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

Erme

hermum wrote: »

Hi, can someone message me re a spreadsheet they use please, just spent ages doing one & then wiped it. Numpty that I am. I didn't start last month but need to sort out something & keep a check on where my £91.80 a week incap goes. £60 a week on gas last month could be why it was a difficult month. I have loads of stuff to ebay, do most people on this challenge use extra income to pay off debts?
Any help to a newbie much appreciated

You'd have to check how much the DWP will allow you to earn extra. For me it's £20 a week. but yeah I'm on similar and doing this in a further quest to pay off debt...

You'll get there.... just takes practice (and no I'm not going on the 2K budget JUST yet)... taken me over 6 months to go from a silly budget to something semi okay and now I'm on this...

Hugs

E

Erme

lyndasharp wrote: »

We've now been almost a year without a TV, and haven't missed it at all

Expensive two days for me, as I wrenched my neck/shoulder last Thursday and finally decided I couldn't put up with the pain. Spent about £6 on painkillers, and another £6 on bus fares. It is definitely easing off now, which is a relief. I think the tree is coming down today too, he said it'd be done if it wasn't raining and it seems OK at the moment. Got the price down to £155 from £170, so that's good.

I tried getting a good deal on renewing my O2 contract, but as the retentions thread on the forum suggested, their deals really aren't very good at the moment. I've had to go SIM only at £15 a month, which is the same as I'd been paying anyway, but with less minutes. I will have to keep a close eye on my useage, as when I'm away for a week or so with work, calling home gets through the minutes quite quickly. I don't want to change networks, as their coverage is good and so is the customer service Plus my Dad is making use of their cheap broadband connection.

I used the mobile phone checker link via here last week and got (in effect) SIM only deal of unltd texts and 300 mins (just for sos) for in effect < £2 a month. Suits me fine. But I had to change networks to voda (more upset about changing nos). Apart from the whopping £6 delivery charge I got inadvertently charged for (that I shouldn't have been charged) and no email customer service (phone bill will love that - not!) all is sorted....0 get confirmation email but they sent me all the paperwork. Phone didn't come next day (but then my local DHL 'aint the best) but came following day @ 9am.

If you're prepared to change networks it's good. Can't Dad barter 02 down for his net? I did with orange the other month. Got a £22 a month package for less than 10. Am happy (too happy...another post...)

E

Erme

rozeepozee wrote: »

Through itemising everything, I've realised that there's a lot of variation in the price of milk (we drink about 24 pints a week, so a significant expense). At Costco, it's 24p per pint and at Tesco I've paid 37p per pint. That's a saving of over £162 over the year :eek:

A case of don't judge a man until you've walked five miles in his mocassins?

Hey, lady, you need to re-read your own signature - you are right to be proud to be dealing with your debt I'm having a training year too and not beating myself up too much about being over budget - I just want to regain control of my finances.

Yeah me too with regards the training year. I've been debt busting for 18 months (Dave Ramsey and Christians Against Poverty) and now it's time for a new challenge.

Now an update with regards my home made menstrual stuff

knew I was due on this week so blew £3.75 on cheap cotton face cloths ala tesco (15 of them) and safety pins. folded one into a diagnonal (half ways, folding the corners in, so it's folded in half with just putting the corners in) so it looked like one with wings. Safety pinned in place (put the safety pins in wrong way first - boy that wasn't good. They go outside in NOTE). Don't know if it needs 3 or 4 (does it matter?). Googled blood stains = cold water and shampoo. Has worked. then leave to soak in cold water then repeat. (wish someone had told me this sooner)...

review

If ya heavy it's worth it....less leakage than commercial and less chafing. Also cheaper. Even if these face cloths just last a year (should last longer) that's like £5 tops for the year. (including cheap shampoo 12p ala asda). Don't need anything fancier than cheap shampoo. But will take commercial brands possibly when camping/staying with a chap or something or some place I'm not comfortable leaving things things to soak. Otherwise perfectly good. Saving at least £1 a month....:) and they're better and comfier as well....

Improvements on my design could be made by making the diamonds more secure with a few stitches but they can be handsewn and not urgent. Online these things cost a fortune for 'eco friendly' ST's. Mine are soooo cheap...might even improve the design and sell on folksy @ some point with a wee bag etc...

Hugs

E

gilligansyle

cw18 wrote: »

We used the value bread for years. The only thing DH and I weren't so keen on it for was sandwiches (though the kids were happy, so we 'suffered'), but it was fine for toast, cheese/egg/beans on toast, and toasted sandwiches.

But I discovered an alternative last year - and DS asked why we were suddenly on 'expensive' bread when I was cutting back wherever possible...... A!di do a 'cheap' white (normally within a penny or two of the value from Mr T), but it's sooooo much nicer. The only problem is it gets eaten much quicker

We haven't got an Aldi, so use value bread for toast, agree that its not good for sandwiches but the posh half and half bread thats about £1.20 a loaf is usually on offer in Iceland £1.50 for 2, so I get these and freeze them in 4 slice packs.

