Frugal Living 2010 -The Cost of Living Challenge, INTRO

annie123

OMG,
In working out my budget for this I have just noticed that I spend £2000+ per year on

:eek::eek::eek:SMOKING:eek::eek::eek:

No wonder I feel skint this last year.:o:mad:

No full time well paid job since sept 08, never noticed how much I spent on it then.

This is going to have to stop. Its been 30 years, all that money......

Will re do my figures assuming I'm not smoking next year...exits and hangs head in shame to re do figures

Frugaldom

cw18 wrote: »

ETA: Nyk, and many others, also exclude any work related expenses. This didn't apply to me at the time of setting my 2009 budget, but if it had then I'd also have allowed (or excluded completely) the costs of commuting (be that by public transport or additional car expenses), clothes for work, and any related child-care expenses.

Sorry CW, but I need to set you right on this after having seen it posted a few times. I include everything in my household budget except rent and council tax. Two of us work from home full time, so telephone, electricity and Internet all include an element of business use that is also included in my budget.

cw18

Sorry Nyk - guess I've seen the suggestion that others exclude work expenses, and it's this that's confused me

Frugaldom

annie123 wrote: »

OMG,
In working out my budget for this I have just noticed that I spend £2000+ per year on

:eek::eek::eek:SMOKING:eek::eek::eek:

No wonder I feel skint this last year.:o:mad:

No full time well paid job since sept 08, never noticed how much I spent on it then.

This is going to have to stop. Its been 30 years, all that money......

Will re do my figures assuming I'm not smoking next year...exits and hangs head in shame to re do figures

Annie, I was also including cigarettes up until 1st Jan 2008, so I know how you feel. Here's a handy link to Martin's Demotivator. I printed mine and laminated it to remind me of how much money should be in the bank account, quit, paid the equivalent into a new account (opened via cashback site) and then paid part of DD's wedding with the savings. Quitting is a frame of mind, nothing more. Just break the habit and you're half way there. Good luck.

Iheart2poundcoins

BigmummaF, brandx bog cleaner sounds well cheap though, you should buy it!!! (bbc for short haha)
Thanks for your post, good idea about just certain £1 coins. Unfortunately I think all £1 will be spent. Thing about £2 coins is they seem pretty rare so I dont notice them saved.
I get one and you would think I had won a prize or something!
Thanks for the adivce re baby food too ! much appreciated

Plzhelpmesave - no idea how you can get oh involved. I know I would just be told he doesnt spend much now but if he stopped and wrote everything down he would realise he spends loads - for instance he has bought and gone through z x £1.89 blocks of cheese in 3 days - nearly £4 quids worth just in cheese - over £1 a day in cheese!!!
If I pointed that out to him he would say thats all he ate though so isnt too expensive when you look at it that way... and away he would toddle!

So I am doing this challenge with just myself, my dd and pets in mind and going to syphon off some to save, sneakily like

Kerfuffle

annie123 wrote: »

OMG,
In working out my budget for this I have just noticed that I spend £2000+ per year on

:eek::eek::eek:SMOKING:eek::eek::eek:

No wonder I feel skint this last year.:o:mad:

No full time well paid job since sept 08, never noticed how much I spent on it then.

This is going to have to stop. Its been 30 years, all that money......

Will re do my figures assuming I'm not smoking next year...exits and hangs head in shame to re do figures

Hi annie,

Take at look at the "Giving Up Smoking Thread" it's within the Debt Free Diaries section. Sue-UU there gives lots of good advice, tips and more importantly lots of encouragement. Hope it helps.

I'm pleased you've had your LBM where smoking is concerned, it's a start already.

ceridwen

oldMcDonald wrote: »

Not heard of the compact challenge. Is it something on the boards, or is it elsewhere?

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Compact

ie the bit under the USA heading.

ceridwen

You might also like:

http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/

a blog by a Compacter

see sidelinks for:

The Really really free market
and
The Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

(both ideas central to the Compact and the idea of "really really free markets" is just coming to Britain now.)

rachelet

Please can you add me to this challenge please - Rachelet

Just a little background to me seeing as I am new to this. I live in France with my 3 children, DD1 who is 7, DD2 who is 4 in December, DS1 who is 1 in December. I am also pregnant with my 4th child who is due at end of April next year. My husband works in the UK so we only see him every couple of weeks for a long weekend and then holidays. He earns decent money as he works in London but we have a few debts to pay off including a mortgage and so he has set me a budget for each month to try and keep to and next year I am determined to do this.

We have a lovely old farmhouse but it does need some work doing to it, including a new roof!! We already have some animals and last year grew a few vegetables, but this eyar will be expanding to grow a lot more and hopefully provide most of the meat for the famly as well from our animals. We currently have 2 pygmy goats (for weeding), 3 sheep (from which we will be breeding our own lambs next year), 2 ducks (from which I hope to breed and then eat the offspring) and 36 chickens (from which i get eggs, and the cockerels that I are breed are destined for the freezer). I also sell some of my female chickens that I have bred to other chicken keepers in the area. We also have 1 dog and 4 cats to feed as pets!!

It is a lot to feed but I am hoping that a lot of the food for next year can be grown or bred. I am going to go and do a budget now to make sure I can stick within the limits set by my husband!

Good to hear all your stories and look forward to next year!

Rachel

bails

:doh: I so wasn't thinking Nyk, I'd forgotten Frugaldom existed elsewhere! BTW, I am SO getting ducks like yours one day, HOW cute?!

Welcome from France Rachel, and everyone else :hello: