FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE 2010, part 1. (Living on £4,000 a year)

Nessa56

NualaBuala wrote: »

I've been trying to re-jig my budget to shave more off my costs. I just can't figure out how you folks are able to manage on 4k. I do find the UK cheaper than Ireland (where I live) but it can't be just that!

My budget is over 11k for just me - and some of you are looking after whole families and pets for so so much less. Thanks to you truly frugal people I feel compelled to challenge myself as much as I possibly can.

I know what you mean some budgets are awesome. mine is 10500.00 but that does include mortgage travelling 2 insurances service charges council tax car tax car insurance electric gas and other stuff. The only thing it doesn't include is credit card overpayments which I will be making once my loan is finished this March (thank goodness)

As CW18 said, everybody is different and has different items in their budget.

This is my first time and I am sure I will be re-jigging mine as I go along

good luck

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Nessa56

Woooohoooo

I just noticed I have got another star :j:j:j

(sorry , little things and all that :rotfl:)

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shaz_mum_of__2

I_want_a_baby wrote: »

Hi not joining in with the challenge but reading this post for tips!!

Just about the question re Milk.

My in laws are dairy farmers and the tankers normally collect from their farm every other day. However the tankers have been having difficulty collecting milk (and they are situated on a main road) They have missed two deliveries and the inlaws have had to flush £450 worth of milk down the drains (they are not allowed to sell/give it to public due to H&S).
They only have the storage facilities for 3 days of milk at a push.

If the tankers can't get to them on a main road just outside a town then no wonder they can't get to rural farms which are normally up a long drive etc.

Keep up the good work folks!! a NSD for me today!!

What a shame our poor farmers have a hard time of it really did anyone watch the jimmys farm thing last week about brazilian farming .............scary to watch from an ethical point of view but you can't deny their results sugar cane fuel grown on 1% of their agricultural land fuels 50% of their cars

I prefer local to organic as this way we support farmers , then when our country realises we need them , there will be some left...

Rant over

Big spends today car repairs ........still waiting for quote to replace engine mountings:eek: and a pre pay prescription which cost 28.25 for 3 months i have 5 items on a script this week so i am in profit already as 4 items would be £28.80 and have 3 items a month regularly as well so a big long term saving

Still using up stuff from freezer (not that they are going down much as the leftovers are working their way back in there)

Got sausagemaking on the agenda here tomorrow :rotfl: my first time

SM i bought the collagen skins do i ?/ how long do i soak them for? and how many metres should i allow for 10lb mixture ???

sophiesmum_2

Hi Shaz
I just soaked the skins for 5 - 10 minutes prior to using them, it just makes them more manageable.Lengthwise just cut off a length and soak it and see how you go, it doesn't take long to soak them so easy to do a bit more if you run short, rather than tying yourself up in knots trying to manage a huge length.

NualaBuala

slowlyfading wrote: »

Nuala - there's just me in this challenge, as I live at uni most of the time. It just has to factor in feeding the BF on weekends I don't understand how some people manage it, as I can quite happily spend £50 at the supermarket for a week's worth of shopping that is mainly just me - I try not to, but sometimes it happens! I also have nights out, go to the cinema, get a takeaway but they're not very frequent. Makes me appreciate it more when we do go out though

Don't beat yourself up - I bet you're living on a LOT less than most people x

Aw thanks SW, you've made me feel better! I'm a lot less extravagant than most of my friends, although now that I really think about it we are all slightly thrifty just in different areas.

cw18 wrote: »

NualaBuala
A lot of the really low budgets (Nyk's included) don't include rent/mortgage, council tax or debt repayments. I've seen other excluding a lot of things like this, as they have no control over them.

My budget (for 2, plus a 3rd when home on leave - which equated to about 3 months in total last year!!) is at £8k but doesn't include mortage/rent, as I opted to retain a small mortage after I lost my hubby - but will be keeping enough in a savings account to pay it off if/when interest rates go sky high again !!! Also no debt repayments. The other thing I've excluded is anything to do with my hobby (cardmaking and scrapbooking), but I know I didn't spend as much there last year as in previous years - and have decided to make a real effort to get this really, really low in 2010. So far this year (yes, I know we're only 11 days in ) I've only purchased one small (and relatively inexpensive) item, but I'd normally have had loads of parcels winging there way from the post-Christmas/January sales.

