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

ceridwen

annie123 wrote: »

Mine is stored in plastic milk containers, need a funnel to get it in but it pours out easily.

Whilst our council does recycle them, I find they have lots of uses, bird seed/peanut scoop, scoop for compost into planting holes/planters, quick cloch over plants if late frost threatens, chop up into bits for drainage at the bottom of planters (add a few sheets of newspaper over befor putting soil in), put a paint brush handle through the opening when painting ceilings etc, no drips onto hands/arms.
Sorry, I'll stop now:o could get carried away!

Well - thats new ones to me....so now mentally making notes about "crocks" in containers and cloches (as I'd come up against a mental "brick wall" for freebie cloches - as all I ever read about people doing is using those plastic lemonade and water bottles - and I dont buy that...).

grandma247

I used the powdered version of hm wpdr. If I needed liquid for a quick wash I just put 1 tbsp in a pan with 1cup of water and melted it then added it to the drawer as it was filling. I kept mine in icecream tubs and made up enough for about ayear at a time. I used a coarse grater first for the soap then put it in the food processor to make it finer. I don't think you need to wait till it cools to use yours though just put some in the drum and add the washing.

Loopy chris Have you tried taking the burner out of the cooker? If you can get it out soak it in very hot water with washing soda and some sort of soap or washing powder. Then give it a good scrub making sure all the holes are not blocked.
I broke the lid on one of my slowcookers a couple of weeks ago but will use a plate to cover it.

Bmf we have had cable for years and It has rarely gone wrong. A couple of times some twit chopped the cables when digging to repair pipes or something and once we had to have a new box because ours just stopped working, it did not cost us anything. Occasionally there has been a problem further away that has affected us but they fix it quick. Not sure about sky but I think their track record is also good.

Erme

Disaster day today...recovering today...firstly got paranoid :-S...then got fixated and high. Spent the whole afternoon trapesing round charity shops for a sewing machine (cheap)...got one for £10 - then the pedal caught fire...going to take it back...then got another off Scot Ads (that weighs a tonne)...good @ first till it decided to exploded and blow my fuse box and this one I can't get a refund on so £15 wasted.

Also due to Wednesday's fixation I smoked like a chimney (seriously) so I had to buy more tobacco. . So because of the Scot Ads machine no £ on elec bill this week and so far no tithe paid either (bar the wee bit I paid for evangelistic stuff to Met Tab on Tues). Can't make church = ice rink out there so can't bike and can't walk cos back kills.

Also yesterday I didn't eat (kinda forgot) which is neva good. Survived off bananas and some frozen stuff I found in the freezer @ midnight. Just cos we're frunchkins (what is that word - tis sooo cool ) doesn't mean we don't eat!!! Need to eat..have probs with food and had been doing SOOO well this week till yesterday. It goes without saying I didn't make houmous yesterday and like didn't even look @ the sos cheese spread in the fridge for food ..woe is me..

and I'm online on Sabbath (another crime...we're very strict in my church about Sabbath keeping. For the scots folk I'm a wee wee free. For everyone else I'm a fundamentalist) and well...just plain disaster.

I think first week of feb the budget has been £100 (just glancing at my spreadsheet) for food etc. That's way ova!!! It should be £30 or £35 max...must rectify .


As with regards DIY girlie stuff - the crocheted tampons I found (the link is on craftster.org but google the pattern) look impossible cos I can't crochet with anything less than a 4mm hook but would be a nice change from my afghan at some point. I'm thinking....cheap face cloths (you know the ones about 20p ea) and like maybe a backing of some sort. Yep will do as everyone says and put in cold water. Now where do I get a bucket with a lid on so they don't smell from? Do I put salt in the bucket (Ma used to say that 20 years ago?). Anyone any ideas. I will buy 10 this week (budget allows - did it the other day including menu plan . Just love the Bean Book by Rose Elliot...mega good and mine was less than £3 off amazon inc post but you can get it cheaper from abebooks.co.uk) and when I can afford it the odd 10 till I have loads. And take like sandwich bags out with me for changing and make (when I get the sewing machine fixed...I have another idea - tee hee and no it's not a combustible 70's job either ). a wee bag for them with a draw string. I also want to add poppers for the wings. I'm thinking of somehow folding them into diamonds/triangles (will let you know - shall be trial and error) and putting poppers on the points . But deffo get that tape stuff for out and about. It's not expensive and when I was self harming I got it free on prescription for self care and like I used it for everything (not just what I was supposed to use it for ). It sticks and is easy to pull off. . Believe me if you only have a few hours out it would work...load of loo roll (free) and surgical tape each end wrapped round. Works a treat...Speak from experience. But it has to be the good paper fabric stuff not elastoplast cheap plaster roll.

Anyhow forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forward I press on to the high mark of being a fundy frunchkin

Hugs

E

ramsqui

first of all a belated happy new year to you all. Ive been reading most of the posts on this Frugal Living Forum find all tips and ideas very helpful and will try and endeavour to put these for home use only for me and my family and adding this information to my homemade Frugal Living A-Z Binder adding to it regularly to help me save money, Im going to try and keep to under £4,000 a year as my budget.

