Cheery's country living adventure

EssexHebridean

Was that the Amex card Cheery? We’ve always put that one off because of the restricted places that take it but it might be worth doing just short term to get the cashback - it’s not like there’s any others out there offering hard cash these days is it! 

We’re looking to trim things a bit in November too - probably just ordinary frugal rather than Uber frugal but more than happy to keep you company on a belt-tightening month. For us it will be mainly the food spends I think, plus working to get ahead of ourselves on the CC thing. Plus for me chipping away at that 0% card - the sooner it’s gone the sooner I get the money I’m paying to it back each month! 

Cheery_Daff

Yes it's Amex - I had 5% cashback for the first 3 months and now I think it's dropped to about 1.5%? Fortunately those 3 months involved us buying a load of kitchen appliances etc which added up nicely! 

I found it a nuisance at first - local cafe, charity shops, local shop etc don't take it. But everywhere we buy diesel does, plus all the big shops we buy most food in, and between those two things that's at least £500 a month. B&Q recently started taking it (you probably don't spend as much in there as we do at the minute 😂 ) and when I remember, I use it to pay for online stuff too, birthday presents etc. Much more smooth now I have a better idea of where is likely to take it. 

Good to have you joining me in belt tightening (in reality we probably won't be uber frugal either, but even averagely frugal would be an improvement right now...). Could do with focusing on being able to tighten me actual belt a little tighter too so that might encourage me to make more use of my gym membership etc!

Paspatur

Hi Cheery
Food & household = £333
Does this include utilities, insurances etc.
I thought I was doing well on just over £300 a month for food, council tax, gas & electric, phone, internet and house insurance for one person
I do also have a house category which has averaged £61 this year but that includes window cleaner, new washing machine, light bulbs, gas service and batteries
Maybe you are excluding things in sinking funds - I have gifts (large family), holidays (just passport and insurance this year) and garden (major rework this year)
I have no car costs, no chicken costs, no cafe costs, no eating out cost and no vet costs
I have averaged £44 a month on clothes, hairdresser, dentist, vitamins and  kindle this year but higher last year with optician costs
I have no mortgage or debt but low income (semi retired)
I guess it depends how we split costs
Love reading your diary 

Cheery_Daff

Thanks Paspatur, good to see you here 😊

Sadly that £333 literally just includes food and household stuff bought in the supermarket (eg cleaning stuff, of which there is very little 😂 so it's mostly food 🙄)

This is nowhere near a complete SOA, just a few categories that I know are a bit spendy at the minute and could easily be cut back without too much hassle.

So yes, that £333 excludes all council tax (which is £189 on its own!), utilities, all car costs other than diesel, any insurance, medical, holiday, gifts, Christmas, holidays, household appliances (comes under maintenance category not food & household). I do have separate funds for all those things which I add to each month. 

I love hearing how other people organise and categorise their budgets though! I might get brave enough to do a full SOA again at the start of November, especially as this is the first month I've had at my new 4-day-week wage 😮

Cheery_Daff

I should also say that I think you are doing extremely well to keep food, council tax, gas & electric, phone, internet and house insurance to £300 😮😮 Just quickly added up our categories for those and it comes to about £876 (for 2 of us) 😮

£333 food
£189 Council tax
£89 electric
£220 gas (approx - we're on LPG and this is what I put aside each month - we pay the whole lot in one go when we have the tank topped up roughly 3 times a year or so)
£29.99 phone/Internet (just realised I didn't include mobiles but that's only £21 between us)
£30 ish house insurance - I pay annually but put roughly this aside - I don't like to go too budget given the stupid nature of this house, nearby trees, septic tank, well in cellar etc 🙄

I do realise that now doesn't add up to £876 but you get the idea - far more spendy than I'd like at any rate!!

Karmacat

Such progress on the house, Cheery, that's great!  And the bills, well I guess there's some to be trimmed off food and household, but not much, really not, especially in light of the huge increases in some items recently - my 250g of mango chutney went up from £1 to 1.59, and I was so shocked I cancelled it for my Thursday delivery  I'd like to see if I can make my own fruit chutney at one stage or another.  Or at least plump up some raisins overnight and chuck them in an ordinary chutney 

As for actual belt tightening - I was thinking of you yesterday, as my niece in law that I met up with now goes to SW though no gym any more, not with a 7 month old baby    

Good luck with the November figures  

greenbee

For online purchases, I have my Amex linked to PayPal, and use that for anywhere that doesn’t take it. Not that Avios are of much use to me right now… but work travel may restart soon, and being able to upgrade is definitely worth it!

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, never even occurred to me that I could link Amex to PayPal greenbee! I'll do that tomorrow, thank you! 

Chutney making sounds fun KC! I've never really tried, because I don't actually like chutney 😂 except mango chutney of course. I know a lot of people who do like it though so maybe one day I'll try! 

I wasn't planning to go back to SW this time KC, although I do need some kind of a plan. Saw another photo of myself today which was just awful 🙄

Paspatur

Wow Cheery your gas cost is massive
Food £125 (Mostly cook from scratch, I eat a lot of fish which as the daughter of a fisherman I can stretch a long way)
C Tax £89 (Single person discount)
Gas & Electric £69 (this will go up, supplier just went bust)
Mobile & Internet £32
House Insurance £10
Total £325
I'm not poor or a skinflint, I spend a lot of money on holidays (normally) don't do tv or Netflix as I would rather read a book, no longer allowed to drive due to eyesight and bus travel is free, hobbies are mainly reading and gardening. I would spend my whole life outside if the weather allowed. In fact my family and friends no longer bother with the front door they just come straight through to the back garden when visiting. I just seem to have a simple life through choice not necessity
I also love to see how others do their budgeting/categories

themadvix

Fascinating budgeting Cheery and Paspatur! I love looking at other people’s numbers, even if I’m terrible at keeping records myself. I’d love to join on Uber frugal November, but will have to see what happens about the damn house…. I totally second Greenbee on the maintenance of the fabric of the house - surveys *will* show up a lack of maintenance and it most definitely puts people off (me being one of them!).