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

Marru

Good morning everyone,

NSD yesterday and today hopefully as well. All washing done and next task is to throw stuff into SC. It will be a bit of a hit or miss so I will report the results later. I really want to clear most of the stuff from my todo list as they have been dragging from one week to another and I have another assignment due tomorrow. It is behaviour so at least something I am really interested in.

Off now to see if there are any films on TV for DD this afternoon. Need to go at some stage go charity shop to get more videos for her. I really would love to have portable DVD player as then she can watch her films that are on DVD without occupying my laptop but I can't justify the cost.

Agree re the advert. There was a skin product advert some time ago where this beautiful woman said that luckily she got the product before getting depressed. I really didn't like using illness that way casually. It hasn't been on for ages now so I am sure it has got complaints.

Have a great day everybody,

Marru

Marru

cw18 wrote: »

Signed up for Tak€abr€ak this morning, but can't find out how to get to the scratchcard..... Only way of logging in seems to be clicking on 'play now', but then it just offers me Bingo rooms

Go to the first bingo room, the scratchcard is in there...

cw18

Thanks Marru

Not very clear how to get to it -- when I was digging on the site, it implied it would appear when you login...... and to me that doesn't mean needing to go into a bingo room

But I've found it now, and 25p for my first time isn't to be sneezed at :T

I'm going to have to put a list up by my laptop to reming of all the daily things I need to do in 2009 -- and I think I'm going to start up a folder in my Favourites called 'daily clicks' just to remind me too

cw18

Janey -- you take care of yourself putting up the tree.......

And make the most of the heating


I have to confess mine's on for 13-15 hours a day, but on a lower setting than it's ever been run on before -- meaning elder DS has complained a few times it's not on 'cos the radiators are very cool/cold

The useage is about the same for the time of year as the last few winters, but the house feels a lot warmer even though the thermostats are showing around 17.5 degrees (control is set to about 17 instead of the 19-ish is used to be on -- and it was up to 22 degrees this time last month as DH was feeling the cold, but then DS and I struggled with the heat!!!!)



Estate paperwork is now on hold..... and it'll probably be after Christmas before I can get any further with it !!!

The next thing I need is 'Grant of Probate', which I discovered means filling in all the Inheritance Tax paperwork as well. And as I started on that I suddenly realised I need to know the terms of something from my MIL's will (we lost her in Dec 97). BIL doesn't know the exact wording, and SIL doesn't know/want to discuss it (I apologised to BIL for having to question them about it and left him to try and find out from their sister, meaning he's had all the flack from her), so I'm having to send off to the Probate Office in York for a copy of the will. It's only a fiver, which isn't bad, but they say to allow 21 days for them to process a request -- and once I get it I may have to take legal advice if the wording is as vague as BIL thinks it was. Not a good thing, as until I get the 'grant' one of the life insurance companies won't pay out, and if it's not paid out by the end of Feb I have to start paying the mortgage again :eek:



Anyway, I'm going to have another look at my budget this week -- I think a couple of figures need "tweaking", there's one I want to break down in more detail, and I need to decide whether or not to continue paying into the Unit Trust (which I hadn't budgeted for).

But whilst I'm going for an "all in", I'm going to keep the mortgage out for 2009. I've no idea when the insurance will be through to pay it off (meaning I don't know what payments I'll have to make or when), but I'm also considering leaving a very small amount on it -- purely as this (and one c/card to be used for general shopping and paid off in full each month) will then be the only things on my credit record if I ever need to apply for credit in the future (thinking replacing a car on 0% finance in a few years time). Plus, as BIL pointed out, while the mortgage is active but showing a substantial overpayment, this also gives me the option to pull some of that back in the future if I need serious money for something -- and a mortgage tends to be the cheapest form of borrowing other than 0% offers :rolleyes2 After he got his compensation following a serious motoring accident (which has left BIL unable to work) he left £500 on his for the same reasons, but as the payments on this are only pennies he says he doesn't miss the money each month.

redglass_2

skintwellie wrote: »

Someone gave me a book to read called 'How I lived on a pound a day for a year' which was very interesting. As I'm now on SSP I may well be FORCED to live on a £1 a day in 2009. Off to work out my buget (eeeek!!!!) for next year.

