Live on £4000 for a year - part 4 (Oct - Dec 2008)

Skint_Lynne

nykmedia wrote: »

I've decided to try my best to keep to my 4k budget INCLUDING the house move. Not sure how well this will work and I'm still doing calculations, but I've just ordered a shiny new galvanised coal bunker.
All figures are rounded for simplicity:

My Coal Bunker Adventure.

I had seen these in various places, including €bay, the cheapest being £70 inc P&P, so I used that as my base figured before setting off on my virtual MSE expedition to beat that price. I found one for £79 with free delivery, but also found a 10% off voucher code, reducing it to £71, I purchased via TCB for a further 10% cash back to make it £64 but I have graduated to the 101% discount, so that makes it 11%, which is closer to £63. Not content with this, I paid using my cash back card, that'll be another 1% back bringing it closer to £62 but, whilst paying, I completed the reminder box to collect my !points - 710 of them - and they are worth approximately £7, depending on how you cash them, so my end result SHOULD be a brand new, galvanised 5cwt coal bunker for £55 including delivery. All of the above took about 20 minutes to complete, that's the equivalent of earning £45 per hour if I could do this for a job. :rotfl:

I have added £71.10 to my 'everything else' budget as any cashback and vouchers are saved up, like overtime or bonuses, to be used for other things.

My DVDs arrived this afternoon - 2 boxsets (with 70% off), bought through a cashback site and paid with a cashback card. That accounts for 2 main Chrissie pressies plus a (nother) special treat for ME! :rotfl: It's the special 13 episode edition of 'The Good Life' - stuff free bingo, it's an early night, electric blanket, hot chocolate with marshmallows (got them in a gift) and that's what I call a good night! :j Have also added this expense to my signature total.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

One of my earliest memories is helping my nana collect the coal from the coal bunker, putting it into a bucket and bringing it into the house (this very house actually). Then we would clean the fire out and sweep it etc. Then the sticks would go in, some paper, then coal and then the lighting ceremony. At that time in the early 1970's, they had just intoduced semi clad ladies on page 3, they only had bikinis or underwear on. My nana used to say to me, what's this hen, I used to reply, shameless lady nana, then we would throw her in the fire.:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: What a way to teach a wee one morals. The coal bunker story set this off in my mind and made me laugh!!! I wonder what my nana would say if she seen some of the stuff they print in the papers nowadays!!!:eek: :eek: :eek:

I was doing a party tonight which went well. It was lovely and warm in there, I thought of Janey, who is always looking to use other peoples, heat, light and toilet roll (I didn't need to use the facilities tho).:p It's freezing in here, it's not worth putting the heating on as I am off to bed soon.

Nite all,

SL x

redglass_2

Nyk, congratulations on the Great Coal Bunker Adventure! Would the bunker be any good for wood? If so, I wouldn't mind knowing where you bought it!

Janey51

Skint Lynne oh, how well you know me I have a particularly virulent form of Frugalitis and all semblance of shame has gone when it comes to money saving.

Nyk only a true frugalist could get excited over a coal bunker.
I love my log store. If it had a door, I could live in it :rotfl:

I am off for the weekend to use a relative's heat, light, toilet rolls and food :T Only downside is, I will have to spend a lorra lorra money on diesel to get there :eek:
But I am looking forward to the break and it will be the longest time I have spent away from Mum since she went into the home. I will, of course, be taking coffee, sandwiches and snacks so I don't have to spend any money on the journey there :T
I have to say there are very nice shops near her house, and pubs and places to visit :eek:

Mum's Memory of the Day
Mum always wore rollers in her hair when she went to bed. So romantic. It was quite a ritual. Each night, out would come the big bag of clips,hairgrips and Amami setting lotion.She would make a cup of tea, light a cigarette and settle down to perform the beauty routine. It would take about half an hour to position all the rollers and pin the curls in place. How she slept I have no idea. For poor Dad, it must have been like sleeping with a hedgehog.

sophiesmum_2

:rotfl: :rotfl:
Oh Janey, I am chuckling away here at the tought of your dad sleeping with a hedgehog, loving mum's memories:D

Have a lovely weekend away:j

fitzal

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone had ever used one of these Paper Logmakers (thats turns newspaper into bricks for the fire):
http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/dept_id.88076/pf_id.990560/referer.US7NA79JPS5K8MU93X3H34BA7JSC5MNE/qx/gg_shop/product.htm
I can see my dad loving this, but wondered if anyone has had a good/bad experience of them?
Thanks!

Janey51

fitzal wrote: »

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone had ever used one of these Paper Logmakers (thats turns newspaper into bricks for the fire):
http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/dept_id.88076/pf_id.990560/referer.US7NA79JPS5K8MU93X3H34BA7JSC5MNE/qx/gg_shop/product.htm
I can see my dad loving this, but wondered if anyone has had a good/bad experience of them?
Thanks!

That'd be me

TBH, for the amount of time it took to make them, I didn't think they were were it. And, as I don't get newspapers I had to obtain them by devious means

[Deleted User]

Morning all...

Just got to work of joy.... :rolleyes: Have been thinking about the challenge for next year, I don't think i'm brave enough to try to do it on 4K, might make mine 5k - Is that allowed? I'll have a proper work through the figures over the weekend, if I make it 'too extreme' DH will think I'm torturing him. He still doesnt understand why I wont let him turn the heating on when he's drifting about in shorts and tshirt and thin socks - grrrr! When I'm wearing tracksuit bottoms, top and fleece!!

I'm determined to make it work next year tho, want to prove to him that we can live on my SMP for a few months (hopefully with abit to spare) so then I can just get a part time cleaning job in the evenings or weekends. I REALLY dont want to come back to the office full-time, wouldnt really want to come back if they said 3 days a week. Childcare here is about 3.75 - 4.50 an hour which is ALOT if you earn 7.00 an hour!! And you've still got petrol costs etc.. anyway waffle over - yet again!

Have a good day all x

bails

Morning everyone, it's a beautiful day here! Love the memory Janey, made me smile.
Off to the vets to get the kitten's stitches out in a bit then have lots of things I ought to do...

whitewing

Janey, what I love about your mum's memories is how vividly they bring a picture to mind.

The newspaper/log maker gadget is on my list of 'wants', along with a woodburner, stable doors and spiral staircase. So I say 'go for it!'

DH and I are making apple, blackberry, plum and blueberry pies today (or various combinations). Our first 'batch cook' - how exciting. I hate making pastry, but I'll do it because I love him.

Frugaldom

fitzal wrote: »

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone had ever used one of these Paper Logmakers (thats turns newspaper into bricks for the fire):
http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/dept_id.88076/pf_id.990560/referer.US7NA79JPS5K8MU93X3H34BA7JSC5MNE/qx/gg_shop/product.htm
I can see my dad loving this, but wondered if anyone has had a good/bad experience of them?
Thanks!

That'd be me too I requested one for my Christmas from DS a couple of years ago - he thought I was bonkers! :rotfl: And like Janey, my problem revolved around lack of newspapers (Janey was part of the conversation we had here about that :cool: ) and the actual drying out of the logs. It was good whilst the paper lasted and I got mum to save hers and all of the others from where she works, then she tok great pleasure in playing with her new shredder before bagging them all up for me. One recommendation - don't shred the papers before making the bricks as they take far too long to dry. It's one of those jobs you need to do all summer so they are well dried for winter. However, I stuck everything into mine including loads of autumn lleaves amongst the papers and twigs and even potato peelings. Just wrap up the lot inside the 'brick' and don't chop your fingers off when squeezing out the water. Mine still reminds me of a hand held potato chipper. :rotfl:

Now that I have been reminded of the fact that I'll be able to make paper & leaf bricks next summer, I know what'll be taking up any excess space in my portable greenhouse! :rotfl:

Bunker for logs - have a look at some of the other storage stuff, there's a nice heavyduty plastic storage trunk with £10 off. I went through t0pca$hback to a site called gr€€nf!ng€rs