2014 Frugal Living Challenge

Shortie

Afternoon all

So, at lunchtime I checked my bank account, updated my spread sheet withthe masses of shops I have done since Saturday, marked off those that have been debitted already and then added in the ones yet to be taken.

I've put the various holiday savings aside so they're all sorted - but the Savings Plan section online is only letting me add new goals, not delete old ones no longer needed - so I'll need to call them tomorrow to work ot what's going on there :think:

I've taken out the grocery money and petrol money. I have allocated myself £60 for 'odds and sods' for the month and am aimingto keep as much of that in tact as possible - I will need to buy milk for work as I'll have at least 2 'turns' this month, plus a friend and I are trying to meet up once a month to catch up as we work near each other, but will keep the spends on the lunch as close to a fiver as possible.

I also *appear* to have about £150 left unallocated too - but I have children and we're trying to sort the garden out asap so I'm not sure how much of that will still be in tact by the end of this pay month...

Challenge is to keep as much of the £150 and £60 in my pocket as possible this month. When I can sort out the saving pots online (or give in and create another section in my budgetting spread sheet) then I'll move both of them out so that I have to consciously transfer money into my current account before i can spend anything. If I do have any spares at the end of the month, I'll move it into my long-term-savings account

Planning for a day out in the garden tomorrow if the weather holds - what's everyone else up to?

Shortie

Oh, and on catch up...

Sorry to hear the rental place hasn't budged yet KM

Sorry to hear of the poorly family Cydney

DawnW

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

On the downside............my rental property that we have put up for sale is not attracting a buyer and costing us a fortune in the meantime. Going to give it till the end of this month......drop the price to the minimum we feel we can accept, and if still no offers after another month we will have to get it back on the rental market. Just cant go on affording paying mortgage and council tax on an empty property.

Just a thought, but I didn't think that you needed to pay CT on empty properties? We were exempted for a few months while we did ours up, before we moved in. We have a certificate from the LA and everything. Is this not the case now (going back about 3 years)? Might be worth checking up

DawnW

Not a NSD again today I am afraid, as I needed bread, milk, and a couple of other bits this morning.

Got the cheque for the sales minus rent from our unit today. Not good at all I have paid to reserve another unit, in a shop which is open 6 days a week, and less half the price of the other one. We can move in on 1 May when I have finished with work. I may give notice on the other one, as it is simply not worthwhile. This month it will only have been open for 11 days :eek: so no wonder not much is selling. If it doesn't work out at the other one I will cut my losses, but it is certainly worth trying. The town now has quite a busy market and this has attracted a lot of people to the town centre, but guess what, the bloomin' shop isn't open on market day :mad:

Kantankrus_Mare

Its changed recently Dawn. Bit bad really when we have to pay full CT while it is empty but if it was single occupancy there would be a reduction. Crazy:eek:

sparrer

Stopped at Mr M just before closing last night, got 2 cream slices for 9p, 2 bones for the dog for 8p and a bag of 8 Coxes apples for 10p.

Oh dear, another garden centre today, this time with my neighbour as she wanted a second opinion about what to plant. I'm not good in garden centres (in fact I'm usually very bad!) but only bought a couple of plants. On the plus side their pot stands on wheels were £3.99 and hanging baskets were £4.99 so I decided to go without. We then went on to the £1 shop and got them there, at - yes, you've guessed it - £1 each . Even if they only last 3/4 years each I'm not running at a loss, so I got 4 of each saving £28 on the garden centre price. I've just tranferred the £28 from bank to savings which will earn interest.

lovefullshelves

Ello everyone:)
Well, I managed a NSD today and yesterday in aldi I spent all of 24.06 and that filled the gap I've managed to make in the shelves during april challenge. It seems to be taking forever to run freezer lower. i suppose we're still eating alot of things we grow.
After the below the line challenge in May I'll have to revert to freezer usage only! I wil find out whats at the bottom of the chest freezer!!
Have a lovely easter We don't really celebrate but I do love a bank holiday monday!!
xx

SarahB1989_2

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Its changed recently Dawn. Bit bad really when we have to pay full CT while it is empty but if it was single occupancy there would be a reduction. Crazy:eek:

I know nothing about CT (student so exempt!) so hope someone can correct me, but could you claim to live in it and OH claim to live in current house? So single occupancy reduction on both?

Frugalsod

SarahB1989 wrote: »

I know nothing about CT (student so exempt!) so hope someone can correct me, but could you claim to live in it and OH claim to live in current house? So single occupancy reduction on both?

I think you could find yourself in serious trouble if you claimed that but lived together. Large fines are the least of your problems. If you are genuinely living apart then it would be fine, though claiming it when you live together would be fraud and you could both get a criminal record.

Mrs_Cheshire

ginnyknit wrote: »

Greenhouse is heaving with pots of seeds and have just rigged up a vertical growing station using plastic milk bottles suspended on canes - from Frugaldoms 'vertical challenge' on her forum. Strawberries are going in that freeing up a bed for shallots and beans.

Just checked out the challenge what a fabulous idea. Thanks for pointing it out