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

1274

Taka (and everyone else with a book buying habit) have you tried readitswapit? You post a list of books you're willing to swap and can search other people's lists. If you want one of their books or they want one of yours the site emails you and you can check each other's lists. All you pay is postage for your book
Marru sorry I can't think of a frugal substitute for choc and wine. I'd love to know if there is one as I spend too much on these as well

Marru

1274 wrote: »

Marru sorry I can't think of a frugal substitute for choc and wine. I'd love to know if there is one as I spend too much on these as well

I am going to try herbal tea and meditation :rotfl:, I will let you know how I get on...:rolleyes:

redglass_2

Bails, try abebooks - they are often, though not always, cheaper than Amazon. Just watch the postage as it isn't a uniform price like on Amazon.

Frivolous habits: I have a few, but the one that got Nyk falling about laughing once (ages ago) was buying designer jewellery. Only the silver kind, no gold or diamonds, you understand! I just love it, love it, love it. Besides, it lasts a lifetime and unless you're buying every week, which I'm definitely not, it costs less than smoking. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

thriftylass

Apropos going out for dinner, don't you hate it when you pick the inexpensive main, have no starter or desert, only drink a coke to save money and then the bill (including wine for the others) is split evenly :mad: . But you can't really say anything without looking stupid.
Hence recently, I decided to just go for it and had the starter and a share of the wine, works out nearly the same price (since my savings divided by 6 are negligible) but at least I get sth for my money.

whitewing

Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about craft stuff. Well a scrapbooking weekend, pls craft supplies, plus a cupboard to keep it all in (d'you think I actually got round to doing it!), oh and 10 stackable perspex containers for the overflow, not to mention the associated books. How times have changed.

Still trying to sort out tax credit stuff. Found my accountant's letter. He told me to check some stuff against my bank statements but nothing adds up to the amount he says I should have had or the amount of the overpayment. Am awaiting his callback. And will go and consult Marru's list and various other threads. I will sort this out properly for once and for all.

I did venture out over the weekend to post some stuff on other threads and got quite upset at some of the comments I got. Don't mind differing opinions, but not the rudeness. So I love you guys and this challenge but am a bit put off MSE at the moment.

Skint_Lynne

whitewing wrote: »

Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about craft stuff. Well a scrapbooking weekend, pls craft supplies, plus a cupboard to keep it all in (d'you think I actually got round to doing it!), oh and 10 stackable perspex containers for the overflow, not to mention the associated books. How times have changed.

Still trying to sort out tax credit stuff. Found my accountant's letter. He told me to check some stuff against my bank statements but nothing adds up to the amount he says I should have had or the amount of the overpayment. Am awaiting his callback. And will go and consult Marru's list and various other threads. I will sort this out properly for once and for all.

I did venture out over the weekend to post some stuff on other threads and got quite upset at some of the comments I got. Don't mind differing opinions, but not the rudeness. So I love you guys and this challenge but am a bit put off MSE at the moment.

Hi Whitewing,

I agree that on some other threads the posters are verging on being really nasty. I love this thread as everyone is so friendly, and if their opinion differs from yours, they use 'constuctive critisism rather than nastiness. That said, the majority of people on the boards are lovely, I think the 'trolls' are defo in the minority bracket. Don't be put off MSe, I would'nt let nasty folks put me off visiting.
x
SL

Frugaldom

Skint Lynne - the damp smell could be as a result of something that wasn't quite dry being put away with washing or coats, jackets etc. I had the problem in a wardrobe that had no signs of any dampness until I emptied it out and found a green hat that was once black. It had obviously got soaked in the rain and then put away before it was dried properly. To get rid of any smells, a tub of sodium bicarbonate is a cheap alternative to brand name products, just pour some into a little tray or tub and leave it in the cupboard. You can do same on windowsills to help with condensation problems too. (I can also highly recommend a dehumidifier, especially when there's wet washing to be dried indoors )

1274 - I would need a better definition of 'frivolous' for my 'unscheduled' spends as they are rather sporadic, to say the least. Let's just say that I am glad I no longer live near a weekly livestock market that does poultry & small animals! I quit smoking last December, but I can succumb to crisps, sweets & cakes - this must stop! My worst 'frivolous' spends have been major ones - I even bought a racehorse once! I'd do it again in a minute if I had to find myself in a situation where they were milling around whispering 'pick me, pick me, pick me'. :rotfl:

Has anyone seen the EEC news reports suggesting a 30% increase in veg prices??!! :eek: I'm glad I've had a little bit of practice in growing potatoes etc as I'm now even more determined to grow all my own veg from next year!

cw18

Been down the shops this afternoon (via a library visit with younger GD -- it's a new experience for her, so one I plan to repeat on a weekly basis during term-time) and spotted about f&v increases on the front of a paper...... so stopped for a read of it right opposite the checkout.

GD may only be 3.5, but she kept telling me to 'leave that only' -- which makes me suspect she's been told off more than once for thumbing comics her Mummy doesn't intend to pay for

cw18

Arghhhh!!! My turn for a freecycle rant !!!

As soon as I'd confirmed with the first person to get in touch about my freezer that the dates for passing it over were fine with him, I posted a message to say it was taken. It appeared on the board less than two hours after the 'offered' advert (so went on just before 11am), and was the first post on the board after the offered one -- so I was confident no-one would miss it (I've often gone through a couple of dozen posts trying to make sure something hasn't been posted as taken before asking about the item being offered).

Just checked the email account linked to my freecycle account, and I had two more requests for it at 1:29 and 1:30 -- and the first one of those just say "please will you consider me for your freezer" followed by a name and phone number !!!!

Frugaldom

Andromache, sorry I missed your post earlier - yes, there's plenty of space in my budget for having a bit of fun; I make all these lovely savings, I have bought quite a few 'new toys' for frugaliving, I get to 'play' in the garden whenever I want, work whatever hours I want and, to be honest, this has become a way of life that I really enjoy. I would hate to have to give it up and will try to continue like this until I have enough to guarantee it for myself - by buying a house without a mortgage.

I have to admit that by reading some of the other threads on this site I have had my eyes opened! I sometimes feel like a country bumpkin when I see what it takes to live in the city or as a commuter! I could never do that and I take my hat off to anyone who can.

'Fun' can mean so many different things to so many different people, it's quite amazing, really.