2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

letsdothis

determined_new_ms wrote: »

letsdothis the only things I could suggest is can the kids have pack ups instead of school dinners and can you shop around for a better deal on your phones? we pay around £22 pm for home phone & internet services and I just yesterday changed my mobile tarrif to 600mins/unlimited texts/500mb internet for £10.25pm


Thanks for looking at my chart - tbh - 2 of kids do have packed lunch 100% of the time - the 3rd does have packed lunch majority of the time so that £10 lasts for about 2 weeks

WHERE did you get that mobile tarrif from ?? who is it with - the £40 is £15 for me and hubby and £10 for daught - but even the £15 doesnt cover that ???

COOLTRIKERCHICK

ok its new years eve and i am comparing prices:D

I have a booker account, and htings arnt normally that much cheaper than the supermarkets etc...but now i am trying to do some comaprisons on the essentials

worked out for me to buy the 'euro shopper sugar' 500g packs works out at 77p per kg .. priced checked mr t and mr a and its 92p a kg so that a saving of 15p per kg:T

then i had a look at the loo rolls:D

they have 'blossom' pack of 24 rolls for £9.99 ( plus vat) on bogof so it works out at 25p a roll or 21p a roll ( i can claim the vat back via my business;))

they did have cheaper loo rolls, but then i think its a false economy.. as you end up using more....same with washing up liquid...

so i think by next week i will do some more comparing, and start stock piling some essentials

cw18

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Cheryl really quick SOW question (sorry if it's been covered before) - I've put my totals etc in ... but how do I get it to start working so that it automatically changes month? Do I have to wait until tomorrow & do something?:o TIA

If you've done the necessary adjustment to cell A1 on the totals page (in which case it should currently be showing '1'), then it'll change automatically through the year.

If it's currently showing '12' then you need to amend the formula. The instructions should be on the info page, but basically sit on the cell, press F2, edit so that where it currently says 2011 - or possibly even 2010, as I forget what's in the versions for downloading - it now says 2012 (in 2 places!). When you press Enter to confirm the update the cell should now change to '1' and it'll update every month

dizzy_lizzie

dizzybee wrote: »

Today i have sorted my budget for the year and god is it scary.i i have set a budget of £50 a week for shopping this will be food,toiletries,pet food and cleaning stuff i am going to keep the money in a envelope and make a list and only take what i need out of it.
got loads of bath and hair stuff for crimbo so should be ok for a while,loads of cleaning stuff etc,if there's any money left in the envelope at the end of the week i plan to just make it upto £50.really want to get the debts cleared this year.

Hi dizzybee. I did this whilst also using up the food from the fridge and cupboards. I changed my £50 into £1 coins at the bank which made it a lot easier, I didn't want to spend any of those shiny coins Anyway I had thought £50 for the week but it lasted longer than that which was great. Think it's still in my sig how I did.
As the fridge and freezer are stocked up I'm going to set myself this target again for the first week in January, starting tomorrow!
We are out tonight with friends, have tickets for the local social club. All our children are grown up and doing their own thing.
x

determined_new_ms

letsdothis wrote: »

determined_new_ms wrote: »

letsdothis the only things I could suggest is can the kids have pack ups instead of school dinners and can you shop around for a better deal on your phones? we pay around £22 pm for home phone & internet services and I just yesterday changed my mobile tarrif to 600mins/unlimited texts/500mb internet for £10.25pm


Thanks for looking at my chart - tbh - 2 of kids do have packed lunch 100% of the time - the 3rd does have packed lunch majority of the time so that £10 lasts for about 2 weeks

WHERE did you get that mobile tarrif from ?? who is it with - the £40 is £15 for me and hubby and £10 for daught - but even the £15 doesnt cover that ???

its with vodafone. I saw the offer on the grabbit board & called straight away. You need to take the offer out this week so I think that means today!

bramble1

Hello all,

We are staying in tonight, we do every year, sometimes people drop by, sometimes it's just us two. I've got a bottle of wine I started last night, a case of beer and some HM raspberry vodka so we'll see the new year in okay!!

Rent and electric bills are paid, I've recieved a standing order form to fill in for one my CC debts which I will send back on Tuesday and except for walking the dog, I plan to hibernate for most of the month.

I've got my kindle, exercise bike and love film subscription so I've got plenty to keep me occupied and out of the pub!!!

rising_from_the_ashes

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

worked out for me to buy the 'euro shopper sugar' 500g packs works out at 77p per kg .. priced checked mr t and mr a and its 92p a kg so that a saving of 15p per kg:T

then i had a look at the loo rolls:D

they have 'blossom' pack of 24 rolls for £9.99 ( plus vat) on bogof so it works out at 25p a roll or 21p a roll ( i can claim the vat back via my business;))

Try looking around elsewhere too .... Nicky loo rolls are £3.99 for 18 (22p) and lovely, soft & quilted.

Sugar .... also remember to check elsewhere - the sm's do offers and it will be cheaper than the "normal" price so stock up then but it's also def cheaper at Home Bar*gains, A*ldi & L*idl etc which don't show up on the comparison sites. HTH

cw18 wrote: »

If you've done the necessary adjustment to cell A1 on the totals page (in which case it should currently be showing '1'), then it'll change automatically through the year.

If it's currently showing '12' then you need to amend the formula. The instructions should be on the info page, but basically sit on the cell, press F2, edit so that where it currently says 2011 - or possibly even 2010, as I forget what's in the versions for downloading - it now says 2012 (in 2 places!). When you press Enter to confirm the update the cell should now change to '1' and it'll update every month

Thanks Cheryl - think I've now done it right! (it was saying 12)- have a lovely evening with your fella

prepareathome

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

worked out for me to buy the 'euro shopper sugar' 500g packs works out at 77p per kg .. priced checked mr t and mr a and its 92p a kg so that a saving of 15p per kg:T

then i had a look at the loo rolls:D

they have 'blossom' pack of 24 rolls for £9.99 ( plus vat) on bogof so it works out at 25p a roll or 21p a roll ( i can claim the vat back via my business;))
al

If you have a B & M anywhere near they do sugar for 79p a bag - normal kg size and also a triple toilet paper 9 rolls for £1.99 which we find is just as good as the good brand beginning with A. Its nice and soft and thick so works out at 23p a roll rounding up.

Also if you have a Coo Trader they also do the sugar at 79p.

moonflower_2

I am a newbie I am not sure if I joined for 2012 or if I accidently joined 2011.

I really need to stick to a tight budget and all help would be appreciated. Oh also what is B&M please?

Happy New Year everyone

cw18

moonflower wrote: »

Oh also what is B&M please?

They're a chain of stores that sell as (supposedly) discounted prices - but you still have to keep an eye on them. Not a lot of fresh groceries, but some tins and packets. Lots of sweets and biscuits (which I need to stay away from), and seasonal stuff such as gardening in the summer and toys towards the end of the year.