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

Frugaldom

Hello to all, welcome to IGiveUp - hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of adding your name to the prospective challengee list for 2009.

OH and DS are busy moving the bathroom suite as it's being collected at lunchtime today. I had absolutely no response through Freecycle but the free add in Gumtree worked a treat and I was inundated with enquiries. I hope someone gets a lovely new en suite or cloakroom out of it.

I'm also one of the declutter-bunnies at the moment, casting stuff off wherever and whenever I can. I have had very little luck selling but most of the giveaways have been given away successfully, only piles of books to go now. Space is a big issue moving from a 3 storey house with outbuildings to a 3 room semi-bungalow. :eek: But thinking of further frugalisation processes is brilliant! I'll try to catch up with you all later. In the meantime, I've a loo to get rid of, a load of boxes to shift, washing in the machine and the biggest pile of ironing you could ever imagine. I want EVERYTHING washed, dried and ready for the move just in case it takes a while to get the washing machine delivered. (Janey - at this rate, the washing powder will be gone by next week! Talk about taking advantage of a freebie! )

DS was pleasantly surprised by the new house when he visited it for the first time yesterday. Mind you, there were a few grumbles when he found out the garage was full of junk and his gleaming little car would need to be parked outside, exposed to passing cows, but I'm sure that'll spur him on to start the garage project as soon as we get moved. (Especially when I reminded him to park tight enough to deter the cattle from squeezing in between his car and the garden wall, taking his wing mirror with them.) :rotfl: :rotfl:

I think if it stays dry today we may try to build the porta-greenhouse so there's some place to store the firewood etc. It's going to need more than just a couple of guy ropes to hold it in place, though! :eek: The wind howls down the hills at the back of the house.

Catch you all later, am off to get more packing done.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

thriftylass wrote: »

That made me check the first post to see how many were in this challenge this year. There are about 160 plus 10 trainees. Since I've been here (a month) I only met about 20. How are the other 150 getting on?

cw18, big hug, I hope your DH feels better soon and can come home.

Well I'm one of the trainees for next year. I've started recording every penny I spend from November 1st. It will take a while to see any really noticeable benefits due to my high debt levels. I am unlearning a lifetime of bad habits and am surprised at how willing I have become to do this once I started bumping along my financial rock bottom. I am only a week or so into my training so it's early days. My only naughty so far has been 2 pkts of jaffa cakes. At least they were Asda ones at 30p each though. What I am currentlyt doing is when I go shopping, I look out for non perishable/ long shelf life foods that I would eat normally and are on a special offer. I've been surprised at what deals I have found in the supermarkets if I'm prepared to bend my back a little away from the more expensive foods. I'm also in the fortunate position of being able to go out there and increase my income too.

sophiesmum_2

Paulgonnabedebtfree wrote: »

Well I'm one of the trainees for next year. I've started recording every penny I spend from November 1st. It will take a while to see any really noticeable benefits due to my high debt levels. I am unlearning a lifetime of bad habits and am surprised at how willing I have become to do this once I started bumping along my financial rock bottom. I am only a week or so into my training so it's early days. My only naughty so far has been 2 pkts of jaffa cakes. At least they were Asda ones at 30p each though. What I am currentlyt doing is when I go shopping, I look out for non perishable/ long shelf life foods that I would eat normally and are on a special offer. I've been surprised at what deals I have found in the supermarkets if I'm prepared to bend my back a little away from the more expensive foods. I'm also in the fortunate position of being able to go out there and increase my income too.

Sounds like a good start for you - stick around on here it does get addictive this frugal lark:D , in fact I really begrudge paying full price for anything now , it is a last resort after all the special offers, bulk buys, quidco, codes, vouchers and cashback have been attempted:rotfl: . As a result though we are managing to save a large proportion of our income towards a future life in the sun whilst still having a good quality of life now:j

whitewing

My own fault, I lost a big post. So I'm annoyed with myself.

Have just updated the Lest We Forget thread. I like threads like that, showing appreciation and a sense of personal history. I find it a touching tribute in Remembrance Sunday.

Can someone tell me how to combine:

Losing weight
Stockpiling
Grocery Budgeting
Batch cooking
Health eating

all into one easy-to-do formula? Stuff cookalong with Gordon. Sophiesmum, can you apply for an MSE grant and do a batch cookalong day and publish lists of ingredients etc beforehand. I need help. (This is actually a serious question).

Have other stuff to ramble on (to myself!) about but will do so some other time.

Welcome new people! I still get excited that people are joining in at this stage. This is the best challenge ever!

