Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 2

Hi Everyone on this nice, new, squeaky clean thread.

I have yet to properly update my spreadsheet but am bang on the nose with the petrol expenditure and about £30 over on the groceries as I put in an extra order to AF when they had some nut roast mixes.

I am frantically searching for a missing library book. It is an excellent book, The Harvest Pantry by Barbara (Somebody). I have taken it out of the library many times over the past three years and have copied many recipes, so initially was not too worried when it was mislaid thinking that I would replace it and then if I found the original that would be ok. BUT. On Amazon a used copy of the book is £44 and new it is £107. This book must be found! The bloodpressure is going up as I type.

However, if a major cashectomy is in the offing, I have got an interview for a promotion at work. If successful the groceries budget will imediately go up from £30pw to £40. The way food prices are rising, it is getting too difficult to stay inside the limits. In Mr A last week a 500g tub of Stork had gone up from 75p to £1. Fortunately, it was only 80p in MrS but even that is an above inflation price hike.

Best wishes and hopes for a good second quarter.

Puddleglum

miss_empty_piggy wrote: »

Got outbid at the auction this morning for the chest of drawers I wanted for DD1. Never mind. They weren't worth £60 so I didn't buy anything from there.

I dont know about where you live - but where I am there are loads of Charity Furniture shops & they are well worth the browse as you can get some super stuff there at very reasonable prices. Also you could put a 'Wanted' ad on Freecycle its amazing what people get rid of - as they say one mans junk is another mans treasure:rotfl:

My debit card has been used so much it won't work any more:D I've ordered a new one but until it arrives I have to take DH with me - a trip to Mr M for flowers for my cousin in hospital & a jar of coffee ccost a bag of brazils, a bag of cashews and a bag of figs & a bottle of Southern Comfort:eek: He did say the SC was reduced - he's on freezer pickings this week:mad:

hi all popping back in for part 2 the first 3 months for me have been horrid i am no where near being on budget as i have had everything hit me at once hopefully the next few months will be better

Quote:
Originally Posted by 23rdspiral
:T wow minnie! you're doing amazingly. health issues and a broken foot but still working so much! paying off debts, working overtime to do so. i'm so very impressed with your efforts and attitude. thank you for the inspiration.


thanks for the heads up. i'll go look in co-op when i can. also for the idea of putting loo roll in the attic, the new house's upstairs showerroom thing is very small and i wondered where on earth to keep such things. we havent braved the attic yet but fingers crossed it's dry!


woop! woop! bravo on keeping your OD below your target!! :T good luck with hopefully keeping it there and lowering it as you can.



Hi Laura, welcome to the thread. you've certainly been putting being ill to good use! good luck with your personal challenge, it sounds like you're heading in the right direction to make the changes you want to make.
~ i pride myself in getting all the meat off the chicken, even bits it didnt know it had! :rotfl: personally, i add these little bits after i've blitzed the soup as i prefer the texture that way, and so my OH knows there is at least a bit of meat in there!;)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ceridwen
MINNIE

You make me feel positively exhausted just looking at your timetable:eek: - but you deserve a medal for putting in so much - and with health problems to contend with too.

Re NMW (ie National Minimum Wage) you might find it useful to have a read of this:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employme...ge/DG_10027201


Well sometimes I have trouble keeping track!!!! Had a review and the specialist is very pleased with my progress and the drugs are obviously working their magic on the tumour - so positive there.Nice to have a clearer head!! With all my brains I was surprised there was enough room for a tumour in there in the first place!!! hehe!!

Just hoping all the work will be worth it!!!! it nice to now see progress and our money changing!! what i still struggle with is not to spend money when we have it!!! its ok whe we are short and get paid late as then we are frugal but we both get paid for main job at same time which is not good - i struggle to remmber that that money has already been spent on bills when its sitting there!!

Hey ho!!! i am currently working on ways to get round this - such as not carrying cards and just having a set amount of cash etc.I dont know it seems to be my big downfall - its affecting us this month as weve had money and i cant spend it but i have eek!!!

cw18 wrote: »

If I take something back (not on the same day) I generally enter a line with a negative spend - noting in the 'what' column that it was a refund for xyz bought on 1/2/3

Great, thanks Cheryl, like this as it allows me to show what I did actually buy and then the credit separately (rather than it just looking like I'd spent less in the first place IYKWIM)

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

SS I prefer to use my credit card because I can keep a check on my expenses easily. I have an envelope system similar to the one you use. It consists of 4 imaginary columns, first the date then a name as some form of identification for me to see who I paid. Then I have an imaginary column for amount spent and the final column is to show the running total. I save all till receipts and after using my C/C and recording it I put it inside and file the whole envelope in an old bank statement folder. I always write the date on top together with the allocated amount and make up a new one every month. This works for me and has done so for about twenty years or more and this way I can find any receipt I want and the money gets paid in full each month. Some months I go over the amount but still pay it off, that forces me to be careful the following month. I put all my C/C expenses on it whether for food, gardening or whatever and because I live alone have to sometimes just stop spending and make do and I know thats easier for me than for those of you with others to consider.

Snap! Had a bit of an overspend (not half!) last month - which is about to come out of March's salary so have been extra careful this month! I do find it easier to do it this was and pay for everything on the cc rather than bits by switch etc.

I keep a note of the spends in a diary but it's hard to see a running total so the "envelope system" sounds a great idea and will be giving it a bash!

rubytuesday wrote: »

Well a great start to April for me!

I received my credit card statement yesterday and instead of it being over three hundred pounds it was only seventy three! I always pay it off in full but that just shows how much I have reduced my spending!

Wow, that's brilliant!


Welcome to the newcomers - great to see so many people joining in.

Went to pet shop today (don't know why everything runs out at once) - food for dog (£22) and cat1 (£16) but both should last about 2 months. Dog's medication will also need reordered this month - wish I could think of a way to split them up (other than starve them for a couple of weeks - only joking)! Cat2 has thankfully just had a bag of her food so she'll be fine to the end of the month.

Got 3 packs of 2x500g mince today. Have made a huge chilli and a big load of mince out of one which will be frozen, along with the other packs, tomorrow.:D

Anyone got any ideas for other (easy) things I can make with mince - usually stick to mince/veg, chilli, lasagne & shepherd's pie so would be grateful for some ideas as it's going to be a "mince month" with the amount I've now got!

Got some really cheap cabbages at the farm shop when I stopped for eggs as they were the last of their "old" ones (still perfectly fine) so will need to chop/cook/freeze those for the dog tomorrow.:)

Off to see DM tomorrow as well so looking forward to that.

Have a great "mum's day" to all the mum's amongst us.:D