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

sophiesmum_2

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Hugs to you Janey - thanks for being brave enough to tell us how you are feeling. I imagine the days can be full of such moments.
SF - really sorry to hear about the job and such 'no' notice too.
Penny - Great post and I agreed with it: this forum has helped me get myself orgainsed in time for the crunch.
Nyk - great post. Belonging to this community makes frugalising much more fun. Like the sound of the chickens.
Shaz - well done on the budget:T . Welcome to the foru macwah
SM - I thought of you yesterday in the charity shop: they had a book on 'good dentistry practice' circa 1970:D . New washing indoor hanging thing now in use and it is fab.
Was given a packet of sausage by m-in-l yesterday and they are now with baked beans/passata & kidney beans in the slow cooker. Will do for OH dinner tomorrow too as I am out all day at parents til late:j . On the way home from work, some students were doing a 'be nice to people it's xmas' stunt and handing out free cake, so got a nice hunk of choc cake for OH. If he drifts off into a haze with a fixed smile on his face this evening, I'll have a guess at what it was laced with:rotfl:

Well I am looking for a new hobby actually I am thinking of finally getting round to renovating the pine chest of drawers in the bathroom after xmas and thought of mosaicing (is that a word?) the top - I have a pile of tiles left from kitchen in shades I would like - could I just break them into small pieces to use? nd if so what is best way?

shaz_mum_of__2

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Maybe you could do your own mini challenge - live off stockpile for a month. 52 jars of maramlade does ..er ...:rotfl: sound quite a lot

I would actually feel quite stressed if stocks were to start going down ..............i know it's sad but i have had time in my life when i couldn't afford a jar of jam ...............in my defence i have made all the jam and marmalade i also have 2 sacks rice yes sacks as well as 2 sacks of spuds , 2 of onions and 2 of carrots and 1 of parsnips we have around 20lb of frozen runner beans and about 10lb of courgettes from the garden as well as 14 pumpkins in cold storage

i bought a side of beef in the summer for £80 and have ordered a lamb for spring too i buy pulses and spices in bulk at the indian grocers i buy most tinned goods by the case and tomatoes by the 2 caseload but only when on offer

I estimate we have about 50 tins of assorted tinned fruit
about the same of tomatoes and about 24 tins beans at any one time not to mention all the tinned fish and corned beef and drinks , oh and the 50 packs of pasta..................i have a notepad with a page per product and the number in stock and where they are!!!!!

I told you i was bad

I think a mini challenge may be a bit to scary for a nutter like me but i will try hard!!


Shaz

Marru

Good evening,

SM: have a look at this I once did a weekend course in mosaic and loved it (I decorated a flowerpot with paw prints ) You might want to make a board for the size of the top and do your mosaic upside down, this way you can quarantee to have an even surface.

SF: I am sorry you lost your job. How horrid to just being told like that. But it is not an end just a new beginning for you to find out what really makes you happy. Cliche - sorry.

Shaz: Glad you are feeling better. Could you please please come here and make me a rotating shopping list? I also think the mini challenge sounds good.

Everybody else: Hello!!

I am going to have my supper and then finally start working on my spreadsheets. Lots of confessions on their way, I am feeling...

Penny2myName

Shaz, sounds like your all prepared for opening your own local soup kitchen...:coffee: for hungry, homeless and pauper executives

sophiesmum_2

Marru wrote: »

Good evening,

SM: have a look at this I once did a weekend course in mosaic and loved it (I decorated a flowerpot with paw prints ) You might want to make a board for the size of the top and do your mosaic upside down, .

Thanks marru, looks really interesting and I think we have all the necessary tools already:D I still have the cupboard paint I bought to do the drawers so think I will have everything except glue and grout. I have booked a weeks holiday between xmas and new year so may have a go then:D

Penny2myName

Seems my sister wants me to do £100 of xmas shopping for her. Did mine through out the year to save me the hassle of December madness. Suppose if I must pick things up for her, can do it via cashback/points sites/shops. Also a good job my CB went in today and that my household bills are already covered and paid. (just incase I dont get the money in in time for new year. Once I get the cash back from sister, it can pay my gas arrears (well will be in arrears by jan)

redglass_2

Janey, hugs to you. :grouphug:
SF, I'm so sorry to hear about your job, you seem to be taking it calmly but still....horrible. :eek: Hope something much better comes up for you in the near future.
Marru, wish you hadn't included that link about mosaics, I lose hours of my life following up links from this thread and getting all interested when I haven't time to follow through!

I went mad tonight in Mr M's and bought loads of creamy blue cheese, gorgonzola and other kinds, because it was all whoopsied. I assumed I could freeze it, but now I'm beginning to think I made a mistake - and there's LOTS of it. :eek: Has anyone here frozen one of these creamy blue cheeses? I love 'em but I can't eat this much.

cw18

could you not use some of it to make cheese sauces and then freeze them? they'd be a "bit special" compared to using run of the mill cheddar and such......

lingojingo

just back from parents evening at college with DD - well on track to get grades she wants for uni next year!

Big hugs for Janey and SF ((((((((()))))))))- hope you soon find something else SF, my brother was twice made redundant just before Christmas in the late 80's/early 90's, and now he works for Honda :eek:
He says he's ok at the mo as he's in R&D, but it doesn't look great.

lilac_lady

As 2009 comes closer, I wish all of you a healthy, happier year than we've had in 2008. Some of us have lost partners, some have had health battles, some have had family problems but we're all still here.

Having a thread like this is invaluable as there's always someone here to cheer us up, egg us on, sympathise and make us laugh.

The money side of things sometimes takes a back seat and that's how it should be as we try to cope with our varied lives. when we return to the money topics there's always good advice, new tips and plenty of encouragement to keep us going.

I'm looking forward to keeping up with you all next year. I may even meet my targets - money and lifewise. Group hug!