2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

mumzyof2

bails wrote: »

Hi Bluefleur, you can definitely join! Nyk can give you a challenger number and you can get cracking straight away. Just work out what your budget for essentials will be (excluding council tax, water and rent/mortgage) and use that as your starting figure. Hopefully you can learn from us and we can learn from you too! Be warned though, this challenge is highly addictive and strange behaviour will ensue

AARRGGHH! I don't know quite what's happened this month but we now have about £20 FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH!!! :eek::eek: I've looked back through the spends and it's just a combination of little things mounting up, like the pig food running out etc and blummin' petrol costs :mad:. But at £1.42 per day, it's going to be quite a challenge! If it was just me then I'd just do it, no questions, but OH is a potential liability :eek: Short of tying him down for the next fortnight (which he might like a bit too much), any ideas?

EDIT: phew, I was about to go into 'stiff talking to' mode and OH has just reminded me that the account is owed £25 from another account and that a couple of things about to come out are a few quid cheaper than I thought, so we have about £50 to play with. Still not great but much less scary! OH is also off for a tai chi weekend over Easter and then home to mummy for 4 or 5 days so that should avert a Bails disaster :T

Like i said on GC im glad im not alone..

Frugaldom

two_sheds wrote: »

When I take off my rent, council tax and water, I'm left with £3,772. Do I qualify for the challenge, or can someone lend me £228 ? :O

You most certainly do qualify! If you check back my posts for this year, I have already absorbed £185 (from accumulating cashback) into my budget, so playing 'catch-up' forms an integral part of this challenge. Can I tempt you to become number 141? :A

mumzyof2

Evening nykmedia How are you today? Been busy?

Frugaldom

BlueFleur wrote: »

Re: the countryside being cheaper to live in debate. I was a firm believer in that until I factored in travel costs and lower wages. I've been looking for work in the rural area I'm in, so that I can start when I finish uni in June. It looks like I'll be commuting to the nearest city/large town so that I can get a decent wage!

I think this challenge it really interesting. I’m too late to join I assume, but I’m going to be stealing all your ideas

My original post wasn't saying that country living was cheaper, it was saying that if you wanted the high life then it would be far more expensive living in the country I prefer the rural lifestyle and would rather be rural and skint than urban and loaded (or skint). :rotfl:

You are not too late to join. If anyone would like to join this challenge today, 17th March 2008, then the 4k balance is roughly £3158 from now until 31st December 2008. Just let me know via PM and I'll get your name added to the challenger list at post 1. Everybody's welcome

Hi Mumzy, I've been working and made a pot of chicken soup in between times. I am sorely tempted to go make some tablet or puff candy, though!

Redglass, yes, chocolate puff candy tastes like Crunchy bars. You make the tray then break it into chunks and coat it in chocolate.

Bails, glad you worked out the stretchy money :rotfl: I've almost completed day 10 no spendathon but I think guilt may send me to Mr S or Co-op tomorrow

Back later - electrician just arrived to fix the cooker!

elantan

redglass wrote: »

elantan wrote: »

never heard of cinder toffee ...

Cinder toffee is like the inside of a Crunchie bar. Is that puff candy?
I know you put bicarb in it while it's boiling and it all puffs up in the pan.

thats the stuff.... same thing yum yum

BlueFleur

Thanks nykmedia, I've sent you a PM. I hope it worked, still a bit new and confused I've read through the intro post and a few pages in, but I admit to giving up after that! I'll be living off the £3158 and using the rest to pay off debts and then save. Hope that is ok!

Frugaldom

BlueFleur wrote: »

Thanks nykmedia, I've sent you a PM. I hope it worked, still a bit new and confused I've read through the intro post and a few pages in, but I admit to giving up after that! I'll be living off the £3158 and using the rest to pay off debts and then save. Hope that is ok!

Welcome to 'the frugal gang' and thanks for joining us here. :beer: Got your PM alright and will reply to that now. I've also added your name to the challenger list with a target of £3158. Feel free to post your progress as often as you like.

flowerofthewest

Evening all - just caught up with today's posts. Didn't realise I was going to start something with the tablet.
Nyk - checked out the table recipe you posted and mine is similiar - 2lb sugar, a generous knob of butter (have never actually weighed it), tin of condensed milk, milk (measured with the empty condensed milk tin).
Put it all in a heavy based pot (pressure cooker is good) and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Keep stirring for around 5-10 mins until mixture starts to bubble away from the side of the pan and feel "sugary". Take off the head and beat like hell for five minutes or so until it's the consistency of double cream and leaves a trail when you drizzle it. Tip into greased rectancular tin (I use a slab toffee tin from the market sweet stall) and when partially cooled mark into bars or squares.

I make this for the family at Christmas as part of their present, along with shortbread, and my neice and nephew love it. But the best bet is that I get to scrape out the pan! My brothers and I used to fight over this when we were kids

Back on topic - went out to top up on shopping today and only spent £5. Decided I've got enough in the freezer and cupboard to last the reset of the month and only needed milk, bread and veggies.

Take care
Fi

lingojingo

nykmedia wrote: »

My original post wasn't saying that country living was cheaper, it was saying that if you wanted the high life then it would be far more expensive living in the country I prefer the rural lifestyle and would rather be rural and skint than urban and loaded (or skint). :rotfl:

yes, that's the jist of most of the replies in the guardian:

'saved no money from the move, only do this for the other benefits a country location can provide'
'council tax a bit cheaper, but water rates a lot more!'
'use car more but get more miles to the gallon. Only traffic jam is the odd tractor or herd of cows'
'it's a different world; much of what you do is centered on your home and basic self-sufficiency'
'because of less choice you might be able to save money'
'travelling expenses have risen considerably, but that is offset by the improved lifestyle'
'London is still accessible as a tourist destination and infinitely more pleasurable when you go as a visitor'

Frugaldom

Hi guys

Electrician just left and needs to come back with a spare part for the hob, so will continue to use my 2 ring cooker from eBay until I know for sure everything's ok.

With regards to this thread and what Mumzy mentioned about the number of posts, I'll keep my fingers crossed that we can remain on here until the end of this month, then I'll open a new thread from 1st April, when we'll be one quarter of the way through the challenge I'm unable to alter the title to 'part 1' , so will leave a link from my first and last posts here to the new one at the end of this quarter.

Having looked closely at my own budget, the following is a break-down of how things are:

Total: £4000 for year. Already spent £1147.31, balance = £2852.69
Current average weekly spend = £104.30
Day 77 of 2008, 289 days left at average £69.10 per week :eek:

I WILL SUCCEED! Groceries and electricity are my 2 main spends. I'm almost in control of the groceries and surely it won't be long until the better weather arrives and I can turn off all the heaters? Roll on springtime! (Trying to estimate my next electricity bill now, allowing £35 per week that should be about £500!!! :eek: