Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

mama67

nykmedia wrote: »

Hi Mama67, great idea, except I don't buy those crisps. That'd be like me saving the 'beans' from coffee jars or the points from the cola cans/bottles - impossible, as I hardly ever buy brand names. I'm a cheapskate and should be issued with my own yellow label to warn shopkeepers that I have no intention of beaking a tenner if I don't have to. :rotfl:

Nyk, I only bought when on bogof and some were even from school PTA things which were just going to go into bin.

My boys know that if the have W crisps or H beans or H ketchup it must have been on offer in some shape or form, as I only buy value/own label unless no option.

mama67

Had enough Ipoints to be able to claim a CD as couldn't see anything else we wanted at the mo would have had to spend £200 we don't have on passports to use the ferry option for France which would have been nice. So i now have the Duffy CD winging its way here.:T

I also had enough points to claim a voucher from curlypig so have a Waterstones one coming which we can use for a family book.

Hopefully by Christmass will also have enough to claim £20 from Mypoints which will pay for some of Christmas booze.

Have had my first payout from quidco as well after using the cashback option to change my car insurance, was cheaper including breakdown cover than I was paying last year and i got cashback as well.:eek:

whitewing

Frugifle! Great idea ....and for once I have all the ingredients ...see you later

Brighton_belle

Not quite half way through my first month of the challenge and I have gone over budget:D . I don't see this as a failure though - it's going to take time to hone my skills. The important thing is becoming more aware of how to save myself money. I ought to spend time on the grocery challenge, but it is all very time and energy consuming. Still working my way through the 1st 6 months of this challenge's posts to pick up tips.

Frugaldom

Hello to all, just a brief update as we're heading off out again soon - frugal siteseeing anywhere that's free.

Last night's lasagne followed by frugifle went down well, even DS enjoyed the lasagne. Tonight, I'll be digging some potatoes and making frugal vegetable cutlets to have with salad. I haven't made these for years, so here's hoping they work out alright! DS likes his with sweetcorn but I'll do some with mixed veggies and then freeze any leftovers.

Must dash again, friend has disappeared out door for a walkabout and I just know she'll end up in the book shop cafe!

Brighton_belle

Cor, I really feel chuffed with myself - just made a HM thai green curry paste, highly adapted to ingredients I had in the house, from a recipe on the GC in June and i used HM low fat yog instead of (high fat) coconut milk . Cooked chicken, onion and peppers in it and had it with mashed roast butternut squash and it was fab. All becasue I had to make a meal from ingredients I already had so I don't over spead on food this month. I can see how this challenge does make you more inventive:j . Made a HM rubarb crumble for OH in honor of Marru:rotfl: .(Not a great pudding fan myself) He was happy:D . Trying to build up the energy to switch phone internet provider next.

Marru

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Made a HM rubarb crumble for OH in honor of Marru:rotfl: .(Not a great pudding fan myself) He was happy:D .

I could use some now.

Anyone knows a good hitman? Can you please PM me? Thanks!

I confronted DD's dad about the unpaid money and got this endless lecture of everything that is wrong in his life and why he can't afford to pay. I happen to know that he is sitting on savings and told this to him but the reply was that he needs the money to do up the house (value over million if done up). B******s I say. I was living in that house for eight years and none of that money was used to do up the house even when we were desperate for new windows. He called now in the evening again and pulled out this often (successfully) used ace from the sleeve of: "You don't know what that person had to say about you..." And I am so angry to myself to have fallen into it and allowed myself to get upset. Now I am getting constant stream of abusive text messages like: "I should have kicked you out when everybody told me to."

I am going to make myself a cup of tea (lucky I don't have anything stronger in the house), calm down and go and watch Mary Queen of Shops. I will also turn my phone off. Mmm perhaps some toast with raspberry conserve.

Here is the plan: I am not going to expect getting a penny out of him so my MB profits need to fill my ISA and DD's CTF. I calculated that it is average £13.- per day, which should be doable so bring it on! (Also signed up for mystery shopping today, hopefully can get some over the phone and internet ones, only need to do the final test so fingers crossed)

I hope the rest of you have had better time today and wishing everybody a good night.

Marru

DdraigGoch

Hugs, Marru. Hope tomorrow is better.

Tonight was another triumph of the slow cooker [in this weather?! Yes, if you live in rainy Wales!]. Tonight's meal cost me 29p and fed four.

First take four [free handout from friend who cooked too many] chicken drumsticks, chop 6 potatoes [washed but not peeled, which were rescued from OH's intention to throw them out, hence considered free], one onion [29p], 10 carrots [ditto friend above - 5Kg of them, woohoo], one basil stock cube [rescued from same friend!], glass of water. Cook and serve to great applause - well, they liked it and it only cost me 29p! No-one asked how much, so I didn't say.

Frugallest meal of the week so far.

lyndasharp

Hi guys, need a bit of cheering up this evening. I've been away for a few days so not been keeping up to date with the thread, apologies for anything I've missed. Went to Margate for a very non frugal weekend with the boyfriend, for a ska and reggae gig. Had a great time (and too much cider). Now I'm working for the week on another job (on holiday from my normal one) to earn a bit extra. It all ought to be great, but when I got back from Margate there was a job interview letter waiting, got an interview in Derry next Wednesday! It's a job I'd love, and when I applied talked about it with bf, he was really happy, said he'd come to Derry with me for the interview as he grew up there, all his family is still there, and if I got the job he'd love to go back there with me. So you can probably guess what's happened now, he can't get time off so I have to go and meet his Mum for the first time on my own (!!!!!) when I'm over for the interview. Now he's just said he's not sure about going over there any more, might not be able to get a job there, not keen to leave his son etc etc. Friday night he got very drunk and started talking about marriage and babies, and now he's telling me I shouldn't give up on a job just for him, I should just move over to Ireland without him. Men! I'm working 150 miles away from him this week so I can't even go over and talk to him until I go back to Swindon on Saturday, and I'm properly stressed out about it all.

sophiesmum_2

Marru (((hugs:heartpuls ))) sorry you are having a bad time with your ex. It is hard not to keep falling into the same traps and ending up emotionally hurting, and ex's are so good at knowing exactly how to hurt you the most:mad:

Take care, have some chocolate and do something to take your mind of the arguments. Just remember it is only words, you can choose to ignore things he says and rise above the nastiness, or you can let it fester like a poison and end up feeling really bad. He can only hurt you if you let him. Don't let him.