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

Thriftkitten

Hi all frugalicions,
I have managed to lower my mobile tariff at upgrade point today, New Htc tattoo, 400 mins, unlimited texts and phone insurance, unlimited internet included, for another 18 months now costs me £25 pm as oposed to £35 but can drop down to £20 after a year, Not as frugal as I would have like but a saving of £120 per year, £180 over the contract life.
Parmesan and dried tomato loaf in Breadmaker(smelling loverly) and jacket spuds nuking in micro ready to crisp off in oven ready for when kids get home, topping will be cheese and beans and left over mince and gravy if they want it too.
Had the chicken,pot,carrot and thyme soup for lunch with crusty bread MMMMM yummy!!!!

homegrown_life

Hi all,

I did more food shopping yesterday. I didn't need lots but unfortunately circumstances dictated that my OH and kids had to come too and I was so stressed out with them there as it was all 'oooh oooh' and 'can we have...' Argh! Much prefer going on my own!

I have an Approved foods order coming too, looking forward to seeing what it's like. I could have picked up but a) I couldn't work out the option for it and b) am trying not to go out too much in this weather, just don't like it.

It is thawing here so not too bad actually, but I'll be glad when all gone altogether.

Having homemade soup for tea tonight which is good as kids love it so I know some goodness getting in somewhere!

cha97michelle

Approved food stuffs are fantastic. I've just done my first order in ages as they actually had real food i would use and not just crisps and cakes. I ordered some soya mince and some jerk rub and tins of tuna as well as some crisps and cakes for the kids. We have a place up the road that does similar types of stuff but i never really head in there. I should really as then i could also remove the delivery cost.


I'm having a NSD today, but i have a dilemna that i am going to have to fork some cash out on i think. My DS2 (20 months old) has climbed on a chair and got hold of my glasses out of their case and snapped the arm off one side of them completely. I don't think we will be able to bodge them, so it might be a repair job, in which case my next optician appointment is March so it might be better to have a retest and see if my prescription has changed before doing anything else. My only consolation is they are a very weak prescription to help my lazy eye to cope with reading and computer work, so i don't actually 'Need' them like someone else might, but i do get headaches if i am tired and don't use them. With two kids, this could be a lot.


Options as i see it:
a) hubbie try to fix (hoping he doesn't think i will wear them with sticky tape on :rolleyes:)
b) use them as they are till March (that would look funny sat holding them up :eek:
c) see how much it would be to get fixed
d) think about retest and then possibly get new pair.


I'm quite cross as i splashed out on a pricier pair as i needed them for work. I don't think my prescription will have changed so i was hoping to get a few years use out of them to make the £180 i paid more justifiable.


Kids eh. I guess i should be happy he is curious and likes investigating things, and proud he said sorry to me straight away, but doesn't make up for all the silly things they keep breaking. The costs all add up.

I am running out of places to put things safely now he climbs. I even took the handle of a drawer to stop him, but it only momentarily slows him. Darn kid is just too clever to match his dexterity at the moment.

mooomin

cha97michelle wrote: »

I'm quite cross as i splashed out on a pricier pair as i needed them for work. I don't think my prescription will have changed so i was hoping to get a few years use out of them to make the £180 i paid more justifiable.

It might be worth checking with your local optician to see how much it would cost to fix. My glasses were knackered for ages after being blown off my face in a high wind (I wish I was kidding...!) but I just put up with them being loose and falling off as I couldn't afford to fix them - it took the optician 2 minutes to fix Of course, if yours have snapped off it might be worse.

Second option - if you have accidental damage cover on your home contents insurance it might be worth claiming.

Karmacat

Hello! I'd like to join in if thats still okay:


KARMACAT

This is a really impressive idea .... I don't need to use it to cut down on bills - e.g. gas and elec combined are £67 (tho that will go up now cos of the cold weather, and I've had it on a lot cos I've been ill) water is £9.90, no sky, internet and phone combined is £25.... I've worked hard on the bills.

What I still need to work on a bit more is the frugal living - the kind that will actually raise my standard of living, not lower it - such as batch cooking, using all the food I have in the cupboard, buying from places like approved foods, growing a bit of my own (and using what I grow!).

