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

Frugaldom

cw18 wrote: »

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

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 !!!!

Yes, I get really annoyed at rude posts or ones that have obviously not checked the boards. Yours sound quite polite compared to some of the ones I received last week for my computer. I think some people respond to their email alerts rather than check the site first. :rolleyes:

redglass_2

Nyk, what was it that shocked you so much about the strains of urban living? Do tell....:D

As regards nasty posts, it's always amazed me how horrible some people get on threads. I notice that on some sites (not this one) people end up hurling crude four-letter insults at each other over something really petty, and even gang up on each other. What's the point? I think being able to hide behind a username brings out the worst in some people. Maybe they aren't grown up enough to control themselves when they are 'in disguise', maybe they are just bullies who enjoy getting nasty and go online to do exactly that, or maybe they've been brought up to think that's how you conduct a discussion! I agree that people on MSE are very good as a rule, but perhaps that makes it more distressing when you do meet a troll.

Marru

cw: I agree with Nyk, I get to see what is for offer from the digests which means that I am desperately late everytime unless it is something that not many people want. It also means that the taken post is in the next digest so I manage to send my humble plea before I can see that the item is gone.

Haven't done too badly today. 10 tasks done, another 12 to go. But now time for a cup of tea before fetching DD. As the nursery has not called I assume that she is back to herself after a bit hot and poorly Sunday.

NSD today AND sold another book :T.

Have a nice evening everybody,

Marru

thriftylass

Grrrgh... just came home to find BF had left the hot water tank on all day (prob only needed it for 10 min this morning before work), had 2 or 3 quid left on meter, now in emergency credit. I know it's only a small loss and he's got so much on his mind now so I won't mention it unless it happens again. It's just I've gotten a bit more stingy since starting here.:D

Went to my branch to chase up the 20 that were missing from the money I took out on Friday, they checked their till and it's in order. God knows what I've done with those 20 quid

[Deleted User]

Hello all

I must confess that I'm very glad that I'm not 'officially' on the challenge yet! I went to a well know swedish store today to buy some baby bits and got a little bit carried away M-I-L and F-I-L drove me and DH and they bought us the cot and big bits which was very nice of them. We bought a new table for the kitchen, we have been meaning to for ages. It isnt too bad cos we've budgeted and saved for the trip but even so, I'm not very keen on parting with my pennies lately!!

Don't think I've got anything interesting to say so I'll leave it at that. x

cw18

Thanks for the feedback on Freecycle responses..... I've just had another two that do look like email replies (subject starts Re: ), but I've opted out of all emails (other than essential admin ones we have to have) as I'm rarely on the [STRIKE]scrounge[/STRIKE] look out for anything specific...... so I didn't have a clue it was possible to respond without checking the boards :rolleyes2

Again, both are just 'please consider me' / 'can collect asap' emails. But I shall do them the coutesy of replying that I'm sorry but I've already promised it. You never know, they may have something on offer I'd like at some point in the future

Three responses explained why they'd like it -- including the first, which was a good enough reason for me -- so if I'd not been "picking a name out of the hat" until tonight it would have been between those 3


TL - not good news about the money



Younger GD departed about an hour ago, and I've had the big dog out for an extra walk as our local firework display is tonight. That means he'll be bouncing off the walls, so I figured an extra walk closer to the start of the display just might mean he doesn't hit them with quite as much force !!!


So, having been on the go since 6:20 this morning -- with a breather between 9:30 and 11:15 (although I also made a start on our cooked meal at that point) and half an hour or so on-line while GD was "reading" some books to herself quite proudly (she came up with some very interesting story lines based on the pictures in the books :rotfl: ) I'm now officially at the end of my "non working" day and can start to unwind

Until 6:20am tomorrow that is :eek:

slowlyfading

:hello: everyone.
Was at work 9-2pm and then I went and bought some new work shoes for £16.99. Bit expensive, but needed! I then went and had to get petrol so that set me back £36.01 :mad: so its been an expensive day! Tomorrow should hopefully a NSD
I hope everyone else is okay. xx

Frugaldom

redglass wrote: »

Nyk, what was it that shocked you so much about the strains of urban living? Do tell....:D

I have to admit that I have never, ever tried urban living. The closest I ever came to it was living in a village within an area that had a population of about 16,000 and having to drive in and out of Glasgow during a time that I thought I might like to earn my fortune in sales & marketing rather than join the family business. :rotfl: That didn't last long, I can tell you! The city scares the life out of me, it's just so busy and noisy and fast, everyone seems to rely on some sort of alien organised chaos theory that I've never learned. I spent a day in London once (yes, once in my entire life) and I felt like I was in a scene out of that film where Crocodile Dundee visits New York! :rotfl: They had running lanes for people overtaking on escalators! :eek: Worse still, they weren't even on the right side, if I recall correctly! I always automatically walk to the left and pass on the right. Life is waaaaaaaaay too fast for me in the city, I mean WHY do people need to run to catch a train when the trains run every 3 minutes? Apart from that, I was almost hoarse trying to say good morning to everyone I passed en route to the Tate, and even then the only person who answered me was on the tube - it was to say that it's best not to talk to strangers, as some people don't like the eye contact. I'm assuming that they were being funny, because they also asked me from where abouts in Ireland I originated! :rotfl: Then there are the cars, there are MILLIONS of them! :eek: And buses and taxis and people, all rushing in the one direction when I was trying to go the other - is there a secret code that I don't know? Then there are pubs, cafes, restaurants, takeaways, shops, shops, shops and even more shops... you are reading about someone who spent most of their one day in London in Hamleys! I never even bothered looking for Harrods, although I think I bought something from a shop in Regent Street. I never did wear it, think I sold it on eBid.

How do you city people get from one place to the next without being distracted by something you want to buy, eat or drink? It must be akin to running the consumer society gauntlet! As for fast food, the closest I've come to KFC or BK in the past few years (apart from the burger van and hog roast at local events) was during a day trip to Dumfries when a friend and I decided we had to find out what the new 24 hour mega Mr T looked like - turns out it was how we had imagined a multiplex cinema would look, but without the films, so heaven only knows what an actual 'multiplex' is like when you get up close! :eek:

To be fair, I have visited a few shopping centres with friends, but we always end up with the giggles, feeling like we're playing cameo roles in something like 'Sex in the City' - those are what I class as fun days to remember in our old age. Here in 'burb-to-bumpkin' land, I class my daughter's biggest 'rebellion' as turning her back on waxed coats and wellies in favour of beauty college and my son's as buying a 'hot hatch' and going into office based work when I had expected him to either a) join the army, or b) become a jockey. :rotfl:Isn't life unpredictable? Thank goodness we live in such a diverse society, for that I am truly grateful.

thriftylass

Nyk, I'm with you there, I don't like really big cities like London, even Edinburgh would be too big. I don't like it if I loose the sense of where the city ends or if it takes more than 30-45 min to get from on end to the other. I'd love to live in a village but only if I get at least one small store or pub in walking distance since I don't want to need a car. I'm lucky with my town at the moment, I can walk to work (20 min), into the town centre (20 min) or to local shops/pub and if needed bigger stores aren't far away by car or bus. It's a good mix and doesn't feel too hectic.

Marru

cw18 wrote: »

I've had the big dog out for an extra walk as our local firework display is tonight. That means he'll be bouncing off the walls, so I figured an extra walk closer to the start of the display just might mean he doesn't hit them with quite as much force !!!

Just a quick one as DD is having a tantrum because I gave her a wrong fork :rolleyes:.

cw: put a T-shirt on him. That might help...