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

Thriftkitten

Chin up Cheryl, I know it's not much consolation but I for one would just like to saythankyou for you have helped to organise me+so many people on here and given us all the umph to realise that we can manage on a lot less and get such satisfaction from managing on what we NEED, not what we want, and by doing this we are able to achieve much more than we want because there is so much extra left over, Things will pick up and remember we are a thread for making something out of nothing, so you will get plenty of encouragement when feeling a bit down.
On frugalicious terms, Me and the kids have been making Cornish pasty's today, the kids are going mad to eat them, but am waiting until they cool to warm as the flavour really comes through, starting on a batch of choc chip cookies whilst cooker is warm, and another basic white about to go into bread maker, no wonder all the kids in the neighbourhood are congregating outside the kitchen window, we got the thumbs up from them all after they were my chief cookie tasters for my virgin batch yesterday.

A_fiend_for_life

BigMummaF wrote: »

Just seen THIS :eek: Oh why do things have to get so complicated; talk about the Rich getting Richer while the Poor look on

I think it would hit the poor in the short term. It would increase inflation and feed through to benefits. I don't know about WTC's and pensions. It would hit middle income households again after benefits are reviewed I think. (I hope it's mud slinging rumours). I'll check the debate economy board later. Might just go to Weezl's thread.:(

Thriftkitten

Mmm the pastys are delish, for anyone who wants the recipe its here
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7776/cornish-pasties
I'm not proud to say I cheated even though I am Cornish I still needed a helping hand,

Thriftkitten wrote: »

Chin up Cheryl, I know it's not much consolation but I for one would just like to saythankyou for you have helped to organise me+so many people on here and given us all the umph to realise that we can manage on a lot less and get such satisfaction from managing on what we NEED, not what we want, and by doing this we are able to achieve much more than we want because there is so much extra left over, Things will pick up and remember we are a thread for making something out of nothing, so you will get plenty of encouragement when feeling a bit down.
On frugalicious terms, Me and the kids have been making Cornish pasty's today, the kids are going mad to eat them, but am waiting until they cool to warm as the flavour really comes through, starting on a batch of choc chip cookies whilst cooker is warm, and another basic white about to go into bread maker, no wonder all the kids in the neighbourhood are congregating outside the kitchen window, we got the thumbs up from them all after they were my chief cookie tasters for my virgin batch yesterday.

Frugaldom

Hello

Had a quick trip into town and was delighted to find potatoes at 49p for 5kg as part of the Ald! offers this week! Only got 2 bags but hoping to get another couple midweek if still available. I really made the most of their Super 6, other than their mouldy kiwifruit! Seems ridiculous that these pass as fit for sale when they clearly aren't!

I read the reports about the alleged Whitehall discussions about imposing VAT on food but I don't think there's need for panic yet. Considering that the most of what I buy now is cheaper than it was in 1998 when I first started grocery challenges, it's bound to happen sooner or later. They've tried to cut down on waste by introducing various bin schemes, recycling, making it legal to buy past 'best before' dates, there are places like the BBC giving away vegetable seeds to encourage home growing and there's already VAT on certain foods, so it'll come as no surprise to me if they eventually add it on to all foodstuffs. As someone already said, they'll do whatever 'they' want to do regardless of what we think about it. It just makes owning my own home seem more necessary than ever, just in case the time comes when I can't afford rent and there's no social security system left to pick up the pieces. NOT looking forward to the next budget, as I'm sure it'll be one of the worst yet for frugalites.

I guess the big picture is that, on a global scale, this planet cannot sustain all current lifeforms indefinitely, so it's up to us, as intelligent human beings, to do our bit for the greater good.

A_fiend_for_life

Cheryl some initial thoughts for hobbies socialising.

The library notice board might be one option see what takes your fancy. There might be some more affordable pasttimes. Cheapest one I can think of that (might not be relevent) was chess that cost about £15 a year otherwise consider other board games in different peoples houses. I think there was also a scrabble club at one time.

Rambling (time / affordability?) is another option and could give chance encounters with wild food. The usual charity shops are an option for basic outdoor wear or possibly fellow ramblers.

An alternative that sounds more relevent would be a gardening club looking at different aspects each week. Composting and wormeries might be a good start since you have cardboard to remove. (A local volunteer centre had courses on master composting a few months back which I unfortunatly missed the boat on - I'm not sure on the price but I think it was subsidised and required the purchase of a subsidised composting bin if you didn't possess one).

A_fiend_for_life

rictus123 wrote: »

Anyone know what will happen pay wise if i choose to work 2 out of my 3 weeks trades holiday? Will i get the holiday pay + wages on top or just the wages? Just so i know its worthwhile...

Hi Rictus,

I have done this in the past but can't remember the specifics of what happened. One time had holidays tagged on after a contract which might have been risky as they could have refused to pay. As I had about two or three weeks left before the next term there was no problem with needing a break.

Another time I got payed for the holidays but as it was a training scheme it didn't even reach a taxable level iirc.

