2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

ceridwen

[quote=Jacks xxx;749


Having said that I'm prepared to change most things (The cat's non negotiable - as is visiting my grandmothers.)

I am looking into growing our own. I am entirely clueless about it though so it may be a slow process.

[/quote]


You hear that puss......you're in there for catfood okay for the next year:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Foodgrowing - you could try googling for references to Square Foot Gardening - sounds promising.

Dont forget the indoor food growing aka beansprouts - pennies for pounds (as in it costs literally pennies to grow loads of them - and full of all sorts of goodness).

whitewing

Hi Jacks

Would be lovely to have you on board, I keep bumping into you on other threads that I'm reading!

Is there seriously no way of getting cheaper travel to your grandparents? For example are there not cheap day out tickets that you could use after 9am, rather than buying a return? Or can you get a season ticket or something? Or do you have one? Can you give us more details?

Burlesque_Babe

oh, go on then............count me in..........:rolleyes:

I'm going to have to say put me down for £3,800 as realistically that is what is left after the mortgage/CT/water rates.

My budget

Mortgage 770
CT 88
Water 43
Total 901 (not included)

Outgoings (to be included)
Gas+elect 45
Car ins 13
House insu 20
NI 8.80
Pet insur 14.75
Petrol 30
TV license 11
Phone/cable/Bband 34

Total 176.55

Total allowance
for the month
on £3,800 ..............292.00

Monthly allowance
minus bills ..............115.45 for the month

Plus OH food
contribution ...............65.00

Monthly total left........180.45

That all adds up to £1193 per month which is what I bring in.

Pigsback will be used for Boots vouchers for presents and other cashback sites for saving money for my next tax bill in Jan 2009. The 2 months I don't pay CT or water rates, I'll use that money for my spending money for my holiday in March.
It will be very tough. It's the kind of sum I had each month when I was paying off my debts and sometimes it wasn't nice

I think it will spur me on to sort out a better job. I was happy to be made redundant in May but I now miss the 28k salary!!!!

ooooooooooooohhh, what have I let myself in for??!!:eek: :eek: :eek:

whitewing

Welcome Keren!

I just need to actually log off and start getting on with my life instead of spending all my time on here 'researching' different things (that's what I tell OH I'm doing, when I'm just being nosey!)

fallen_angel_shelley

Jacks_xxx wrote: »

nykmedia wrote: »

I know we are all budgeting in a different way and, just to make sure it is clear, your target figure is for your basic, essential living expenses only. I have listed what the basics include and don't forget that if you have children then your basics are based on £4000 plus Family Allowance/Child Benefit

Items that should be counted

Groceries/toiletries/cleaning products
Heating
Lighting
Telephone
Internet
TV Licence
Home insurance
Gifts for others
House Pets (if you have any)
Basic travel
Essential home maintenance
Essential household goods/furnishings
Essential clothing/footwear
Cigarettes (if you smoke)
Alcohol (if you drink)

what about CC & SC payments? would i include them as well, in the 4k?

shelley x

Jacks_xxx

ceridwen wrote: »

You hear that puss......you're in there for catfood okay for the next year:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Foodgrowing - you could try googling for references to Square Foot Gardening - sounds promising.

Dont forget the indoor food growing aka beansprouts - pennies for pounds (as in it costs literally pennies to grow loads of them - and full of all sorts of goodness).

Ooh thank you honey. I'll do a google for that in a mo. We haven't got much of a garden and the soil is only about 6 inches deep and full of building rubble but I thought I could do a few pots. I love the idea of having useful things growing on my kitchen windowsill - is that sad?!

The cat says he is worried about exactly how much tuna and Tesco value prawns :rolleyes: that rather stringent looking budget is going to buy! :rotfl:

Thanks a lot honeybun!

Love Jacks xxx

Jacks_xxx

whitewing wrote: »

Hi Jacks

Would be lovely to have you on board, I keep bumping into you on other threads that I'm reading!

Is there seriously no way of getting cheaper travel to your grandparents? For example are there not cheap day out tickets that you could use after 9am, rather than buying a return? Or can you get a season ticket or something? Or do you have one? Can you give us more details?

Hey sweetie!

I think we both do a fair bit of "research" on this site don't we?? I alway think I post a lot on here but my profile says 4 a day or something ridiculous!

But anyway, It's very nice to get to "speak" to you.

The trouble with my grandmothers is that one lives about five miles away and one about eleven miles away and all three of us live in different counties. :eek:

It's made getting a useful Bus season ticket quite tricky.

I live quite near a train station but neither granny does so I haven't found a cheaper alternative yet. I could walk the five mile one more often but as a return is only 30p more than a single I tend not to! (In my defence I am usually carrying laundry / shopping as well, AND it always seems to be raining! )

Stil working on it though! Thanks honey.

Love Jacks xxx

sweetpea03

ceridwen wrote: »

Thanks for that - you're welcome - and good luck to everyone on this Challenge.:T

Thanks ceridwen :j its really lovely to see you here & hope you'll pop in again often thanks for the beansprouts tip I'm going to give them a go. I planted lots of fruit trees & bushes this year but don't think I'll be able to rely on them to feed us next year! :rotfl:
Jacks, so pleased you are joining :j good luck & you have my sympathy with your tall daughter, my 13 year old son is taller than me (I'm 5'8"!) & is in size 8 shoes already! :eek: You can grow loads of useful things in containers, I have a container herb garden & used pots I picked up from the charity shop for 2p each. I'm always looking out for the larger pots as i'm going to do some salad veg next year & tomatoes in a grow bag
Welcome Keren, its great to see you join & good luck to you too :T

whitewing

Jacks,

Can you drive? Just wondered if it would be worth you looking into one of those carpool schemes. Some are run by environmentally concerned folks so are not so much profit-creating but more community-serving which should help keep costs down. Don't know if it would cost you any less but possibly could save you some time in your day which would give you a bit more time to make/save money to compensate?

shazrobo

sweetpea, one of my 12 year old ds is in a size 13 trainers as from yesterday when i took him for a new pair and discovered most shops dont have that size:eek:
jacks, have you tried dorothy perkins for your daughters jeans, they are reasonably priced, might even find some in the sales, i get all my jeans from there they fit lovely and i have a 34" inside leg