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

ChinaTea

Finally got all my bits listed on ebay- all 31 of them! I so hate the job but should fetch a nice little wadge if they all sell.

So nice to have some decent weather today even though every where's still wet underfoot. Can't get out on the garden yet, my wheels just sink in and it wouldn't be the first time I've got stuck and had to wait till someone came to get me out, good job it was only about 20 mins or so.

I bought a sample box of raw meat for the cats and it's a real success. They can't get it down quick enough and crunch happily through the bones. Usually they come looking for treats after their usual pouches but have just found a comfy spot and gone to sleep. Will really cut the food bill down and am going to check with the vet when I take no3 for his booster on Friday whether they need any vitamin supplements with it. I was amazed at the amount I got for £10 and that is refundable on the next purchase and it's delivered to the door, can't be bad.

Not spent anything this weekend, nothing I've wanted and haven't the energy yet to go shopping.

Going off to watch the rest of Dancing on Ice, I didn't see it last year as I didn't have the TV so really enjoying it this time round.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Happymrsh

Hi again everyone,

Well today i have been doing my budget, oh my it was hard work but think i've got there , so here goes.

Ive not included the bills that I can't change the amounts of such as mortgage, CT, Water, etc.

Left with £9420.29 per annum. Out of this I will pay £2645.04 in other bills, these I'm going to try and cut down.

So I am left with £6775.25 per annum - £564.60 per month

I should, with the help of you all, beable to stick to this

My main downfall is the food shopping, I spend to much and need some tips on how I can cut this down

Today has been a good NSD here, took the children for a long walk on the beach earlier to burn some excess energy and made a lovely roast beef dinner which we all enjoyed.

FrankieM

Evening All,

Not had too much frugal living happening. Picked up my lamb from the butcher yesterday and I need to put in an order for beef tomorrow. I may need to reorganise my freezers to fit it all in!

I'm still waiting for my Approved Food order and I need to put in an order for Tesco. I think I'm going to do a bulk monthly shop to be delivered and then get other bits and pieces from other places or reduced counters etc.

Our 'modern car' is now in no condition to be driven on the roads, so I'm going to be cashing in my tax and selling the car to the scrap man tomorrow.
DH has got his campervan back so I'll need to put some tax on that. I'm hoping to hold off buying another vehicle for as long as possible...we do have 2 campervans and a beetle so hopefully they'll keep us going for the time being.

Other than that....that's my weekend!
Hope you have all had a good weekend...

homegrown_life

nykmedia wrote: »

I'd just like to congratulate Lilli for her excellent post, I LOVE to hear of people having their frugal living 'lightbulb moment' and you certainly seem to have had yours. Well done! :T:j

I really enjoyed her post too.

I've had a busy weekend and have only just caught up and updated my spreadsheets. Feel so much better now, was worried I'd lose where I was and give up. I don't have much left in my grocery budget, but shouldn't need much for the next 2 weeks except fresh stuff. Should be able to do it and have stockpiled some stuff too so not bad.

Had a great bargain yesterday. I went to the cash and carry with my mum for her shop and they had some whoopsied cartons of cream, 1 litre cartons for 10p each. I got 3 of them with making some butter in mind. So yesterday I got the kenwood chef out and made butter with 2 of them and split the last carton and froze that. I managed to make 6 x 4oz packs of butter which I've frozen all except one and lots of scrummy buttermilk to make soda bread. :T

I also managed to get a 5ltr bottle of white vinegar for £1.45, which will be great for cleaning. I need to make a note of prices of other things I could get there and see if I can make any savings by buying in bulk there. I'll try and get there at the beginning of next month and see how I go.

I've been reading everything lately but haven't had time to contribute, shall try a bit harder!

lillibet_dripping

Evening all:j
Roast chicken dinner was a huge hit - not only fed me and the kids, but 3 dogs, two cats AND enough left over for chicken and leek pasta bake tomorrow plus little treats for the dogs and cats. All from a £6.32 chicken whoopsied to £3.02 on Christmas Eve and been sitting in the freezer ever since.
This is frugal living/simple living my style - I am sitting in the conservatory at nearly 8 o'clock at night WITH THE GARDEN DOORS OPEN!!!! It's not cold at all (well, not compared to the past few weeks) Lovely to have fresh air through the house for a few minutes.
All uniforms ironed and ready to go, homework done, tuck money sorted, shoes cleaned, clean sheets on the bed - it doesn't get better than this:T
Oh, forgot to mention - my 6th NSD this month:T
Lilli
x

JayneC

Splased out on some seed potatoes and carrot seeds from Wilkos today £1.49 and went to Aldi for a few essentials - £21.03. Took DS to trade in his games but was only offered £3.70 for 6 games so he decided to have a look to see if he can get more online (not looked yet).

