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

SavvyStudent_2

nykmedia wrote: »

Oops, forgot to say ...

Welcome Savvy Student, I have added your name to the challenger list in post 2.

Thank you! Nice to feel welcome! I'm on nights all this week so (hopefully) 5 more NSDs, I won't be needing any food. Start as I mean to go on! I'm a little bit pleased with myself about lunches at work actually, I've not bought any food at work since Jan 1st and have started off a bit of a lunch-box culture with people realising its not 'uncool' to bring sandwiches, soup etc rather than spending £5+ a day!

Also, as much as I love our friends, we didn't go out this weekend despite several invites, sat in together and spring cleaned the flat, which now looks all tidy and lovely, and we're better for it financially, we're not knackered / hungover, the OH and I actually spent a bit of proper time together for the first time in ages. Apparently our friends are jealous they didn't come sit in with us lol! I normally would have been out Fri night to a wine bar, Sat day shopping / night to the cinema or a party, and Sun night to the pub, probably would have spent about £100+ (each)!

Hmm. It's becoming rapidly clear where all my money was going :eek:

How is everybody else working their money? If you stop yourself from spending on something, are you transferring the same amount to savings (assuming you're saving)? I'm thinking of withdrawing a weekly budget (from next sat - there's zero in my purse at the minute as I put it all my in money pot and its staying that way until I go grocery shopping next sat) and putting any left into my money pot, and then banking it every so often, but also if I stop myself from buying something bigger, to transfer the money to savings online.

The OH and I already agreed during the week that if either of us want something over £10 then a) they have to check with the other person (i.e. is it a need or just a want) and b) the same amount must get transferred to savings.

Savings targets this year: 3 months wages rainy day fund, wedding in 12 months, small second hand car (will be needed in November) - should be doable with challenges!

Sorry, long post! :T

gilligansyle

savvystudent everybody does things differently, depending on why they are doing it. Personally, as I am paid in cash and use savings for DD's etc. when I get my wages, I work out what I need for gas, electric and petrol and what is left is for food. If its more than £50 it goes straight into a 'savings pot' I then use the £50 for the week and anything left at the end either goes into the pot, or goes back into the bank to pay off a debt. As its cash, its impossible to overspend, and I normally don't take a debit/credit card with me.

candygirl

Morning all:j:j
Am going to try and have a frugalish day today.Have to pick some baby clothes up off freecycle for DGD, so will swoop by home bargs on way back and get some shampoo n loo rolls;)
Am dying to make some laundry powder when mine runs out, but haven't managed to get Borax yet, so am keeping an eye out for it:D
Grocery wise i'm ok still, and will eat up lentil pate and pasta today;)
Have fabbily frugal days peeps:A:A

glendam

Hi I too am saving OH retires in 2011 and we hope to go to Australia and New Zealand for 6/7 weeks. Also we need to learn to live on less as although he retires from very stressful job there is still other stuff he can do that will bring in some money.
At the end of every month I transfer what is left to the fund.
Saved nearly £3,000 last year plus what I didnt spend on credit cards that I am yet to work out.

Glenda

thriftylass

Didn't go snowboarding this weekend and the dreaded birthday gifts turned out to be just a tenner for me plus I bought the wine to take along to the party. So I still have £7 left till friday plus some luncheon vouchers in case I need a little grocery top up shop. So I should pretty much make my budget and I made my NSD target :T. Let's just hope I can keep that up for the rest of the year (looking at my spreadsheet I still managed to waste £50-40 on stuff I didn't need :mad:).

grandma247

free slow cooker e-book here

cw18

thriftylass wrote: »

So I should pretty much make my budget

Fingers crossed for you

and I made my NSD target :T.

Well done :T

(looking at my spreadsheet I still managed to waste £50-40 on stuff I didn't need :mad:).

But the main thing is that you've recorded the information, and acknowledged the fact...... so now you can see an area to work on, and in my eyes that alone is a step in the right direction :j

I know that keeping track of my 'impluse buys' (such as CDs, DVDs, book and magazines) last year has made me a lot less impulsive, but it's an area I still hope to improve further on this year

ChinaTea

Think I've about caught up with the thread, have skimread some of it as I'd have been all day:)

Not a bad weekend spend wise apart from car parking at the hospital on Saturday £3 :eek: and I didn't have enough change so had to buy a bottle of water to get some. Usually blue badge holders can take the ticket to reception and they scan the ticket so it's free so wasn't expecting this. Still other than that didn't spend anything else. Although I had to travel 53 mile for the appointment my family live there so went to see Mum and dad and had lunch with them. Mum gave me a load of nearly new towels and 2 valances, I hadn't got one of these but the bed looks so much better with one on this morning. Dad gave me some money with strict instructions to buy something I really wanted. Argos still had their clearance sale on yesterday so bought an electric knife for the HM bread. Mine had given up the ghost months ago and I think they're the best thing for slicing even very fresh bread, anyway got one for 7.49.

Today is a NSD, have a list of things to get done before the weekend ready for OU starting next week and have made a good start this morning. Sewing machine sits looking at me, going to make bed cover for DGS with some fleece I bought before Xmas, but I want to try making the laundry gloop and wash up liquid. Will have cup of tea and think about it, although this usually means I don't do anything.

BigMummaF

Mac cheese for dinner tonight :jDon't have it often as one of us refuses to try it & the other two don't mind as long as it's not a regular on the menu, but I love it
Tomorrow is looking expensive as I've a sight test booked & almost certainly need new glasses. I've only had to wear them for reading before so wasn't too particular about the frames, but my eyes do seem to have deteriorated these past 12mths that I'd be very surprised if I didn't have to have 24hr spex
Grocery budget is taking a minor hammering but the spends do include a few bits I picked up for me muvva during The Great White-Out--she pays for a cuppa when we're out so I don't mind the odd pint of milk now & again --& some batteries while they were on offer.

((Hugs)) Cheryl. x

xnatalie81x

grandma247 wrote: »

free slow cooker e-book here

:beer:

always looking for inspiration