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

Janey51

Penny2myName wrote: »

Only thing missing is a loving man to hug me to sleep.

Hear hear :T

cw18

Janey -- glad to hear your Mum is settling, and even more pleased to hear you're happy with the situation as it must be a weight off your mind

I have mixed feelings about 'country life'. At times I'd love to try it, but I hated where we used to live as there was 'nothing to do' and no easy access to anywhere -- and we certainly weren't "remote". There is a family place in the Lake District we used to stay at, but that really is "the middle of nowhere" and I hate it after a couple of days...... The saving grace used to be having a "loan" laptop from work and an "anytime" Internet connection I could change to work from the phone up there. I then surfed the 'net while DH went walking up and down hills - sometimes on his own, sometimes with at least one child.

Once I've blitzed this place (and made access to a spare bed!) you're more than welcome to come and help me stay on top of the housework any time you like

Good luck with the plumber -- hope (s)he comes soon and can sort out your heating too.

Have to confess that in our household it would be me doing any repairs, as DH was always at a loss with any work of that type around the house. When the kids were little he used to take them out/away and leave me to it when anything needed doing -- from "normal" decorating, to putting up curtain rails, making the curtains (and matching quilt covers and pillow cases), laying carpets, building flat-pack furniture, re-tiling a bathroom wall, and even to pulling out a built in wardrobe and plastering the alcove it came out of !!!!

I've changed a tap and cleared out U-bends on sinks and basins before now, but call in a plumber for anything more than that. I call in my Dad to sort out electrical sockets as he likes to feel useful (but I'm sure I could do them if I had to having watched as many times as I have -- and I've changed plugs on appliances since I was a teenager, much to the horror of my Mum and amusement of my Dad, and light fittings on the ceiling since the early 90's) and a registered person for anything relating to Gas, but other than that like to feel I'm pretty "sufficient" on the home maintainance front

Will have to get someone in to sort the gardens next year though -- I would have tried doing it myself, but I know it won't help my back and will be much quicker (and a better finish with what I want) if I get in the professionals..... and I have to also consider the speed/safety while I'm still considering registering as a child minder, so I'm looking at it as an investment for future income too

shaz_mum_of__2

Morning all

Sat listening to christmas tunes and watching the snow melt outside trying to get going

Feeling really rough today had dizzy spells and a bit of a tummy bug yeterday ,at least it will be a NSD

Welcome back mumzy and Janey

Nyk your guinea pig story made me laugh out loud ,hubby says he knows how the guinea pig felt as he often has to get out of bed to put on more clothes because someone has stolen the bedding...................

Really need to finish up an essay so i can hand in tomorrow (its not due til 10th but i want it out the way)

Hope everyone has a good day ,

Shaz

lyndasharp

nykmedia wrote: »

Lynda, can't you phone your new employers and ask them about the contract? I would jump to the opposite conclusion and worry that they couldn't guarantee the 3 years. From my experience, it's easier for them to conclude a 'permanent' contract if finances get sticky than it is to terminate a fixed term. Or, if you are happy with the terms in the contract they have sent you, I would just sign it and return it. Nothing is permanent these days, in my book GOOD LUCK!

It's actually an unusually tight contract as it's 12 weeks notice on either side, so it doesn't sound like they are too keen for people to leave! I'm not too worried about the National Trust running out of money to pay me, conservation is a necessary part of having these properties so my line of work is about as recession proof as you can get. I'm going for an induction day on Friday so will wave the contract at HR then.
Gave myself a bit of a scare this morning, my first ever spin in my car. :eek: I work on an old airfield at the moment and it was very icy this morning. I thought I was safely round the corner, accelerated, and ended up facing backwards. No damage done, lucky the runways are wide!

Bf is coming over this evening to go to Hobbycraft. Will try not to spend all my remaining budget for December I think I'm very lucky to have found someone who actually suggests a shopping trip to Hobbycraft :rotfl:

Skint_Lynne

Good afternoon everyone,

I could not get on last night as the internet is down, they could not get it to come back on and I was on the phone for 45mins.:eek:

I called back this morning and soemone fixed it in 2 mins, it really just depends on who you get.

Janey, if you think sequestration is for the best, just go for it. I think it is better if you do it yourself instead of someone doing it to you. It means you have a clean sheet after a year because of the new rules.

I have actually been considering it myself, but I will need to think about it. If I get a job and keep getting jewellery parties, I should be able to weather the storm. if not, then I might think about it. I'll see how christmas goes in the shop and I've got some other things to consider as well.

It just means the end of your credit rating for a while (and I don't want any more credit anyway), not the end of the world. xx

shaz_mum_of__2

Janey

Speaking as a recently dishcharged bankrupt. I found the psychological effects more difficult to deal with rather than the practical ones and then theres the "shame"aspect

I lost my job too as it was due to a business failing the bankruptcy was needed and going back to work in dead end jobs for someone else didn't work for me ..............thats why i am at uni now(that and my deteriorating health )


My advice think of all the ins and outs and if it's the best thing for YOU do it

Shaz

broke_mum_of_three

Hi everyone, havent been posting for a while, but trying to reign myself in again.
Was doing well until I picked my car up from its service and got the bill, wait for it £305! After having the journey home to mull this over I still am in shock, although a part that was fixed he told me was quite unsafe so what price your safety? Eh ? and 2 new tyres.
Just coming round to arrive home and get my revised DD for my electricity which has gone from £22 to £71 per month!

Just when you think you are doing little frugal bits and pieces then you get hit with major financial expenses that you can do very little about.

Rant over, going to boil (my head) I mean kettle!

Skint_Lynne

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

Janey

Speaking as a recently dishcharged bankrupt. I found the psychological effects more difficult to deal with rather than the practical ones and then theres the "shame"aspect

I lost my job too as it was due to a business failing the bankruptcy was needed and going back to work in dead end jobs for someone else didn't work for me ..............thats why i am at uni now(that and my deteriorating health )


My advice think of all the ins and outs and if it's the best thing for YOU do it

Shaz

That's the thing Shaz,

I could not do a dead end job, and the ones that I am applying for, which I am more than qualified to do, I don't get them because I've got a business:mad:

I have worked out that if I get a job, this will keep me on the residential side of things. Then, jewellery parties and any shop takings will be for paying back business debts. it is achievable if I get a job soon. I will just need to bend the truth a bit in order to get one.

Someone I know (a friend) was sequestrated and they felt relief about it. They have coped very well with it, but obviously don't broadcast it. I don't want to do it, but if it comes to it, then I will have to. A bit dodgy with having a house methinks and I don't want to lose that. Also, I really think that DH would head for the hills if he found out, (not good with dealing with that sort of thing).

Anyway, whatever happens will happen, I'll just do my best to fend it off, I should manage!!

One last thing, you should not feel any shame about it. It happened and you did not intend for this to happen. You have not done anything bad like harm another person so you have served you're time for it so to speak. xx

Frugaldom

Hi Janey, we were posting at same time this morning, so I missed yours earlier Glad your mum is settling a bit and sorry to hear about your tap/insulation/heater problems.

I'm sitting here debating whether to order in a load of seasoned logs for winter or just switch on an extra electric heater. I'm not sure which is more cost effective and can't help but wonder if electricity is cheaper for now, but don't want to be left without logs if/when power cuts occur.

Arg0$ delivered my cooker & washing machine today but got their lorry stuck on the ice whilst trying to turn! :eek: The yard was frozen solid, so absolutely not traction. Then when the ice broke, the lorry sank in the mud! Glad they had managed to stop before hitting all that ice, though, as there's nowhere near as much space as an airfield; they'd have gone into the barn! (Hope Betsy is OK after her spin today, Lynda, maybe she was just in the mood for dancing. )

I've plumbed in the washing machine and already got the first load of laundry done. I even got as far as tying the new clothes line outside for hanging the sheets, but the sun had gone by then! :rolleyes: I haven't, yet, risked wiring the cooker until I can see in daylight to doublecheck the fuse is out the box on that circuit. Flooding sinks I can cope with but electricity is scary stuff.

Last night, Mr Mouskie got back into the kitchen cupboard under the sink! My bin bags got chewed AGAIN! None of the tape had moved that I'd used to seal off the gaps where mouskie could get in, so he must have squeezed in along the water mains pipe! That has now been blocked up with stainless steel wire (one of those stretch s/s pan scourers - he can't eat that, surely!)

Now for a rather depressing thought: If the bank drops the interest rates to 2% tomorrow... rather than £80,000 in the bank being capable of earning enough interest to cover a (frugal) £4,000 per year lifestyle, we'll need about £200,000!!! Kind of puts things into perspective when you look at it that way! What is the point of tax free interest if/when interest could fall to 0%? If your only income was from interest on your savings... financial self-sufficiency is, surely, nothing more than a pie in the sky idea!

sophiesmum_2

Gave myself a bit of a scare this morning, my first ever spin in my car. :eek: I work on an old airfield at the moment and it was very icy this morning. I thought I was safely round the corner, accelerated, and ended up facing backwards. No damage done, lucky the runways are wide!


I'm so jealous , have always wanted to do a skid/spin/ handbrake turn on an airfield where there is bags of room:D
OH was trained in high speed car manouevres and escape tactics in his previous job and occsionally still drives like that_pale_ - which is why we have a car each:rotfl: but if you need someone to avert an attack by doing a handbrake turn at high speed then he is your man:p