FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE 2010, part 1. (Living on £4,000 a year)

12357449

Comments

  • Kerry_Woman
    Kerry_Woman Posts: 3,133
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    Wishing everyone the best of luck for frugal living in 2010. My budget for the year was an eye opener. I am going to be positive and be more aware of where my money is going.
    Frugal Living Challenge 2024 Mortgage free as of 1st August 2013
  • HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

    Really looking forward to this challenge and wish everyone the best of luck.

    Thanks Nyk for all you do to support us.

    I hope you all had a great time last night. We watched fireworks, disco danced and did a conga up the street..not bad considering my parents are in their 70s!

    Stayed over and treated family to home made New Years Day brunch. Still feeling full up so will only need something small later.
    Came home with a couple of sausages, bread, bottle of buzz fizz. Also mum gave us brussell sprouts, couple of carrots and huge pack of toilet rolls.

    Just pottering for the rest of the day…beautiful sunshine outside

    SFT
    :cool: Frugal Living 2010 member MFW by 2014 Was 88,000 now £46,877.90 Grocery Budget for Dec-April=£173.72/£244 (Groc Budget 2010 from Ebay/Voucher savings/Quidco -If we can do it will save our £980 GC budget) Now living the dream -in our tiny country cottage-all thanks to MS forums. x 39 2 go
    Stockpile Savings: £89.72 Voucher savings £8
  • Glad
    Glad Posts: 18,858
    Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Senior Ambassador
    Hi and Happy New Year to you all :hello:

    I've just read through the previous thread and the first thing to strike me is what a lovely supportive group of people you are :)

    I really need some help to live more frugally now, I split with my husband 6 months ago so just me and my two teens now, house is for sale and when I downsize I know things will be easier.

    We already do a weekly mealplan, all meat is from local butcher and as much as we can is bought from local market, usually Tesco for anything else. We take it in turns to cook and most meals are cooked from scratch.

    My fridge and store cupboards are bulging at the moment and I'm hoping I can do a supersave this month by utilising all those stores to save on my shopping bills. Would it be ok to list the contents here and ask for a little help with menus?
    I am a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Wales, Small Biz MoneySaving, In My Home (includes DIY) MoneySaving, and Old style MoneySaving boards. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • Okay, now I'm worried! I've spent the last three hours going over and over the budget.

    I am going to go for £6000, but this doesn't include rent, Council Tax and Water Rates as these are out of my control. It doesn't include debt repayments either. In fact, I'm amazed at how little it does cover as I haven't included luxury things like books, clothes, gifts or a contingency fund. I just don't know how you lot do it!! :o

    The even scarier thing is that if I include rent etc and debt repayments it comes to £16,000 and my projected income is £11,400 :eek:
    Making magic with fabric
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
  • debtmess
    debtmess Posts: 711
    Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Happy new year to all xx

    thanks to nyk for letting me join back in on this after i went last year (new username x)

    looking forward to getting back on the wagon in 2010 as i kinda slipped up big time with mine last year and end figures was a good 2k over what id originally set myself

    have got 4 large notebooks with me ready for the 4 parts of this year, just need to set a realistic amount once kiddies in bed and ive sat down and worked out what im including in my personal challenge

    looking forward to being a bigger part of it all this year
    Debt free :beer:

    Married 15/02/14:D
  • Aril
    Aril Posts: 1,877
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    Happy New Year all fellow frugallers:j:j

    We stayed in last night and shared a bottle of vino and a rather large packet of crisps:o. I had a friend over all afternoon so it was good to catch up there.
    I'm making good use of being at home today to catch up on lots of jobs- have finished my list now so am chilling.
    Have been through all my cupboards etc and meal planned around that so it should be a small shop tomorrow. I was trying to think up ways of using up our potatoes as the small person really isn't a fan. Leek and potato soup was an obvious one except no leeks so substituted onions instead. Enough for today's lunch and tomorrow's. Jolly tasty too! This evening we're having a chickpea curry made with the leftover sauce from our takeaway that we treated ourselves to before Christmas.
    There's been lots of sorting out and decluttering going on in the Aril household today. Hours of frugal fun:rotfl::rotfl:
    Arilx

    Aiming for a life of elegant frugality wearing a new-to-me silk shirt rather than one of hair!
  • Frugaldom
    Frugaldom Posts: 6,936
    Name Dropper First Post Photogenic First Anniversary
    Forumite
    Just a quick 'pop online' to check on how everyone is settling into their new virtual challenge home and to say welcome to more newbies. I#ve listed all the names, I think, up to 'WinterFrost'. Cheers, and thank you for joining us in our quest from frugaldom and, in some cases, a self-sufficientish lifestyle. :D