Brighton_belle

you clutter clearers have made me want to sort my wardrobe pit now! Need to pack away summer clothes into the attic. Janey, I'm with you on the nice clothes front. I lost a lot of weight last year and it feels really important to feel good in my clothes rather that feel I'm slobbing around like a student. So I've opted for spending a bit more on a core wardrobe and just wearing it a lot. I think the stats say that most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time and that has certainly been true of myself.
CW - I hope your DH feels more comfortable soon. I'm glad he has felt able to let others in at least for info gathering - knowing what will be available I think will be immensly helpful if things suddenly change.
Ooh, gotta dash, OH suddenly wants to walk to the local garden centre. As it is at the top of a very steep hill I'll go for the exercise.
Today I have already bulk roast butternut squash & peppers to freeze for future meals.
Big welcome to more newbies - great start Paul:T

sophiesmum_2

whitewing wrote: »

My own fault, I lost a big post. So I'm annoyed with myself.

Have just updated the Lest We Forget thread. I like threads like that, showing appreciation and a sense of personal history. I find it a touching tribute in Remembrance Sunday.

Can someone tell me how to combine:

Losing weight
Stockpiling
Grocery Budgeting
Batch cooking
Health eating

all into one easy-to-do formula? Stuff cookalong with Gordon. Sophiesmum, can you apply for an MSE grant and do a batch cookalong day and publish lists of ingredients etc beforehand. I need help. (This is actually a serious question).

Have other stuff to ramble on (to myself!) about but will do so some other time.

Welcome new people! I still get excited that people are joining in at this stage. This is the best challenge ever!

Hi whitewing,
I have already pencilled in next Sunday to batch cook some bolognese sauce, lasagne, chilli, and cottage pie type foods for freezer. If you like I could give you step by step write up and pics, but I make quite big batches, and freeze in foil trays.
I would have to work out quantities as I am very much chuck it in and check by eye/taste kind of cook used to cooking large quantities.:D

Eting more veggie based meals will help with the weightloss and healthy eating and you can stockpile down this line too - pulses, beans, tinned tomatoes, frozen veggies, tinned fruit etc. It is a good place to start.

Skint_Lynne

sophiesmum,

I would like to know the recipie for your bolognaise sauce. I can do a great chilli, but have never done HM bolognaise, it is always out of a jar:o .

Look forward to the step by step guide,

SL x

thriftylass

whitewing wrote: »

Can someone tell me how to combine:

Losing weight
Stockpiling
Grocery Budgeting
Batch cooking
Health eating

all into one easy-to-do formula?

For me that came together automatically since starting here. I only stockpile more or less healthy food, eat only what I have in the house (too stingy now to splash out like before on treats like chocolate and crisps) and if I have a treat from the stockpile I restrain myself from eating more than one because it has to last till the next shop. I grocery budget according to my meal plan (HM meals are usually healthier anyway) and batchcook meals accordingly or keep left overs for lunch. That way I avoid giving in to have take aways and sandwiches at work (well we reduced them to once or twice a month). Although I eat plenty filling meals (actually eat more regularly now too) I keep my weight and guess I would loose some if I had some too loose.

Meal plan + Grocery Budgeting + Stockpiling + Batch cooking = Healthy eating + Losing weight

sophiesmum gave some good examples of what to stockpile and batch cook.

In my freezer I usually have (all HM) bolognese, chilli, basic beef stews to be used for pie or goulash, batches of various soups. Also stocks of frozen veggies like green beans and spinach, pastry dough, pork mince (meat balls), value chicken portions/breast (easy pasta bake or chicken, pasta and pesto with peppers and mushrooms, coq-au-vin, curry etc.), value fish fillets (fish pie or fish curry) and HM pizza. Obviously were big meat eaters, but most of these dishes could be made with veggies instead.

In my store cupboard I have usually cereal, muesli bars, scotch broth mix, rice, cous cous, pasta, pesto, curry sauces, tinned tomatoes, sweet corn, kidney beans, tuna etc.

JAMIEDODGER

afternoon all!

doing well and on track for coming in under budget this month:) ive been really good amd meal planned the whole month, with a lot of baking and HM cooking back in the mix (have been slacking a bit the last few months).

Most xmas prezzies were bought this month with vouchers etc, so have spent less than a tenner in actual cash out of novembers money:)

I am finding this a huge eye opener and am confident I can do this challenge when 2009 comes.

Nyk - the new house sounds lovely, hope everything is going smoothly for you:)

bails

Hiya everyone and welcome to new peeps, lovely to have you on board!
CW, I hope OH is home again soon and you can get some extra support with things. Glad to hear DD's leg is hopefully over the worst SM.
I have 4 cats like Janey, Cataddict, great for keeping you warm
Decluttering is also happening in our house too We're reshuffling all our wardrobe space as we're going to be in this bedroom longer than expected. For now I've just rearranged it and then I'm going to have another clothes clearing out session. My plan is to build up a core wardrobe too, and also dress smarter (even if I have no reason to, I think it'll make me feel better). OH is also putting a blind up behind the curtains to help me sleep and also a secondary glazing panel so they'll both help keep the heat in. We put the large pane of glass in under the attic stairs on Friday and it's made a massive difference to heat loss :T It cost me over £300 :eek: because it needed to meet fire regs but safety is important; I'd hate to be stuck up in the attic! :eek::eek:
Giving up now as one-handed typing is tiring (kitten asleep in other:D). Have a great day all, so windy here!