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

davidmiclon

signs_of_recovery wrote: »

Good Morining, and Happy New Year. Thank you NYKMEDIA for the challenge and the thread!
I think I'm going to keep a desk diary this year so I can try to see everything in the one place. I've come to the conclusion that I need something in front of my nose to remind me I'm meant to be frugal!!! (Got a nice pink one out of the pound shop the other week) I'm also going to use excel spreadsheets for menu planning and keeping track of spending, so hopefully I will have the organisation stuff covered!!! Now on to the spending.....
We have 6 people in the house at the moment as our eldest daughter is back from uni on placement until May. So we're four adults, two children and a hungry labrador for the time being.
I'm still sorting out the budget though. Will post back soon.

this is really good information, thanks for sharing with us,,,,

danielley

Mooloo wrote: »

OH DEAR,, I have put the smart price Sweet and Sour sauce on my shopping delivery for today.! Infact I think the whole shop is practically smart price stuff!

In hindsight it wasn't that terrible, it just wasn't anywhere near as nice as Uncle B3ns.... I only used one large chicken breast (for 2 people) and we did eat it all, so it wasn't a complete disaster, I just wouldn't buy it again.

Wow, £55 on shopping until the end of March, that is good going

Frugaldom

Chika, before memory fails me, I use any type of soap for my laundry gloop. I was given a box load of assorted handmade soaps after a shop closure, so I've been using them for laundry gloop but the washing up liquid is restricted to the natural soap in case it leaves the dishes with a taste on them. I don't mind rose, lavender, chocolate or peaches & cream scented clothes, though. :rotfl:

Paul - the cartridges have increased in price about 20% over the past year and paper is now set to increase in price, too. I need to print every day and have to agree that I did, once, buy a new printer because it was cheaper in the sales than replacing the laser cartridge. The replacement printer was the one I refilled the cartridge about 6 times. We do photo printing as part of work, too, so we're using both inkjet and laser.

I like the Mr T cheap Sweet & sour sauce, thankfully! I stocked up on in in 2008 when it was only a few pence per tin, along with the 4p curry sauce, and we're just nearing the end of it now. The curry sauce went fastest as everyone here likes it. DS won't eat sweet & sour at all.

Danielley as long as you have enough space in the house, get along with your neighbours, like the area you're in and have a patio area then you'll be amazed at how much you can grow in pots and up a trellis. I tried the square foot garden last year in a raised bed (8' x 4') and was astounded at what it managed to produce despite it being only 4" to 6" deep.

FayJ the new place sounds fab! A field and steading! I would LOVE that! Hope the move goes well and you can really make it home for a while.

Top-Drawer, were you making a loaf of bread overnight? I'm wondering if you've maybe had a powercut, as a breadmaker can't normally go that much wrong. The worst mistakes I have made were a result of adding the ingredients in the wrong order, which would have killed the yeast before it made the bread rise. Either that or you need a lot less liquid than you added.

It's still very cold and frosty here. We haven't had any more snow since the half inch or so we had over the weekend but it's still lying in the shadey corners where the sun doesn't reach.

My BargainF00d order is out for delivery but I'm not convinced they updated my order before packaging it, so am not holding out much hope of receiving the 5p pate or 8p kidney beans. We'll see when order arrives.

Baked the day's loaf early so it was ready for breakfast. With it being light before 7am the cockerels make sure I'm up bright and early. I am so not looking forward to the long summer months of 5am starts and 11pm finishes on the dawn til dusk routine. MUST get fitter before then. These mornings are so cold that most of my time is spent trying to thaw out water dishes and it takes its toll on the hot water, that's for sure. The feathered critturs had better pay their keep in 2010.

Only 3 days left before we might hear the tiny chirp of chickie beaks if any of the 3 eggs in the incubator hatch. I only put in half a dozen to find out which hens were laying fertile eggs. It appears only the 2 Silkies and the Pekin hen whose egg I included. The 3 free rangers were all clear. I left the fertile ones in to test the incubator and now the most important time is almost upon us. Will we be fortunate enough to get any live chicks this weekend?

Stationery order just arrived, one pack of labels free with it and 15% discount off the toner cartridge was best I could manage but I did order via t0pca$hback and there's already £5.37 showing as tracked! :j

E.0n has the free shower save gadget advertised again if anyone missed the offer last time around. It's only suitable for non-electric mixer showers or mixer taps though, not electric showers.

zarazara

monthly pay day is friday. I'm living off store cupboards and freezer til then.

ChinaTea

:(Hi all,

Haven't been around for a few days but have caught up with the thread now.

Can't remember who said the flour on the spilt all sounded a good idea but please please don't try it. I had spilt a full 2 ltr bottle of cooking oil an dumped a bag of flour on it to soak it up. Umm... When I hoovered the excess flour up it blocked the dy*son and I got a shock off it. DS sorted that but next day it looked like I could make pastry from the carpet, just needed a bit of water :mad:. I've scraped as much as I could off but still looks like someones thrown up on it so it's covered by a rug until I get new flooring when the adaptions are done.

Been a frugal week, just 3 fruit trees from Aldis, the garden is just too wet to plant anything yet and we had snow at the weekend, was -4 last night and more snow forecast so they'll have to wait a while.

Made a big decision over the weekend, I'm going to accept my degree with the OU and forget about the honours classification. My health has deteriorated so much in the last couple of months and I don't think I could cope with the pressure of assignment deadlines and exams this year. A little sad about this but I have achieved waht I set out to do and feel like a big weight has beeen lifted.

