Tina C Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 On the subject of saving money - we are in the process of changing our life insurance. We upped ours without shopping around when we moved here nearly 4 years ago (bigger mortgage). We are ditching a joint decreasing term assurance for single level term insurance policies (better cover for our circumstances) and will be paying about £25 a month less. Even though we are older now and you would think the premiums would actually increase... Embarassingly we have also reviewed all our various policies and found one that we had forgotten about completely (even though we are paying monthly premiums for it we have several polices so it had got lost in web of this and that). Anyway its just a thought for those of you looking to save on monthly outgoings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 I think I will have to adjust my budget I have done some accounting and the half year figures show I am on track for living on £5K not £4k, which is disappointing Probably due to me spending a bit more freely after last year's attempts at frugality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 but, £5k is still brilliant i might take up that challenge next year I think youve done amazingly cathy x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 but, £5k is still brilliant i might take up that challenge next year I think youve done amazingly cathy x Thanks Cathy, that's cheered me up a bit I will have to try again next year I think (but I am hoping for a woodburner next year ). I'm still attempting to be frugal, just to see what the end result will be, come December. I think I'll amend my sig, again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I think £5,000 is pretty amazing, and surely you have to be prepared to adjust your budget from time to time. I didn't have a total figure for this year, just trying not to waste money, but I have really got into the habit of not buying things, so the bank balance (or rather the mortgage, as I have an offset) is looking healthy. Last month's objective was food waste: I am trying to write a menu, and keep to it, so that I don't waste stuff and I don't go mad when shopping. I should be harvesting some of my own stuff soon, although that will only be tiny amounts. Well done for sticking to £5,000. I'd really struggle to do what you're doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I think you've done brilliantly - and nowhere near as big an overspend as the Government manages on most things.....or big building companies...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew and Alan Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I am hoping for a woodburner next year quote] Wood burners are great!! we heat our entire house with our 3 burners and save money too. If you buy one with a big and flat enough top you can also cook on it Since leaving the 'ratrace' in the UK 2 years ago to move to rural France we have lived on less that 5k a year as we simply no longer have wages / jobs so thats all we have. its not the easiest thing to do especialy as we had a good standard of living in the UK, and sometimes you can feel as if you are missing out on things in life but once you realise the difference between need and want it becomes easier!! havent bought any thing for ourselves, such as clothes and treats etc since we moved to France and its so liberating. i think we are lucky though as we dont have to go out to work and we have some space to allow us to grow as much food as possible and get our water from a well so no water bills etc . we go to the town once a week to get what we need and the rest of the time we work on our house and garden .But we are happy though!! it would be harder to stick to such a tight budget in the UK as everything was more expensive there but congratulations on doing it! even if you dont do 5K but 6K instead its still good going!!! well done again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 This is what you want for cooking on..... http://www.esse.com/cookers/cookers/multifuel.html ...it may blow the budget though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 Thanks for your nice supportive comments folks, cheered me up a little, I don't feel such a failure Olly, I think you are right not to have a budget, I am not wasting any money this year, in fact I hardly spend on myself, apart from the charity shop clothes and ebay shoes for work Most of my money is going on bills...... This is what you want for cooking on.....http://www.esse.com/cookers/cookers/multifuel.html ...it may blow the budget though Naughty Lesley (looks nice though ) I quite fancy a Morso Squirrel actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I couldn't believe it this evening, somebody has just asked for a woodburner on freecycle....... I wonder if she'll get one Sha x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I've only just seen this thread and I think you've been amazing - £5k for a year is nothing. About 20 years we lived in France for 6 months on £2,600 excluding rent. But we didn't have to pay any sort of council tax, or gas or water bills, and electricity bills were very low (no TV, washing machine, computer, gadgets) and the phone was incoming only. We scrumped logs for the the big open fire and only allowed ourselves the rubbish electric heating on if it was really cold. We had the most brilliant time (we were young, free and didn't work) tho looking back on it all I can remember foodwise was finding inventive things to do with stale bread My mother reminded me the other day I wouldn't let her buy a brioche once because we didn't need it!! Anyway, there is absolutely no way I could repeat the experiment now, leading a 'normal' life in the UK, so I really do think you've achieved something to be proud of already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thanks Daphne for your lovely comments, I am spurred on for the second part of the year now! I must admit I am not scrimping on food, so no stale bread here (the chickens get it ) I sold a few bits and pieces on ebay and bought my mum's birthday present with the proceeds, a lovely electric mincer from Ascott She's been on about one for years. I couldn't believe it this evening, somebody has just asked for a woodburner on freecycle....... I wonder if she'll get one The closest thing to a woodburner on Birmingham freecycle would be one of the many candle votives being offered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Charlottechicken, how is 2010 going? It's been a while since the last post on here, and am intrigues to know if you're managing to do the same this year too, after doing so brilliantly up till now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Thank you for asking, chickenanne I'm busy adding everything up for 2009 as we speak. Not convinced I've done well as my heart wasn't really in it, after a hectic 2008 when I had a kitchen extension and broke the bank. Also, I wasn't scrimping at all as I bought a load of tongue and groove flooring (30 sq m) in September and