Cheryl, I'm so sorry you lost your husband. You seem so strong and organised, I really take my hat off to you. You are another one of the people here who really inspire me and whose story touches me deeply.

I'm embarrassed to admit that my budget does not include rent/mortgage as I'm in the lucky position of living rent free at the moment. Nor does it include my loan repayments. My health costs are high (no NHS and I'm not elegible for free treatment/prescriptions etc) but I don't think they're the sole reason mine is higher. I will have to do better! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who treats myself though! 8k is brilliant for 2 never mind the occasional 3rd!

Nessa56 wrote: »

I know what you mean some budgets are awesome. mine is 10500.00 but that does include mortgage travelling 2 insurances service charges council tax car tax car insurance electric gas and other stuff. The only thing it doesn't include is credit card overpayments which I will be making once my loan is finished this March (thank goodness)

As CW18 said, everybody is different and has different items in their budget.

This is my first time and I am sure I will be re-jigging mine as I go along

good luck

v
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Nessa, hooray on your new star! And it is a fancy bronze looking one, very special!:j I think you have a lot more included in your total than I have. We don't have council tax or water charges here but do pay bin charges. And I pay health and house insurance so they are expensive. Not long to go for your loan, that's fantastic!
Thanks for the encouragement, I was having a bit of a moment. :D I will keep re-jigging and aspire to the being a hardcore frugalite some day!

Thanks everyone. :T:T:T

top_drawer_2

hi,

Second NSD!! I've also not planned to buy something .... just trying to take the focus on Wants....

I completely forgot to mention that on Friday I went to Homebase and got 2 packs of Grow your own lettuce and cabbage sets, I have two guinua pigs and I well understand where they get the name Pigs from, so a saving for the future.

Yesterday I did loads - I fixed my sleeve board into place and put a towel underneath to encourage things along a little, I am going to put tin foil in too as soon as I buy some.

I have plans to shorten my new skirt but will wait until I am back at sewing classes where someone can help me to make sure the hem is straight before I go cutting.

I made no less than 4 (!!) inners and outers for the draft excluders - I will buy the sand on Friday when I am in the area of Homebase - hopefully the snow will have cleared then too so it wont be so difficult to walk home with it.

I also made these for Leo and Augustus - I have seen similar designs in Pets at Home at around £10. Hopefully they should help them stay warm in this rotten weather. The blue fleece I got on Saturday for 50p and the orange I already had (its their lap blanket) and the outer parts were towels I have at my old house which are now surplus to requirements.

As soon as I have filled the draft excluders I will photograph and post.

Jen

Thriftkitten

Evening all,
A very frugalicious NSD for me today, made mince and gravy tonight with mash and sweetcorn, kids devoured it home made flapjack for sweet,
On the cleaning front, I swapped cleaning out the fridge for gutting DS1 and DS2's bedroom, bagging up all outgrown clothes and have advertised them on freecycle, 2x loads of washing done and airing, and hoovered whole house and wiped downskirting boards.
Now got chicken carcass and anyleftover chicken simmering down in the big pot will add old carrots, pototoes and onions from fridge and use the unsuccessful scud misile...I mean un risen bread for crusty rolls for the soup for the rest of the week.

slowlyfading

Thriftkitten - wow, you have been busy!

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j:j
It's been rather a quiet day on the frugalling front as I've been back to work and the small person has gone back to school.

I've managed to recycle the clutter that appeared after the small person had another rummage around in his pit erm I mean bedroom either via freecyclers collecting tomorrow or via our paper/cardboard recycling bin. He seems to be a magnet for tut that boy:rotfl::rotfl:

Cleaned a couple of kitchen cupboards- discovered some coffee lurking so no need to top that up yet and one or two items that need to go on the compost heap fast:eek: Also did a lot of sorting out, decanting etc etc. Tuna bake for tea and OH has made some cereal topping out of some muesli that I bought on a whim [one of my many non starter "health" kicks] and didn't like.

Told you it was unthrilling:rotfl:
Arilx

candygirl

I put a pot of lentil n tomato soup on before, then forgot about it whilst I was on the phone and it burnt a bit:rolleyes:So I added it to a new pan wiv garlic, mushrooms, n a pack of savoury rice, and it came out as a kind of delish risotto:p:p There's about 5 more meals there for the freezer so whoopee:j:j
Before I started this challenge it would've been binned and wasted:o:o