Paulgonnabedebtfree wrote: »

I stumbled across one hell of a deal in Asda about an hour ago. Reading glasses (+3) for £1.93. They look flimsy but as long as I keep them indoors they aren't likely to get damaged. I'm wearing them right now at the PC. Even if they have a shorter life than usual I reckon I'll get my moneys worth from them. Also, as I use a Nectar card, I got an offer by email for a cheaper than free eye test at D & A (if before 15/2). It's cheaper than free because they give 500 points (£2.50 in goods at Sainsburys I think).

Paul, mine are only +1.5 and Asda used to have 2 pairs for £2 - no good for all the time, but fine for at night when eyes are too tired. Saves worrying about losing expensive glasses. I have 4 pairs around the house, a pair in the car (for reading A to Z) and a pair in my bag.
Frugal plans today are no different from normal, but did manage to get CH fixed at weekend by friend of son. Was willing to pay him, but he wouldn't take it, so fed him and got him a couple of beers. A plumber would have cost more than that. Now if only he knows any electricians

knithappens

Erme wrote: »

Yeah me too with regards the training year. I've been debt busting for 18 months (Dave Ramsey and Christians Against Poverty) and now it's time for a new challenge.

Now an update with regards my home made menstrual stuff

knew I was due on this week so blew £3.75 on cheap cotton face cloths ala tesco (15 of them) and safety pins. folded one into a diagnonal (half ways, folding the corners in, so it's folded in half with just putting the corners in) so it looked like one with wings. Safety pinned in place (put the safety pins in wrong way first - boy that wasn't good. They go outside in NOTE). Don't know if it needs 3 or 4 (does it matter?). Googled blood stains = cold water and shampoo. Has worked. then leave to soak in cold water then repeat. (wish someone had told me this sooner)...

review

If ya heavy it's worth it....less leakage than commercial and less chafing. Also cheaper. Even if these face cloths just last a year (should last longer) that's like £5 tops for the year. (including cheap shampoo 12p ala asda). Don't need anything fancier than cheap shampoo. But will take commercial brands possibly when camping/staying with a chap or something or some place I'm not comfortable leaving things things to soak. Otherwise perfectly good. Saving at least £1 a month....:) and they're better and comfier as well....

Improvements on my design could be made by making the diamonds more secure with a few stitches but they can be handsewn and not urgent. Online these things cost a fortune for 'eco friendly' ST's. Mine are soooo cheap...might even improve the design and sell on folksy @ some point with a wee bag etc...

Hugs

E

They sound great, i was stumbled by some when online shopping for reusable nappies for my bubba, OMG they cost a fortune for one, I remember my mum (born 1934) alwasy said they used rags and then soaked them so nothing new, just we have gotten so far away from frugality with convenience.

May give these ago when my period returns (breastfeeding at the moment) which should not be long as little one hase been weaning for ust over a month, already getting the dreaded PMT acne, so do tn think the wicked withc will be too far away, i have tried the moon cup but was very fiddly, not so bad when at home but not great when at work, and only one toilet to 2 floors of teachers, and everyone is trying to make a dash for it before lessons begin.

PAD today was 30.82 from music magpie sales, howeve pay am gonnn have to pay out big to day as my toilet is eaking, the plumber is calling around at 10, i finaly found a plumber that does not try to rip me off, but still this was an unexpected bill, argghh always happens when things are going so well, anyway onward and upward.

On a sad note my maternity leave finishes in 8 days and I am back in work:( good news i am only doing 3 days per week so managable, as i want to spend as much time with my children while they need me,

Savvy_sewing

Have any of you tried the Purple lidded milk in Mr T.? its currently 65p for 4pints. not sure if I mentioned it or not. But all the family, including the 2year old have been drinking it all mweek, and nobody has noticed the change? Its their Discount brand apparantly. Hope this helps.

jtb2412

Moloo, I buy that one all the time (ours stocks 3litre ones for £1) - no problems with it here, tastes fine.

HTH xx

grandma247

aeb wrote: »

I think if I go to a local [STRIKE]man[/STRIKE]person (sorry) I can get them one at a time.
A tidy freezer is a good feeling:j

My dh gets singles a lot for people.He only does it for friends nowadays. Hopefully he will start replacing ours next year. They have needed doing since we moved in nearly seven years ago and the largest is quite badly misted now.

Happymrsh

Hi all,

Haven't been on for a few days, so I have loads to catch up on, will start reading once i've posted.

Just wanted to let you know our news. DH left his job in Spetember to go to a new job for £3000 more a year. He regretted it and hated the new company, but he stuck it out as it was a job at the end of the day. He has been looking for a new one since and on Thursday (28th) he applied for one. On Friday he was phoned back and asked to go for an interview on Tuesday. He went on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning(Yesterday) he was offered the job :j He was also offered £10000 more a year than he is on now :eek: so thats a £13000 a year pay rise since September!!!!

We had to work out figures last night and how much we would lose in tax credits etc. DH phoned tax credits when he got home and we wouldn't lose out til April 2011. So for the first year we will be £500 a month better off which is just crazy!!!!! But it does mean we can build up our savings over the first year.

It still seems absolutely crazy though :eek:

Thanks all for listening. I am determined to still to be frugal too as we know we can do it and it means we will beable to really save save save :j

Karmacat

Thats great news, happymrsh - stay with the frugalness, absolutely - there's no reason to splashjust because you're out of the woods, and treats still feel great, even if they're a little more frequent.