Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

Marru

Mumzy - It is simple 5000/12=416.67 this is you monthly average allowance. As there are 7 months left (June - December) you multiply this by 7 and get 2,916.67 as your total for the period. If you want a daily figure you divide this for the days in those seven months which is 214 giving you 13.63 per day, that would mean average 95.- per week.

mumzyof2

Thankyou Marru

MrDT

dfw844 wrote: »

I’m over budget, but guess what? I’ve been keeping a spending diary since 2005 (and how did I end up in this much debt?) so I’ve just compared what I spent last year on the same things. By the end of May 2008 I’m up to £2145. By the end of May last year, I had spent £3815!!!!!!
...
PS new signature today too!

Very impressive signature, well done :T

Is it just you, or are you counting family stuff as well?

I'm failing the challenge and it's just me... I'm amazed what some of the challengers can do with a spouse and two or three kids in tow!!

dfw844

MrDT wrote: »

Very impressive signature, well done :T

Is it just you, or are you counting family stuff as well?

I'm failing the challenge and it's just me... I'm amazed what some of the challengers can do with a spouse and two or three kids in tow!!

Hi Mr DT,

Don't worry you're not alone in failing for one - I live by myself and can't stick to it either! I too am in awe of those that manage it with kids as well.

I'm counting all living expenses, but not holidays, as my parents have just moved to France and if I want to see them I have to go over there. They are the only hols I am having this year, but I couldn't even hope to come in under £4k if I included the flights etc. They won't be around forever though, so I'm not skimping on seeing my family.

Thanks, I'm pleased with my sig too. Can't believe I couldn't find another £50 to get it under £8k. Next month...

cha97michelle

nykmedia wrote: »

Cha, feel free to join us on this thread anytime. Congratulations on birth of baby, hope all your expanding family is doing well. Just one question, and it is in no way meant to be offensive, so apologies if you find it so and prefer not to answer. If you are returning to work part-time and your wages only just cover childcare, I'm assuming you will still have other costs involved in paying for your job (travel, work wear, lunches, extra cost of convenience items when no time for cooking etc, etc, etc) my question being - is it financially viable to go back to work or could you, possibly, be better off staying home? With the current tax credit system, you may be better off on one salary and claiming the work and child elements of the tax credits and you'd have no childcare costs. Off to hide now, in case you think I was out of order suggesting such a thing.

you are probably right nyk in the short term, but i am thinking much longer term. i'm a science teacher, and the curriculum is going through lots of changes at the minute. i will have had 2 years off in 3 school years, and missed lots of training. If i am out of the game too long i will end up losing my confidence and feeling unable to go back. (My confidence is already rather low after going through a bad OFSTED inspection where we were put into special measures, and i was told how unsatisfactory my teaching was while at the same time acting as head of department - very stressful!)

So for 6 months or so i will work for practically nothing - and will claim tax credits and suck it and see. By that time my DS1 will be 3, and hopefully i will then get some free childcare nursery provision, and my costs will drop a bit.

I would love to have the next few years off with my boys, but don't want to end up feeling unemployable in a relatively well paid profession that will match our lifestyle needs fantastically in a few years.

mumzy i am ashamed to say that i have been hanging around on the old style board for 2 and a half years, and never looked at the grocery challenge. I try to keep costs down there, but often buy nappies, and now with the new baby, i am trying breast feeding again but struggling, so there will be baby milk on there every now and again. I have managed to get DH from spending about £5 a day on sandwiches and pub lunches to taking a pack up, but he likes at least 3 bits of fruit, and something tasty, so often that means bought sandwich fillings and pasties. Before i had the baby he was taking leftovers from dinner, but i am struggling to cook as much at the minute. Also DS1 has just gone from being a fantastic eater and eating anything to refusing things i put in front of him. Maybe i will join that next month when we are a bit more settled and i am able to cook again.

Thanks for your thoughts. It all helps as they say.

Michelle, x

Janey51

Well hello fellow frugalites
I am back from Englandshire where DH has had a big op so I am being Frugal Florence Nightingale :rotfl:
I was staying in a small flat while we were away as I needed to be around to drive DH back home. It was quite hard sticking to my frugal way of life as I was very stressed. Didn't sleep well and regrettably, ate a lot of rubbish which was expensive. I did walk a lot (flat 3 miles from hospital) so hopefully, have walked off some of the calories. I thought I had planned well in advance to avoid excess expenditure but didn't reckon on how nervous I would be about it all and I was on my own 200 miles from home

So, I have totally lost track of my outgoings and am going to have to start again as from June 1. I don't think I'm too far out but I don't want to cheat.
Its a bit of a shame because I have been doing really well up until now and my bank balance proves it :j

Good news...Quidco are making a £77 payment to my account as of June 1:j
I won't have to put petrol in the car as I am on holiday this week :j
DH is eating very little so I can control food spends and he will not be able to drive for a few weeks so no heart stopping shocks when he goes shopping on his own :rotfl:
Will try and catch up with as many posts as I can over the next few days.

slowlyfading

:hello: Janey, I hope your DH recovers quickly! You know Quidco, how have you got £77 to pay out? Mine is always like a quid or something, never very big!

mumzyof2

welcome back janey, hope you DH is okay and recovers quickly

mumzyof2

cha97michelle wrote: »

you are probably right nyk in the short term, but i am thinking much longer term. i'm a science teacher, and the curriculum is going through lots of changes at the minute. i will have had 2 years off in 3 school years, and missed lots of training. If i am out of the game too long i will end up losing my confidence and feeling unable to go back. (My confidence is already rather low after going through a bad OFSTED inspection where we were put into special measures, and i was told how unsatisfactory my teaching was while at the same time acting as head of department - very stressful!)

So for 6 months or so i will work for practically nothing - and will claim tax credits and suck it and see. By that time my DS1 will be 3, and hopefully i will then get some free childcare nursery provision, and my costs will drop a bit.

I would love to have the next few years off with my boys, but don't want to end up feeling unemployable in a relatively well paid profession that will match our lifestyle needs fantastically in a few years.

mumzy i am ashamed to say that i have been hanging around on the old style board for 2 and a half years, and never looked at the grocery challenge. I try to keep costs down there, but often buy nappies, and now with the new baby, i am trying breast feeding again but struggling, so there will be baby milk on there every now and again. I have managed to get DH from spending about £5 a day on sandwiches and pub lunches to taking a pack up, but he likes at least 3 bits of fruit, and something tasty, so often that means bought sandwich fillings and pasties. Before i had the baby he was taking leftovers from dinner, but i am struggling to cook as much at the minute. Also DS1 has just gone from being a fantastic eater and eating anything to refusing things i put in front of him. Maybe i will join that next month when we are a bit more settled and i am able to cook again.

Thanks for your thoughts. It all helps as they say.

Michelle, x

Why dont you join from now on the GC.. as a trail and error..keep all reciepts so you know how much you spend each month and then next month make yourself a aim to stick to?

slowlyfading

Update from me: I've worked out that I am about £200 over budget already, so I'm going to try and have as many NSD's as possible in June so hopefully, by the end of the month, I might be back on track! As other people have mentioned, I'm in awe of those that are doing this challenge with families, as I'm doing it by myself and seem to be struggling so much! I've been looking through the different totals, and I really need to cut down on how much I spend on food - I don't know where it all goes! So, hopefully I'll be able to cut down on buying so much food, and maybe lose a few lbs at the same time I hope everyone is having a good day!