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27th NOVEMBER 2009 - Posted by Catherine Butcher
Day 14
Yesterday ended with an official dinner booked and paid for before the Simplify month (excuses, excuses). Met a fellow journalist who trained on the local newspaper at the same time as me – our paths haven’t crossed in 25 years and now I find our children are at the same school. Restricted incomes could have an impact on a person’s social life – though many of the people I know who don’t work, but who are involved in church life, have active lives in the community. When our children were small and I was home-based, there was no shortage of volunteering opportunities, with lots of friendships made through working on projects together.
I have another invitation to an official function on my desk awaiting a response - haven’t yet booked yet - £10 a head doesn’t fit this month’s Simplify budget.
Appointment with an osteopath today at the British School of Osteopathy – free for those who are not working; £20 for those in work (even if it’s a Simplify month).
14th OCTOBER 2009 - Posted by Catherine Butcher
Day 13
Coffee flask leaked over my laptop on today’s commute – hope there’s no permanent damage. Received a review copy of Penelope Wilcock’s new book ‘In Celebration of Simplicity’ – seriously challenging stuff. I’m very conscious that this effort to Simplify for a month isn’t very authentic. I’m still paying the person who does my ironing ‘so I can work’.
Day 12
Writing at home all day so it’s easy to spend nothing by finishing yesterday’s soup and making sandwiches. Fray Bentos pie and mash for tea - £1.50 for a meal for two. Lovely sunny day – haven’t had to put the heating on yet.
Day 11
Friends for lunch means budgeting is a bit more of a challenge. Leek and potato soup, lasagne with salad and garlic bread, then sponge pudding and custard – all from scratch. Finely chopped carrots and courgettes in with the mince in the lasagne made the meat go further – and no one seemed to notice. But I’m conscious that I’m still using up things in the store cupboard. Now I’m shopping with specific meals in mind, I’m not replacing herbs and other cooking basics that normally make shopping bills mount up. Home-made scones for tea went down well with the family, but I did seem to spend lots of Sunday in the kitchen. Finished the crime novel I was given as a birthday present and want to read another by the same author. Will have to look for it at the library.
13th OCTOBER 2009 - Posted by Catherine Butcher
Day 10
A day trip to Salisbury to talk to Mothers’ Union members about Families First magazine meant another working lunch I didn’t have to pay for – but I did take a flask for drinks on the journey and succumbed to a Mars bar when waiting for the connection at Clapham Junction. (Saved half for the journey home so I wouldn’t be temped again). The lovely ladies in Salisbury gave me a bottle of wine to say thanks – perfect for tomorrow’s lunch with friends.
Shopped in Sainsbury’s on the way back from the station (Again – work making a shopping trip to a supermarket possible, rather than the more expensive corner shop). The saver ketchup was out of stock so I had to go for their own-brand bottle (still cheaper than Heinz). Fresh sweet corn’s in season so bought 4 for £1 as the family loves it with butter. Also bought saver sausages, milk, spuds – and a new kettle as our old one has sprung a leak. Fortunately a saver kettle cost under a fiver – still within my weekend budget. Bangers, herbie potatoes and beans for tea. Kids did a taste test with the remains of the Heinz ketchup and the cheaper version – they could taste the difference - and the vote wasn’t in Sainsbury’s favour, but they weren’t complaining. (Cooking the potatoes in the oven with herbs and a bit of oil compensated for the lack of taste in saver sausages!)
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Day 9
I’d promised to take a friend out for afternoon tea at The Grand Hotel as a special treat, forgetting you can’t do that on £5 a day. But today’s post brought a belated birthday card – and cheque to cover the cost. Serendipity!
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Day 8
Another commuting day with flask and sandwiches. Shopped in Lidl on the way home. Bought veg, fruit and salad for the weekend when the family will all be eating at home and we’ve friends coming for Sunday lunch.
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Day 7
Expensive face cream has run out – I’ll just have to risk being wrinkly! I did cheat paying the hairdresser because I need to look presentable ‘for work’. There I go again: work justifying spending. If self-esteem is related appearance, low income can quickly lead to low self-esteem. (I didn’t have the courage to offer to trade my birthday M&S voucher for a haircut – or to offer to write a press release instead of paying.)
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Day 6
Wet weather means I’ve taken my waterproof coat out of the wardrobe for the first time in months – and it badly needs dry cleaning, but not on this budget. Two working lunches this week mean I don’t have to budget for them. The home computer has been playing up and will need fixing by a specialist – again justified ‘because it’s for work’ but not possible on a fiver a day budget. When so much homework relies on children having access to a computer at home, this must put families under a lot of strain when they’ve got limited finances.
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Day 5
Nephew’s 21st birthday and sister-in-law’s birthday at the start of this month were already paid for and posted before I started Simplify – but would have been budget-busters if they’d been bought from my £5 a day. A 21-year-old trainee doctor wouldn’t appreciate a home-made present from his auntie!
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Day 4
Birthday lunch at Mum & Dad’s so no spending today, just lovely food, family … and presents!
Made a vat of ratatouille to put in the fridge for evening meals this week. The rest of the family won’t be at home to eat this week and I don’t mind variations on the same theme to save time and money: Baked potato and ratatouille; pasta and ratatouille with cheese; curried ‘ratatouille’ and rice etc.
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Day 3
Already I’m noticing that most of my spending is justified ‘because I need it for work’. I put petrol in the car (which I couldn’t do on £5 a day) because I need to get the kids to and from school when I’m in a hurry to catch the train to work. We could all walk if we had an extra 30 minutes for each journey – or we could cycle if we didn’t mind getting wet.
The children have already realised we are living on less – Matt offered to pay form his savings to hire a DVD to watch as a family this evening.
12th OCTOBER 2009 - Posted by Catherine Butcher
Blog day 2
A 16-hour round trip to Wales wasn’t the best way to start Simplify! I got up early to make sandwiches and a flask of coffee for the journey, and set off on the 6.26 train. By mid morning I’d finished them off! I was meeting Mothers’ Union members from all over Wales to talk about Families First magazine – and fortunately there was lots of tea and lunch provided. I stocked up at a supermarket before catching the train back home – that was cheaper than buying food on the 6 hour train journey home – and by checking out the near-to-sell-by-date reductions I had a chicken pie, salad, yoghurt, kitkat (that was a bit of a luxury!) and a cold drink. I did succumb to a hot drink later on the train – and spent £1.18 more than my £5 budget on the day’s food. Working from home tomorrow should mean I can keep costs to a minimum. Thinking about every penny I spend is stressful!
2nd OCTOBER 2009 - Posted by Catherine Butcher
Already I realise that my shopping style doesn’t fit the simpler lifestyle as I buy in bulk. Friends say I keep enough in the kitchen cupboards to come up with a three-course meal for an entire football team – should they happen to turn up for dinner. If I wanted to cheat (which I don’t) we could probably live on what’s in the freezer and store cupboard for most of the month. That wouldn’t give me a realistic view of how anyone on benefits has to live. It’s going to be a challenging month.
1st OCTOBER 2009- Posted by Catherine Butcher
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