2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

sophiesmum_2

Well done prudent:j
It does really help to focus on your finances. Like you I am not counting the child benefit into my challenge. DD has an allowance for all her spends which comes from the child benefit so I have just removed that from my budget and only include extra stuff like the £5 she had for macdonalds yesterday:rolleyes:

Keep up the good work:T :T

mumzyof2

Morning all, well i went bed early ish last night due to this tablets im on for 7 days i have just took another one so im waiting to see if i feel cr!p again. I really hope i dont tho.

I have gone nearly 16 hours without a cig ))))))) I really hoping i can say i had a NSD day. Ive been wanting to say this for MONTHS Im not craving any cigs either but i do have a patch on NYK i hope your proud of me Its your advice that made me think really hard about quitting in the first place

Prudent

Well done mummyof2 :T :T

mumzyof2

Prudent wrote: »

Well done mummyof2 :T :T

Thankyou very much im still going strong, i dont even feel like one im so amazed!

Frugaldom

Wow! I tried to pop on at about 12 and it's taken me an hour and a half of copy/pasting so I didn't miss anything and I probably still have, apologies to those I've missed

Frankie - Happy foraging! We used to 'play' at foraging through the woods, but we called it wombling because of a neighbour (nicknamed 'Willie Womble') who used to do his daily circuit by bicycle of the local lay-bys. I have to admit, it is totally AMAZING what you'll come across in lay-bys but the woodlands and country lanes are still great!

Molly - Well done on the nice round £10 figure, hope you had a great time.

Slowlyfading - thanks for sticking with us and I hope you get your computer problems sorted. If it helps, I managed to get a fantastic deal on a reconditioned laptop via the reputable electrical store that sounds like Indian meals.

Janey - Get yourself a recent (doesn't need to be new) copy of the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and start from there.

Mumzy - yes, I can see your posts and your signature!! You did it!! You stopped smoking! :jHOORAY! I used cashback to pay stuff off my challenge, so I think that's perfectly permissible and wise - better clearing debts in the longrun no matter how you do it, I think because there'll be loads of time to save and have fun when you're debt free. I am so pleased you decided to quit smoking. Target something positive to do with the money, even if it's saving it and using it to kill off debts quicker :beer:

Taka - I think (hope) everyone's staying now we've all recovered from the 'frugalunacy bug'! Hope you enjoyed catching up and that all goes well with the new PC.

Sophiesmum - I agree that there are fewer people foraging for berries but I'm thinking it's because we have all become so paranoid about this law or that law or 'what will the neighbours think' that most don't even consider it. Sad that it's happened and just as sad that for many more they simply don't have the time or can see no need. I never want to be in the situation that I NEED 3 jobs just to 'heat and eat' and then never have time to 'live'. I'd far rather enjoy life with next to nothing to show for it. :cool:

Hi Kittikins, feel free to join in anytime and posting is always free so you are saving on reading materials and hobbies right away :T

Mini - Hope you enjoyed your trip to St Andrews. Hopefully, I'll make it there this September in time to visit the airshow at RAF Leuchars

Grandma - I think the canning and preserving is another thing that many 'too busy working to afford to live' type people see as 'unneccessary in this day and age'. That's the general reaction I've had. Some have even risked uttering the unforgiveable, 'you have too much time on your hands, get a real job' and to them, I now say, 'get a debtfree life!' :rotfl:

Prudent - Hope your Flu-like bug disappears soon and congratulations on the frugal budgeting and savings!! :beer:

Now I'm off to grab lunch - a quick cheese omlette methinks - then I'll be back to complete my frugal readathon catch-up.

FrankieM

I've just discovered a website called mysupermarket.co.uk that is on ipoints and gives you 1 ipoint for evey £1 you spend...I've just done a big Tesco shop to be delivered tomorrow evening and earnt 127 ipoints, plus 400 for joining....I'm quite impressed. Unfortunately you can only buy 'things' with your ipoints, but it could come in handy as presents or even things to sell on ebay etc....
Anyway, I had to get some petrol today so I will add that to my total. I won't add the Tesco amount until its been delivered....
I think I'm going to try to find some info about what can be foraged and how I can use it...
Oh, I could do with some advice about greasypalm...I've got £16 odd in there, but don't know what to do to bump the amount up so I can get paid. Any pointers/ tips would be greatly appreciated...


Forgot to add DH's £10 pocket money for the week ....

Frugaldom

Hi Frankie, I use G****palm, that's what we're talking about when we say 'oily hand' :rotfl: I'm not great at doing the click throughs for daily cashback, but I do sign up to anything free just for the points/cashback and always check for special deals or double points at weekends and stuff. I also claim my Jackpotjoy free daily prize points and use them to enter the cash prize draws. I renewed my insurance policies through them, joined several gambling associated sites and filled in a few surveys. I think the quickest ones are the bingo sites. Most ask you to pay in £5, £10 etc but the cashback amounts to more than you pay in, plus there's the chance of winning extra. Jackpotjoy worked great for me - £26 cashback plus £55+ in winnings (withdrawn immediately) that was much more than the combined costs of signing up to the bingo & gambling sites. Great if you make sure you aren't tempted to play using your own money, which is an MSE no-no

mumzyof2

Im back and i spent £6 odd in mr m... Mostly on holiday items like toothbrushes and crayons (for kids on plane). I had a coffee in mr m too (something i never ever do) and i showed my ex a tenner i had in my purse and i said to him "if i had of been smoking that would of been gone by now" so i got my shopping for free in my eyes I will update later

FunBrum

Good for you Mumzy for not smoking. Keep it up! You can do it. Think of all that lovely money you will save!:T:j

Frugaldom

Told you all that I liked numbers, didn't I?

This afternoon's work brought a few new numbers to my attention, so I did a quick check and crunched through a few and have been pleasantly surprised, to say the least! I know that many people think I need to 'get a life' but this IS my life - I'm some sort of researcher administrator thingey who enjoys doing what I do for a living, just don't ask what my job title is because I haven't got a clue! :rotfl:

So, post budget and within the final week of the first quarter of this challenge, we are facing the arrival of the new financial year. Boring to most, means nothing to many, exciting to a few, who knows what it means to any of us except me to me - it's like awaiting a payrise! :cool: From April 6th, we can earn up to £90 per week without paying anyone else a single penny of our income! It's as simple as that. With the minimum hourly rate currently at £5.52 for the over 22's, that means that you can work for 16 hours at minimum wage and keep everything you earn as your own. and that is PER PERSON, not per household. If you haven't worked it out yet, us diehard 4k'ers are well within budget as our current lifestyle is equivalent to only £76.50 per week for living, plus council tax, water, mortgage/rent and extras.

IF anyone was in the fortunate situation of owning their own home outright, the difference between £4000 per year and £90 per week COULD pay the council tax if you lived in the right part of London, for example!

My current budget is £4000 for a household of 3 adults but the Government figures state that 3 adults within one household can earn £270 per week among them and keep every penny... is anyone seeing what I see yet? When we were all jesting about frugal communal living... with £90 coming from EACH ADULT... even with only 3, it still leaves £135 per week that's entitled to be 'invested' into tax free savings. :eek:

Have I got this right or have I completely missed the point somewhere??? Does that mean that a household of 5 adults can net £450 per week or 10 adults is £900 per week etc... and there's no tax or National Insurance to pay...? The council Tax amount doesn't change... ? Mikey? Marru? Or any other accountants on here... surely this cannot be correct, can it?