put a floor down in the loft (bit of a game lifting 22 packs of 2.4m wood into the loft from the road, I was covered in bruises but I like a challenge) I did spend less on presents though as I missed the Boots sale and didn't overspend, managed to pick up pretty nick nacks in the year which made much better gifts for people than Boots stuff. This year I am spending mindfully (thanks to Olly for coining the appropriate phrase ) but hope to have a woodburner, although it looks like I will be out of action mid year as I am to have a hysterectomy, and obviously won't be allowed to do DIY for a while (I have a habit of lifting really heavy things despite being little over 9 stone, see bit about flooring in loft), so I am trying to plan around that for my woodburner hearth and associated works. I'm still keeping a book on my spends so will see what that is like at the end of this year, it will be interesting to compare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Sorry to hear about the hysterectomy, don't overdo it! I'm grateful for the credit, but actually I think someone else came up with the phrase and I adopted it - take too long to trawl back through the posts at that time, but it's a good phrase, isn't it! You are an inspiration to me, Charlottechicken - I don't approach anything like your level of saving, but aspire to be like you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Sorry to hear about the hysterectomy, don't overdo it! I'm not! I'll be glad to see the back of everything they remove, and hopefully feel much better for it after years of being washed out, and putting up with side effects from all the medication. Anyway, quickly back on topic, I have a final figure This includes everything I paid for in 2009, all food, car, housing costs, bills, council tax etc.........just about everything. £7086 Now, at the start of the thread I said I wouldn't include council tax, so if I remove council tax and three items I wouldn't have bought if I was really being frugal, the loft flooring, new specs plus old ones had reactolite lenses put in, and the spare Eglu I happened to buy at Gardener's World, I would've come in at £5471. I suppose if I added free stuff, vouchers and cashback to the mix it might be a few hundred less. I'll be keeping a record of this year's non frugal spends (I'm buying a woodburner and having chimneys sorted, hopefully) just to see how much I'll spend, excluding the woodburner and associated work, which might come to around £3k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Thats still pretty impressive - well done you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Well done I hope all goes well with the op x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Fantastic Charlottechicken. I think you have done really well Good luck with the op. Have just amended my signature. Buying nothing new for a year went quite well Not perfectly, but there is always the odd thing that you have to have. I cut right back on my book habit. Used Green Metropolis for most of my purchases, using money from books I had sold. Still have £20 credit with them Went slightly astray in November with Christmas season rapidly approaching, but it was mainly gifts for other people. Not sure how much I have saved, but think it is a far bit Trying to spend mindfully this year......will see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Well done Christian It's great that you still managed to indulge in a few books by selling old ones, good recycling I've joined Quidco now, which will help a little, but I've already overspent in January, mainly food bargains for the freezer, from the Co-op. I'll try and get back on track for February. Only one big spend allowed for 2010. I shall try and use my recovery time wisely by selling bits and bobs on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 still very very impressive I came back to read this thread as inspiration. DH has recently been made redundant and we have to go from being careful with money to magicing it out of thin air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Oh no, sorry to hear that. Charlottechicken is my inspiration in these things, don't think I could manage on so little but she's shown what you can do with great determination! Hope your OH finds another job soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 oh bron, how rubbish Kev was "full time chicken keeping" for 6 months last year - not fun, but I really know how you feel. hope he find something soon (((hugs))) cathy x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Oh Bron, so sorry to read about your change of circumstances Olly, it's so nice of you to say I'm an inspiration but I'm just good at not spending money! Bron if it's any help (and I know from past postings that you are not wasteful with your money, so forgive me if you know all this already) I joined Quidco thinking I would not really get much out of it as I don't buy 'stuff'. So far this year I've got over £50 due in cashback and am thrilled. I'm not buying things I don't need and banked over £40 from house insurance alone, which on it's own was a big saving. Also, have you tried the 'entitled to' website? They let you know what you should be getting in benefits and tax credits. I find constant sources of inspiration from moneysavingexpert and am amazed at people who spend teeny amounts on food etc for their families. It goes without saying that selling anything you don't need will help, I only had a fairly new car a couple of years ago because I sold over £2000 worth of old junk on eBay! It paid for half the car anyway! If I think of anything else I'll post it on here. For anyone who is interested, I have a figure for my first quarter spends, which again includes every penny I have spent: £1377.26 January and February were less than £400 per month but it went up in March as I had to fork out for road tax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethg Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Great thread charlottechicken and good luck, I love a bit of frugal living everything seems much more rewarding when you've made it yourself or got a real bargain at a boot sale or charity shop and saved something from landfill! I also love quidco, made over £250 since I joined mainly from switching utility suppliers and insurances! Also have a look at moneysavingexpert.com if you haven't already there's some great stuff on there and a weekly e-mail you can sign up to for the latest offers! Also highly recommend abebooks.co.uk for second hand books and two of my favorite books are "save cash and save the planet" from friends of the earth and "the new complete guide to self sufficiency" by John Seymour both have been really useful in becoming more environmentally sensitive and frugal! We now make our own bread, own soap, grow our own veg, got four lovely hens out the back, go foraging, make preserves etc etc and life is much much more gratifying as a result! Make do and mend, or just make full stop! Best of luck!!! Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
