2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

MarkyMarkD

BlueFleur I did an economics & accounting degree before becoming an accountant, so I was pleased to read about your possible career plans.

FrankieM

Morning everyone,
Nyk...how would the amount your allowed to charge rent to lodgers before paying tax work, added to your £90 per week tax free.....not to mention all the vouchers, cashback etc that you could earn....? I think I was reading somewhere, can't remember which board, about what benefits you would be entitled to etc if you put pretty much all your salary in your pension. I found that quite interesting. We don't have a pension at the moment, I'd prefer to be mortgage free.....anyway...
I've just been looking at that 'main meal for a fiver' thread. I'm currently working my way through it. I don't think I've ever worked out the cost of each meal, so it might be worth giving that a go and seeing what I'm really spending...
I've had my electricity, gas and mortgage protection DDs come out today, so I'll add that to the old sig....I've been quite impressed at how my spending has evened out. I struggled to believe Nyk when she said the first couple of months were the most expensive...I'm glad I've stuck with it...

mumzyof2

Morning all Hope everyone has a nice day..im still not smoking but finding today a little tiny weeny bit harder..not the carvings as such just the "il just pop for a cig when im on fone to my mum etc". As NYK says ita a doddle.(ive even said its a doddle on the No smoking thread

catshark88

Good morning everyone. It is a beautiful sunny morning down here on the south coast and it feels wonderful to feel the sun again.

Really enjoyed the Apprentice last night too. Poor Nicholas was told he had failed at the "maths" of pricing. Now my maths is dreadful and I got a C back in the days of O levels (poor lamb would have shot himself if he had got a C), but how good at maths do you need to be to notice the letters lb, kg or each after a type of fish?? Mind you, I bet that if I went on the show I would be just as bad!

My enjoyment was a bit marred though by flinching every time I saw the shots of London with all the lights left on! Think what those companies could save if they turned them off!!:eek:

Well done to all who have given up smoking!:T

Best wishes from your loyal lurker.:cool:

whitewing

Hi Everyone,

Very nice and sunny here today. Thank goodness we don't have to pay our council tax this month. That has helped.

Am still trying to get my head round a sensible monthly budget, so that we can use the (small) profits from my self-employment for overpaying the mortgage. Trying to scape up some extra monthly income. Tax credits would cover it maybe, but that is still on hold. An appt was booked for OH but no one told him so that has to be rebooked, and a letter sent to us, so that's a week's delay.

CRB check for MIL has also been delayed. I knew they (MIL and OH) hadn't sent enough detail in for 'additional comments' but they still don't realise how stringent Britain is with regard to this kind of thing. So they have had to write back with the info I told them to put in in the first place. It is really, really difficult to let people learn from their own mistakes! But that'll mean she won't be starting her new job next week either.

The strain of being the family's (relatively unwilling) financial manager and also having MIL here is beginning to took a real toll. Although in fairness to MIL, she is a lovely person and very helpful. It's just that we wouldn't be paying someone to do our cleaning etc. Also, it means that there is no mindless useful tasks for me to do to take my mind off any troubles, and to give me some breathing space. I feel bad about being so irritable, and I have asked OH to encourage her to go out for walks or to my family's for coffee so that we can at least have some time alone in the house I'm working my guts out to pay for. She is a confident woman, but she has hardly seen OH for 5 years (yes, I feel mean for moaning) so I think she is just enjoying being around him and cooking his old favourite food etc, and sharing his life. She's nice to me too.

I need to relax more. OH is absolutely brilliant and understanding with day to day frugality, but is still unwilling (or maybe genuinely unable at this stage) to be thinking financially in the longterm. He agrees that it would be great to make overpayments on the mortgage, but thinks that this is my goal and he helps me with it. He doesn't seem driven to take ownership over making OUR goal happen. It's the dreamy artist in him that I love so much but that makes this so difficult. If he didn't have me and DS, he dreams of living in a little ramshackle stone hut and selling enough pictures or photos to get by. It's surprisingly difficult to compete with this dream, although I am currently enough compensation! He is beginning to realise that if he takes a bit more control of his destiny, then he could have the best of both worlds or even a slightly different better version. We're a very good team and balance each other very nicely but there are still a few corners to rub off each other!

Keep on frugalling!

