Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

tryingtodobetter

Bad start to the day here I had to leave DS1 (7) at school crying his eyes out, I hate leaving him like that but it is the best thing to do otherwise he just gets worse. Off to work now which will hopefully take my mind off DS1 (although I know he's probably fine now and will have forgotton all about it by the time I pick him up later)

Hope everyone is having a better start to their day.

Janey51

Has anyone who lives in Scotland looked into what the introduction of a local income tax instead of Council Tax would mean to them?
I have been looking on the Scottish Government website and by my calculations it could mean a substantial saving for me. At the moment I pay £106pm (includes water) but I would pay about £30pm with water extra to that.
Quite a hefty boost to the budget.

MrsHayes

Aww ((trying to do better)) hugs. Hope you are ok and your son is happier when you go to get him xx

bails

Aah, sitting here wrapped up in the duvet watching the cutest thing - mum cat is licking the kitten's head and one of my boy cats is licking her head, then they're swopping round and he's doing the kitten while the mum licks him :smileyhea

Great haircut story Sophiesmum, would love to have been a fly on the wall :rotfl:My OH cuts his hair pretty short too (normally 2 or 1); the shortest it's ever been was when he had it traditionally shaved to much local amusement in a Moroccan village. Might dig out a photo
Hope your son is fine tonight TTDB, it's amazing how quickly they can move on from things.
Scary spends in your friend's house Janey :eek: Surely they'll never manage unless they cut back quite a bit £25 on biscuits and crisps??! I feel positively angelic now :rotfl:
Sorry Nyk, forgot to mention about your DD yesterday. Why is she so unhappy with you? TBH, I wouldn't expect my parents to pay for my wedding so any help you're giving her is a lovely thing to do.
There's blue sky here although it's cold and windy, more like a winter's day :rolleyes: Won't last long though as rain is on it's way. I can't really do much today after a hideous day wedding dress shopping yesterday, ho hum. Two good things though - the friend of OH bought my bike gear thingy for the £60 I'd asked, go me for sticking to my guns! :j And OH has just brought home a mattress he was asked to take to the tip for a neighbour of where he's working - it is 10 years old but apparently top of the range and is in fantastic condition as far as I can see (and feel ). Gutted he was just going to take it to the tip but fab for us as we now have a much much better mattress for free :j Will offer our old one for a guest bedroom on Freecycle.
Plasterers are coming on Friday which is good if expensive :eek: I owe my parents the deposit on the house and had managed to pay a little bit back but now that's being used for the work, so back to square one, sigh. Oh well, can only do what I can in my situation and it will be lovely to be able to maximise the space here.
Right, enough wittering, have a great day all x
ps lovely to see you Whitewing and know you're around, even if you're not up to posting much. Hope you're doing okay x

kbarty

Janey51 wrote: »

Has anyone who lives in Scotland looked into what the introduction of a local income tax instead of Council Tax would mean to them?
I have been looking on the Scottish Government website and by my calculations it could mean a substantial saving for me. At the moment I pay £106pm (includes water) but I would pay about £30pm with water extra to that.
Quite a hefty boost to the budget.

Another good reason maybe for me to move back to Scotland? Grew up there and am pining for it!!

Had a NSD yesterday and hopefully will today. Not feeling too well though, but trying to keep on top of my meal plans so I don't head to the chippy.

Janey51

Nyk I am very lucky with my kids as I haven't had to face the situation you are in.
I think that you are setting a good example :T Too many people put themselves into debt just to live up to other people's ideals.
At least you are trying to be the voice of reason and I'm sure she'll come round when the stress levels go down.

Marru how I used to hate all the "Trust building" and "Team building" and other rubbish I used to have to go to. I did tell one "Facilitator" if she really thought that falling backwards into the (hopefully) waiting arms of a group of strangers was going to make me drop all the defence survival mechanisms I had built up over 50 yrs was going to teach me to "trust", she was off her trolley :rolleyes:
Good luck with the dog walking.

I am so cold today. I was planning to do the garden but I can't run in and out fast enough between showers.
I feel a duvet day coming on....with coffee and Rich Tea biscuits. But first I will unpack the Remoska and see what I can make.

I have found a source for free range eggs at £1/doz :j
And a friend is going to get me free compost and bark chippings :j
I was pricing bark chippings and they were £3.99 a bag so mega saving :j

bails

Wow Janey, great savings on the eggs and chippings :T Seems we're sharing another duvet day, although yours is infinitely better as you have biscuits AND a remoska to play with I really might look into one again, even though I've missed the deadline as I was thinking again last night how putting the oven on stops me making lots of things. I can't multi bake so this really could be the answer. Let me know what you learn!

Another Scotlandphile in Kbarty! It seems the frugal commune will have to be across the border :j

markjoneswfm

thanks for the info will be calculating wat i can live on and wat i need to pay thaks.

kbarty

bails wrote: »

Wow Janey, great savings on the eggs and chippings :T Seems we're sharing another duvet day, although yours is infinitely better as you have biscuits AND a remoska to play with I really might look into one again, even though I've missed the deadline as I was thinking again last night how putting the oven on stops me making lots of things. I can't multi bake so this really could be the answer. Let me know what you learn!

Another Scotlandphile in Kbarty! It seems the frugal commune will have to be across the border :j

lol - we're actually planning moving back up one day. Lived there for 9 months a couple of years ago and my DH felt so much healthier up there (he has asthma). That's what we're saving for anyway.

Will also be interested in remoska goings on as I *really* want one. Wanted to get one before the price went up but just couldn't wangle the money. Our oven is rubbish and can only cook one thing at a time. Can't replace as it's part of the rented house. Maybe if I have some cheap grocery weeks I'll be able to put towards it.

Enjoy your duvet days!

Brighton_belle

Love the haircut story sophiesmum and am daily warmed by the level of love in your family.
Just been to the butchers for monthly shop and now having a break from divving it up and freezing it, trying to stretch it as far as poss. Chicken stock boiling away.
Also got will out as planning to rewrite it today (no, nothing nasty in the woodshed) as my circs have changed since I last wrote it 8 yrs ago. Anyone out there with a house/ kids/partner, please make sure you get one done to make your loved ones life easier, if the worst should unexpectedly happen. You can get DIY kits from Smiths for simple ones, or maybe there is free info online? As I am legally single and no children, I want to make sure my 'vast wealth' goes to the right peeps. And now I own a remoska, it's even more important :rotfl: :
Nyk - sorry about DD and very unfair on DGD it seems to me if she cuts off contact like that? I think you're amazing to be funding the wedding at all.
Janey - £140 aweek:eek: . This makes me feel marvellous:D . Day 3 of Sept and I've spent £115 of a £195 monthly budget... but this is all the bulk buys out the way and just fruit, veg & eggs to buy weekly hopefully.

Ever had a discussion on here on the merits of reusueable 'monthly accessories': mooncups or reuseale ST's/tampons anyone? Quite an expensive outlay at first but very environmentally sound of course. Not gonedown that path myself yet though.
Well done baails on sticking to your guns re the £60 - I well remember the friend wa a lot better of than you are:j .
Marru - hope day two was better - ride out this early bit out & keep your eye on the end result that you want for your life. I agree with the 'games' - can be fun in the right place but sometimes just ridiculous when you've 'been about a bit'. I joined an eve class at the uni in my 2nd year in Brighton, to try and make a few friends and came home really (really)miserable from 1st 2 evenings - they all seem 25 ys older than me and a bit blue rinse brigade. Ended up having a great time which led to doing the 2nd year where I met Mr BB .
Tryingtodobbetter - that must be so hard leaving your LO crying:grouphug: . Bet he has had a great day too!