I normally go regularly to pound shop and 99p shop for Kichen items like black bags, washing up liquid, milk sugar washing up sponges soap powder. toilet cleaning. Ive found really helped my finances. my weeks meals usually buy joint of meat or poultry for a roast. on sunday, for weekday meals I buy chops for a meals, 8 sausages, mince for bolognese, meat pie. before i signed up for frugal living we use to have a takeaway a week which cost us about £20 for 3 people which I found was getting too expensive every week every month. Plus paying out for bills and earning a low wage, this forum is helping me enormously plus my husband is being made redundant 30 April we are really concerned how we are going to manage.
Anyway just watching our money daily is helping i walk to and back from work and take the bus to brighton town centre at weekends and meet up with my daughter and do the weeks food shop in the market and at the butchers and pound & 99p shop all Ive found very helpful to my budget.
bye for now

Erme

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

NYK - no fear on chucking it, trial 2 of laundry gloop is cooling as i type and hopefully first wash will be done tomorrow!!

very frugal today, went to lidl's and took the trundle trolley so i could get 6 freeway cola's (at 39p for 2ltr's it's a massive saving on our fizzies) and some milk and i got hubby some choc snack bars to take to work
have to give crocheting a go today, tried the other night buyt got lost when i wanted to finish the row

tc

ioiwe

PS. Love my trundle too for big items but for normal I just take the 'granny trolley' that I decorated using a pair of Primark pj's (lady bird ones) ages ago (still to finish - LOL) or I bike (but at some point - like next year when I'm debt free - want to get panniers :T)

Kerry_Woman

Came under my monthly budget for January. Must work on the food shopping, was high for two people. Just started looking at everything this year, so things will hopefully improve in the coming months.

cake21

cake21 wrote: »

I've been thinking along the same lines, no purchases other than fresh fruit and veg should be possible but I keep buying snacks :doh:. Inspired by you, I will aim for Feb 1 with no more grocery shopping :T (already spent most of my Jan groceries budget anyway :eek:)

Well it's not quite Feb 1 but I will be travelling for the rest of the day (with a packed meal ) so I am very happy to report that I've made it :j Thank you again Paul for the inspiration.

As a result, I am within my food budget for January (I'd already spent £50/£60 at that point ). The key difference was the batch cooking and taking food to heat up at work. And not darkening the supermarket's doors - I can't stick to a list :o

Tracking the spending is working really well, I'm really thinking about purchases and managed 23 NSDs this month. Which is lucky as I'd forgotten about c. £320 of fixed costs in my budget :eek:

Gas is will be over budget as I'd only accounted for 2010's usage but I had a debit balance carried over from 2009 which will be settled next month when I change supplier. Usage in kwH right down, down go down further as I've switched off the radiators in a couple of unused rooms and put up extra curtains (better late than never :rotfl:).

I'm sure I heard there was an MSE group on imeasure, could someone tell me the name of it please? I've tried MSE and moneysavingexpert... Would love to join in.

Sorry couldn't keep up with all the posts, but good luck with job hunting, congratulations, and sympathies to many.

Nykmedia, I can only echo the others that for me, the fact that you've set this up and your own inspirational updates is more than enough, thank you :A

JayJay14

Well it's the end of monh one and I've been having a good study of the spreadsheet

Food spends are above limits but should slow down for a while. No spends on clothes ar shoes and shouldn't need to use this one for a while.

The anything else budget has been hit this month (I bought a DVD box set from the states -very naughty) so I will have to watch that one. I have to admit I am wondering where I am going to show gardening expenses, so I am going to have to be a bit creative:D

Curry for lunch (from scratch!) was really good and there is a portion for OH for lunch tomorrow. I also have two packs of basic sauce in the freezer for another day. I've baked buns and a coconut loaf (for pack ups) and there is ham out of the freezer for my sarnies tomorrow - I am getting so organised I'm frightening myself. I think this is the secret that will keep me on the frugal straight and narrow, as that is when I end up spending more, when I have not planned properly.

A_fiend_for_life

Apologies for delay Nyk it's nearly Feb and I've not even posted a budget.

I have done a preliminary budget but have no idea whether it is what I actually spend.

I exclude rent / mortgage and council tax.

I am only budgeting for one so this will not be the full 4k .

Item.................This year (Last year - self inflicted pre frugal challenge)

a) Groceries..............£700 (£1000 ???)
b) Gas and electric.......£300 (£250)
c) Line rental............£170 (£160 ish plus new BB tax @ 50p / mo)
d) Eve / WE Calls + BB....£160 (it's about this much)
e) Mobile..................£10 (£0)
f) Clothing................£50 (£10)
g) Bathroom................£30 (???)
h) Cleaning................£30 (???)
i) Entertainment..........£300 (???)
j) Travel.................£100 (£47)
k) Gifts / SO.............£150 / £200 (???)

Total...................£2,000

Much of the above is inflexible eg line rental and calls unless I get rid of them. Ents usually means friends house or pub it also includes a bit on luxuries such as books CDs and a few others - it might not even be that much. £2,400 should be a realistic spend but I aim for £2k as I have some serious saving I need to do. We shall see.

Note I have no TV so no sky licence etc and discontinued newspapers magazines and most book purchases last year.

'This year' is mostly informed by last years spend so I am going to go for a frugal challenge of £2,000 I might not achieve it but I will give it a shot.

My budget at present seems inflexible but it is the food and ents that look like primary candidates.

I'll need to post back the January damage - busy stdying at the moment.

FrankieM

Thanks for the responses about using milk containers for the laundry gloop. I'm going to save a few and then after my next shop I will make some up and see how it works.

Is there a reason it has to go in the drum and not the drawer?

Also what do you guys do about 'clothes softener'?

I've turned the central heating off cause we've got the coal fire going and all the doors open so hopefully it will heat up the whole house.

My gas/electric DD has gone up. I think it's because I've been using a halogen heater as a sunlamp/heater most days. I'm going to turn it off and put it away so I'm not tempted to use it any more and nag everyone about our usage generally.
I may need to also see whether its worth changing suppliers. I hate spending so much money on 'basics'.