Mrs McB's countdown to adventures with chooks (and Rock Gods)

Pippilongstocking

I've updated the dreaded spreadsheets against the spends on the bank.

Can a wee household/car/teenager/two hungry hounds, really cost nearly £1500/month to run??????????????????????????? (£1407 to be precise AND that is with at least 100 month for travel)

So far my 'guesstimates' aren't bad but they're scary can life really cost this much.

However, like many folks I'm wondering where the MONEY left is actually going.

I've made quite a few PAD's and so most of the 'spare' has gone to debts but even still.

This months extra teaching money should be a few £quids so that can go to the cards too.

I've just booked my flight 'south' for holidays (the actual honeymoon all paid by Mr RG, I'll pay 1/3 when we're home on a 0% deal as negotiated for me to bring my DS along its kinda like buy one get one free for him really isn't it.)

We're far from on the soup line, I know that's fine, thanks to work, but seeing the costs of this house etc month in/out is quite scary.

Just makes me all the keener to roll in

Grocery spends
BB/phone needs changed.
Electricity and those monsters which scoff it need to turn off switches.

Not sure what else (aside travel) and the creeping up DD spends can be reduced any further.

But I know we can cook for cheaper and reduce the grub budget to keep it under the 200 I've allocated, probably even under 100 if we're proper frugal - we've managed nearly that the past couple months by meal planning.

Shrugs and hopes to get clarity.

EssexHebridean

:rotfl: at Milk'n'beans

:rotfl::rotfl: at DD's reaction when you locked down spending Stripes - good for you. :T

Spending diary for tracking down where "everything" else goes? Sorting out that Broadband will help won't it - remember TCB if you're changing too - I was looking just lately and seeing what options there were as I'm getting resentful towards Sky. They want to stop keep putting up the costs.

Electric - ours is currently set at £58 per month electric plus £5 (ish) for the gas - that's the whole shebang - cooking, heating, water, light, and all things switch-operated. We don't use all the £5 though and constantly run up a bit of credit - so assume £60 total. Your house is probably double the floor space of our flat - maybe a bit less, but of course you do a lot of your heating with the fire. On the flip side though your cooking is pricey electric,. where ours is cheap gas.

Hugs coming your way for lack of clarity on all things spendy...

Pippilongstocking

Thanks EH that's good to know. I posted something similar on a closed FB page and some interesting figures coming from a few folks. Mine's don't seem much away from midling for a family of my size.

Last night after cinema netted a 16p cabbage, 50p rasps and a 34p cauli - which as we all know are normally gold plated in price. So happy with the late night call into the supermarket.

Interesting link today

About a family shrugging off the supermarkets for a year.

Link here

At the bottom of the article theres a link to the blog too.

Today's epic achievements.

Worked at college for 6 hours, did other job admin for 2.5 so a hefty work day.
Didn't pick my huge fish box of spinach but admired it and noted it for a day with less veg in the house.
I got a cracking reference today for work - quite humbling actually and very nice to be complimented (I've offered hard cash, don't worry!)
Sorted out my work schedule until holidays which start on the shortest day - not long now til that boogers off and we get increased light everyday - hooray!!
DD practised her sweet potato soup using up old sweetpotatoes but requested cream and red peppers so got both from lidl - and nothing else. So a LSD day.
It was yummy.
Made sweetcorn fritters for tea with the left over yorkshire batter (tight, us, yup!) - no pictures (they're not bonnie) but yummy GP would be proud of the efforts but not of the beauty - her being a creature of bonnie grub.

Some interesting chat at work. I taught (I'll use the term loosely) a group of 16 year old boys today. Man if my children behave like that at school I'll box their lugs. Sheesh. We survived lets just leave it at that.

PJ's on - really broken night sleep last night. I'm bit stressy about everything but wonder if its just the lack of daylight?

Managed to get a 3 mile walk with mutt half way through the day, in relative warm weather. So odd from the snow a few days previously.

Off to tottle and check banks etc.

DS safely en france and smiley. Which is lovely.

Small things and all that.

Greying_Pilgrim

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Made sweetcorn fritters for tea with the left over yorkshire batter (tight, us, yup!) - no pictures (they're not bonnie) but yummy GP would be proud of the efforts but not of the beauty - her being a creature of bonnie grub.

Ach - flatterer There's no pics coz you've done the decent thing and scoffed 'em up smartish - which is the only thing to do with tasty grub - I heartily approve

Greying

Pippilongstocking

Flattery will get me an invite to the housewarming bash :-)

It's a long game I play!

And they were yum :-)

Pippilongstocking

£5 to each of the cards.

Whilst its not groundbreaking, small steps and all that.

And I think we'll make inquiries with Plusnet seems like the best deal up here at the mo.

And I've dug out the energy owl. Nuff said about this families electricity use the better.



Nighty night.

mum2one

Good luck with the energy owl, have some emergency brandy for when it starts working! x

Pippilongstocking

Switched energy supplier - is it really that easy. It would seem so.

No daily charge
Fix rate until after we leave here
No exit fee.

Simples.

Should reduce the DD by £7/month - all helps

I must look at the oil spends (100/month dd) - I think this is probably (sadly) realistic as its the only hot water source, but we'll have to plan when we can cancel it as once the last tank is filled (we moved into house with EMPTY tank) we need to plan on when to fill and when to move out *roughly) but it will release 100/month when we cancel it.

Pippilongstocking

mum2one wrote: »

Good luck with the energy owl, have some emergency brandy for when it starts working! x

I'm sure I'll need it so thank you. We ALWAYS use to have it switched on when I was on my PhD - no money focusses the mind somewhat.

Not that we have much more now, but we do have wages and they are sneaky and often tell you, you're better off than you really are.

SneakymcBeaky things wages.

It takes a period of forthcoming non-wages to refocus the mind a bit clearly.

:A I'll await the stool and the brandy.

Although I might need it now, I've been on the wii tonight doing knee stuff and my pins are a bit wibblesome.

kissjenn

Enjoy your wii and the free stool and brandy.

Your life always sounds so fun and frantic - pink panther meets Hamish Macbeth - love it xxx