2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

Frugaldom

OK, how's this for a deal if it works out ok? I almost bought someone the Deal or No Deal interactive DVD for Christmas but decided to wait in case they already had it. If not, it's their birthday in April. (The DVD is £12.98 on Amazon.)

I just got my Greasypalm newsletter tonight and it has a great offer! Sign up to Jackpotjoy, deposit £10 into your account and they match it (free £10 to play with) and you get a FREE copy of Deal or No Deal interactive DVD. Not content with that, you also get £20 cashback into your Greasypalm account after 'staking' so much money in the games. Well, I deposited my £10, got my email confirming £10 free and my DVD would be posted, I just kept playing games and winning! I've already staked the minimum to qualify for the cash bonus and my account is sitting at £59! I can't understand it, but if the £20 cashback comes through and the DVD arrives then I'll be a very happy bunny!

I'll keep you posted on this one - anyone any experience with getting cash out of Greasypalm?

liloandstitch

Thanks for the help with the oyster card - I shall top up online as soon as I know our travel arrangements.
Well, I have finally sorted out our budget, and am relieved to find that it fits with my figures, and that I can manage. I can spend £40 ish per week groceries, which should be more than sufficient, although my extras is looking rather slim for the month £1.52 left, and I have £21 to pay in Tennis lessons for DS - methinks I will be reducing the grocery budget a little!!
I do find, reading on this and other threads, that I save money on potatoes by buying a 25kg bag from the farmshop - I used to spend £1 ish on a bag, but only £5.25 on a sack, which I have found great! I probably eat more pots than most, as we rarely eat pasta dishes, but at this price that is fine!!! I dont have any problem with them going off, the biggest pain is that they have to be washed - I have been spoilt by supermarket polishing!!!

katherinedrex

I would love to do this challenge but I know that the rest of the household would be of no support at all, especially DH. We both earn very good money but this has only come about in the past 4-5 years since starting up our own business about 11 years ago.

Before this we were always skiint and dreading the bills or as I used to call them the "Williams" coming through the letter box. So after 25 years of having to live on a tight budget I cannot change my ways and cannot bare to waste money. I am the same with food, virtually nothing goes in the bin.

I know without doubt I could manage this challenge but I don't know about the battle with everyone in the house.

Still I am going to set a challenge but perhaps up the amount a bit and see if I can encourage everyone else to take part in it.

Good luck to everyone.

Kathy D

Buffythedebtslayer

I am having a nightmare.

I can't get to see my on line accounts!!!

I have 8 pounds to last until monday. I went out to lunch yesterday. and er bought two dvds, in the sale, and er......a notebook.

oh dear. but I don't have to go anywhere till monday so I guess its ok.

I want to get my hair cut but will have wait and see.

xx

cherubs53

Im not sure how on earth Im going to manage a whole year on four grand, I have three children who always seem to want everything and invariably they want it yesterday, but I need to make huge efforts to cut my spending to pay off some credit card debt that I feel Im a slave to, so Im in. Im going to do £4k for the year plus my family allowance and nything else I can make as extra I will spend s well. And Im coing to post my SOA on DFW...The challenge has begun

hopeless_spendthrift

:hello: OK! Finally managed to make a signature! Had to stay up 'til 4:30 in the morning to achieve this tho...:p
So far, in detail: TV Licence DD - £11.81, Hospital Plan (?!) DD - £0.99; Travelling expenses - £17.80 - me and the little 'uns visited family 2day:j... then spent £13.12 in the supermarket on the way home - Have guests comin' 2morrow so bought some red cabbage, salad cream and mayonnaise( on offer!:D ) to go with carrots to make coleslaw. Plan to serve with chicken pieces I already had in freezer, which I shall roast and add to a spinach dish I make ( my version of saag aloo! ) and serve with a special, yummy rice (my friend's recipe) and home-made (organic!:p ) chocolate cake for afters!
Also bought milk n bread and honey n stuff I needed out of the £13.12...my first food shopping spend of the year!
Am really enjoying this challenge thus far, although I kept going on about it when I visited my family...reckon they musta thought I was completely bonkers!
I have also swapped my energy suppliers (both gas and electricity) to Scottish Power; much greener and cheaper than british gas (not surprisingly! ), plus I am promised cashback of £30 in a couple of months time, for switching :money:
Hope u all are well and achieving what u want to achieve - catch up with ye's soon i hope (never have time to read all your posts, unfortunately):beer:
Nite nite!:p
Thrifty

