July benefit challenge -here we go

Emmzi

elantan wrote:

emzi, mrs.troo you are doing great this month ..emzi i'm looking at your meal planner and thinking of nicking some..(attempting a shopping challenge with lynz and co this month) is that ok? noticed you mentioning cous cous ..any other nice food from lidl/aldi you can recomend? never shopped there but this month i will be thanks

Hmm, what do I like.. Lidl quiche tastes great but has more fat per 100g than Mars bars!! so they're occassional. Their own brand 'cornettos' are fab; pizzas are ok if you add lots of others toppings (bit thin! but cheaper than plain pizza bases other places!); cheese is tasty; b/f tells me cold meats very good, esp salami. Non-bio washing powder good, and cheap. all butter choccy biccies fab too - the square ones with ictures of ships on them!

Aldi I like for.. lippy (lipstick and matching liner for £2); tights; microfibre cleaning cloths; black lives (about 40p a jar, excellent); speciality pasta (walnut and gorgonzola, yum); b/f likes their marinated tuna steaks.

My biggst surprise this mnth tho has been farm foods. Not for the ready meals (too unhealthy) but for tins and jars - pasta and curry sauces, cream, all 2 for a £1; Ben and jerry's £1 a tub (500ml) ; and nice cheap cheese, pound a block.

I am fairly sure Martin did a run down on what people reccomended from Netto, aldi and Lidl a couple of months back.. might try the shopping area for it?

Emmzi

sammy115 wrote:

I am struggling in some ways, up down, up down. Got some freelance work. Got paid for it and the money went into a black hole, as the bank had closed my account and forgotten to tell me. It went into their banking system and three weeks later I am still waiting for the money.. In one way its good, I can't spend it on the other hand I am so angry at the way the bank are behaving, and I want to pay one of my credit cards off. I am still waiting for the Inland Revenue to get my tax right following my job going awol in Jan. Tax credit people are also on my list, as are the benefit office.

Mortgage money also went astray in April and whilst the Insurance company have upheld my complaint and are going to pay the money again, they made the cheque out in the wrong name, so my mortgage payment has been adrift for three months!!

Lastly sky have got my bill wrong every month for the last six months. but i complained and have got sky half price for six months as well as £20 off my last bill and some vouchers.

I have been too busy writing complaint letters to organise my shopping, although I am being careful.

Keep up the good work

Aww Sammy, you're having a helluva time with institutions!!

Maybe you can hire yourself out as a master complaint letter writer after this!

Always nice to hear from you, keep checking in.. I am sure the good weather will bring us a change in luck.
xx

Emmzi

jazzyjustlaw wrote:

Just wanted to say what an absolutely great thread. I have been on benefits - a long time ago. Em and Troo are an inspiration.

Give us your hints and tips!!!

I am thinking of carrying on with this even when I do get another contract through.. am starting to be obessed with the size of 'emergency fund' I have.. how do you keep going month after month??

jazzyjustlaw

Emmzi wrote:

Give us your hints and tips!!!

I am thinking of carrying on with this even when I do get another contract through.. am starting to be obessed with the size of 'emergency fund' I have.. how do you keep going month after month??

To be honest I was given tins of food from my mum and she cooked for me twice a week. Went without food sometimes too to feed the baby but she is 16 now!! I was only 17 when I had her and was about 20 when on benefits only for about 18 months. Difficulty then was no Lidl, I didnt drive so went mainly to corner shop and no moneysaving expert!!

I must admit that I got child benefit of £7.25 and you wont believe it but it was such a godsend. Meant that if I ran out of money I could get a little on Monday to provide food. You didnt get all the baby freebies you do now either - I sound 100 amd over 34 I promise x

I walked a lot and just cooked from scratch - no luxuries, played with my daughter a lot in the garden walked to the beach scraped together some money for an icecream if I was lucky. Also where I live we have an access to leisure which means if you are on a low income benefit you get 75% off the arts centre, cinema, theatre and other things, that helped heaps.

