2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

Janey51

skintwellie..oooh, another cookery site. Thanks a lot.

dND

Hi MrsMawber, good luck on your plan. Do keep posting cause your prices relate to mine here in France.

Well done to everyone else, I'm still lurking and reading all the tips. Overall I've kept my household purchases down well this month, 99€ so far and nearly 30€ of that was for preserving jars that were on offer. Sadly it's the house repairs/renovations and purchases for the farm that are very high, plus I've just paid the house insurance for the year:eek:.

Keeping the spending diary and seeing what I've wasted money on is a really good way of making me realise what I need to change in my spending habits. All those little 1.50€ here and there soon mount up into a large amount.

Janey51. I don't take sugar in my drinks but always pick up the sugar that comes with coffee/tea when I'm out. I don't feel it's wrong as it's been costed into the price of the tea. It also means my guests here can have sugar without me having to hand them the large packet

dND

Janey51 wrote: »

The whole reason I am trying to be so frugal is because I am changing my job and today, I heard I have got it:j
I will be dropping from £14/hr to £6.51/hr :eek: but I will have my pension as well which will be about £155 a week on top. I have got 20 hrs initially but there is a load of extra hours available if I want. They wanted to offer me 10 but I negotiated up. Told them I wanted 30 when I knew I wanted 20 . 10 hrs is fine until you are on holiday or you go off sick :rolleyes:

I am so happy and nervous and oh heck, do I know what I'm doing :eek:

Congrats from me too:beer:

There seem to be a lot of us stressed out ex teachers on here doesn't there

sashacat

:eek: I have a large fruit cage on my allotment which my OH built from old netting we asked some builders for....when they had finished a big job locally thay gave us all of the green netting that they put up around the scaffolding. We are not allowed to keep hena at our allotment but I do keep bees there and got 60 jars of honey this year. It makes lovely pressies and is always popular. I am currently trying to sell my house so I can buy an old farmhouse with land so I can keep hens and a goat or two. I am trying to be completely self sufficient, at least as far as food is concerned ( I'm veggie) which is why I can do this challenge without going to the supermarket as I grow virtually everything I eat. Jams ,pickles, chutneys also make good pressies and, with frozen veg and frozen home made soup keep me through the winter. I am finding the challenge really interesting and am including everything except council tax and holidays ( I have no mortgage having paid it off)...it would be no fun and no challenge otherwise...but I have only £19.19 left until 1st Feb:eek:

Janey51

sashacat thats a really interesting post. My DH is great at making things from what he finds that other people have thrown away.
Was it easy to learn how to keep bees? I quite fancy the idea as I love bees. Are they expensive to keep?

Penny2myName

well been thinking as reading, and certain clothes that I am buying each year I class as luxuries, these are more evening style and fancy clothes, so I wont be adding them to the 4k challenge. (even if the ones I ordered today where in 40% sale, did mange not to buy the coat that was reduced to £59 from £105 but that is cause I appear to have bought tons of coats in 2 years:o) I decided the other year I would buy my self the decent quality clothes from the previous season if my catalogues still had them in stock (I'm a size 6-8, more the 6)
So apart from the clothes ordered today, I just had DD's fare which I am not counting when doing NSD's as its a necessity so she can get to school.
So NSD for me

LollopyBear

dND wrote: »

Congrats from me too:beer:

There seem to be a lot of us stressed out ex teachers on here doesn't there

I'm a stressed out trainee teacher! It gets better doesn't it? Please tell me that it gets easier!

Janey - A big CONGRATS on your new job That's fantastic.

Justkeepswimming - You sound like someone after my own heart. You do realise I am now going to check every envelope that comes into this house for unfranked stamps?

Not done too well today, spent £21.54. £2.30 - train (I overslept this morning and was 2 hours late to uni but I saved £2.70 on the train!!). £10 at Mr T's but shouldn't have to go there again until Weds. £4.10 at the chip shop, which was very naughty but neither DH or I could be bothered with cooking tonight as we're both in a bit of a January slump. The £5.14 for pet insurance was taken out of my account by D/D.

I have been including luxuries in my totals as well, as I wanted to include basically everything in my 4k. I can't afford to not include them really. By my reckoning I should have a spare £120 every month which doesn't include the £100 a month I put into my savings account so if I really want any extra luxuries it can come out of that.

Penny2myName

For all those feeling down and urggg, just remember today is officially Blue Monday, so things can only get better from now on for the rest of the year:D

All join in and Sing with me now
[SIZE=+1]The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!
Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!
When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow!
Tomorrow!
I love ya
Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way![/SIZE]:T:T:T

MRSMCAWBER

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Penny2my name -

Im now getting odd looks from hubby as i started singing :rotfl: that used to be one of my fave films :T

I was allready happy now im even smilier -thankyou

elantan

evening ladies hope your all doing well and sticking to your budgets not been on for the last few days as i had night shift to do isnt working just wonderful