Had my first approved f00d order friday-amazed at how much I got for the money. Spent £16.34 and filled a cupboard. Will certainly use them again.

Need to go have some lunch, HM cornish pasty and mash from the freezer with fresh veg of some kind then an afternon baking.

Frugaldom

Silly question but why does it say 'Happy 7th Birthday' on the MSE website header? I'm sure I've been reading this site since at least 2002.

China Tea, the ground here is beginning to feel like permafrost as it's been frozen for so long. Hoping to get my fruit trees planted soon but looking more and more likely that they'll be going into big pots at this rate. Sorry to hear about the trouble with your carpet, sounds disastrous! Glad you've settled your mind on the Degree, simplifying life is always for the best in the long run, especially if you have health worries.

XSpender

XSpender wrote: »

This weeks tasks are:

1. [STRIKE]Make bread in BM every other day to avoid the shop [/STRIKE]- first loaf made today!
2. [STRIKE]Take library books back to avoid fines[/STRIKE] Done
3. List 20 books on green met - 3 so far
4. Knit at least another ball of wool into my baby blanket so I can take excess back for a refund
5. [STRIKE]Make cookies x 2[/STRIKE] Done - choc chip and twinks
6. [STRIKE]Make hair appointment for next week for a re style (not v frugal but DH thinks it will cheer me up:o[/STRIKE]) Done but cant get in until week after next:(
7. Make a decent meal every night - no takeaways or carp! We have spent a ridiculous amount of money on takeaways this month.So far so good
8. Complete all outstanding expenses etc for work and send off Mat leave letter
9. Start researching ISAs as I havent a clue and want to start an emergency fund when debt free seperate to our 'spendable' savings
10. Investigate better package for telephone calls after BT changed their calling times:mad:
11. Clean house and get DH to do ironing so all ready when I go to Mums for a visit next week. Made a start

Quick update on what I have achieved so far this week to keep me motivated.

I have done a meal plan up until the end of next week and costed it out for shopping on friday pay day. Looking well within budget after going slightly adrift last month. Should easily be able to claw this back over next month or two.

Had a letter informing us interest rate on secured loan going down so that it another £10/month to savings account.:D Every little bit helps!

Received generous gift from mum and step dad which will pay for almost all the nursery furniture.:T I am off to stay with them for a couple of days next week for a change of scene and baby shopping with my Mum. Will take some home made goodies as a gift. Need to think of a frugal mothers day present as well.

Going to have some lunch and then knit some rows as new ball needs starting.

JayJay14

My food budget this month is rapidly going into meltdown so I will have to give myself a stiff talking to. Also we were shopping at lunch time today and OH persuaded me to buy a chippy lunch (they were however the best chip shop chips I've tasted in years) only £3.40 for the two of us, but still an unplanned spend.

I have also had to resort to putting the heating on for an hour as it is so cold - and I am still sat here in a hoodied cardy with my gloves on - perhaps I'm going down with something. All I need while I'm on holiday from work:(

Where we were shopping has loads of charity shops, but there was nothing of interest, so my clothing spend is still at zero for the year so far. My present budget will take a hit though tomorrow as I am getting DD1 a pair of trainers for her birthday. I'm also thinking of taking DD2 out for a lunch later in the week as her job will finish either today or tomorrow and she has just split from her BF so a bit of quality time is in order I think.

OH is now in his 4th week out of work and is beginning to get a bit down. I just wish the weather would buck up a bit so he could get in the garden, then he would feel as if he was getting something done.

Off to find a marmalade recipe as I have finally found some seville oranges.

gilligansyle

Frugaldom wrote: »

Silly question but why does it say 'Happy 7th Birthday' on the MSE website header? I'm sure I've been reading this site since at least 2002.

According to Martin's blog, that was the official launch but he had a website before that, so maybe that's what you saw.

I have always managed to grow a fair amount in the yard of a terraced house, the last few years I have tried various salad veg instead of flowers, though I do have a container of daffs that I take to put on Dad's grave and a small rose and some pinks for the same reason. Total size of my yard is about 15ft x 6 ft, and a lot of that isn't usable becaus of drains and manhole covers but I have old tyres hanging on the walls, and grow peas up trellis. I also have some blackberries which do a really good job of keeping the weeds at bay!

pagangirl

Hi folks - been a spend day today as been into city centre, but got all running round done on same day so saved on bus fares. Total spend £15.41, but savings of £10.83 so all good. Had £5. MnS voucher left from Xmas, so got few bits & sandw's for lunch. Free coffee on loyalty card, free newspaper on bus, free magazine from B00ts as got advantage card. Don't think I need anything else til next week - will be staying in if the weather gets any worse. Snowing again atm, rain, sleet n snow forecast for next few days - fed up with winter ! Was talking to woman at bus stop earlier, said she came down from Scotland yesterday, and its colder down here than up there :eek:

Thanks to whoever mentioned free yeast from Al1insons - arrived in post today, breadmaking booklet will be very helpful as going to try hand baking. Not worth getting a breadmaker just for me.

Has anyone else got a 99p stores where they live, coz they got some good bargains in atm - whoever was asking about toasty pockets - try in there, also in PoundlAnd. Lots of gardening goodies too.

Paulgonnabedebtfree - Mr S value cornflakes are the best reasonably priced ones I've tried, got some t'other week at Morries as same price but won't be getting 'em again. back to Mr S.:D

Have a good evening all - going to update sig' , sort tea out, and watch last of CSI Trilogy later.