Frugaldom

Good morning all

Frankie - cashback, money for clicks, points exchanged for cash, eBid/eBay sales etc are all classed as "other income", then there's interest from savings and profits from shares etc. Everything over £300 is declareable to the tax man. The details of the Rent a Room Scheme, which I find really interesting, are best explained HERE. I haven't checked out benefits but if someone else fancies a little research project, please feel free to enlighten us here The main details of tax and tax credits, however, can be found HERE. I did a littloe research into the pensions schemes but I am loath to part with cash that I may never see. Once it's in the pension pot it is gone until you are old enough to get it back bit by bit. Just lke life insurance, many never see it back and then where does it go?

DdraigGogh well done with the meal planning :T I'm still really, really bad at it, but I blame the fussy eaters in my household!

Mumzy, I left you a little message on the quit smoking thread, mentioning the three grand you'll save over a year. I didn't mention the word 'doddle' for fear of being chased. :rotfl:

Whitewing, you are doing a fantastic job of keeping it together and I wish I could send you a simple solution to a complicated sounding situation. You and OH need time out together, alone, if there is any possible way of doing that, so you don't end up feeling like this >>> :wall:

Marky/Marru/accountants/lawyers - Where does a pension pot go if the pensionholder dies before claiming it? Where does a fully paid-up life insurance policy fund go if the policy holder lives past the 25 years they have been paying into it? I asked a tele-sales guy just this week, 'do I get the money back if I DON'T die before I'm 70?' and he hung up on me!!!!:mad:

whitewing

My hamper has arrived. It is lovely, lovely, lovely! 27 tins, bottles or packets of the most beautiful food, including Argentinian Dulce De Leche Cappuccino Toffee and Baby Whole Apples in Syrup. I could go on, and on....there's pasta and lentils and polenta and sun dried tomatoes too so some good meals out of this.

Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Got to go now; have been so interrupted by work phone calls this morning that I am still in my dressing gown.

taka

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: Ohhhhh that sounds fab...:o

sophiesmum_2

whitewing wrote: »

My hamper has arrived. It is lovely, lovely, lovely! 27 tins, bottles or packets of the most beautiful food, including Argentinian Dulce De Leche Cappuccino Toffee and Baby Whole Apples in Syrup. I could go on, and on....there's pasta and lentils and polenta and sun dried tomatoes too so some good meals out of this.

Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Got to go now; have been so interrupted by work phone calls this morning that I am still in my dressing gown.

whitewing that hamper sounds absolutely lovely:j :j Lucky you!!:D

Nyk you have my head buzzing with all sorts of financial caalculations now:D .I also think the premium bonds are a better investment than the lottery - even though mine never win:o at least you keep your stake.

mumzy well done on the no smoking so far, hope you have a great day today with the kids, never been to the one in Whittle le woods:rolleyes: , although that is where my XOH has his golf club.

catshark I always have the sme thought about the lights whenever i see a night shot of all the london offices:eek: , what a waste of electricity.

Today is lovely and sunny here but cold. Had to go to cash and carry for work so took the opportunity to fill up my car at the cheap garage, not long ago a tank would have cost me around £39.00 now it is around the £43 mark:rolleyes: Good job some of it is reclaimable on expenses. Also spent £6.89 on a big pack of bacon whilst there but that will last us a month or so much better value than little packs from supermarkets.Will split into bags and freeze later.
Total of £49.89 to add to my spends today:o

Mellika

whitewing wrote: »

My hamper has arrived. It is lovely, lovely, lovely! 27 tins, bottles or packets of the most beautiful food, including Argentinian Dulce De Leche Cappuccino Toffee and Baby Whole Apples in Syrup. I could go on, and on....there's pasta and lentils and polenta and sun dried tomatoes too so some good meals out of this.

Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Got to go now; have been so interrupted by work phone calls this morning that I am still in my dressing gown.

Argentinian Dulce de Leche!!!! I am Argentinian, and this is the main thing we miss when we leave our home land.

You can use it on anything, toast, cakes, pancakes - and it tastes heavenly on bananas. I don't recommend trying it with ice cream as it can be too sweet and it will go stiff.

Where did you get this hamper from, may I ask?

By the way, "dulce de leche" literally means "milk jam" - oh I got a craving now!