The Greenway

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Caroline lives on the water in Oxford

My money is to look for a new series on how people spend their money - and to make the sometimes difficult decisions that You have. Here, Caroline Thurston, of Oxford signed his expenses for over a week and share tips to save money.

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Caroline is 33 and works in Higher Education . She lives on a narrowboat, which they bought three years ago with a unsecured personal loans it repays at £705. 42 Per month. The boat is moored on a permanent residential mooring, for the Caroline £257 to pay. 44 Per month mooring and boat license fees.

In your free time, if You don't do "boat jobs" Will lead You to a leader unit in your village, and love to cook Greek food. About Caroline .

Caroline week: A nervous wait for an approval result, and a soothing Cup of hot SchokoladeEs a gray, rainy day, and The Fire went out over night. In the winter, I'm walking on a tightrope between keeping the boat at a comfortable temperature, and accidentally draining the batteries, the heating pump Will run constantly. A gravity heating, which would not be provided with an electrically-operated pump is more efficient, But the upfront cost is beyond my budget at the moment.

people assume that life on a boat is cheaper than living in A House , But it is not - You only spend Your Money on a different way. Ask a boat driver, which means "boat", and You Will tell them, "bring another thousand'. And Then You Will laugh, and probably cry a little bit.

Oxford is a Cycling city (true to the sheer numbers, which is obviously untrue, based on the lack of bike infrastructure). I drive to work Every Day , so my travel is free of charge.

I'm almost out of contact lens solution, so that I again for three months offer online (£17. 00) via Amazon Smile, which goes for a donation to the RSPCA. I also back to three months Worth of contact lenses (£35. 77).

The Weather is so gloomy, that I drive straight Home and batten down the hatches. My solar panel has not increase generates a lot of power today, so run the generator for a few hours, the batteries. I need more efficient solar panels, as it is clearly offset my expenses for Petrol for the generator and the diesel for the boat engine (around £8 Per week total), But my current top-priority is the order coal for the winter.

Normally, I buy enough for a month at a time, But this winter there is a lock (channel lock) on a bridge North of my mooring, which means that Dusty fuel boat Will not be able to get by for three months. Ordering three months Worth of fuel in advance is an expensive business, and he is me bills back around £400-500 on my usual monthly. So, no new solar systems just yet.

expenditure: £52. 77

the mood is bad at work today, so I buy hot chocolate for me and a colleague (£3. 40). After work I let my car out of the garage for its MOT, and say a silent prayer. The Car is a 2003 Vauxhall Corsa, which I bought two years ago from a colleague of my step-mother, and Paid in installments.

owning a car is probably as close as I get to a "luxury", But it improved My Life immeasurably. It helps me stay connected to friends and family, and my food costs significantly, by enabling me, my food shopping at the big out-of-town supermarkets.

I spend around £30 Per week for food. I plan my meals, and I always work My Own lunch. I lived and worked in Greece for a few years, so I love to cook Greek Cuisine . Many of the Greek Cuisine is by nature cheap (and delicious! ). I'm making this lentil dish regularly, on a kind of Lentil Soup (fakēs).

On Tuesday nights I run a guide unit in my village. I was really happy to see that girl guiding included financial literacy as part of the "skills for my future" theme, across all age groups in its revised program, which started a year ago. Today, however, we have a rather muddy and chaotic game Capture The Flag on The Village green.

expenditure: £3. 40

"D-day". My car is the TÜV? The Mechanic calls me in the morning with the welcome news that, apart from a couple of new tyres and a recommendation for the oil-and-filter change, The Car is fine. I pay £296. 85, the transfer of money from my (very small) savings pot. I put The Money back at the end of the month once I'm Paid .

Today I received a notification that my monthly Geocaching (looking for a outdoor-treasure-game) - subscription has been Paid , (£4. 63). On the way Home I stop at the Post Office for the return of my high-viz jacket Cycling suppliers, as the zip has broken. It is the repair or replacement is under warranty so free of charge, But the postage cost me £8. 70.

expenditure: £310. 18

I have a meeting with a colleague today, But like all meeting rooms booked in The Building , we go to the Uni cafe Next Door and I'll buy the coffee (£3. 30) I'll call back as work-related expenses. Our office operates a petty cash system, so all of the expenses that must be Paid , in person, And Then claimed back, which I think is too much about the financial Situation of its employees.

Two years ago, I purchased a £4,000 overdraft Debt over night (due to The Canal and River Trust, the VAT omission on my mooring fees and threatened me with a CCJ [county court judgment], unless I Paid the VAT bill in full immediately) and I have fallen into The Debt trap since. I fell recently consolidated all my Bank loans and overdrafts, and my rating as a result.

You bought your narrowboat three years ago, I improve with my credit card for The Last year or so with great care, in an attempt to my credit score. I never have more than I know I can afford and I always clear The Balance at the end of each month. Nevertheless, the interest went, if my credit rating is a incredibly daunting.

The poverty premium is very real and may appear to be, no matter how "middle class" also. Debts and their impact on a person's Mental Health is still a taboo subject. To consolidate during the six-month process, my debts, I was very grateful for the support of a good friend who advises The Money and the policy for Mental Health Institute. I Am now part of MMHPI research community, the "lived experience" of know-how and input for their work.

expenditure: £3. 30

Dusty fuel boat for delivery next week, so that I can light a order via SMS for 15 bags of coal, two bags, and a bottle of Gas , in the sum me back £231.

My fuel costs are, not surprisingly, is heavily weighted in the direction of winter, and every year I tell myself I'm going to set aside money during the summer. But I never seem to have enough disposable income to do it.

In the winter, I'm burning around 50-60kg (£25-£30 value) of smokeless fuel a week. A bottle of Gas (£33) for The Last three months. I burn wood for heating, it is useful to increase the temperature, the boat is fast, But it is not possible to keep the stove going overnight with only wood. Keep Warm is not just a consideration of Comfort - it also prevents moisture and condensation that would otherwise damage to the fabric of the boat.

My neighbor has invited me for dinner this evening. On the way I stop to buy at Sainsbury's, food shopping for the next week (£34. 34, including wine and chocolate for my host tonight and tomorrow) and fill The Car with Petrol (£32. 02, including a five-gallon can of gasoline for my generator).

expenditure: £66. 36

I'm off to see London, my Best Friend . We have not seen each other in five months, so we have to catch up on a lot! I would normally work, You can get The Train to London, But there are engineering this weekend and I'm not in the mood for a three-hour schlep from Oxford to Upton Park , so I did. In the afternoon we go back to a long walk along The Greenway footpath in East London , then the bus to your house, (£1. 50).

expenditure: £1. 50

expenditure: £14

How Caroline Will feel about your week? With The Exception of my TÜV it was a pretty typical week, there were no big surprises! It is encouraging to see that, as I suspected, my spending on what I need to stay warm, dry and fed. Unless I get rid of my car, I can't see how I can spend from the pare again This Week .

life, oxford, personal finance, lifestyle, greece, girlguiding, money

Source of news: bbc.com