 x ASDA Smartprice Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (420g) 4.35
14 x ASDA Smartprice Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) *unavailable 4.34 2 x ASDA Smartprice Corned Beef (340g) 1.98
1 x ASDA Green Olives Anchovy Stuffed (340g) 0.84
1 x ASDA Smartprice Red Cabbage in Vinegar (340g) 0.40
2 x ASDA Green Pesto Sauce (190g) 1.00 any 2 FOR £1.00 - valid until: 02/03/10 1 x ASDA Smartprice English Mustard (200g) 0.40 was 44p 1 x ASDA Stock Cubes Chicken (12x10g) 0.76 any 2 FOR £1.00 - valid until: 31/12/10
Packets & Cereals


2 x ASDA Wheat Bisks (24x18g) 2.00
3 x ASDA Smartprice Porridge Oats (1Kg) 1.74
2 x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 0.86
9 x ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) 5.49
1 x KTC Lemon Juice (250ml) 0.44
1 x SuperCook Bicarbonate of Soda (200g) 0.56
1 x Thomas Allinson Dried Active Yeast (125g) 0.47
2 x Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg) 1.50 2 FOR £1.50 - valid until: 23/03/10 5 x ASDA Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g) 1.60
5 x ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 3.65
1 x Natco Chick Peas (2Kg) *unavailable 2.53
4 x ASDA Smartprice Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix (85g) 0.64

Drinks


1 x ASDA Smartprice Tea Bags (80 per pack - 250g) 0.28


:rotfl:LOL so sorry this belongs on the other thread!

Sorry bout your early morning Pippajo

ceridwen

weezl74 wrote: »

Morning! You're up early

Think he's still breach, but no MW appt til next week

'Morning our Weezl:)

Hope Kester does duly turn of himself. However - howzabout spending a bit of dosh on having that there Chinese therapy ISOM speaks of - ie the moxibustion?

Put a smile on my face please Weezl - do it for ceridwen...pretty please:):)

We've gotta look out for 'ee our Weezl - we need you/want you fit and well and all going according to plan...

Some things are more important than paying off your mortgage (worthy objective as that is) - and your health is one of them. So - if a bit of that mortgage money has to be spent on health - then so be it..

Tesco_points_addict

Where are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu?????

Just found you on page 3:eek:.

Hope you are ok.

TPAx

Pippajo

Hello???

TPA it is very quiet. Hope you are ok Weezl. x x x x