Oooh, do report back on that one please, SW, I reserved it from the library and have been waiting for months (obviously lots of people had the same idea).
bathroom
You all seem to be very busy. Haven't started on my budget yet (hate doing figures) but it's interesting to see other people planning. I will probably end up doing it on New Year's Eve at this rate.
bathroom
It's beautiful here - the kind of scene you see on postcards with titles like 'WInter Wonderland'. Might go out and walk The Lurcher later and enjoy it a bit more. A bit of free exercise and entertainment, especially when she tries to round up flocks of birds.
OK I'll stop now
Hugs to (((((everybody that needs one))))), including anyone whose heating isn't up to the job. Mine isn't either!

cw18

How's the bathroom redglass ????


:rotfl:

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D

Janey enjoy the heating extravagance, and take care when doing the tree. I helped mum do hers last night as she is just a littlie and can't reach the top of the tree and dad isn't well enough to help this year. Otherwise there would have been a zillion balls at bottom and bare at top:rolleyes:. It's hard first time without loved ones when the family traditions come around, xmas decs and the tree used to be my brother's favourite bits of xmas it was hard yesterday without him there, but we talked about him and things he used to do/like and it made us feel like there was still a bit of him with us. (((Hugs))) to janey and cw and anyone else lurking who has lost a loved one recently.

I have managed to round up a few of the more able oldies and we will be putting the decs and trees up around the scheme later.This generally involves me climbing on chairs and tables whilst fixing things to the ceiling and delegating the trees and inflatable snowglobes etc to the others. It also generally involves mince pies,chocolates, and few glasses of wine:p
Xmas activities this week include taking my chair based exercise class oldies to local pub for their xmas meal on wednesday lunchtime and a carol service/mince pie fest on Thursday night with the local Beaver troupe. No wonder I can't lose weight living here:o

Brighton_belle

Beautiful sunny day here. Aimimg for a 2nd NSD in a row. Waiting to be rung from winner of a chair I have just sold on ebay:D . That will clear good space in the 'study' (wardrobe & storage room)and stop the pile of clutter that ends up on it all the time.
My waistline could do with some exercise today, but I also want to focus on create projects and bulk cooking. OH is doing his regular voluntray conservation work in the wilds of the weald.(The area between the North and South Downs).
I read the reviews on the 'I lived on a £1 a day' book on amazon, and most seem to say it was an interesting read, but was only do-able by a single person who worked as a lectureer in a uni town where lots of free events were on offer. But if you get the book for nothing, if there is just one good idea that works for you then it is worth it. I'd certainly read a free copy and may try and borrow it from the library next year.
Michelle - I think you did the right thing to enjy some spontenaiety an have family fun: you'll make it up by your continuing frugalising progress. I'm doing this in order to beable to afford some fun (although the process itself is too:j ) as well as the necessities and build up an emergency bac up fund.
Marru - any chance of getting a dvd player on freecycle? I know you get the daily digest so it may be too late for that sort of thing. Perhaps a request? (and is a portable dvd player different to an ordinary one?)
Janey - good luck with the tree. I think you are amazing to put one up at all. I'd quite like one but space is at a premium: we already have to move furniture every night to put the bed up.

Marru

BB I will keep my eye on it. I do have a DVD player but when I wire it to the TV I can only get the sound but not picture, portable will have its own screen so there shouldn't be any compatability issues with it.

I am so cross!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
When I pushed ex out through the door last weekend and he was demanding to know what he had done to me it slipped from me that I know he had caused trouble between me and DD's godmother and that I had the email to prove it. Now he has sent abusive email to DD's godmother and she is saying that she can't see us over Christmas due to this and that my ex would always haunt her in her dealings with us. How to deal with a bully like that? I just feel like cutting him completely out from our lives but not before taking him to court from unpaid support for DD. I haven't done will to nominate a person to look after DD if something happens to me as DD's godmother was supposed to be that person but due to what has been going on I am not so sure about it. So I better live long and prosper at least for next 14 years. (And then I will take a year sabbatical and travel around the world to visit all kind of animal rescues...)

Ok off now finally to chop some potatoes...

lilac_lady

Marru - hang on in there, keep strong. Life will get better for you.

Janie - don't skimp too much on heating as blood gets thicker if you're too cold and can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. (sorry to be so pessimistic but there's an awful lot of people cutting down on heating this year so just some advice not to go too far).

Everyone else - hope you're all warm and well fed this cold week-end.