2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

andromache_2

It's great to see new people still joining the challenge!

I've just had to pick my room for next year. I was feeling self-indulgent so I went for one 1 grade higher than the one I have now (it's really nice, though! and it's still several grades lower than the most expensive). Rents go up by about 5% a year anyway.

Only AFTER picking my room did I sit down and do a budget :rotfl:

According to my very rough calculations, after an increase in student loan is taken into account, I should have... £2650 left! Since I had to pay £100 for life membership of a couple of societies at the beginning of this year, and won't have to pay that £100 again next year, I figure this is pretty much exactly the same as my target this year!

Sooo I think I shall pre-subscribe to start the challenge again in October please which means I'll still be with you when the final countdown happens at the end of 2008!

(NB Obviously I will be earning money in the holidays too! My plan is to spend some of this on exciting holiday plans - the whole 3-month summer thing won't last forever, after all, so I want to make the most of it - and save most of it to pay my tuition fees for an expensive professional qualification I'll need to do when I graduate. I want to use my loan to pay for the cost of living and then my earnings are for 'extras'.)

Just wanted to show anyone who's thinking of leaving that this challenge is helping me so much with budgeting that I am already prepared to commit to another year's worth

redglass_2

Redglass, you have missed LOADS! I'll recap quickly so you feel the urge to check back 20+ pages :rotfl:

Thanks, Nykmedia. Blimey, it's been all go, hasn't it? Hope everything goes OK with MIL, Whitewing. And congratulations on the arrival of the frugal niece - is she yours, Nyk, I wasn't sure who the 'we' was in 'we have a niece'? And what's all this about free food from Mr L? Free? FREE? Let me at it....my fridge is empty right now so there's never been a better time...

I've (kind of) kept up with the FFC because the student trip was to the Gambia. We walked a lot (on sandy roads) and I was eating only the local food (the locals look stunning on it, beside which nothing else was on offer except biscuits) and whay-hay! I've lost 5 lbs. :j I wouldn't call my body amazing :rotfl:just yet but it's a start.

lilac_lady

Last year I gave my daughter my copy of Martin's first book. (I'd read it a thousand times and could quote from it nearly as well as the "I wandered lonely as a cloud" poem that I had to memorise a few(!) years ago at school...ok a lot of years ago). She never mentioned it again so I supposed she hadn't read it. I was wrong, I'm pleased to say. I never realised the infuence Martin and I had on DD until yesterday when she asked if I could babysit my DGS and her friend's daughter as her friend had asked to take her to Lidls to show her how to shop.
The friend spends £100 a week on groceries for 2 adults and 2 small children and wanted to know how my DD could produce lovely meals for less than half the money she spent. Friend had been to Lidls on her own and "couldn't see anything that she'd buy." My daughter makes lots of HM meals and her friend doesn't cook so there's the answer.
Another convert hopefully.

mama67

Janey51 wrote: »

What a lovely day:j

The sun is now shining through the kitchen window showing up all the dust on my cooker...not to mention the cat pawprints on the sink I hope Stardrops kills all known germs.

I woke up early and remembered the SO for our rent goes out today and I had forgotten to check if there was enough in the bank to cover it. I also heard the central heating click on which I had forgotten to cancel the night before.
Dashed along to the bathroom for a quick splash and then thought "Aha, wages might go in the bank today" So I phoned work and asked someone to check and :T wages paid in so enough to cover SO.
Very good...saved the petrol driving to bank to transfer money over from savings account.

Yesterday, I broke the lid on my slow cooker but DH says he can fix Confess to a little twinge of concern in case glue he uses is fatal to humans so will let him try first dish made when lid is fixed
On a Frugal note, got my Slow Cooker in a box of bric a brac from an auction 5 yrs ago. Its a Tower one, looks to be 1970 vintage by the colour but works great. Managed to get an instruction and recipe book from a charity shop for £1.

Had to spend £2.20 on postage yesterday to send Recorded Delivery letter and buy some stamps.

My new job is fantastic. I have been shadowing more expereienced carers Mon & Tues and again on Thurs. Sat & Sun I am let loose on my own :eek:

Janey, I inherited, when we cleared the house out, my Mum's Tower Auto Slow Cooker which she bought back in the early 70's and also her Kenwood Major food mixer for which she paid £39.99 back in 1972 (have the receipt).

Use the slow cooker weekly, I actually have a spare brown earthenware pot which she also bought at a warehouse type store not long after she bought the slow cooker

whitewing

Wow, great posts today and I'm particularly inspired (nay, honoured!) that a MSE superfan is on board!

Today, I have used my Tesco clubcard vouchers to purchase some highlighter/haircolourant and MIL is doing my hair, prior to my friend's husband's funeral tomorrow. (I have the Tesco carrier bag around my shoulders in true frugal style).

OH is washing the car with stardrops at my parent's as we are watermetered and they are not.

OH went for a meeting in town today (not the town we usually go to) so I thought I'd go along for a meander. While I was there, I saw a lovely little shop selling all sorts of crafty bits and pieces. And resisted the impulse to go in! Until I looked up and saw that it was a shoe repairers! So I stood in the shop for 30 minutes in my tights (with freezing feet!) until my shoes were mended. Cost £5.99 for both shoes and they were very worn down, and very comfy. So they'll be smart now for the funeral too. Very chuffed as I would have had to have bought new shoes otherwise.

