2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

FunBrum

Your MIL sounds great Whitewing. Mine have been a Godsend to me even when I split up from their son, 18yrs ago. Both are lovely.

Jumble-bee Good luck on your mini challenge to yourself. I'm sure you will win if your posts are anything to go by.

Marky I bought four children up with terries. There is nothing like seeing a line-full of crisp white nappies blowing in the wind....mmmmm Im getting quite broody!:rolleyes: Actually Im too old for all that lark now!:o But you go for it!:T

NYK Your dream is my dream! I really want to move out of the city and live a simple frugal life somewhere remote, and have a self-sufficient life. It is my aim to achieve that by the time I'm 55 in 5 years time. Thats why this challenge is so important to me. It's keeping me in order, and enabling me to pay off my debts and, plan for my future.

Janey You're in the same job as I am....welcome:T Hope you enjoy it. If you are not on mileage, then ask your organiser about it. It pays for most of my petrol...and I only count the little bit extra I put in my car in my budget.

I'm off now to try and work out what my monthly spends are for the month of Feb.:eek: Wish me luck!;)

georgiasmum

Thanks for the feedback about the credit card. I've decided to keep it hidden but open. Might put petrol on it once in awhile to keep it active but essentially for dire/life shattering emergencies only!

grandma247

Marky I bought four children up with terries. There is nothing like seeing a line-full of crisp white nappies blowing in the wind....

I am glad someone else likes to see washing blowing on the line. I love to stand and stare at it and so does my mother. Are we odd?

FunBrum

Odd is not the word!:rotfl:
I love it when It's sunny and windy so that I can run around the house and wash and dry, outside, as much as I can! But there again....I'm a bit sad and I am easily entertained, which helps if your frugal!:rotfl: :rotfl:

Burlesque_Babe

Here we go for month 3!! Should be a NSD day. Swings and rounsabouts this month. With me being away for 8 nights, that is 8 nights I won't have to pay for food etc as the holiday is half board and already paid for. I've changed some 'spends' from my savings account which I'm not counting in my target.

However - 8 nights away means 8 nights not getting paid - ouch!!

redglass_2

Hi - point of information, please....
February was hellish expensive for me as I had to buy new glasses. I need varifocals so I can't use the cheap online providers and I do splash out a bit on the frames - I have no problems with Oxfam shopping but I get depressed walking around in glasses that don't suit me. It has occurred to me - maybe these should be a work expense? I do use them mainly for work and can't do without them there, though I also use them at home (but mostly for computer use, ie work again). What do other frugalists think?

sophiesmum_2

Hi Everyone,
First week of my challenge and so far I have spent :
£26.28 on Direct debit for car insurance and £2.40 on stuff at asda = £28.68:D , today though I need to go into town for some new work shoes:mad: will have to search about and find best reasonable pair, and try and keep out of other shops whilst there. Last year I got into the habit of going to town every saturday with DD and ended up buying stuff that we didn't need and also wasting 4-5 hours each week doing it. I worked out that the time wasted shopping each week was almost equal to my annual hols from work:eek: . I decided only to go shopping when I absolutely needed to and so far this year have saved £100's and also simplified my life as I have so much more time for other things.

FunBrum

Okay ....I am really confused with my method on calculations. I'm not as bright as you guys on here So I think March will see a new me and a more organised me:rotfl: Did you just see that pig fly?:rotfl:

Here goes:

MOBILE:.............£38.77
PHONE/
INTERNET...........£41.53
CAR
INSURANCE.........£27.88
PETROL..............£20.11(This is extra as my job pays
for most of my consumption)
GROCERIES.........£73.00
EASTER..............£3.33(So far. 3 Mars eggs frm Wilko)
SOCIAL/
ENTERTAINING....NON. My BF pays for that!

TOTAL: £204.62.

If you're wondering about my gas and electricity, my BF pays for that so I am not counting it as he is not in my budget and I pay for the other things by myself.
I've updated my sig. but I think instead of updating it during the month, I'll leave it 'til the end so that I don't get as confussed as I have been today! I think I may have to lie down now after all this brain activity! I'm not used to it!:D

LollopyBear

Travel - £148.69 (this includes most of March's travel too)
TV Licence - £11.61
Pet DDs - £13.13
Phone top-up - £15.00
Food - £96.03
Pub - £53.39 :eek: (drinks, club entry etc.)
books - £4.50
Paper bill - £16.00
Post office Check and Send - £7.00 (I haven't counted the cost of my new passport, but I have counted this £7.00 as it was an extra)
Christmas decs - 50p
gifts - £27.63
Magazine - 3.50
Additional household items - £4.71
Lottery - £2.00
Queen's feast - £27.00

Grand total - £430.69

It is really shocking seeing this in black and white! Particularly my pub list. I can imagine though that most of my friends spend quadruple that (at least) in a month as I only really go out about once a week whereas they seem to be out 3-4 times a week!

I know I should get rid of my Saturday paper. I just find the man at the newsagents rather scary and don't quite dare to cancel it.

My travel will be MUCH better next month as already stated so hopefully I can be at least £30 under budget to make it easier for the rest of the year.

I won't be spending anything on my phone next month either as my parents have bought me a new one for my birthday next Sunday and as I've been with O2 for so many years they gave me £35 top-up on my phone, which has now been credited. I should hopefully make that last me until the end of April if I am careful.

FunBrum

redglass wrote: »

Hi - point of information, please....
February was hellish expensive for me as I had to buy new glasses. I need varifocals so I can't use the cheap online providers and I do splash out a bit on the frames - I have no problems with Oxfam shopping but I get depressed walking around in glasses that don't suit me. It has occurred to me - maybe these should be a work expense? I do use them mainly for work and can't do without them there, though I also use them at home (but mostly for computer use, ie work again). What do other frugalists think?

Can you get glasses from Oxfam...have I missed something?:eek:
Please tell me more if this is true, as it has been 3yrs since I have had my eyes tested, mainly because of the cost of the two pairs of specs I have to buy.:o I have to include thin lenses etc as I would look like a right dork with 'bottle bottoms' as I have a really, erm, 'challenging' perscription!:rotfl: