2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

lilac_lady

I've bought very little food this month because I'm using up the cupboard /freezer excess. I sometimes wonder if we get so carried away by bargains that we end up spending more than we should food wise. The best thing I've done is switch to cash only for the week. It's restricted my shopping and I'd have a huge fight with myself if I ventured into next week's money.

Frugaldom

taka wrote: »

I only saw the 2nd half of Repossesion repossesion reposession and it was the guy with 1million pounds debt (inc mortgage which was about 475k I think) that surprised me. He seemed to not care that he could only service half his debt :eek: :eek:

I overlooked him because I know people like him :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: And I could totally relate to buying horses His type is typical of a completely different mindset and, suffice to say, I know quite a few of them from previous 'lives'. Believe it or not, I know people whose main aim is to increase their credit worthiness to a million by hook or by crook because they then see themselves as paper millionaires. I can't quite understand their reasoning but, of the ones I know, they have no intentions of skipping out on their debts because the 'racing fraternity' bank (yes, it has it's very own bank) forbid bankrupts from owning racehorses. That man may have been living with debt and he may only have been able to provide evidence of his capability to service half of that debt but I suspect the programme did not portray his full story.

Lilac_lady - I agree with you on the overspending on bargains. I do it all the time and know that I shouldn't because the same bargains will come around again pretty soon if I'm patient enough to wait for them. That's marketing for you - they catch me out everytime with their stickers and stars!

bails

The bargain issue is a tricky one - I defnitely get drawn into it, and sometimes I do buy things that aren't on the list, but it does mean we enjoy a wide variety of foods and benefit from items we couldn't normally afford to buy at full price. I do menu plan but there are some 'staples' nights (no we don't eat metal staples ) so that we can build in the unexpected purchases instead. It helps quell any consumerist urges I get too...

I didn't see the repossession programmes but I could rant on anyway (I will restrain myself). Suffice to say that the 'got to have it NOW!', consumer-crazy, debt laden society we live in does my head in!!

Burlesque_Babe

ok Nyk I'll not add the £113 to the total even though it does feel a bit naughty....I will transfer that amount from my savings to cover it. My motoring costs are minimal - about £25 a month on petrol and I'm on PAYG car insurance with Norwich Union. My premium is £8 a month with 3 years no claims and then my mileage is averaging out at £4.50 a month on top of that - can't beat that really although I only do 160 miles a month, maximum.

Penny2myName

I find my bargain food hunting good for trying new things, such as the avocado's. That way if no one actually likes them them it cost me a fraction of the cost, rather than buying at full price to find no one likes them. Today I have bought some reduced turkey mince and pork mince, which I have bunged into the freezer to use through out the month.

LollopyBear

[quote=Janey51;8474397]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:[/quote]

Thank you Janey! That is very motivational. I am already commited to this Friday so I will follow your plan from Saturday I think I do need some isolation again.

Broke mum of three - I'm shocked that people at your work have never heard the word frugal before :eek: . I wish frugalism was second nature to me, I just seem to have plateaued and need to make more progress.

NYK - Thanks for the hope from last year's thread! I'm sorry I've been a bit miserable the last couple of days. I'm all out of energy and just holding on til tomorrow.

Burlesque_Babe

Penny - I know what you mean about the turkey mince. I've got 2 reduced packs in my freezer - it was cheap to start with but is even cheaper with a lovely yellow sticker on it!

Penny2myName

refusing to buy beef mince from Mr A of late, new year came in and it appeared to double in price, (luckily had a stock in from Dec) so this is first lot of mince I have bought this year.

Frugaldom

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to keep looking twice at the prices of things in the supermarkets. some weeks I cannot believe the percentage price increase!

I was also completely flabbergasted by the revelation that there are people who have never heard of the word 'frugal'! :eek: My guess is that these are the people who won't think twice of bending the plastic in the name of beauty treatments and won't know that it's possible to own a house. Mind you, I have actually met several people who think that the mortgage part is what you own and talk about how they would LOVE to have one They just are not aware of the fact that people bend over backwards to get rid of them!

Regarding the faltering frugalism and potential for immunity - I think you may have relapsed into the incubation period, as I have never known anyone to catch the bug and then become immune. Like Janey says, perhaps it's just a case of removing yourself from temptation until you have fully developed all the symptoms. However, in order to do this you must first have experienced the longterm effects. I don't know how I managed to forget to post the second half of last week's rant about what I thought of Mr Will Power!! I'll call him 'Billy' and that way it's much less formal. So, here goes.... are you all seated comfortably and ready for the next fun-filled frugal morsel?

Has everyone heard of a Billy Can?

Janey51

Lollopybear this post is not for your eyes following my motivational frugalite call to arms :rotfl:

DH and me have had a lovely day.
Called in to see some friends who own a cafe and got fed.
Later, while DH was in the dentist's chair, I acquired a Prima pattern from a magazine in the waiting room. Well, it was a 2007 edition and no-one had obviously wanted it :rolleyes: I think I deserve a job in MI5 for the secretive way I removed it.
So I now have a basic summer dress pattern which I can make up from fabric already in my cupboard.
Then we went to B&Q so DH could have his fix of drooling over tools. I wanted lots of things but was strong.:D
Then swimming. The pool had been off for cleaning and it was freezing :eek: We went halves on the cost.
And so to the pictures to see Sweeney Todd. Johnny Depp It was cheaper as we were there middle of the day(£4.75)

Apart from that, it was a NSD

We did not eat out ....not even a cup of coffee. We did get a bucket of popcorn but DH paid as I could only eat a few bits. I took some cheese with me to nibble.