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

Penny2myName

Ok, who sent me the lurgy!!! My stock of 45+ loo rolls for next year are now dwindling fast. I have almost used a full roll on my nose today. Feel like I have the worse hang over going (without the pleasure of the drink) Ok, staying up and chatting to someone till 3am wasn't teh brigtest idea going. Think I sent the poor guy to bed with nightmares after telling him about teh £4k challenge (he has an 8 bedroomed house). He talks about swimming with dolpins, I talk about walking around Ingleton Falls. He spoel abotu Disney and other hyped up parks, and I talked about here http://www.instirling.com/sight/logie.htm (cant do those tidy one word links), with bubbling brooks and kestrals crying in the back ground. He's talks about losing £150k on house, I talked about the fact he is still £200k in profit with it compared to his morgage. Am I evil, in seriously loving the thought of making someone of a similar postion attempt this challenge...lol. Wonder if he has stopped having palpations yet.:D

Frugaldom

Good afternoon to all - we are now into single figures! 9 Days and counting! :T

Bails, I'm really sorry to hear your news, but you really shouldn't feel so bad about relying on your OH for things. In my book, that's what having an OH is all about. You love him, he loves you, you want to spend your lives together, sharing everything, looking after each other physically, mentally, emotionally and financially, creating and maintaining a home together (wherever that may be) and raising any children you may have between you to the best of your ability. Every hour you spend associated with any of these things is a worthwhile pursuit (and would cost you a fortune if you'd to pay someone else to do it for you). NEVER underestimate what your current contribution to your shared household is. If you are part of a loving, caring, sharing relationship, it's 'because you're worth it'. :beer: Being an OH brings responsibilities, you would need to provide for him if the circumstances were reversed.

Lynda, hope your gran is well enough to enjoy Christmas.

I've taken the turkey out to defrost; I'm planning on cooking it on Wednesday so that Christmas dinner is an organised affair - I hope. I've got a chicken in the slow cooker with some chunks of carrot & onion for tonight's dinner and I want to try making my own mince pies this afternoon, but am awful at making pastry. Needless to say, there won't be any photos of the finished articles, but I will give it a go - I've only ever made my own mincemeat for pies once before, just hope I have everything in stock that I need.

Still no signs of my Approved Food order or any other order, for that matter! :rolleyes: Off to chase everything up now and then have lunch. Will catch up with rest of the posts after I've finished some more work stuff this afternoon, in the meantime, you all try to behave yourselves :rotfl:

Marru

Bails - that is horrible!!! :mad:

I have been playing hamlet recently: to quit college - not to quit college, and just when I decided to stick with it my counsellor wants me to take step back and find alternatives. She is going to get me in touch with careers advicer after the holidays. I have to say that the idea of earning money and keeping up with the tight college work schedule has been very daunting lately. Especially as tax credit people have decided that I owe them over £500 pounds and council said I owe them almost £400 not to mention my DMP and the fact that we need to eat. I think I am going to go and have a good cry myself. What ever happens I have promised to have xmas day and boxing day off completely. Hopefully munching some lovely ham and chocolate...

Lynda - so sorry about your Nan!!!

Penny2myName

Think you should enquire about voucher for you expectationally long wait. Got woke at 8ish this morning to accept delivery of new mattress for DD.

Brighton_belle

bails - really sorry to hear that about the finances:mad: . Nyk - that was a great post re having an OH and what that means. Thank you:A .
Got our own financial crises here - OH just received £80 fine + threats for unpaid car licence - he took it off road in July as couldn't afford to run it, but unknown to me didn't do a sorn dec:mad: . Some times I despair of him.
And now our oven has broken and is unusable and repair quote is £190+ (it's a smeg that came with the house so v expensive). I'd happily just use my remoska, but I have lodgers who need an oven, though they only use it once a week. I think I need to look around for a cheap new one rather than pay for that much for just one part to be repaired on the smeg. I've just posted on freecycle but any other suggestions very welcome.

Lynda - really sorry to hear about your nan. And it is hard when you can't see her becasue of a cold.
Loads of people to comment on but I need to run round like a headless chicken at the moment so must dash

DdraigGoch

Just a quick hug for everyone who seems to need one - we've just lost someone too, my DH's Mum.

Christmas will happen, no matter what. Best of luck to everyone.

DG

PS Martin's OS book is free for the postage on here:

http://www.stourvalleyoffers.com/bk068-aby

Just in case anyone hadn't already seen it.

Happy Christmas one and all from a not terribly festive Wales

shorelines

I'm getting quite excited about christmas. I've sewn my OH a huge christmas stocking and packed it full of little things, my mum's almost finished her hospital treatment, did some cheap food shopping today. Need to find something nice for the veggies to eat.

But January's going to be expensive. I need some glasses, have a hen night to go to which requires dressing up in 60s explotation gear!, two birthdays, an anniversary (though luckily OH is skint and I've spoilt him this birthday/christmas so he's not getting much!)

Also I have the wedding to go to in early feb. They've asked for money towards their honeymoon and I don't know how much to give without looking cheap. £25?

Frugaldom

Sending out hugs and best wishes to all!

Penny, hope you feel better soon

Marru, hope things work out for the best re college / earning / life balance

Ddraig, sorry to hear about your MIL, please pass on sincerest wishes to DH. And many thanks for taking the time to list the link for Martin's book.

BB, what rotten luck with the oven! I recently bought a new a new electric cooker and paid about £150 for it, including delivery, but I guess that's no good if it's needed for cooking Christmas dinner. I know it's a lot to fork out at any time of year, never mind this time of year, but perhaps you could try for an ex-display one from your nearest electrical retailer and pay a good bit less than that? Might be worth a few phone calls.

To anyone who is still looking for tarpaulins (or tools of any description), if you go to Amaz0n and search for 'Silverline', everything is half price. I have just ordered a few bits and pieces including several tarpaulins to use as ground sheets and for throwing over the log store etc. 1.8m x 2.4m is only £1.14 and the 2.4m x 3m is only £2.01 :eek: They also have disposable gloves (I use these when baking) at £2.87 per hundred; I usually pay more than double that! Opting for free delivery means the stuff won't arrive until late January, early February, so it's next year's budget but will be here in time for starting the garden blitz - bargains that will be used to help make my frugalised life easier . I've also a workbench and an electric jigsaw but the entire order came to less than £30, so I am very pleased, especially as it includes 2 gifts for next year! :T

Marru

Thanks NYK,

I have found out today that even if I don't work I would still get the child tax credits, it would only be the working tax credits that I would lose. So I have now emailed Jobcentre to ask what other benefits I might qualify for and fingers crossed that there lies the answr to my dilemma.

On positive note I got all my parcels into post today. Still 4 cards to post/deliver out of which 3 needs to be written. Oh and DD's present to wrap.

Haven't done my assignment today as have been searching the net for financial advice and cleaning my animals so after DD has gone to bed it will be panic mode here.

Have a great evening everybody!!

Marru

whitewing

shorelines, try a search of the forum to check, but I think www.glassesdirect.co.uk has good reviews. My brother is intending to try them out next year after I sent off for a brochure for him.