Balance sheet 2009

[Eyren]

Last year I spotted the Balance Sheet 2008 thread and thought it would be a fun idea to start my own spreadsheet to find out if I'm making a profit or loss. However since it's a new year, I reckoned a new thread was in order!

Here are my figures - feel free to supply your own for comparison (or to pooh-pooh my OCD approach to gardening!!).

Outgoings

Covers everything I've spent specifically for this year's sowing and planting. This includes allotment rent; permanent or semi-permanent equipment like a heated propagator, a new mini-greenhouse and several trays of root trainers; potting compost, seeds, perennial plants and herbs; postage on seed swaps.

What I'm not including:

1. I'm not factoring in labour costs, but if I wasn't gardening I'd be doing some other, even less profitable leisure activity rather than working, so in a sense there are no labour costs.

2. I'm not counting the cost of opened seed packets that I have left over from previous years, nor am I deducting the cost of excess seed that I will hold over until next year. I reckon these will more-or-less balance one another out, and since one can never count on old seed germinating, the figures would be an unreliable guestimate at best.

Income

For this I'm counting everything profitably produced from sowings made between 01/01/09 and 31/12/09. No crops yet, since I'm not including the kale and leeks I planted last year, but I've sold some spare asparagus crowns, seed garlic, etc.

Figures

Outgoings: £315

Income: £11

Balance so far: -£304

A long way in the red, obviously, but that's most of the year's expenditure over with, and I expect to make some more money even before the first crops are ready, by selling off my spare tomato and courgette plants at work (they go like hot cakes!).

[Snadger]

Last year I spotted the Balance Sheet 2008 thread and thought it would be a fun idea to start my own spreadsheet to find out if I'm making a profit or loss. However since it's a new year, I reckoned a new thread was in order!

Here are my figures - feel free to supply your own for comparison (or to pooh-pooh my OCD approach to gardening!!).

Outgoings

Covers everything I've spent specifically for this year's sowing and planting. This includes allotment rent; permanent or semi-permanent equipment like a heated propagator, a new mini-greenhouse and several trays of root trainers; potting compost, seeds, perennial plants and herbs; postage on seed swaps.

What I'm not including:

1. I'm not factoring in labour costs, but if I wasn't gardening I'd be doing some other, even less profitable leisure activity rather than working, so in a sense there are no labour costs.

2. I'm not counting the cost of opened seed packets that I have left over from previous years, nor am I deducting the cost of excess seed that I will hold over until next year. I reckon these will more-or-less balance one another out, and since one can never count on old seed germinating, the figures would be an unreliable guestimate at best.

Income

For this I'm counting everything profitably produced from sowings made between 01/01/09 and 31/12/09. No crops yet, since I'm not including the kale and leeks I planted last year, but I've sold some spare asparagus crowns, seed garlic, etc.

Figures

Outgoings: £315

Income: £11

Balance so far: -£304

A long way in the red, obviously, but that's most of the year's expenditure over with, and I expect to make some more money even before the first crops are ready, by selling off my spare tomato and courgette plants at work (they go like hot cakes!).

So your hobby is costing you roughly £6.00 per week? Still not bad for the enjoyment you get out of it is it?

[Mrs Dobby]

It may be that its costing £6 a week atm Snadger, but once you start harvesting, then it quickly turns into a positive saving, as we've found out the last 2 years!

Add onto that the fact that as time goes on and you dont need to buy as many things, then the costs certainly come down significantly, our costs for this year are a lot less than last year, £85 rent for 2 plots, £10 in subs for the 2 of us, £20 for seed spuds, £5 for onion sets, £25 for seeds (why, we've got hundreds already! lol!), £20 for grow bags, £20 for seed compost, so a total of £165 (or about £3.50 a week) for the coming year, compared with over £500 a couple of years ago when we were starting ut and had to get glass n stuff for the 2nd hand greenhouses!

[kiwirach]

i watched Mrs Dobbys thread last year with interest and have begun a list in the back of my garden diary to see how i do this year as well. this is my first full yr of growing, as i only got the plot last june.

[maytreefrannie]

Mrs Dobby's Balance Sheet 2008 inspired me too to keep track of costs and I've been doing that since Autumn 08 - however, I neglected the other side of it, that is, keeping track of what produce I get back. We've had little or no pickings since then except for herbs and some carrots, but this year I'll keep a better account of what I pick to put aganst the costs.

[SarzWix]

Same here, I've got a pretty good idea of what was spent last year, but no idea the value of the produce We've only just run out of our own tomatoes, so I'm pretty sure those alone have covered the cost of the plots.
This year's spending will be considerably less - I haven't bought any seeds at all (yet ). My main expenses will be rent (£90), seed spuds (£30) and compost (??)

[Eyren]

So your hobby is costing you roughly £6.00 per week? Still not bad for the enjoyment you get out of it is it?

I think we need to wait until the produce is in before making overall calculations. After all, February's not even over yet, so the weekly cost is nearer £40 at the moment

But yes - even if all my crops fail, that's only £6 a week for a lot of fresh air and exercise that I otherwise couldn't be arsed to endure!

And if the plot flourishes - £6 is a lot less than a weekly organic veg box

[Beetroot Bob]

Being our first year with a new allotment it's going to be expensive !!

Didn't think I'd spent so much already.

We're on -£236.70 AND I'm about to order a greenhouse tomorrow so you can add another £400 on to that

BUT Enjoyment value so far is priceless

[Alice]

I never count what goes in or out. I just grow because I want to. My own veg and flowers are just priceless.

[Snadger]

I never count what goes in or out. I just grow because I want to. My own veg and flowers are just priceless.

Touche.......

[Eyren]

Each to his own

I wouldn't stop gardening even if it was costing me money - I enjoy the delicious results too much! On the other hand GYO mag are blithely talking about how you can beat the credit crunch by growing your own veg, but without the genuine figures from real gardeners/allotmenteers of all levels of experience, it's all just hot air

[jacob marley]

I never count what goes in or out. I just grow because I want to. My own veg and flowers are just priceless.

Alice has got the right idea there is enough to worry about in the world ....jacob

[kentvegplot]

Don't have a complete idea for last year, but I do know I didn't go near the fruit and veg shop for anything except lemons for the g&t for nearly six months. I reckon I saved about £7/week there. We also ended up eating things that I wouldn't have bought since they were expensive, so perhaps even more.

But it's not about the money - it's about having such wonderful fresh stuff and knowing where it comes from!

[Norburger]

Interesting thread this one, one thing I note is rent - do some of you have more than 1 plot? Only my rent is £15 for a half plot. I thought some were a little steep!