Financially - I've always said I'll have "x" amount per week, and spent it, then if there's any money leftover, I put it into what I call a slush fund - otherwise known as a tin - so I can call on it in emergencies if need be. I do still want to have some money in the house for emergencies - this last month, for example, I needed about £100 for prescriptions and taxis to the doctor (flu and two secondary infections).

My plan now is a bit different - to take out some money and not think of it as a weekly amount, just keep it till its gone. That money is spent on the odd busfare (which I plan to buy online now, its cheaper), haircuts, a chocolate bar, stamps, cards, the very occasional night out.

I hope to be moving this year, so its also an issue of not putting too much work into stuff thats grown in the ground - if I do anything, its in big pots (I have a fair few, which have come from skips or whatever) that I can take with me.

Sorry this is so long. So the 3 elements for this challenge that I'm looking at:
- make my money stretch as far as possible.
- take a bit more time, and make a bit more effort, to be a bit more ingenious with food - storecupboards, proper meals (eg I tend to eat a celery stick to get one of my 5 a day rather than do veggies in a meal).
- taking care about my housemove later in the year, grow some of my own food, in however limited a way.

Thats enough for now!

sabs10

Hello All,

SABS10 would like to sign up to this thread please.

I have tried to live frugally for a few years now and always fall of the wagon before i really get going. Need to keep motivated, which i hope you guys and dolls can help me with. Need to take this seriously as the job hunting is not going so well - was made redundant last August - and would like to be debt free by the time i'm 45.

So i have worked out my budget - as CT and mortgage are currently covered by benefits i need to stretch whats left as much as possible. Income stands at £9570 and I am going to try to stick to a budget of £6000 per year, based on one months current expenditure x 12 - i used receipts from November 09 to calculate the budget. Am now going to look at receipts so far to calculate current spend for this month & ddo a running totally as my siggy. Hopefull by seeing it in black & white will keep me going.

Sorry if this is a long post.

Sabs10

XSpender

Hello All:hello:

Completed a few frugal tasks today (but none completed off the list I posted earlier in the week:o) including:

• Signed up for imeasure. I just need to take the meter readings and get started:T
• Both of us had a NSD
• Not driven anywhere and DH walked to and from work saving diesel.
• Used value plain flour in my BM. I make 70% wholemeal so only 100g used. This will be a good saving if it works as I make all our bread.
• Looked into changing dual fuel supplier. Need bill to get 100% accurate and I cant find it:mad: but looks initially like a £350 pa saving and £80 cashback:D
• Reviewed 02 offer for broadband. Looks like it will be either cashback or laptop but if lap top offered is one on their webiste (£350 value when I g00gled it) I would rather have the laptop as we will need one when I go on mat leave. Even if we were tied in for 2 years it would mean a £350 lap top for £57 with free security and free helpline.

I had to put the heating on earlier as my 2 JRT were curled up together shivering. Cruel mommy!:o

Meal plan is going a bit skewiff with BIL not showing yesterday and I defrosted a chicken on Sunday that didn't defrost until Monday:rolleyes: so DH has been having chicken sarnies for lunch and chicken curry for dinner with a special offer caribean curry sauce. He will be having chicken until it's gone;)

Tomorrow I must venture out in the slush to post my music magp1e parcel. Will try and load another lot on tonight as I can print the labels off here.

BT bill received today. It's still going down but still spending on calls to Mum during the day, and she is not local! I need to get in the habit of using DH free mobile minutes on a night time.

Oops apologies for another long post:o

XS x

mooomin

I still only have one working nostril, but think I'm going back to work tomorrow. I don't feel amazing, but not ill enough to be off work anymore (if that makes sense to anyone apart from me....!)

Today I had a NSD as Mr Fresian bought the bread and milk we were needing. I have parcelled up the Music Magpie gubbins and will send himself to the Post Office tomorrow for me.

I've tidied up the kitchen and living room and made Twink's hobnobs for the first time - yummy!

The only other thing I really need to do sometime is compare energy suppliers but I too have misplaced my last bill. You really do get quite complacent when you're on a direct debit....!

Foraging for bills is the plan for tonight I think - as well as making corned beef hash for the first time. It's all go in Fresian Towers today

purple_angel_3

Snow is coming down thick and fast in South Wales, just managed to get home from work.

FrankieM

Hi All,
Induction day at Uni so got nothing done at home and spent money on a coffee cause I was freezing then I came home and spent money buying a textbook. Oh well. It was always going to be that way.
Hope you have all had a good day.