Another time when I was on benefits was when I was at college and got a grant then later at uni a grant and loan and summer on benefits but then they brought in tax credits and I know they are a pain but meant I could get the same amount of benefit abour £64.00 a week and have my earnings which mean £14k and thats a lot o money when you been on benefits although had to pay some council tax nearly lost everything by then as I lost my head as a student and racked up some debt.

Tips include: - lots of pasta and tomato and grated cheese, baked potato cheese and beans, a sandwiches for tea night. Bootsales for buying everything was a good habit of mine and I would sell things made £60.00 once when I had not a bean.

Its amazing how times change I have money left each month now. The biggest money saving advice though is give up smoking and dont go out on the **ss too often and no more eating out unless its 2 for one or someone else can pay. Also the best bit of advice someone gave me was " you probably wont be on benefits forever so look at it as temporary" that really helped me you can just think to yourself I can buy so and so when I get a job etc.

Sorry if I have gone off somewhat but just wrote as I remembered.

Emmzi

jazzyjustlaw wrote:

To be honest I was given tins of food from my mum and she cooked for me twice a week.!!

My greatest fear is having to sell my house and move back in with arents - however lovely they are! - if new contract doesn't show...

*chants.. job offers come easily to me..*

I read a lot on benefits board about tax credits.. and have to say child benefit seemed a lot simpler and people were generally happy with it.. no kiddies to look after for me, which obviously makes life easier.

Tips include: - lots of pasta and tomato and grated cheese, baked potato cheese and beans, a sandwiches for tea night. Bootsales for buying everything was a good habit of mine and I would sell things made £60.00 once when I had not a bean.

I think I may be turning into a pan of penne... it's just so cheap though!!!

The biggest money saving advice though is give up smoking and dont go out on the **ss too often and no more eating out unless its 2 for one or someone else can pay.

B/f is paying a bit more now.. trouble is he *is* currently on benefits... and miles away from his LBM... having a big sulk with him today about spending too much time on sofa...

Also the best bit of advice someone gave me was " you probably wont be on benefits forever so look at it as temporary" that really helped me you can just think to yourself I can buy so and so when I get a job etc.

I think I am going to feel like I should be living this way until I have no debt at all.. including mortgage.. and a big emergency fund... my near-peniless expereince has scared the hell out of me..

Sorry if I have gone off somewhat but just wrote as I remembered.

No, very useful, thanks. Do keep adding tips as you remember more!

Emmzi

Yesterday's spend - a quid on an ice cream. melty hot weather, urgh.

aiming for an early finish today and off home to do something with all the shopping I got at the weekend.

Just remembered I have 2 overnighters with work next week, so will need to take off 8 quid allowance for that. However... 13 days to go .. I *will* make it!

Stuff old me would have bought this month...

- satellite navigation
- £45 hair cut
- £30 manicure
- new shoes
- sundresses
- LOST s2 dvd box set

I am not really missing any of them. Except LOST.

£56.09 left... so I can have it if I only spend about twenty quid for the rest of the month.. unlikely!!

Emmzi

£7 on shirt for interview as one I was wearing was revolting after bettling on London underground.

£1.50 for icy cold diet coke while waiting in pub pre-interview.

Not a good day. £47.59 to go.

tru

Today I bought a packet of cigs, a bag of minstrels and a yogurt maker, £28.76 :eek:

The yogurt maker will save us a fortune though so it's an investment The same can't be said of the cigs and choc

£140.66 left.

Emmzi

£47.59... less £19 at opening of new supermarket!!! Got free carry bags.. and really shouldn't need to buy *anything else* until payday!! £28.59. working on job stuff this weekend, and cleaning - and working away until Wed.. so really only next weekend to cope with.

I might ask parents to visit and take them to the farmer's market.. somehow I always come home with a free bag of goodies

I *will* make it this month!!! NOTHNG will break!!

tru

Just spent £32 :eek: at the market.