    Clootie dumpling still boiling away nicely and we've been next door to first foot the neighbours. Not being very conventional, I took half a dozen duck eggs along with homemade shortbread, which wasn't yet cooled :o, and a bottle of homemade elderflower champagne. Came home with a chunk of fruit & walnut cake and some bananas for loaf making, plus I have a little bottle of SM's homemade blackberry gin that she brought in last night. Frugal 2010 here we come, with some lovely neighbourly bartering done for the start of this brand New Year. :D

    Off to prep the veg and get the steak pie into the oven. I THINK everything's under control here. We're having elderflower champagne and I have a bottle of red wine, courtesy of another nearby neighbour. A wee shot of malt and a cracker with pate will make the ideal aperitif. :D
    alcool29.gif
    I reserve the right not to spend.
    The less I spend, the more I can afford.


    Frugal living challenge - living on £4000 in 2024
  • Okay, now I'm worried! I've spent the last three hours going over and over the budget.

    I am going to go for £6000, but this doesn't include rent, Council Tax and Water Rates as these are out of my control. It doesn't include debt repayments either. In fact, I'm amazed at how little it does cover as I haven't included luxury things like books, clothes, gifts or a contingency fund. I just don't know how you lot do it!! :o

    The even scarier thing is that if I include rent etc and debt repayments it comes to £16,000 and my projected income is £11,400 :eek:
    You have still made a good start stitching, getting it all down on paper shows you the reality of the situation and only from there can you really take control. And many here living on less have honed their skills over several years so don't be overwhelmed.
    Having listed all your categories, now see which ones might be honeable.

    Rosie -aeb had triplets in Sept! Great to see you popping in aeb, hope you & tribe doing ok, particulrly at this time of the year. Congrats on the doors:T:D.

    I'm starting off the new year as I ended the old: paper shredding (huge backlog) and ditching clutter ready form dump/charity shop run on Monday.OH at work.

    Having a treat of steaks form our butcher for tonights dinner.
    I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once
  • jtb2412
    jtb2412 Posts: 1,782 Forumite
    Afternoon everyone and Happy New Year. I hope you all had lots of fun and frivolity last night :D

    A quiet night in here playing games with the children and watching TV. I had to pop out at 1am and pick up DD from a party so it wasn't a very early night for us (i'm usually in bed by 10 :eek:).

    I spent yesterday finalising finances etc and decided to change utility suppliers which will save me approx £300 per year (signed up for DD after much umming and aahing which I know makes sense rather than a quarterly bill). I should also get £62 cashback from Q***co (yet to be paid so I'll not count it until it hits the bank).

    Also reviewed our S*y TV, internet and phone and have decided to go with S*y for all 3 which will save us a massive £26 per month :eek: :T. Another £30 cashback due for this too. We also got £10 per month off our TV subscription for 6 months for taking the full package, so another £60 saved :j.

    With the approx increase in WFTC once I give up work I've already managed to find £2516 of my £4K earnings - not to be sniffed at and makes me feel even happier about handing in my notice on Monday :D.

    I've also found out that it looks like we're NOT going to lose the allotment after all - I need to confirm things but apparently the local council voted against the road building, so unless the developers can find about £10m (which is highly unlikely) then we're all set for a good couple of years growing :j.

    The year has definitely started off on a very positive note. :T

    NYK I'm going to try the clootie (sp?) dumpling in a couple of weeks, sounds delicious !

    CW huge thanks for the spreadsheet. I've been shopping this morning (food and a few 75% reduced presents for the year ahead) and I've had great fun filling it out (DH slightly worried about my ooohs and aaahhs while sitting on the computer :o :rotfl:).

    Regarding the pressies (my one thing that I'm trying to cut down on), I managed to get 16 at Mr S today for the total price of £38.50 (original price was £115.50 so a massive saving :D). Now if I can only do that for the rest of them I'll be laughing !

    Food shop came in under budget for this week and I stuck to my list ridgedly. Will be doing storecupboard challenge for the next few weeks to try and free up some space/use up all odds and ends.

    Right I've probably bored half of you to death so I'm going to go and play with my 'present' spreadsheet for a bit while I have another glass of red (last day before I get back on the diet so I'm making the most of it :eek: :p).

    TTFN ........ will check in later :D xx
    :jWeight loss to date 1st 11.5lb :j
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,615
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Photogenic
    Forumite
    jtb2412 wrote: »
    CW huge thanks for the spreadsheet. I've been shopping this morning (food and a few 75% reduced presents for the year ahead) and I've had great fun filling it out (DH slightly worried about my ooohs and aaahhs while sitting on the computer :o :rotfl:).
    I refuse to accept any responsibilty for causing DH's (or OH's or partners in general) to go off in a sulk, thinking you prefer to spend time with the computer than them :rotfl:

    Glad to hear you're enjoying using it though :)
    Cheryl
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards