Getting to know you........

Shortie

2 years? :eek: Wowsers......

tigerfeet2006

Yup! Wowsers indeed. The only reason we got it when we did was because they did a review of the allotments and found quite a few people had inherited 'lotties from friends and family when someone couldn't be bothered or died and had two or three allotments when they are only are meant to have one and still kept the names in the old names. So they ended up with about a dozen going spare to distribute.

Nuria

Hi, I'm still up.. so fascinated to have found this site that my bedtime is long past.

I'm hoping to live within my means in 2012 and possibly even (gasp) start saving. I have twins aged 11 and an older boy at uni and want to carry on working "part-time" so that I can give them enough time and support with schoolwork. I'm newly on my own as I have left a - let's say - less than ideal marriage. I've been half-heartedly looking for a full-time job but as I'm a teacher I already work around a 37 hour week.

Thanks to my husband I now have zero savings but thankfully, only a modest overdraft. I'm renting, and as I live in the south, this is where an enormous chunk of my income goes.

Any suggestions from you on this thread and others will be very welcome. :rotfl:

merlot123

tigerfeet2006 wrote: »

It took two years on the waiting list to get our 'lottie, so you may have a wait.

I've been on my council lottie waiting list for 4 years now, and still half way down the list. I did get offered a community lottie, 10 people share one lottie plot and work together and share out the proceeds. I declined that offer.

jdp1970

skintmum2012 wrote: »

Hello thought I would say hi as I have only just signed up. I have been looking for anyway to save money that I can. I am a mum of 2 Tom who's 3 and Heather who is 1. And up untill a week ago I have been working part time in the morning I was up a like 5am and then coming home to look after the kids Tom is very hard work we are in the process of taking him to DRS as we think he may have autisum. Anyway I was signed of work last week with stress it's just all to much for me working and looking after the kids and house. Me and Hubby have sat down and gone through all the bills and what we have going out and coming in and we can just about cope with me not working if we have a very diffrent lifestyle to the one we are leading at the mo. We would have £50 for food a week and £34 each for treats including petrol and his driving lessons and of course nappies. I wanted to know do you think this is possible or should I stop being selfish and go back to work?

I dont think your being selfish. I had to give up work because of stress. Its hard at first, but I have got used to having little income.
I will go back to work as soon as I can find a part-time job, but in the meantime I am trying to get better first.

tudybobs

Hi all.... I'm not sure that I'm posting this is the correct place, but I'm hoping some of you lovely people may be able to help me out in pointing me in the right direction.
I'm 25 with a fantastic DP, a 3 year old and a baby due in Feb.... I'm currently on maternity leave but usually work 16 hrs per week as a waitress, although not sure if I'm returning once baby is here. My DP is fantastic working hard to support us and although we don't live a horrendous life, we're often behind with bills and aren't too good with our spending when we have got money. I'd like to learn to manage our money more sensibly. I think our biggest overspend is on food mostly, I love cooking and I can cook but find that I'm so disorganised I never have anything to cook so often end up getting a takeaway after DS has gone to bed. I know I sound like a terrible mum but my son does get nutritional meals as when i do cook I freeze the leftovers in toddler size meals for him. Another problem I have is my DP won't eat anything that's 'leftover' as growing up his mother was obsessed with food poisoning and getting ill! I've tried retraining him but old habits die hard and the amount his mother spends on groceries only to throw them away would turn some of you green, but as she likes to inform us 'she can afford it'. After all the bills are met we have about £80pw for everything else, this includes nappies, wipes, toiletries, petrol, bdays etc. We also have no savings, which is another thing I'd like to change this year.
I hope some of you lovely people can help me find my way and provide a better life for my family!! x

meanmarie

Welcome tudybobs...you are in the right place and will find lots of help here.

Can you manage to cut any of your bills....go through them carefully and ask for help here if you find it difficult; does that £80pw include food??

I'm sure that some more competent posters than I will be along....in meantime, have a look at the grocery challenge.

Marie

tudybobs

Thanks for your reply, unfortunately yes the £80 does include food too, i realise that we're luckier than most in that we don't actually have any official debt such as credit cards loans etc so what we spend is what we have but sometimes there isn't anything to spend which is when it becomes difficult! I really don't think that I can cut any bills to be honest, I prefer to overpay the utilities so that I know if we ever did get stuck we'd be ok for a little while. We do have the internet and sky, but these are DPs luxuries and he doesn't ask for anything else so I feel it's unfair to ask him to lose those considering he's the one that goes out and earns the money.
I've been looking at the Grocery Challenge and think I'm going to have a go even though it does scare me a little!
Thanks ever so much for getting back to me, I'm hoping that this board is really going to help me keep track of my life!!! x

bearcub

Hi! I originally found my way to the forum when I googled for info on a particular company, then registered, and I've posted a couple of times elsewhere. I'm in my 50s, and my husband and I are retired, with adult daughters with homes of their own. Six years ago, we left Surrey suburban life to move to the country/seaside life of the Isle of Wight. TBH, we don't have financial problems, but we see no reason why we should waste what we have. We grow quite a lot of our own fruit and veg in our tiny garden, we throw away very little food and, since I love crafts, and make all my own greetings cards, I'm intending to start working on ways of re-using materials. My husband does all our cooking (apart from the very occasional cake or batch of jam), but our dinners do get a bit repetitive at times. I've huge respect at how creative people are on some of these threads, and am looking forward to trying out some of their recipes!

notjustlaura

tudybobs wrote: »

... I think our biggest overspend is on food mostly, I love cooking and I can cook but find that I'm so disorganised I never have anything to cook so often end up getting a takeaway after DS has gone to bed....

If your biggest overspend is on food then I'd say the grocery challenge is where you need to be.