I would imagine you would get less than double as you'd be missing the zero rate tax on initial earnings. I'm not sure what the tax bands are but you might get pushed towards a higher rate for that months pay depending on what your current earnings are.

If I was an employer I would be inclined to think people need a break and decline it on that basis. Depending on workload you might even find there are more overtime hours after your holidays if you do take them.

lynzpower

I read the reports about the alleged Whitehall discussions about imposing VAT on food but I don't think there's need for panic yet. Considering that the most of what I buy now is cheaper than it was in 1998 when I first started grocery challenges, it's bound to happen sooner or later. They've tried to cut down on waste by introducing various bin schemes, recycling, making it legal to buy past 'best before' dates, there are places like the BBC giving away vegetable seeds to encourage home growing and there's already VAT on certain foods, so it'll come as no surprise to me if they eventually add it on to all foodstuffs. As someone already said, they'll do whatever 'they' want to do regardless of what we think about it. It just makes owning my own home seem more necessary than ever, just in case the time comes when I can't afford rent and there's no social security system left to pick up the pieces. NOT looking forward to the next budget, as I'm sure it'll be one of the worst yet for frugalites.

Just a quick note on this for anyone that doesnt know. In Mr S & Mr T receipts on the line of the item name there is a small asterisk to denote that item attracts vat.

I used to have challenges with myself when I first joined MSE to reduce the amount of starred items I bought . Now hardly any I buy are. Most convenience food - including biscuits, cakes, crisps etc attract vat. If you HM them using oil & potatoes/ flour/sugar/butter/ dried fruit/ some nuts/spices. Youll avoid the vat.

The food we buy that attracts vat tends to be fizzy drinks and crisps mainly, although we too have cut down massively on these. I am now trying to drink more water especially with the summer coming its hugely important, so I have bottles of water in the fridge to grab and go ( helps we now have a bigger fridge)

I wouldnt mind the already-vatted items going up, in the main, we dont buy them. If you are OSing, in the main, there should be few things that you buy regularly that attract vat. Maybe it would do something in this obesity-inducing convenience culture we live in? You never know.

Frugaldom

Well said, Lynz! I always check my receipts for VAT rated items and get so annoyed at essential toiletries and fresh orange. On the whole, I try to avoid taxable items at all costs, but if 'they' ever introduced a basic food tax, that would be impossible. Ald! has letters 'A' and 'B' next to stuff, 'B' being for the VATable stuff.

On a completely different subject, I am still trying to find out what signifies that a person is 'poor', 'poverty stricken' or 'living below the breadline'. Not being reliant on state benefits, I haven't a clue if there's an amount that qualifies - do they base this on personal circumstances or actual amount of income? For example, if someone owns their own home, valued at, say, £200,000 but is struggling to make ends meet from one week to the next, are they as poor as someone who lives rent & council tax free in a council house whilst struggling to make ends meet on basic benefits? Who really are Britain's neediest people?

thriftylass

Frugaldom wrote: »

On a completely different subject, I am still trying to find out what signifies that a person is 'poor', 'poverty stricken' or 'living below the breadline'. Not being reliant on state benefits, I haven't a clue if there's an amount that qualifies - do they base this on personal circumstances or actual amount of income? For example, if someone owns their own home, valued at, say, £200,000 but is struggling to make ends meet from one week to the next, are they as poor as someone who lives rent & council tax free in a council house whilst struggling to make ends meet on basic benefits? Who really are Britain's neediest people?

I was always wondering too. My example is always a couple working full time and having two kids in nursery and paying a mortgage/rent vs a couple unemployed with 2 kids and all the benefits and no nursery costs. I guess it depends if one looks at assets locked away (house worth 200000 makes first richer) vs more disposable income each month (more for second). So despite working full time the first couple has less money each week.

lynzpower

On a completely different subject, I am still trying to find out what signifies that a person is 'poor', 'poverty stricken' or 'living below the breadline'. Not being reliant on state benefits, I haven't a clue if there's an amount that qualifies - do they base this on personal circumstances or actual amount of income? For example, if someone owns their own home, valued at, say, £200,000 but is struggling to make ends meet from one week to the next, are they as poor as someone who lives rent & council tax free in a council house whilst struggling to make ends meet on basic benefits? Who really are Britain's neediest people?

One of my favourite subjects, I read a lot about this "phenomenon" at University, and Ive been a social worker too and seen poverty in action.

I think it depends who you mean when you say "they". The government? The establishment? Government agencies would have different versions too, what classes as poverty in housing terms where I live in Inner London, would be different to a local authorities view in Cheshire where my parents live. Social workers have a different version of poverty to, say teachers or health visitors.

. The poverty that comes with having no access to public funds, to be literally destitute, for example women in arranged marriages that collapse, or Filipino housekeepers-sacked and on the streets because they became pregnant. Many young people trafficked from eastern europe ending up on the streets of london with nowhere to go. If they have no recourse to public funds they rely on charity to survive, government cant help them- they arnt "entitled".

That was heartbreaking for me to have to refuse housing or financial help to women like this.