2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

CRANKY40

Ahhh well, the first bills of 2008 have started to roll in. I have amended my signature accordingly.

Good luck everyone, I hope you achieve what you have set out to do.

fallen_angel_shelley

wornoutmumoftwo wrote: »

I am all electric in a 2 bed upstairs flat (One up/One down) I made the mistake of leaving on the water heater all day as genuinely didn't know it ate electric, I also do my washing machine at night and the tumble dryer to make use of the cheap night rate.

I use about 12 units in the day and about 15 at night on average, I have two storage heaters which I try and keep on low as the higher they are set the more lecky they'll use.

im in the same boat as you, 2 bed upstairs flat. if you don't mind me asking, what is your bill a 1/4? but i don't have a T/D.

Penny2myName

Checked my A+L, 10.95 for TV licence came out today.

bails

Penny2myName wrote: »

It will be a full weeks groceries for me too, and as today is a non working bank day, nothing I can do till tomorrow, apart from calling the catalogue which I did to tell them they OWE me for any charges incurred due to THEIR mess up.:mad: Luckily they have agreed to reimburse me once I send proof of charges (so when the letter arrives that will automatically be issued by their computer)
Also have to wait for them to re-credit to my bank account the extra money which they took out.

In the last few months, my bank (Lloyds) has taken to cancelling any bank charges if we phone up (even the one that was OH's fault). Worth a try, save you having to send proof to Littlewoods. Or could you do both? Cheeky, yes, illegal, immoral? Would help with this challenge though eh?

Jacks_xxx

Nyk & Wornoutmumoftwo - we really need to cut back our leccy useage as I've put us down for £100 a month in the challenge and the current DD is £110 - Have you got any tips for us?

Cheers lovelies!

Love Jacks xxx

mini_huny_money

hya everyone....just a quick visit and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone.

Like others Im aiming for a no spend few days. Just checked online and none of my DDs have come out yet. I'll have to wait till at least Saturday before I can update my spreadsheet and sig. Though will be recording everything in my spend diary. A big fat zero for today!!!!!

Hopefully tomorrow will be the asiest its my birthday and I reckon I shouldnt need to put my hand in my pocket all day. Though OH doesnt drink alcohol and I feel guilty if he buys me more than one.........not cos I drink too much,!!!!! just thats its so expensive buying alcohol in restaurants

Though as its a lunchtime meal we're going for I'll probly just have water ( am not afraid to say no to the designer bottles and just ask for tap water with loadsa ice!!!)

Shouldnt need to buy food till early next week and am goin to use waht Ive got left before I buy anything else, and ignore the habit that just cos its Thursday, its food shopping day

XX

cilla18

With 2 young children I don't expect to be able to manage the £4000 a year challenge... but in the spirit of things I'm going to try for £7000 for the year.

I have a carefully done Excel spreadsheet to detail my spendings and last year I was spending around £1000 a month on the things that 'count' for the challenge... so trying to get down to just £7000 for the year will be an acheivement for my little family.

mumzyof2

Hello i havent spent anything today.. but i havent checked online banking so i will let you know in a bit when i check, i know Tv licence suppose to come out tomo

wornoutmumoftwo

My last quarterly bill was £250 but that was my summertime one, my total for the year 1160.
The history of my bill is this: Idiot for brains here didn't realise that an immersion heater was like a big big BIG kettle and left it on 24/7, also I had a storage heater on full blast as it wasn't working. My bills were extortionate and applyed to British Gas for an energy trust grant which I got, thus clearing my bill at the start of the year so that 1160 is since February.
I am now on a key meter with British Gas which is working out well as I know exactely what I'm paying out in cash terms and pay off £15 per week.

This is my daily routine:
Morning - no later then 7.30 turn off water boiler
Go round switching off lights that the little darlings leave on, and applicances I don't need to use through day like microwave, tv etc etc, I know they don't use up much but every penny counts.

About 5pm I cook dinner and turn water heater on for 1 hour, just to top up the water that should still be hot enough from overnight heating (boiler has insulation and is also covered with a spare duvet and boy does it keep the water hot for longer), we eat dinner, turn water off at 6pm, bath the boys.

About 9pm I put it on for another hour for our bath/shower (in fact if you can shower you'll get away with having the water on less, but my kiddies are wee, and love their bath).

At 11pm the night rate kicks in and I turn the water back on for the night until 7.30 when day rate comes on again.

During the night, I have my w/machine and tumble dryer timed to go off at 3am so not to disturb neighbours etc. though I did ask first and they can't hear them.

If i had a timer on my boiler I wouldn't leave my water on all night, I'd put it on at 3 until 7.30 but I have no choice as I need to turn it on myself.

I also have timer switches on my tv/cable so not to leave it on standby.

I draw curtains as soon as it gets dark to keep heat in, and if safe for you, once I've finished cooking in the oven I leave stove on to let heat out.

I am just testing slow cooking overnight and steamer cooking to see if it's cheaper but spending much more on electric now due to extra cooking over xmas and new year.

Also got a grant for wall cavity and loft insulation which make a huge difference.

Sorry to waffle, think that's it, if in doubt you should ring up your electric company and speak to the energy efficiencey dept, I did and questioned them on every single appliance i had.

I can go all day on 1 kwh, but once the immersion and cooking needs doing it starts eating electric.

Rafiki_2

Happy New Year, my Lovelies! :beer:

It has been a long time since I have started a New Year in such a positive frame of mind!

This year shall be good - I shall make it so.

£10 spend today - simply as I put £10 into my Christmas 2008 fund (I want to hit Christmas with £520 set aside to deal with it comfortably)

I have programmed my mobile to bleep me each Sunday so that I pop in here and update. Should I not be around prior to, then please, I wish you all a very lovely Week 1 of 2008.