2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

Burlesque_Babe

I'm not sure Nyk. I know there are some 'rules' about re-heating from frozen but I don't know what they are. I always defrost mine first, although I've had a pack of mince out since 8 this morning and it is still looking fairly solid in the middle. Good job we don't eat until quite late!!

FunBrum

It has just taken me approx. 2 hours to catch up!

Whats all this about knickers and bras? I thought I was on the wrong site for a moment!:rotfl:

Well did I have a great night last night at Mr. M. yet again. We calculated that our bargains would have cost us about £30!:eek: But we got it all for £5.74!!!

We boutght the usuall rolls, bagettes and french sticks. 9p for 4.
4 hard boiled free range shelled eggs for 9p. Was £1.39. I wouldnt have given these the time of day but too good to refuse for 9p

18p (9p each) for 2 four cheese sauce cartons. Will go nicely in my lasagne!

6 fresh baked large sausage rolls, 19p ( bought 3 bags for the freezer).

The best of the bargains were the ready cooked chickens that were £3.39 each and we got them for 69p:eek: We bought three!

With a few other items the bill came to £5.74. I love this, we eat well for next to nothing!

We had egg mayo on french stick with half a sausage roll for lunch and we worked it out to 6p each. the mayo was from our stash I bought in our freezer shop....the cheapest I know about....50 tubs of Heinz mayo for £1. I dont need to knick...erm borrow...from resturants any more!
My BF and I always work out what each meal adds up too. He has become just as frugal zealot as I have. :cool:

I will update my sig when I check my bank account to see if any more DD have escaped my notice;)

skintwellie

Hi Guys,

Re: Reheating from frozen, meat dishes should be defrosted first, but if you do reheat from frozen then temp should be over 82degrees C (sorry to be an anorak but I teach Food Hygiene).

Sorry to not have posted for awhile, however I have been reading all of your posts. Back in the 'dark ages' when my marriage broke up, myself and the kids really struggled. I had 3 jobs and travelled around 100 - 150 miles daily between childminder, school (RC 22 miles away), work, collect all of the kids and home. we were permantly broke and seemed to be forever waiting for cheques to clear. (This was in the days before Tax Credits). Some weeks we had NO money. We did have 3 chooks and everything we ate was egg based (I could write a book entitled 1001 different ways with eggs!!). Some weeks even the dogs ate nothing but porridge.
In the intervening years I have spent (??wasted??) so much money that this year I was determined to pay off as much of my debts as possible plus try to save. When I came across the challenge I decided this was just the chance I needed. Like WW it much easier to achieve with the support of other people. I am undertaking the challenge on £5,000 cos I know I wouldn't make it on £4,000. I was over last month and will be this month as had to pay for broken glass when dog managed to put deadlock on! Hope to be in target by end of year though.
What I have gained from the challenge so far-:
:T money in the bank at the end of the month.
:T question each proposed purchase as to whether it is a need or a want.
:T only used my CC for paying p&p from items bought on internet (no more than £4) at each time.
:T cook from scratch - healthier and enjoyable. I don't have a shopping list anymore and its a bit like Ready, Steady, Cook when I come to prepare something using my purchases. (No duffers yet!) We used to have a lot of ready meals and takeaways and everyone says they now feel healthier.

:j :j So to all you guys on this thread a huge thank you (and :kisses:
to NYK for starting us all off, organising us, supporting us, etc, etc, etc)

whitewing

I went out for a work meeting this morning, and a colleague suggested lunch after. I was feeling frugal and didn't even want to spend on lunch. So I had to give myself a stern talking to...need to have some fun etc etc.

Then my colleague paid for lunch!

And I picked up a free paper from the hotel lobby and it had a 50p voucher in it.

Sad, aren't I?!

Janey51

catznine do you mind me asking where you got your slicer from and if anyone can get hold of the discount code? It would be really useful as I can only eat small amounts of meat now.

FrankieM please don't desert us. You know you're a frugalist at heart. We have 2 cars which are necessary for work (shifts) and visiting poorly relatives. I just deduct petrol/diesel money for non essential joourneys.

Janey51

skintwellie how I identify with the empty cupboards. Aren't Mums wonderful the way we can magic up meals out of nothing? :j

whitewing a person after my own heart. The only thing you missed was coming home with a pocketful of toilet paper :rotfl:

I am pleased to report another NSD :j

I think I am beginning to forget what money looks like. We are still metric are we

FrankieM

OK, you guys...I'll happily stay, but I don't know how to work out my budget...if I add everything it'll be more than Jacks!!!

I'm happy to total up what I spend, but have no idea what to have as a total...

at the moment I have a 'pot' for:
Petrol, Food, Clothes, Holidays, Cars, Celebrations, Savings

Petrol, food and clothes is pretty self explanatary. Holidays also covers days out, conferences etc and celebrations covers easter, birthdays, christmas and mothers day/ fathers day anniversaries..Savings is any 'extra' money that I put in there to cover the amount I need to pay off.

Then of course there is:
Gas, Electricity, Council tax, Phone/ broadband/ tv, Tv license, Mortgage, Mortgage protection, House Ins, Tithe, Water, Pocket money.

I know that some of these things aren't covered, but I've just put down everything...
So, what do you think???

whitewing

Frankie,

Can't say too much now - am v tired. At some point I am going to do the same as you and just work out absolutely everything and have another total, as well as my 'pretend' total in the signature! And somehow I may stand a chance of getting to grips with my spending. It doesn't have to be perfect...we have years ahead of ourselves to get our Bachelor of Frugalism degree.

lilac_lady

I'm not doing the £4000 challenge but I'm using this thread to be more frugal. It's making me question needs and wants all over again. I now draw cash every Monday and make it last till the following one. It seems to be working as I've had a some left every week (a whole 30p one week!). It focuses your mind on waste and that can't be a bad thing. It ties in very well with the simplicity thread on the board.

Frugaldom

Funbrum - I LOVE your shopping techniques and am so jealous that we don't get the chance of bargains like that. You are well on the way to qualifying as frugalite of the year! :T

Skintwellie I am so proud of you, too. I love seeing that having a little fun with your available budget can result in some astounding results. Congratulations and thank you for being a part of this. :T And thanks for the tip about the temperature - I always use a hot oven and make sure the food is well heated right through. (sometimes even cremated!:o )

Whitewing - a good qualification in Frugalism takes almost as long as qualifying in psychiatry. First you need a degree of will power, then a degree of spending control and that's before lifting the lid on the research pot of frugal purchasing and accounts. What's more, you just get to thinking you 'have it' and then you realise the impact of things like inflation and, dare I say it... THE BUDGET, on your well researched and documented frugal lifestyle. It's a long haul, but you will all be happy to know that, rather than just a Batchelor's Degree, you will eventually graduate with Honours, then Masters and, eventually, you'll be fully fledged Doctors of Phrugality :rotfl: ... and not a student loan in site. However, we need to stick with the phonetics at the moment, hence our current frugality is with an 'f'.

Frankie - (and anyone else) It is always recommended that you keep strict tabs on every penny you spend. Each overall budget will be very different from your virtual neighbour's but the cost of living per person per household should be similar. Glad you are sticking with it and don't ever be worried about asking for advice. I mean, I'm even asking for suggestions about a niece's birthday pressie, for goodness sake! :rotfl: Stick with it and we'll all stick by you whenever you need us.

Off to rescue the potatoes now - dinner is running VERY late in this house