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

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!

Wow! Finally caught up! NSD today 3/5 days. Busy at school-looking forward to seeing the children tomorrow for a break. Snow has kept away until now but who knows about tonight.

Chika-Glad to hear your good deed paid off. Good luck with the healthy eating.
Lynda-Congrats on saving on VAT
Lingo-Well done for making the journey into school.
Flippin-Great ideas. I’m currently using up all my sun tan lotion as a daily moisturiser. Well done for all you’ve achieved today and leaving that car in order to be safe. For some very frugal tips visit www.meanqueen-lifeaftermoney.blogspot.com
Elaine-Congrats on your new job!
Paul-We use don’t buy newspapers but get given them to use as firestarters!
CW-LOL at the baker arriving on snow plough!
Nyk-Hope you get everything topped up tomorrow.
Franke-What dishes are you making with the peppers and the Swedes
Thrifty-Wow! Wish we didn’t have a problem with condensation..although I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I hate the cold but we put on a oil filled radiator to keep the budgie warm during the day when we are out. I have the heater on in the bathroom when I have a bath. In the evening Mr SFT makes a lovely fire for us which heats up the living room/bedroom. Kitchen can get cold when we are not cooking.
Sf-The school is very lucky to have you..what a commitment walking all the way in the snow. Glad you got home before lunch and had a nice afternoon.
Aril-Sorry about breadmaker. X
Flying fr-Well done on the shoes! Having wide feet, I don’t have a lot of luck buying shoes in sales. I buy Cl*rks for school-at least they last.
Grandma-well done on the socks-Thank you for visiting your lady…you probably made her day!
Loopychriss-Hope you feel better soon
Landreg-Fantastic whoopsies!
Flippin/rictus-I have only participated in 1 make £100 a month on DFW board (actually halved the challenge to £50) but thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a win-win as any money you make is a bonus!

Have a good evening

sft

ziggy2407

Quiet day here and another NSD, l isted few items for sale on Gumtree and netmums and more sorted for listing tomorrow. Have also read one library book and re-ordered more online. Ideas for tomorrow

- FINISH BUDGET
- sort through cookbooks (too many not used)
- tidy craft bits & pieces away
- sort "stuff" under bed and in carriers bags
- baking
- if little one still off school may make some cards for next year
- list some items on freegle

Rozeepozee - Hi, whereabouts in Sheffield are you? Im in Hillsborough

xnatliex - have pm'd you

Am loving this thread, thank you so much for all the tips, advice

slowlyfading

savingfortravel wrote: »

Sf-The school is very lucky to have you..what a commitment walking all the way in the snow. Glad you got home before lunch and had a nice afternoon.

Thanks SFT I was a bit miffed in a way that the school closed at 11am - why couldn't they have just not opened in the first place?! Plus, I've not been as productive this afternoon as I should have been...

cw18

The double walk to and from work in the snow (7" on our drive where it's not been trampled!) has left me totally exhausted, so I think I'm going to turn in early.

Already heard the local primary school is closed again tomorrow, so no voluntary work. In theory this means I can have a lie in, but I gave my phone numbers to one of the girls at work and told her to phone me if she finds she can't get in at any point. She struggled in this morning, but had a couple of 'close calls' on the drive in (too far for her to do anything else) and has only recently passed her test (since I started working there, so in the last 8 weeks). Told her our manager has my numbers, so would probably call me in if she couldn't make it - but he's off this week, and we heard today that his FIL has just passed away (funeral possibly next Monday, so a rejig of rota needed on the bakery side next week). As she's on the rota to start at 6am, I guess she'll be leaving home at 5am or shortly after - so I need to be prepared for a call around then 'just in case'. There is someone else due in alongside her, but I know she doesn't like walking to work in the dark so her husband normally drives her - and their estate is going to be at least as bad as mine (as in practically impassable by car).

DS's college is also closed tomorrow - but he couldn't have got there anyway. He has a choice of two buses - one of which is 'up in the air' as to whether it will be running, and the other is using the next town up (closer to college which is in Wigan) as the terminus despite it normally running into Manchester from Wigan :eek: DD has been trying to sort out how she's getting to work tomorrow (luckily a pre-school nursery that also has an after-school/holiday club that runs when local schools are closed), and has discovered that she has no buses and all local taxi firms are also 'closed for the day'. This means she has a walk of around 4 miles each way........


The Spaghetti Carbonara I made for tea (many thanks for the idea JayJay14) was well received by DS :T But we weren't so keen on the fact I had to finish serving by torchlight.... and we had to eat by the same form of lightsource thanks to a 15 minute power cut :rolleyes2

xnatalie81x

ziggy2407 wrote: »

xnatliex - have pm'd you

You did - and i was ecstatic!!! Replied but after it came up with inbox full and i didn't notice till came home from work and saw page open SOOOOOOO being the doghnut i am - I DELETED ALL THE MESSAGES ARGHHHHHHHHHHH so i couldn't remember who had messaged me!!! Now, i know am pm'ing you now!!!!!!!!!!

