2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

affordmylife

Ok im in!!!

I have decided to go for £5000. which should be doable on what i have to pay out each month but will still be a huge reduction in what i normally spend.

I am going to cheat (well i may as well be honest with you all!!) an do a big (ok huge) online shop of basics before the end of the year which will give me a headstart on food expenses.

Hubby and i have started a sealed tin savings tub for our summer holiday spending money so we wont have to find any spends then (should hold about £500.)

I will start my regular savings of £50 per month and christmas savings of £50 per month when i get paid 31st December 2007 so i will be on the way to a free christmas 2008.

I have a notebook prepared with regular outgoings and will add to it everything i spend during each month. I have worked out its roughly £420 per month available to spend/save/regular bills. I can only do my best and see how it goes.

I am very serious about this.

I have a bread maker.
I have a slow cooker.
I have a bike.
I can cook everything from scratch.
I do not waste anything.
I do not throw anything away unless it is broken or used up or useless.


One tiny thing i have just ordered 20 card blanks and envelopes from ebay and will use these to make all the family birthday cards etc thoughout this year to save card money.

Woo hoo go me!!!!!

Frugaldom

affordmylife wrote: »

Ok im in!!!

I have decided to go for £5000...
Woo hoo go me!!!!!

:T :j I have updated your entry as a challenger (number 42) to reflect your £5000 target. Perhaps you can tell me how to make my bread (oven, don't have a breadmaker) so it doesn't go too crusty on top LOL

Good luck and have fun! I already have a pack of card and paper to make my own inserts for next year's cards and I have put a post in the 'papier mache and other free hobbies' thread about making free embellishments from old tomato puree tubes

mini_huny_money

affordmylife wrote: »

Ok im in!!!

I have decided to go for £5000. which should be doable on what i have to pay out each month but will still be a huge reduction in what i normally spend.

I am going to cheat (well i may as well be honest with you all!!) an do a big (ok huge) online shop of basics before the end of the year which will give me a headstart on food expenses.

Hubby and i have started a sealed tin savings tub for our summer holiday spending money so we wont have to find any spends then (should hold about £500.)

I will start my regular savings of £50 per month and christmas savings of £50 per month when i get paid 31st December 2007 so i will be on the way to a free christmas 2008.

I have a notebook prepared with regular outgoings and will add to it everything i spend during each month. I have worked out its roughly £420 per month available to spend/save/regular bills. I can only do my best and see how it goes.

I am very serious about this.

I have a bread maker.
I have a slow cooker.
I have a bike.
I can cook everything from scratch.
I do not waste anything.
I do not throw anything away unless it is broken or used up or useless.


One tiny thing i have just ordered 20 card blanks and envelopes from ebay and will use these to make all the family birthday cards etc thoughout this year to save card money.

Woo hoo go me!!!!!

Hya affordmylife.....I love your seven commandments......:T .......:T though as I dont have a breadmaker...I try not to eat much bread,,,and I dont have a bike....Can I borrow the other 5.....

cumbrianmum

OK nykmedia I'm in.
For a family of four so it's certainly a scary challenge :eek: but it'll be interesting to see what reductions can be made and how (if at all) they effect our life.

The first thing my OH and I can do is to stop smoking :mad: otherwise there's no way we'll make it and afford to eat.

Frugaldom

cumbrianmum wrote: »

OK nykmedia I'm in.
For a family of four so it's certainly a scary challenge :eek: but it'll be interesting to see what reductions can be made and how (if at all) they effect our life.

The first thing my OH and I can do is to stop smoking :mad: otherwise there's no way we'll make it and afford to eat.

:T Welcome to a mad house! Thanks for joining, I'll go add your name to the challenger list as number 44. I've just been and joined the 'stop smoking' forum for 2008! :rotfl:

cumbrianmum

Thanks Nykmedia. Good luck with the stopping smoking - know you can do it if you stick to it - I've given up smoking twice now so I know I can stop unfortunately I know I can just as easily start again!

Frugaldom

cumbrianmum wrote: »

I know I can stop unfortunately I know I can just as easily start again!

That is exactly the problem I have :beer: You scrimp and save to get what you want, no matter how ludicrous the item, then when you have reached your goal you can celebrate - umm.... bottle of bubbly (Moet, Asti or Lambrusco, depending on the level of success) and 20 cigs, please! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Riq

Not a chance in hell would I manage this as my insurance premium alone for my car will be £1,000+ then £40 a week on petrol!!

affordmylife

Thanks everyone - im quite excited about this.

Its the first challenge ive joined so i hope i can do well.

Ive started my online big shop in preparation but ive only managed to get it up to £43 so far and i was expecting a mammoth amount!!! Ill go back and top it up soon.

I didnt realise id done seven commandments - should have gone for ten shouldnt I.

Good luck everyone.

Can we spend in the sales until we start - lol.

liuhut

Argh just relooked at my figures and think that I might struggle with this!!!! Trying not to be defetist Sp?! Hope you dont mind me putting a soa on here. The red ones are kind of fixed and I havn't included the Blue ones I can reduce and the black figures are what I think I can reduce them to but I still think that I am way out. Any ideas....

Mortgage 485
Council Tax118
DFS55.55
Life22.83
Phone inc phone band 45 35
Cuurys3.79cancel
Sky 19 19
Lottery16 16
Life14.16
Gas/Elec 76 76
TV11.61
Water£43.41
Food 300 200
Clothes 40 10
Xmas 30 20
Cars 50
mob 1 28 28
mob2 15 15
Petrol80
Spending 160 100
Hair cuts 10 5
Child care 55 21
Extra's/Kids stuff 40 40
On the Black figures this makes my spending 585 a month and I need to to be at 500 for the challenge...