Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

Floxxie

I would love to join you please. I haven't yet worked out the breakdown of my finances but it shouldn't be too hard as there is so little :rotfl:

Will pop back tomorrow, Looking forward to be an active member rather than a part-time lurker!

Floxxie

Erme

I'm going to be on 5K this year all in - whoopsies the lot. 4K was impossible for me last year (well over - dread to think by how much by :eek:)...

Got woken up by the fireworks @ 12 ...was having a nice snooze ..but then considering I'd gone to bed in my clothes maybe that wasn't so bad?

Haven't heard from amazon re e-book sales so will have to check soon.. Though only started selling e-books the other week (about a week ago if not less) and they have no covers so maybe nothing fab but even a few pence would be cool :money:

Add me to the list please if it's not already done CW. Welcome to all the new members - at least you're all joining now and not like I did last year in FEBRUARY (about the worst month I could join)...don't forget your cashback sites for mobile contracts (has come in sohandy)...get what you need in terms of a contract - you do not NEED the latest fancy phone...just look at posh ppl...they often have fossilized phones and you wonder why? It's cos they know where to put their money..(on the landrover LOL)

I kind of have a boyfriend Nuala and yes he is new...He made a first attempt @ carrot and coriander soup last night only grated the carrot prior then wondered why it was poor (perfectly edible with a little garlic powder and like a bit of salad whizzed in I got for him for 10p the other night).. He lives 40 mins away on the bus so praise God I have my bus pass...

Blessings and

E

liloandstitch

Please include me Cheryl, I am a lurker who rarely contributes to the thread, but I do read, and find it brilliant

Thanks everyone and heres to 2011

Lilo

Doom_and_Gloom

2011 budget is £5,000 for the year.


The budget will be broken down as follows:

• Groceries = £1,100
• Gas = £0,300
• Electricity = £0,300
• Water = £0,120
• Internet = £0,180
• Contents insurance = £0,150
• Bike insurance = £0,390
• Road tax = £0,015
• Petrol = £0,300
• Vets = £0,240
• Mobiles = £0,500
• Yule = £0,334 (gifts, all food, treats, drink etc)
• Birthdays = £0,180
• Dentist = £0,120
• Optical = £0,120
• Entertainment = £0,180
• TV licence = £0,145.50
• Bike maintanance = £0,120
• MOT = £0,030

Total of above = £4,824.50 but will be rounding it up to £5,000. That means we have £175.50 incase we need it (hoping that is an easy £175.50 into our wedding savings but we'll find out at the end of the year if that is the case!).

We won't be including rent or council tax. This is to cover my fiance, me and our 2 chinchillas . All things related to my disability are not on this budget as they should be covered by my DLA (note the word should, lol).

We are trying to spend as little as possible as we want to save for our wedding (looks like it will be in 2013 but we still have quite a lot to save so we shall see). We refuse to get a loan to get married so we need to save for it.

patentgirl

Happy New year to everyone

Please count me in Cheryl still have to finalise my figures definatly going to lower my food total as got some brillaint whoospies yesterday which if i could manage every week would make total much more managable!
First day of New year NSD as been invited out for meal by SIL

pink_numbers

Happy new year to everyone I really hope that this year brings many many joys to everyone.

Please count me in, my budget is £10k all in for the two of us It will be great if I can get that down to 9K, but I am not going to kill myself over it this year.

enjoyfinancialchallenges

The excitement on this thread is palpable, well done all those who so far have managed a NSD including myself, only 364 days more to go until 2012. :rotfl:I'm still very determined to achieve my decluttering and only essential spending for this year, I go to bed grinning about the challenge ahead.......and thats on my own.:rotfl:

Good luck one and all in 2011.

the_cat

Well a NSD day so far.... but only because Lidl was shut!

Went to get a stock of their half price dishwasher tablets. Will have to go back tomorrow and get my years worth:D (84p for 40 is cheaper than I have seen anywhere all last year so worth it. They clean pretty well too) This weekend only though so go quick if you want some

Will also need to fill up with petrol. Forgot yesterday about the first of the increases but want to get sorted before the VAT rise

Other than that don't need to spend until Tuesday at the earliest.:T

diddly74

Yes another NSD for me - 2010 ended with one and 2011 will start with one!

I would like to lower our living expenses, but not sure how successful I will be. There are 4 of us, me OH and 2 daughters (11 and 8) plus 2 dogs and 2 cats and maybe later in the year some chickens (depends on what the LL says). Last year it cost us £15,698.52 to live - that was not including bills like electricity and gas or the rent. Which compared to a lot of you is a HUGE amount.

I have worked out - based on costs and DDs from last year that including the bills and mortgage our living costs will be/allowed for are approximately £20,000 (£24,120 with savings included for holidays, presents, emergencies, etc.)

Looking at my spreadsheet from last year and graphs I can see that I did not keep within my food/household budget any month from May onwards - I wonder if that is because prices were rising and I did not change my shopping habits or because I shopped recklessly. Travel costs (petrol) also broke the ceiling of the budget every month bar one! From anything from £20 to almost £100 in July 2010!!!!:eek:

Now I cannot control how much it costs for us (hubby and I) to travel to work and daily commitments (I am a Student Nurse so have University to attend and work placements in hospitals) But shall endeavour to walk more where possible instead of popping into the car for a quick trip to the shops.

Food budget should fall! As I am on a diet from Monday! I will not be buying all the nice goodies for the family as this is much too much of a temptation for me to divert myself from the diet!!! Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it!

My biggest challenge (apart from shedding the lbs from my body) will be to save money - I am a terrible saver - money sings to me when I have it. I hope to have a pot of £4 - 5k in the bank by next christmas, along with the sealed pots/saving challenges I hope to join on here. That will be a major achivement for me as I have never been able to save before!

Good luck to all with their personal challenges I hope that I can help support you all during 2011.

alec_eiffel

Hi,

If my brain isn't too addled to add up properly my budget (2 people, 2 pets) is £9,500. That's for things we can change though, I'm not including mortgage, council tax, pension, water and basic savings in there.

It's a bit higher than I'd hoped but we've just found out how much it's going to cost DH to pay for parking at work from now on.

Happy New Year everyone and enjoy the challenge.