JayneC

Just put everything on a spreadsheet - Thanks CW - and have got a different total!!! Don't know what happened there, obviously I can't add up! Here goes again then;
TV Licence - £150.00
Life insurance - £117.60
House insurance - £290.00
Gas/electric - 1200.00
Phone/internet - £360.00
Bike maintenance - £50.00
Personal Petrol - £600.00
contact lenses - £180.00
leisure - £650.00
holidays - £1000.00
gifts - £805.00
DS2 leisure - £840 (inc pocket money, ju jitsu, guitar and club penguin subs)
DS2 school clothes - £200 (starting secondary school this year so will need whole new set!)
DS2 clothes - £100.00
DS2 school trips, etc - £240
DD3 all clothes - £200.00
DD3 college/leisure - £500
Me clothes - £100
groceries/household - £3000.00
household maintenance - £500
Misc - £250
Contingency - £468

TOTAL _ £11800.00

Added up my other essential outgoings (inc car - for work) = £15189.80 :eek:

I'm really struggling to keep track of all my spends actually, how's everyone else getting on? It's not so bad when I go to a shop and get a receipt, it's when kids ask for money for this or that and ordering things online:( Must try harder!

On a better note, have made a start on my money neutral gifts challenge £2.11 for old mobile phone plus £3.60 cashback from quidco. Not much but it's a start!

Re slow cooker debate - I got one from freeycle, it's my first port of call these days (although I don't ask for things often). I do use it quite a bit but tend to do same 2-3 recipes, will have to check out the other threads. Have also got a sewing machine and BM from freecycle

Blairweech

Hi all,

Just a quick one from me, sorry I have not caught up yet. Had about 7" of snow here, which started this morning whilst I was at work - fortunately I did 6-6 today, otherwise I would have been completely stranded at work if I finished at 8 like normal :eek: As it turns out, I did not quite make it home anyway and had to walk the last 2 miles in the cold scary dark (I live very rurally). However my car is a mobile wardrobe, so had plenty of coats to keep me going and my wellies. Finally got home at 8.15 (should be a ten minute drive :rolleyes:) Needless to say, I am not going in tomorrow - I will be lucky if I can even get to my car tomorrow

Had my jabs for Sri Lanka today - only had tetanus and hepatitis, the doctor said I did not even need to take malaria tablets!!

Going to bed now as am exhausted and have 2 poorly arms. Will catch up more tomorrow. Hope everyone is safe and warm in this weather.

xnatalie81x

where is my reply arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - ziggy2407 have pm'd you - tried to reply and inbox was full and went to work not realising message came up saying can't send - so, deleted all messages before realising i didn't take note of who had messaged me lol DOGHNUT! Have pm'd you!!! START

Going to be spending some money soon as need some seeds for lottie but gardenbymail.com have taken the quantities off in their 'upgrade' and so now i have emailed them asking! Got most seeds so just a few packs to buy - and they are really cheap!!!

Tesco delivery made it here PHEW! No snow YET but on it's way apparently - work better not be cancelled or i don't get paid but my childminder does!!!

EDIT: Got seeds using money left in paypal so no official spend - also forgot got a ton of stationery from freecycle so all i'm gonna need this year is my diary from sept 2010

mooomin

JayneC wrote: »

I'm really struggling to keep track of all my spends actually, how's everyone else getting on? It's not so bad when I go to a shop and get a receipt, it's when kids ask for money for this or that and ordering things online:( Must try harder!

Having tried (and failed!) to keep a daily update of spends before, here is what is working for me at the moment...

I use The Spreadsheet from Cheryl, much admired! I keep this on my laptop, as I tend to use this at night when Mr Fresian is making sure that all the internet zombies are kept at bay :rolleyes: (Does anyone else have a better half in their thirties who is happiest shooting internet monsters?!)

In the morning, I log onto internet banking and see if any direct debits have come off, these get noted into my new diary (bought with a gift voucher) which I have christened The Frugal Tome I take the diary with me in my handbag and if I spend anything for which I don't get a receipt I note it down right away, I also hide receipts in there.

At night, if I can be bothered, I update The Spreadsheet, if not I know that the information is in the Frugal Tome and I can get it when I feel the need to play with spreadsheets.

I'm also keeping all of my frugalities in there as a reminder. So, a list of things to do which are moneysaving might go in there. To give you an idea, yesterday had....

A list of all my direct debits which had come out (Sodding £250+!), the money I spent on groceries and presents. It also had my "to do" list including: charging my phone at work, printing off my inventories (of the food in the cupboards) and transfering my PAD into my savings account. I update the "to do" before I go to bed at night and can follow it through the day.

On January 1st I also listed my five January challenges to myself, and am ticking them off as I go. I plan to do this monthly. This includes listing 10 things on Ebay and joining Freecycle. Just little things that will help on this massive (insane) journey I've started.

Hope this is helpful, sorry for the massive post! Hope you find a system that works for you.

f_f

savingfortravel

Blairweech wrote: »

Hi all,


Had my jabs for Sri Lanka today - only had tetanus and hepatitis, the doctor said I did not even need to take malaria tablets!!

Where abouts in Sri Lanka are you staying? Are you going to tour the island? I went about 15 years ago and had a fantastic time!! Saw sea turtles including some babies that we took down to the beach to watch as they raced down to the water's edge. Unforgetable. sft