2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

debrag

are the free delivery codes only free if you spend over a certain amount? I want to do my big shopping online.

Frugaldom

bails wrote: »

I just remembered Nyk mentioned about my elec - we've paid £22.71 for that over the same time period, doesn't seem much to me?

Hi Bails, you don't actually mean that you have paid a total of £22.71 over the past 6 months for electricity, do you? That's the weekly amount, right? Try taking a meter reading at the same time every day (& night if you are on Economy 7/White meter) and that way you can work out how much, exactly, you are using. Rake out all your bills - if you're like me and moved in within last 6 months then there should only be one bill plus the initial one from the first day meter reading. That way you can see what payment plan you are on and how much each unit is costing. I just HOPE you haven't fallen into the same trap I did - fingers crossed for you!

Going to catch up with all the posts from you little frugal busy bees and then I'll be back. Today = NSD

KiKi

Someone PLEASE, PLEASE tell me this isn't a disaster.

(Obviously, I use the word 'disaster' in the context of my financial target this month. It's not like a crash landing by a 777 or a famine in Africa.)

I budgeted £140 this month for groceries and everything other than bills. I spent 61.16 in Sains for the month, and 1.19 on loo roll (!). Couple of quid on little things the other day, and I was doing so well - with three weeks and 4 days to go I still had 73ish to spend.

I went out for lunch with my parents today - and ended up paying 55. Hardly a disaster, I know, and it's not like I don't physically have the money, but now I have 18 for next 3.6 weeks. I can do it, can't I?! I can! Tell me I can!

(In a bid to counteract the lunch outing, I put my first ever item on ebay! How exciting!)

mini_huny_money

hya kiki....well you can only try your very best, though i must admit Id be struggling.....sorry.....depends what youve got to spend food wise, and lets hope that the auction ends soon on your ebay item and that you make a bit extra....if you've got enough in your freezer/cupboards you might manage, let us know how you get on, mebbe nyk can give you advice

Frugaldom

Hello all, I'm back again. WOW! You are a busy lot, aren't you?

Hope you are OK, Mumzy! I'm guessing it may be a financial hiccup after your worrying about Wednesday's payments and trying to keep within the budget? Awaiting your PM or response

Well done on the booksales Hester!

Looking forward to seeing CarolBee joining us in Spring - the more, the merrier

Notanothergreyhair... £105.53? That must have been a good one! Bet you're glad that doesn't happen every week of your budget!! :eek:

Wornoutmumoftwo, good luck with the council DA centre meeting. I keep reading about electricity charges going up and checking what's for the best. Martin recommends against switching right now, so I think I'll stay put for now.

Skintwellie that is BRILLIANT news! Money in the bank, not used your credit cards, a small win AND getting fit ahead of February! Mark it in the calendar to remind you what a good day you had despite having to spend £21 on toothepaste & brush. At this rate, methinks a change of name to richwellie isn't completely off the cards! :T

Ephemera, I LOVE projects and challenges so you must keep us up to date with your caravan restoration. Imagine that, the first person on here to start renovating their second home! I'm so proud! :beer:

Kiki, well done listing on eBay and good luck! The fact that you have come on here after spending £55 going out for lunch is proof enough that you have what it takes to succeed. Here's the quickfix method...

Just count up everything you have spent to date, deduct it from your initial £5000 (your target figure), divide that by 348 and then multiply it by 7 to get your new weekly average.

You can do the above as often as you like throughout the year and, if things begin to look impossible, you can take one of your bills (the most urgent or highest interest) and use it as the focus of your 'catch up'. A good example is your TV license - make the outstanding amount a new target for raising enough cash to pay it outside of your budget. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :cool: (The only reason I'm saying TV license is because I am hoping to make enough cashback through my Greasypalm account to pay mine by April )

I'm still using up store cupboard foodstuffs and hope to keep doing so for some time yet. But it would be good to have a restoration 'project'. Hmm... even better if it was one that could make me some money in the longterm :think:

KiKi

MHM - thanks, yes, all food is paid for for the month, pretty much.

I only keep in my cupboard and fridge exactly what I need so I never have any little stock items that I can throw together!

I'm sure I can do it!!! *resolute* Last year I failed miserably at sticking to a budget, which is why I joined this challenge to make me do it and be accountable to people!

KiKi

whitewing

My philosophy is that if you have a tough target and you try but fail (without going silly), you will still be better off than having had no target. Good luck Kiki.

My day just got better. Car broke down but luckily near where we live and my brother was in so he lent me his car and is now fixing mine. Could have been worse.

And, in work this afternoon a colleague brought me in a bottle of wine and box of chocolates after I'd had a long chat with her this morning. Also, I had laughingly told her a bit about this challenge and how I had stopped DS from going to Burger King when we were in town. And, get this, in with the presents to me, she had included some burger king vouchers (BOGOFs etc). How absolutely lovely was that.

Have a good night everyone.

Ephemera

Thanks for your support nykmedia... it's something I've been intending to do for some time and haven't made time for it :rolleyes: till this week!

I'm intending to use it for a few MS holidays this year, and also to park up on my patch of Devon whilst I clear weeds, repair fences and plant trees. I have chestnuts, walnuts, a greengage, loads of soft fruit bushes, a pea tree (yes, really!), a blue bean tree, an English lime, apples, pears, plums and other weird and wonderful edible plants. As I intend to create a permaculture garden that feeds me with the minimum of effort (well, eventually) I have a lot to do this year. The weather is supposed to be very wet all year and although that will make working on my clay soil problematic it will mean my plants should get well established if they remember to wear their wellies! :rotfl:

Will keep you all posted and hopefully next year I will be in a position to open the garden to the public. And MSEers will of course get a first invite!!!!!!

All this in under £4k too...:eek::eek::eek:

Have a great weekend!

notanothergreyhair

nykmedia wrote: »

Notanothergreyhair... £105.53? That must have been a good one! Bet you're glad that doesn't happen every week of your budget!! :eek:

A tenner was on public transport and is definitely not a regular cost. £45 was on my hair:eek: and the rest was doing a big shop which should last quite a while.

Hope everyone has had a great day.

Frugaldom

It's another game and this one is especially relevant to KiKi

Once in a while we all need a little bit extra FUN and my fun comes from playing money games. This one, however, is NOT free. It "costs" £10. The object of the game is to go shopping with £10. That is ALL you take with you - no cards, no spare change, no secret stash in the bottom of the handbag and no spare fiver hidden in the inside zipper pocket! It MUST be £10, no more and no less. Make it up from mixed coins and a £5 note if you're short of single coins. That way you aren't tempted to spend more when someone 'conveniently' doesn't have change in their till. This is a leisurely game, so make sure you have time to browse properly. The object of the game is to buy as much as possible with that £10 and keep a note of everything (so we can all compare notes later ). You can buy ANYTHING you want but it MUST NOT BE FULL PRICE. It must be reduced, BOGOF, 2 for 1, 3 for 2, secondhand or, if you are really good at this game, FREE. (No, NOT pinched!! :eek: :rotfl: )

I love this game! The money comes out my grocery budget and I mainly buy food, but last year I got some brilliant bargains for under £1 from such places as charity shops and ended up making my tenner back for something I bought by selling the stuff. Plus I still had the £7 worth of reduced groceries.
MEGA RESULT! :T

I'm playing the game this weekend rather than going for a cold weather picnic looking at a house I can't afford to buy :rotfl: Bails - I can't do it, I cannot bring myself to look at such a great house when I know it's way outwith my reach and I think I've had enough, what was it you called it? 'Property !!!!!!'? to last me for the month