2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

whitewing

Just noticed this quote:

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship. ~Benjamin Franklin

I like it!

bails

I would really like to know about the seed catalogue too please Janey. Ooh Lollopy, must try and remember to ask about those resources when I'm next in, thanks for reminding me. What have your spends been on, if you don't mind me asking? Is it DDs etc or do you really feel things getting out of hand? Post a bit more detail and we can help get you reinfected!:D
I feel I've been a little lax in the last few days too, nothing major just not filling in my spending diary immediately etc :rotfl:Probably just a bit tired, all areas a little 'slow' in my world at the mo. Good news at work today though - there might be a job coming up next academic year and if it does, I'm going to be offered it!:T It's only 6 hours a week which I will be able to manage by then - apparently they're really keen to retain me and then offer me a more permanent/bigger post when it comes up. It's been really lovely for my self-esteem after a difficult few years out of work.
Halia, I agree, it's your big day so do whatever will make you happy. Explain to your parents that you would like them to be there but you can't afford to buy their tickets as well as your own; I'm sure they'd understand.
I hope you've all enjoyed the great weather today and are still frugaling happily away. A few of us seem to have dropped off, if you're out there pop in and say hello! x

Doom_and_Gloom

So far this year as it says in my sig I've spent £254,75 this year out of my £3,000 budget for the year. I know I haven't updated in a while but my word all the threads I read keep me REALLY busy lol. I've also been cleaning my bedroom at my parents and it's spotless now and I even got my dad to remove the toilet and sink from my room that's going in the new bathroom so I don't even have that to clog up the room :j . It's also getting him to realise that he has to get going with the bathroom as it's now been at least 3 months since the stuff got delivered :eek: . The bath and shower unit is hogging up a large amount of the games room which isn't good either. Hopefully over the next 6-10 weeks the bathroom will get finished.
The games room is ment to turn into my BFs and mine bedroom and mine is ment to turn into our living room as we are going to have to move into my parent's in April as our flat mates are all going seperate ways and we won't be able to afford the flat on our own (we can barely afford it at the moment :eek: ). Oh well it will hopefully work out .

LollopyBear

Bails - My spends are pretty much the same, the train costs are eating up my money, plus I've had to take the bus a few times this week as I've not been able to get my lift from the station.

Also, going out costs! £27.80 for last Friday and it'll be about £35 this Friday with taxi cost from college to the station on top of that! It's also my mindset and food stuff. I just feel so uninspired with food apart from my baking. I seem to be spending around £5-6 a day on food. That seems like too much to me. It is mainly an enthusiasm problem, sounds similar to you - not filling in diary immediately and losing energy etc..

That sounds excellent about the job situation! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! It seems very positive in your favour so keep us informed

tryingtodobetter

Nyk I won't be able to carry on with the exercise and frugal get fit as I found out yesterday that my tonsillectomy will be on the 15th of this month :eek: apparently the letter advising me of this got lost in the post!! I've really got to get everything organised with regards to food etc in the house as I don't really want DH going shopping without me as he doesn't look at the price of things

Janey51

ooh what seed catalogue is this

Thompson and Morgan. I used to buy a lot of plants from them and they are desperate to have me back:D

Janey51

Lollopy I think you are becoming immune to frugalitis. :eek:

Fear not.

By removing yourself from posh restaurants and people who wish to shower you with treats, the symptoms will return.:D
I think you need to isolate yourself for a while.

Total seclusion in an unheated cell with bread and water will make you realise how liberating the way of the frugalite can be.You will have time to re-evaluate what is important to you and once again your soul will delight in the sound of money dropping into your piggy bank and not into another's till.

Be strong, brave frugalite :T :rotfl:

broke_mum_of_three

Its funny being frugal seems 2nd nature in here although as Lollopy says it is easy to slip with the willpower, the conversation in work was re dieting(wot is it ever about) and one of the girls suggested I come to the exercise class, but no I said it has to be FRUGAL they stared at me blankly and asked me what FRUGAL ment, which started a bit of a discussion about who had ever heard the word before!

FrankieM

Right...I am going to be more positive today....
I have updated my total spend to include the virgin media payment and also £5.99 I spent at the local Spar on food cause I was feeling miserable.....

I've also updated the total amount I have for the year.....thats it for me, there is no fund for extras or luxuries. Thats the whole amount of money that I have left after mortgage, water, council tax and my very strict savings amount. So I have to make it work.
I did a list last night so hopefully that will help me to feel more organised and focused.
You all sound wonderfully focused and seem to have spent so much less than me, but hopefully that will calm down soon and normality will kick in!!

whitewing

Frankie,

Actually, I have spent more than you. And despite having a spreadsheet listing each transaction, I am beginning to feel that I don't know where it's going!

I have included fuel in my totals, which wasn't originally going to be (as it's a work/school expense). I haven't included money going into the savings acct (as a last ditch effort to make myself feel better, as I was debiting it originally and planning to refund it off my total if I used it to pay bills later in the year. Unfortunately the bills seem to be coming earlier).

I may have to revise my target to include everything (mortgage, council tax, water and every single thing I spend money on, so that I don't get into the habit of 'not counting' stuff. Plus, I think I am probably in the wrong council tax band so if I don't focus I may not bother investigating that). Ho hum? Best way forward?