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

Brighton_belle

Marru - you sound a bit like I feel: drained and overwhelmed. Went into work today on my usual day off due to a regulatory deadline and I feel like someone pull the plug on my energy. Sometimes, going to work is just too much to manage. Sorry to have a little wimper, as I know many have much to deal with of all sorts too, but poor health is sooo tedious and relentless at times. But I'm off tomorrow instead and hopefully a long lie in will help. Have a 'to do' list 5 miles long.
Frivolous spending habits... I do enjoy a good rumage in the bric a brac of charity shops. Makes me ridiculously happy:o . And I know I spend too much on my haircuts but i have a lovely hairdresser who is a lot of fun as well as very kind when I'm not so well. And he's given me his recipe for the best biscuits I have ever tasted and if I can make them as good as his they will make perfect xmas pressies:j .

thriftylass

Good evening!

Had a lovely curry for tea (even enough left for two lunches). OH used to like the expensive sauce from the market or homemade one. Found one in T!!co for 1/4 of the price. Think he noticed the difference - NO :rotfl:

I hope all the frugalists that feel a bit down have a better day tomorrow.

Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
- -Ralph Waldo Emerson --

lyndasharp

Wanted to post something to get to 200 posts... so....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/11/02/sv_sciencemuseum.xml

This is where I work! At the moment, as I have another job interview next week.

cw18

Been thinking about the frivolous spending habits other than my cigs (an expensive habit I have no choice but to lose before the end of this month, to which end I've been working really hard at cutting down as cold turkey from '18 a day' has failed miserably for me..... but cutting down a couple a day every 2 or 3 days seems to work, though my spending on chewing gum is on the increase :rolleyes2 ) I guess it has to be my papercrafting goodies (scrapbooker and cardmaker)

But crafting stash is something else that is going to have to as good as go from the end of this month -- but that shouldn't stop me crafting as I reckon I must already own enough to last me the 17+ years until my first company pension kicks in at the slow rate I've actually done any paper crafting this year :eek: And it's something I can ask for as Christmas and Birthday presents anyway

As to frivolous spending from what will remain, I guess it has to be newspapers with free CDs or DVDs that I fancy, or kids books (the current offer that my GDs are over the moon I'm getting).

However these are a better deal than they look, as a daily paper is the one thing DH has given up on completely as our income has dropped over the last 18 months -- so I get the freebie and he gets the paper, meaning treats for both of us for the price of a daily paper. But with that thrown into the equation it doesn't actually sound terribly frivolous does it

thriftylass

lyndasharp wrote: »

Wanted to post something to get to 200 posts... so....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/11/02/sv_sciencemuseum.xml

This is where I work! At the moment, as I have another job interview next week.

That sounds amazing, love to work in a museum. Good luck with the interview for the new job though.

cw18 wrote: »

Been thinking about the frivolous spending habits other than my cigs (an expensive habit I have no choice but to lose before the end of this month, to which end I've been working really hard at cutting down as cold turkey from '18 a day' has failed miserably for me..... but cutting down a couple a day every 2 or 3 days seems to work, though my spending on chewing gum is on the increase :rolleyes2 )

As to frivolous spending from what will remain, I guess it has to be newspapers with free CDs or DVDs that I fancy, or kids books (the current offer that my GDs are over the moon I'm getting).

This time the cold turkey worked for me, but I was "only" on 10-a-day. Years ago I tried cutting down, which I think worked better for me then as I smoked more. God knows what made me start again after that, anyway, off them now . I should probably increase my chewing gum spending as I am eating my way diagonally through the fridge since stopping.

sophiesmum_2

Lynda - looks really interesting, I would love to be let loose somewhere like that and be able to have a good nosey through everything. Wht a shame that most of the stuff never gets on display, bet there is some really fascinating stuff in there:D

i lived in Wilts for a while, in a village not far from Salisbury called Broadchalke.:D

sophiesmum_2

On the frivolous topic - mine used to be books but I have now learned to resist the lure of my amazon shopping basket, and have slowly sold lots of my previous buys, I hve kept my favourites though.;)

My major downfall is kitchen equipment:o Although I hve had a bit of help this year as I got my panasonic breadmaker for mother's day and mum gave me the vouchers that I bought the remoska with. Having said that i do use all my kitchen stuff so it eventually earns its keep;) Highlight of my break to lakes this week will be visit to the lakeland shop in Windermere:j :j . I [STRIKE]will [/STRIKE]may have to buy something while I am there:p

redglass_2

nykmedia wrote: »

Thank goodness we live in such a diverse society, for that I am truly grateful.

Well, the rich always used to migrate from the city to the country: summer in the country, winter in town. I reckon they had the right idea - the best of both worlds...:D

Paulgonnabedebtfree

dND wrote: »

Whitwing, my sympathies to you,

Tax credits suddenly discovered they'd overpaid me two years running when I left the country even though there was no change in the figures I'd given them when they worked out the payments. I've arranged to pay it off monthly over a year - except that they seem to have got the payments wrong for that too, they're half what they should be so it will take two years. Having made this arrangement with them I still get the semi threatening end of year statments that demand payment :mad: To be honest I don't think they have a clue what they are doing.

Bails, re theatre tickets, when I was in the UK I used this site

http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=201

I bought one of their meal deals and combined it with a National Express £1 each way coach trips from Gloucestershire to London. Not a cheap day out but so much cheaper than it could have been. Our meal deal was at Planet Hollywood (I was actually surprised how good it was as I was expecting something like Mac's) so I've not tried any of the restaurants. I hope this helps - there is nothing quite like live theatre.

Right back to lurking and trying and catch up on the threads.:D
Deborah

Don't rely on this but I do believe I read something a while back (not on here) that if the mistake is theirs, you can get away with repaying it. Obviously they don't advertise this and they do try to lean on people to pay it but if you stand your ground and if THEY'VE made the mistake (as opposed to you accidentally supplying the wrong figures) then it may be possible to get it waived. I really don't know where you could get info on this but maybe someone else does.

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D

In a really good mood this morning as we are off in a while on our trip to the lakes- no work for 3 days, :j I am really looking forward to it, lots of walking, pub meals, cosy nights in with wine choc and a dvd:D ... and a trip to the lakeland shop:rolleyes: what more could I ask for??
Taking a box of essentials with us and a flask of coffee for the trip, but once we get there we will be eating out etc during the day, although in the evenings we are planning to stay in the cabin and just chill out with wine and a dvd.
Hope the flooding has subsided and we can get out and about okay.
No internet where we are staying:eek: so will catch up with you all when we get back Friday evening, will probably take all evening the rate this thread grows:rolleyes: