2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

Frugaldom

Thanks Rosieben, it's a really fun challenge but it does make you a little obsessive about the cost of living. I've lost count of the number of times I get frowned at for grumbling at 'the price of cheese' or whining over 'spilled milk' LOL Just off to the shop to replenish my supply of Washing Soda, bicarbonate and vinegar

DdraigGoch

Ok, chaps - major problem ahead .... I've done the budget and there is no way on God's little green earth that I can fit into the rules. My insurance is a tad under £100 a month, the electricity bill exactly that, the combined mobiles and landline/internet just over that .... we can't afford to eat! Much less take the children to school etc

I have to insure 2 cars, 2 houses, 2 lots of contents [don't ask, it's not a pretty scenario :eek: ], our boiler died last Christmas Eve so we've only one fire in the whole house and rely on a non-timer/"switch on, switch off when you remember it" immersion heater for all the hot water, and we are on 18 month contracts for the mobiles [they run out in May '08 and April '09 :eek: ] So, unless I can wave a magic wand, I have to leave this challenge before it begins ....

any bright ideas?

Protogenia

Have you checked that you are getting the best insurance deals? Money Supermarket.com the price comparison site has saved us a fortune, have you joined the cashback sites like Quidco? I make about £100 a month from these. Do you all have baths at the same time so the immerstion isn't been switched on 24/7? Have you managed to cut your shopping bills by cooking more and buying less treats?
However, if you can't manage £4000 a year, work out the minimal figure you could manage on (for us that's £4500) and aim for that. If you only save £20 a week compared to what you do now...that's over £1000 a year totted up!

Good luck X x X

Frugaldom

I have an easy solution - double the allowance for x 2 households

antronella

Protogenia wrote: »

Have you checked that you are getting the best insurance deals? Money Supermarket.com the price comparison site has saved us a fortune, have you joined the cashback sites like Quidco? I make about £100 a month from these. Do you all have baths at the same time so the immerstion isn't been switched on 24/7? Have you managed to cut your shopping bills by cooking more and buying less treats?
However, if you can't manage £4000 a year, work out the minimal figure you could manage on (for us that's £4500) and aim for that. If you only save £20 a week compared to what you do now...that's over £1000 a year totted up!

Good luck X x X

Just don't understand how anyone can make £100 a month by quidco etc!!
PM'd someone last week re this but think its been too hectic for everyone for a reply. Just would be really interested to know how this is possible, thanks.

Protogenia

Firstly any purchases you make ALWAYS check and see if they are a quidco merchant...even if you buy of Ebay you can go throgh Quidco and get money back.
I chop and change between energy suppliers/insurance suppliers (all for the best deals and always via quidco for the financial benefits (British Gas is giving £60 for dual fuel at the moment)...there are plenty of merchants on Quidco that gave away free cash for signing up (without having to spend a penny...dating sites are particularly lucrative at the moment) and of course there are the daily click throughs, Kelkoo, car source, shopping.com & high street web totalling 24 pence a day, 24 pence a day equals £87 a year alone.
Finally my O/H has an account also so I do his click throughs too...it is possible to make some pin money via Quidco and tbh every bit helps.

Good luck X

Protogenia

Here is a list of current clicks thanks to Ryan < superstar x

ryan85k
MoneySaving Stalwart


Join Date: Sep 2007
Post Count: 360
Thanked 4,100 Times in 200 Posts


QUIDCO: Current No Spend Offers (Free Money)
Dear All,

I have spent a large proportion of my time today going through Quidco and finding all of the current no spend offers, there are several that have not been mentioned on the main Quidco thread - I have also posted this on there.

Pocado £3.00 free sign up
UKdating £2.50 free sign up
National Lottery £4.00 purchase ticket
SpeedDaterOnline £0.50 free sign up
DatingDirect £5.00 sign up
HLX £0.20 newsletter sign up
STA travel £0.15 newsletter sign up
Love and Friends £1.00 free membership
Game Village £0.50 registration
Cinema Paridiso £1.00 trial sign up
2minutedraw £0.42 completing a survey
Mills & Boon £1.00 free book offer
Audible £4.00 trial sign up
Planet49 £0.35 registration
MBNA £8.50 submitted application
Computeach £5.00 course enquiry
Getmeaquiz £0.65 registering
Get me a ticket £0.65 free sign up
Synovate £3.00 free registration
KLM £0.15 newsletter
Morgans Auctions £2.00 free sign up
Microsoft Office Live 5.00 free sign up
Brochures4me 0.35 brochure request
Etribes 0.40 free account
Instantwin4now £0.56 free sign up
Fair Exchange 1.00 free registration
MyMovieStream £5.00 free trial
QXL £0.50 free sign up
Consumer Lifestyles £1.00 for each survey completed
T-mobile sim £0.50 for requesting free simcard
!!!!!! £0.05 for free registration
Compare the market £1.20/£2 for free car or van quote
Emusic £4.00 Free trial
Experian Credit £6.00 for free credit report
My Offers £1.80 for registration
Test and Vote £1.15 for free sign up
Dennis Publishing £4.00 for trial sign up
Great UK Surveys £0.67 free registration Never tracked
Opinionistic £0.20 for sign up
Kinglotto £0.85 for free sign up
Lands End £0.25 for newsletter sign up
Prevloved £0.10 for each advert placed
Just Rewards £1.80 for survey
Baileys Millions £0.42 for registering details
02 free sim £0.35 for requesting free sim
WHsmith £4.00 free dvd trial
Alliance and Leicester £50.00 for current account
Whiskas campaign £1.45 for requesting free kitty pack
Tescos.com £4.00 taking up dvd rental trial
Mobyko £1.10 free sign up - Added 15/11
Hillarys Blinds £20.00 - Added 15/11
Photobox£1.00 - Added 17/1
Voice in a crowd - Added 19/11

Kelkoo £0.10 for search
Carsource £0.04 for each search session
Shopping.com £0.10 (x3) for each search
The High street web £0.08 for each search

liuhut

wow , thanks for the quidco list.
I popped into the town and got 7 xmas prezzies for next year at a total cost of £23!!! Need to figure out how much money I will now need and knock it off my monthly save.....every little helps!!

Penny2myName

any money i spend from now till 23:59 3.12.07 I am not counting, also since the only money that I do have is my christmas money from father, its non budgetting.

Janeryan

Interesting idea-need to see if I can crunch some numbers as want to be able to put a conservatory on the house in the not too distant future-I'll be back!!