Living on $12,000 a year

Hardup_Hester

Hi Ceridwen
Funny you should say that I bake cakes for the staff at work, once or twice a week, they seem to like my weetabix brownies best
Hester

scuzz

When I was a waitress, my income was £7.5k pa (found out my boss actually paid me £6.5k). I was lucky and lived at home with my Dad, but still paid towards food, my phone and ran a car and supported a bf

I used to get quite a few tips, which I used to try and live on. It was hard, but just about managed with careful budgeting

ceridwen

Seems like a good point to say "thank you" to all OS'ers for all the helpful tips I have picked up from running back through all the threads on this board.

The things that come to mind right now are:
- diluting full-fat milk rather than buying skim milk (1 part water to 2 parts milk is what I am doing)
- using odd bits of bread for breadcrumbs
- the whole basic approach of using what food I already have and basing meals round that (rather than my previous approach of find a recipe, then get in what I am missing for it) (I feel like I am eating so much better - I seem to have loads of food in when I look at things from that viewpoint)
- watching out for shops overcharging (just in last week I was about to be overcharged twice - so I now take a calculator with me)
- watching out for bargains
- taking better care of what I have (doing the ironing this a.m. and found moths had got at 2 of my jumpers - will try and mend them and keep wool items in a closed room in future, so it doesnt happen again if any moths come flying through the windows)
- drying things naturally, rather than in tumbledryer
- kefir-making (lot cheaper than yogurt)
- dried beans cooked up in a batch and stored in freezer (rather than using tinned ones)
- reading newspapers online, rather than buying them.

The basic thing I think is that I was brought up in a family where there wasnt enough money and can remember having to do without necessities even (NEVER had any holidays, home was too cold and diet wasnt healthy enough, etc) - BUT my mother didnt know any strategies at all for living on low income - so it was just a case of do without all the time - but she could have employed all the creative strategies I am currently learning from OS'ers and I probably wouldnt have felt so deprived - money would have gone further and I would have been less likely as an adult to "go a bit mad" whenever I had the chance moneywise.

It has taken a long time to learn a more "balanced" attitude to money and live as well and creatively as possible on my income - not to say that I still wouldnt like to have a high income (even a national average level income would be a big help). But, at least, it does help a lot to learn all the little strategies I am picking up here (as well as the "bigger" stuff like ensuring my bills are as low as possible).

Money has never been my first priority - I have had the chances before now to live a VERY comfortable indeed lifestyle and turned them down - as I felt other things were more important. But it is still nice to have the chance to live as well as I can on what income I have - so THANK YOU all again. I appreciate the chance of learning all this stuff I didnt have the chance to find out before.

rosieben

ceridwen wrote: »

... so THANK YOU all again. I appreciate the chance of learning all this stuff I didnt have the chance to find out before.

Well said ceridwen! I cant tell you how many good ideas I've got from the people on this thread and other OS threads. So many things it would never have occurred to me to do.

I was youngest of a very large family and although we never went without the necessities I can see how much better a standard of life we'd have had if mother had known some of this stuff.

Thanks Os-ers :T:T:T

moanymoany

Yes Ceridwen and Rosieben, The advice and hints on this site have led me to great sources of additional information as well as in themselves saving me hundreds of pounds. My life is happier. I look on so many of the posters as friends. I look forward to coming on here a couple of times a day, it recharges my batteries. I am very lucky as DH is as into the whole OS thing as I am.

The pleasure we get out of planning a cheap os life is a sure indication that we need to get out more - but it can be so expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

Hardup_Hester

Hubby reminded me this morning, that this week will probably be his last week of work for a few months, I have some of his wages stashed away & we have a lodger staying for a few weeks in September, I still have things to sell on Ebay/Amazon, so that bumps things up a bit. I am going to a local outlet mall on Thursday & am hoping to buysome new shoes, I have one comfy pair left, they are 15 years old & have been heeled & soled so many times. I am on my feet all day & am not allowed to wear trainers, so I'm going to try & find something comfy.
hester

moanymoany

I got my this months Country Living magazine ( subscription paid for with Tesco vouchers) and inside was a sales catalogue from the White Company. There were a lot of items that were hand quilted, and even at full price were not hugely expensive.

Now, I can quilt and even done quickly to quilt a bed sized quilt takes a long time. I emailed the company and asked them where their hand quilted items came from. They came back with a fudged reply and I have emailed back to ask them if there is any reason why they do not want to say where their goods are made.

They must be made by sweatshop labour, there is no other way.

It goes to show that it is not just the cheap stuff we buy that is made at the disadvantage of vulnerable people.

Trow

ceridwen wrote: »

- taking better care of what I have (doing the ironing this a.m. and found moths had got at 2 of my jumpers - will try and mend them and keep wool items in a closed room in future, so it doesnt happen again if any moths come flying through the windows)

A tip I was given recently, was to keep a bar of soap (cheap basics stuff will do) with woollen clothes, as moths dislike the smell.

I need to get an expensive (by my standards - £80) item of clothing repaired for the same reason...

dolly_day_dream

moanymoany wrote: »

I got my this months Country Living magazine ( subscription paid for with Tesco vouchers) and inside was a sales catalogue from the White Company. There were a lot of items that were hand quilted, and even at full price were not hugely expensive.

Now, I can quilt and even done quickly to quilt a bed sized quilt takes a long time. I emailed the company and asked them where their hand quilted items came from. They came back with a fudged reply and I have emailed back to ask them if there is any reason why they do not want to say where their goods are made.

They must be made by sweatshop labour, there is no other way.

It goes to show that it is not just the cheap stuff we buy that is made at the disadvantage of vulnerable people.

A while back there were quilts on sale locally that had been hand quilted. Like you, I am a a quilter and I could not see how they could be sold for such a low price, £50 for a double. I looked at them closely and you could see that they had been quilted using large stitches in a hurry. I made enquiries at the time and was told that they were made in Chinese Prisons. Something that has been made by hand but under duress, is not something I want in my home but then I probably suffer from an over active imagination.

GreenNinja

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

A word of caution re borrowing DVD's from your local library, ours charges £5.50 a night to borrow a DVD

Something that works for me is, if I fancy watching something on dvd I buy from ebay then resell it after watching, sometimes I lose a pound or two, other times I make a pound or two so it doesn't really cost anything doing it this way.

:j