2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

hopeless_spendthrift

LollopyBear wrote: »

Today went as planned and only spent £5 on my train ticket. I'm getting a reputation at Uni now as during break and lunchtimes I ask for a mug of hot water from the cafe (this is free) and then pull out a tea bag from my pocket and top up with a little milk from the side. I don't think the cafe staff like me though!

For my lunches I've been using up the cheese and crackers we have left over from Christmas. They're surprisingly filling!

:rotfl: Are u sure you haven't done this b4 Lollopy? Dealing like a real pro here - i
for one am very impressed! :T :rotfl:
Congrats on the double glazing Molly - great timing eh?_party_ :beer:

Thanks for never failing to make me laugh with your funny stories and anecdotes Nyk :laugh:

Thanks to all you guys for the Stardrops tip - never heard of them but they sound like my cup of tea ( do they work on teacup stains actually?!) - will defo look out for them!
And finally, big thanks to you all for your heartwarming, witty and motivational posts. You're all fantastic! :A

whitewing

I actually used the local college last time. The girl who cut it was great and well-supervised. Took a bit longer than normal but she got assessed on a 'real' person and made some good suggestions. And it looked really good. Two colours, cut and blow dry for £28 - lot cheaper than I was paying.

whitewing

Ever thought about selling your hair, Nyk? Wonder what price you could get for it? (I don't want to buy it, lol, in case I've got you worried!)

Frugaldom

broke_mum_of_three wrote: »

nykmedia that made me laugh, ten feet! Maybe need to reaccess this, cancel all hair appointments for 2008, remember I'm new to this or is it naive?!?

There is a way around about this but I'll get to that in a moment. Firstly, a hair appointment costs more than my weekly grocery allowance, hence the reason I have very long hair:rotfl: HOWEVER! I have this little mini-challenge that I incorporate into my main frugal living challenge It's called 'catch-up' and you can play it every month so long as it is kept within the rules of the challenge. If your budget is looking really tight, possibly teetering on the brink of going over your monthly limit, the consequences of that can be dire. It's what starts that downwards spiral of never being able to catch-up with bills, debts or savings etc. So, we must avoid a monthly overspend at all costs.

Monthly underspend = very good, monthly overspend = very bad

One of the side effects of this challenge is that you begin to see things in your life that you stop and ask yourself, 'WHY'? Why did I buy... whatever? Well now you can begin decluttering your financial lifestyle and your household because an overspend needs to be rectified and an underspend needs to be celebrated without spending any of your budget. Find something you don't need or make something and flog it. It's that simple. Your target figure is the catch-up amount in your monthly budget if you suspect overspend. BUT, if you have stayed within budget, then whatever you raise is for playing... visit to the hairdressers, a night out, a bottle of bubbly, a beauty treatment, something new that you thought was outwith your budget.... play 'catch-up' every month! This is what I call fun budgetting

This game is most effective if you have chosen to include everything in your monthly budget but you should always try to pay off any outstanding debts that are costing you interest before 'playing the game'. It's hard work keeping to a tight budget and you know what they say about all work and no play... As the OP said earlier, BRING IT ON!

Mollymop5

That sounds fab Nyk.I already plan to sort out kids rooms,time for an ebay listing or two.

Frugaldom

Mollymop5 wrote: »

That sounds fab Nyk.I already plan to sort out kids rooms,time for an ebay listing or two.

I am assuming that it is ok to mention selling online via eBay, eBid, Amazon etc so long as it isn't advertising?

Mollymop5

nykmedia wrote: »

I am assuming that it is ok to mention selling online via eBay, eBid, Amazon etc so long as it isn't advertising?

I hope so or I will be shot down in flames!!!

broke_mum_of_three

Yes nyk thats an interesting way to look at it, right this month the hair is already booked in, next time it will have to be paid for out of underspend, it sort of gets you back to basics and only purchase stuff if you actually have the money to pay for it:cool:

Frugaldom

broke_mum_of_three wrote: »

Yes nyk thats an interesting way to look at it, right this month the hair is already booked in, next time it will have to be paid for out of underspend, it sort of gets you back to basics and only purchase stuff if you actually have the money to pay for it:cool:

I'd still like to try that 'firm hold' woopy doopy super duper allegedly fantastic holds any hair type in place hair gel - you know the one, it was advertised on TV with such firm hold they guy's hair was rattling off the overhead signs. Hmmm... I wonder what a mohican style would look like? :eek: :rotfl:

Sorry, back again... if I had blue hair and went on a roller coaster would I look like that smiley???

meanmarie

Hi all,

Too chicken to try this challenge, but don't miss a post, very enjoyable and enlightening!

Good luck to you all, I hope that you all succeed and become at least one step closer to realising your dreams.

Marie