bails

Hi all, I'm hoping someone out there can help me? I have been trying to set my target for the year and I keep coming up against a brick wall - I simply can't see how people can manage on 4k!! I feel I must be going horribly wrong somewhere, especially as there are only 2 of us (+ 2 cats and 2 guinea pigs) I've actually been lying awake most of the night trying to get it straight in my head and getting nowhere so I was hoping if I posted my budget, some lovely person might be able to shed some light for me? Currently I am feeling v hopeless and my head hurts

Gas £20 (these are estimates as just switched supplier/house)
Elec £30
Phone/internet £16.84 + £5? calls
TV licence £10.95
food (including household stuff, toiletries, pet food - not going out/takeaways or coffees etc) £160
Lovefilm £7.99
mobile £10 (don't know how much OH pays yet)
cinema £18
insurance £20?
This adds up to £298.78, before I include my car and related costs, which is approx. £90/mth! (we will need to buy one, and possibly TWO cars this year - mine has just blown up - so these costs could well go up too) Total £388.78. There are no presents on there yet (I read NYK's £500 budget for that and think 'but how?') and I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten to include. Household maintenance, for one, and...

Things with a question mark are estimates as I'm sorting them out at mo; hoping to reduce my food budget (am on GC). In an ideal world, I would get rid of/not buy a new car for myself but my circumstances make that impossible and OH will need a van when he sets up his business in June. I am choosing not to include anything health-related (meds, specialist treatment, gym etc), weekends away, holiday, vets bills (goodness knows what my total would be if I did!:eek:)

I feel that it must be staring me in the face but I just can't see it! Any help you can give me on this one would be gratefully appreciated, I desperately want to be part of this challenge (esp. as I now have an extra car to buy!) but I do need my sleep :rolleyes: Thank you x

Rafiki_2

Lovers will be be my ruination :rotfl:

An unexpected luncheon date yesterday. Thank god I found £20 sitting in a pile of receipts to be sorted! That covered lunch, allowed for a tip and a banking of £2.20 (although not sure my date is going to find it easy adjusting to me sourcing cheaper eating establishments when used to Sushi & the like.. :rolleyes: )

I do believe I might just finish Week 1 within target!! :j

sweetpea03

Items that should be counted

Groceries/toiletries/cleaning products £160
Heating & lighting £20 gas + £30 electric = £50
Telephone & Internet £16.85 + £5 calls + £10 mobile = £31.85
TV Licence £10.95
Home insurance £20
Gifts for others
House Pets (if you have any) pet food under groceries, vet bills?
Basic travel £90 but if its work related it goes in items that should not be inc.
Essential home maintenance
Essential household goods/furnishings
Essential clothing/footwear
Cigarettes (if you smoke)
Alcohol (if you drink)

This totals £362.80 inc £90 car, if your car is needed for work it should go in the section below leaving a total of £272.80

Items that should not be counted:

Rent or mortgage
Council Tax
Water Rates
Work related travel expenses/cars van costs would go here
Holidays holidays + weekends away would go here
Outstanding debts
Luxury items
Entertainment/Socialising £7.99 Lovefilm + £18 cinema
Home Decorating/Interior Design
Hobbies/Sports/Club Memberships gym membership would go here

Hi Bails, I've put your budget into nyks list to see how it would work out (though excuse any mistakes as I'm half asleep this morning) If your car is needed for work I think you'll be ok as it leaves a bit of leeway for gifts, vets, household maintainence & health costs. Hope its ok I think I've done it right & not missed anything off & added it up right!

Burlesque_Babe

Morning all, should be a zero NSD day for me today. Checked my account online and nothing came out today.

Nyk -re: greasypalm - I'm registered with them, they pay out no problem. You have to have earned a minimum of £25 before they send the cheque, but I've had a few from them.

andromache - wow!!!! £28.50 - well done!!! I lost my £5, but it will still mean I'm £15 up when the points are credited.