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

Skint_Lynne

Evening all,

Just a quick visit to say that I was on budget for January, so I am really happy with that. My challenge is for £10k, I pay the bills DD and then work with cash in my purse weekly. I am also hoping to go on holiday off of that figure, so that's why it is a bit high.

Bring on February.

Speak later. xx

Erme

JayJay14 wrote: »

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.

I keep a few sos foods for these times...like last week (big blow on groceries etc. dang) I bought 3 tubs of Asda cheap cheese spread (something like 33p ea) which keeps far longer than shop bought houmous. Plowed into 1 tonight (after soaking my chick peas for houmous the other day but then 0 using them...och tis life and they cost pennies per portion ) and it was really tasty...so I have tortilla wraps in for this week's lunches and I have the stuff for houmous and cheese spread so all I need is like the celery I want for lunches and bananas and we're sorted

I also keeps SOS cans of soup, baked beans and tomatoes (for tomato and bean soup...dead easy.) SOS tins of cheap veg. Packet pasta (the cheap one) and cous cous etc...just for nights I can't be bothered to stick to the menu plan ...and me being me I have sos micro meals from wiltshire farm foods in the freezer (use about 1 a week on nutty can't cook, won't cook nights. Won't even make a wrap/sandwich!) cos they're the best micro meals you can get!!!

E

A_fiend_for_life

NualaBuala wrote: »

Fiend - I take my hat off to you! :T That is a seriously frugal budget you've got there and you put me to shame!

Thank you. The recession is working against me and I have some off balance sheet stuff I need to pay which is going well but not as quickly as I'd like it to nor as quick as it could be. I will then need to continue with some serious saving.

top_drawer_2

hi everyone!

I'm kind of not doing the budget thing at the moment .... at least not officially so cant post my months breakdown. However, I thought I would put some pics on of my achievements this months

I finally completed my draft excluders (bar finishing the fastenings for the last two) the costings for these were:

Pic here

* 50 pence for the outer fabric
* the inners I had from past drafts of projects Ive completed, used around a metre so about £2.
* Sand was £1.45 a bag and I needed two bags (used 1 1/2) so £2.90
*all in all they cost £5.40

I havent included thread or electricity as that seems like a bit tooo far....


I've also started a mini herb garden at a cost of £5 for three pots/seeds. I hope this could save me money in the long term.

Pics here.

My cutting out the spending has encouraged me to spend more time with my little guys .... (my other little guy). I made them these as I was considering buying them something similar but thought it was a little overpriced. I also managed to cut their nails myself thus saving me £9 each in vets fees.

Today I had a particularly productive day .... I made banana bread using some blackened bananas using the recipe from here (I used my new blender - I cant believe how much easier it was!!) .... my landlady said they were delicious and I had to admit they were!! Although I was a bit disappointed it caved in - maybe some baking soda next time?

I also used up some mash and made some potato cakes and also a strawberry/blackberry crumble from some frozen fruit I came across in the freezer yesterday - that was delicious too! I forgot to do a photocraph of that...

My objectives for the coming month are -

* to plant a small veg garden to help feed my little boys who eat like you wouldnt believe!

To tackle making my room more comfortable frugally

To find a cheaper/better quality supplier of dried GP food and hay.

To tackle cutting down on my beauty products - going to buy (what will hopefully be) my last lot of bits tommorrow and try out the recipes which Ive come across through here and go from there, I can't do a straight swap as I am so worried I will become the spotty teenager I was once, before I discovered Lush :D

As you can see I am quite keen on photography

TD

Ches

loopychriss wrote: »

Tried the saucepan lid on the slow cooker... worked a treat...

Sorry if this is obvious but have you tried the lid of the SC you are giving away to see if it fits.

Skint_Lynne

I make my own potato scones as well top drawer, in fact, I was thinking about all the mash I have thrown away and all the tattie scones I have bought, I used to be partial to the posh ones at 1.20 for 4. Mine are better.:D

So easy to make as well!!

candygirl

Awww TD the piggies are sooo cute:D:D:D

Ches

SavvyStudent wrote: »

I'm feeling a bit useless today. I've decided that baking is not worth the waste of ingredients for me. Need to cut my losses - yet another disaster in the bin today - nigellas banana bread. OH and I both feel physically sick having tried a piece lol, it was all glooping in the centre despite cooking it for almost an hour extra. I've been trying for well over a year and the only things I've successfully made are scones, pizza and pancakes, everything else turns out an absolute disgrace despite following the recipes to the letter, so apart from the 3 things I can make I'm done. Even my packet mix brownies turned out odd. I hate to think how much money I've wasted trying to bake

Savvy x

Have you checked that your cooker is working ok. If you followed the recipe and the banana bread still had an uncooked middle after cooking for an hour longer than the recipe calls for it sounds as if your cooker isn't heating to the correct temperature.

KazLA

grandma247 wrote: »

Put a piece of bread on a saucer and soak it in vinegar. Leave it overnight and the smell should be gone.

Excellent, will give this a go next time - white or brown vinegar?? Thanks!

Just managed to skim through today's posts, don't think there is much I can add to, and exhausted, so off to bed!

Nite all.

SavvyStudent_2

Ches wrote: »

Have you checked that your cooker is working ok. If you followed the recipe and the banana bread still had an uncooked middle after cooking for an hour longer than the recipe calls for it sounds as if your cooker isn't heating to the correct temperature.

What an excellent point!! Didn't think of the cooker - things seem to be turning out very cooked on the outside (i.e. burnt) and undercooked in the middle (cakes etc that is), although I've just done up a tray of HM potato wedges in there and they turned out fine? Maybe as they're just something you shove in at a high temp to roast. Hmm. Once it did conk out half way through roasting a chicken (literally during a dinner party..! Had to improvise and boil it up on the hob bit to cook it through lol) and the landlady had it repaired. Another time I roasted a chicken in there for hours and it was still pink and runny inside despite a gorgeous golden skin (this was before the repairs). Maybe I should shop round for an in cooker thermometer just to test it x