In the shop, they also had some dear little baby outfits, in blue, pink and also cream. Reduced to £1.50 bargain. And do you know what, frugal people? I even resisted buying any, not even the cream ones. I'm not even close enough to have missed a period yet. (redglass, as well as having a phantom pregnancy, last week OH and I started trying for a real one). I am also getting uptight as MIL, DS and OH want a little girl. I want a little boy. (Although, I am sure that even when, if, I do get pregnant none of us will mind).

Haven't heard yet about MIL's job. Suspense is killing, although the longer it takes to hear, the more we are assuming that she hasn't got it

Aunty gave us a pan with a griddle for making pancakes and scotch pancakes. MIL has used it already.

I'm feeling very lucky. Money is still tight but lots of good things coming our way. Will say goodbye for now (colour development time is up!)

mama67

Janey51 wrote: »

Just remembered.
Found out that the firm that supplies our oil do a DD scheme. As you will know, oil is so expensive and we can't cut our use any further. A full tank of oil costs nearly £500 but its so hard to budget for as it keeps going up and up.
I phoned the company up and was told the monthly cost for us will be £160.
So, I will wait until the tank is nearly empty (about a third left now) then join the scheme and get a fill. That will mean an interest free loan for a few months til they review it again.
Its the best solution I can think of at the moment.
Since I hav elost a lot of weight I am permanently cold no matter how many layers I have on. Thank God we have lots of hot water so I can keep having a hot soak.

My oil company do a similar type of budget scheme where pay a monthly dd and also get a boiler service cover included(parts & labour also), plus if you are in cr at any time they pay you interest on your cr balance. I currently pay £47/mth. This should hopefully be lower when the anniversary comes round as have not used as much oil this year compared to last.

We have drastically cut our oil/central heating usage down to bare minimum, hot water comes on for ½ hour in morning and ½ hour at night; I only put the heating on if it is very cold or I have laundry needs drying, then only for an hours boost as radiators hold heat.

We have a coal fire in the front room and the boys have fan heaters in their bedrooms if too cold whilst on Playstation and Wii.

Coal is £180/ton and we use that plus any free wood we can get for a winter. DH and friend borrowed a tractor and trailer and went onto the beach 2 years ago got the trialer stacked full they split this and we are still using the wood.

Boys both have 2 quilts on their beds and have hot water bottles if really cold when they go to bed.

My & DH bedroom does not have any form of heating in it, but is above the front romm so the heat rises and it is never really cold.

During the day I will put a fleece and thick socks on rather than light the fire/put heating on so fire does not get lit until at least 3pm.

mama67

MSHAWX wrote: »

I love the way we all set ourselves smaller targets within the bigger picture of £4000 per year. Each one achieved is a sense of acomplishment.

This month I had a close look at the electricity we were consuming which averaged out at 19.7 units a day. I can see some of you throwing up your hands in horror but we are totally electric apart from oil central heating. However, by trying not to use the main oven (used the combi oven on the microwave or the slow cooker), and turning off the computor at the end of every day I've managed to get it down to 18.07 units this month, my aim was 18 units per day, and there are two days to go. My aim for March is to go down another half unit per day and to cut the central heating by half an hour per day. A small step, but hopefully in the right direction.

Can't say the same about the grocery challenge - failed miserably.

Just dug out my last bill we used 21.49999999999999999 pr day from 28/9 to 4/1 thats 99 days. As said in previuos post we are all electric apart from oil central heating and coal fire; so considering I have 2 boys on Playstations/Wii/PC with fan heaters sometimes going, washing machine on twice some days,thats not too bad I don't think. I pay £10/wk for electric.

Janey51

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Janey, dear, I can't believe that anyone seeking to be an MSE drives to the bank to move money. Can you not sort out an online account or even a telephone one where you can transfer money instantly?

Yes. You are totally right however all ordinary money is in a Building Society which has never heard of the Internet never mind online banking :rolleyes: We keep it there to pay DDs and SOs and its the first time I've slipped up in 3yrs.
TBH, ran out of steam after transferring everything when we joined CCCS to start our DMP.And, I was supposed to be working today which would mean I would have been driving past the Building Society and work would have been paying but they changed my shift.
My excuse is .....can't think of one

Marru

HI,

I have made a summary of all the challenges that I have been able to find to help other newbies like me. If you have a moment could you please have a look and let me know what I have missed.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=8948747#post8948747

Thanks

Marru

PS I have asked Andrea to make it into sticky. Fingers crossed

whitewing

mama67 wrote: »

Janey, I inherited, when we cleared the house out, my Mum's Tower Auto Slow Cooker which she bought back in the early 70's and also her Kenwood Major food mixer for which she paid £39.99 back in 1972 (have the receipt).

Nyk, quick, do a price of gold comparison for the Kenwood Mixer so we can see how much it would have cost in today's money!

1972 was the year I was born, and I bet that mixer works better than I do!