Made some banana muffins from the recipe posted earlier - seem to have turned out ok. Also made my old faithful - rock buns and made copious amounts of breadcrumbs!! Nooone here likes the end crusts of the loaf so they often get binned (I know, I know...)we get loads as we often go through a loaf a day, so decided to whazz them with the blender and now have 2 bags of fresh breadcrumbs in freezer and half a tin of dried. Any ideas of what I can use them for? Ideas so far are treacle tart, bulking out burgers, covering fishcakes/chicken and stuffing. They are wholemeal as we don't eat white bread, if that makes any difference?

Gilligan - I too have a tiny yard at back of terraced house, I'm going to have a go at square foot gardening this year and am planning to dig up the paving/concrete and turn as much as I can over to growing veg and fruit with just paths to walk between the planting. I get a bit carried away I think and seem to think I have more room than I really do and so my yard gets crammed with all sorts, have vowed to try and organise and plan a bit better this year, will keep you all updated!

Anyway have to go and run bath for DS and do my ironing.

Take care everyone x

rictus123

Well iv spent £31 on deisel today and £32.96 on 2 new tools i needed for work. Both are needs not wants so im doing well Plus a night out last night for £40. Total spends for everything is at £354.22. There shouldnt be anything else to pay for this month so hopefully i can keep this up, if i keep to this total per month then itl be £4250 for the year, well under target which is what i need Dont think itl be this low for the next 2 month though and June will be higher. Road tax out end of this month so itl go down as next months spends. Then mot in March. Nothing until insurance in June. About £600 for that - hopefully! More than 1 24th of the year gone already

Pippilongstocking

Hello all

Not much frugalleer news here - had OH up for the weekend so its had a few spends (cinema £18) and also some extra food expenses (ie popcorn and juice £4.60). But not too heavy and cheaper than buying stuff in the place.

Made HM KFC type chicken with some whoopsied chicken - which was lovely - raked around the drawer for spices and made our own secret recipe.

Found out on Friday I am to be kept at work til Dec - so that's a financial releif but means the pressures on

All DD's covered in challenge now off my account so I've deducted them - I've only £71.36 left of this months budget! eek

Hope you are all fine - must update my budget!

One of my students is back on Wed - so that will be nice to see her and get some rent as well

Good frugalleering everyone!

Tax return beckons.........need to avoid that fine

Twinkles08

mama67 wrote: »

Thats my birthday Twinkles08

Well happy birthday for nxt month It's my hubbys b'day the day before on the 27th of Feb and he does not want to share!lol.He wants me to keep my legs crossed till after 'cos otherwise (and I quote)'I will never have another pressie or b'day party again'.Men eh?:rolleyes:

mooomin

Evening all!

Well I have had a very productive day today:

• All the kitchen cupboards have now been decluttered :j Mr Fresian to do the tops of the cupboards as I'm too clumsy (Apparently...)
• Had home made soup for lunch, and very yummy it was too. I have two portions in the fridge for lunch tomorrow and Tuesday and two (2 person) portions in the freezer too
• Bag of towels now ready for recycling
• Box of dishes/pans Freegled
• Trip to Tesco taken (More on that below)
  
• Tasty dinner made using what was in the house already
• 19 items listed on Ebay to take advantage of free listing. Doing it without Turbolister is a pain in the behook!

In Tesco I got:

Cat litter for £7 per pack (It's £9.89 in Morrisons) so bought two
Reduced fishcakes, grapes, mushrooms and mince (3kg :rotfl: now individually packed in the freezer in 500g portions)
Lightbulbs - my living room flickers no more!
Bread
Milk (3 litres for £1!)

I also spent £15 on wet food for the cats in Pets at Home, which will do them for just over a month.

I'm annoyed that I spent so much today (£42.74) BUT pleased that it has all been spent on things we will use that were well reduced. I think I'm just getting the "Oh Sh*t We're Using Freezer Food" panic, where I think I have to refill the blessed thing again...!