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

lilac_lady

PP - you're definitely a candidate for this forum challenge! I'm sure that thought flitted through many minds (including mine!)

sophiesmum_2

PetitePeche wrote: »

Having lurked on here for a long time and learned loads I had to laugh to myself yesterday morning as we were all opening our presents. I had the overwhelming desire to "recycle" some of the thing we received into gifts for other people next year.:o

Is that a terrible confession or did anyone else think the same?

Guilty:o

whitewing

sophiesmum wrote: »

Lovely Nyk, I am after a plum tree this year.
I got an opal and diamond ring off OH which is really lovely and was a huge surprise,he was so excited to give it to me. (wish he had just asked me what I wanted though as would rather have had hen house and chooks,:o and now I need to increase contents insurance as it was very expensive and not covered on policy:rolleyes: )

The opal is said to be many things including the most powerful of healing stones, the stone of hope, the stone of great achievement and even the "stone of the Gods". (from crystal-cure.com)

Sophiesmum, I am too romantic today to agree with you about your chooks. Have them for Valentine's Day!

I have already recycled a box of chocs to my brother to take to some friends of his. I was quite pleased with myself, as I really do appreciate the present itself, and it was lovely - as part of this challenge - to pass it on sensibly to where it's needed most.

sophiesmum_2

whitewing wrote: »

The opal is said to be many things including the most powerful of healing stones, the stone of hope, the stone of great achievement and even the "stone of the Gods". (from crystal-cure.com)

Sophiesmum, I am too romantic today to agree with you about your chooks. Have them for Valentine's Day!

I have already recycled a box of chocs to my brother to take to some friends of his. I was quite pleased with myself, as I really do appreciate the present itself, and it was lovely - as part of this challenge - to pass it on sensibly to where it's needed most.

Whitewing, I know where you are coming from and I do appreciate the gift for it's sentimental value - honestly i do. Just only recently he bought me an eternity ring for same finger which I absolutely loved and wore all the time,which had very special personal meaning to me. I have had to take this off now:o and put the new ring on as it is only finger it fits properly and I don't want him to think I don't love it, just i am sad that I have had to take my special one off , at least temporarily.. If he hadn't spent so much money on it I wouldn't feel guilty about not wearing it
I may take it to jewellers after xms and see about having it altered so I can wear them both and both of us be happy.

Gld you are enjoying your first married xmas together:smileyhea when you find the right person it is so special. My OH is older than me but is my soulmate, after a bad first marriage I appreciate him so much.:A

sophiesmum_2

After deciding not to go to town, my friend turned up and I did end up going after all to the local retail park:D I had £50 Boots gift card for xmas so had a mooch in sale, picked up two atm money machines for nieces birthdays, 2 lots of wine bottle stoppers, 2 lots of wine bottle danglies, and a couple of ted baker/trevor sorbie gift sets for next xmas , total came to just over £36, but all were 50% off so saved that much, also used a 300 extra point voucher from machine so 444 points added today and used my gift card to pay:D
So two more birthdays sorted , will add red and white wine to the stoppers etc and that will be two xmas pressies done for couples, and two gift sets will be two more xmas sorted.No cash spent so far, so money neutral and plenty points generated.:D

cw - they had the bakers 1kg boxes for 99p or 2.5kg bags for £1.99 - they get it all the time but not bigger bags.they had a couple of flavours in.

About to have split pea and ham soup, and turkey and cranberry toasties for tea, with trifle for afters :rolleyes:

cw18

Thanks Sophiesmum -- if/when I run short I'll have to try and combine a visit to them with a visit to you

Frugaldom

Hello

Sophiesmum, your ring sounds absolutely wonderful, I wish you health to wear it and agree with Whitewing, chickens for Valentines or Easter, methinks, although I don't think they'll like flying to Malta when the time comes - who stays closest on the frugalite challenger list? :rotfl:

I've just uploaded a few more piccies for my webpage, but thought I'd add rgis one here - as a frugal pet and real, living slug and snail trap, I reckon this must be one of the cheapest pets around - eats scraps and helps in the garden, excellent!

Mr Hedgehog with his turkey dinner.

All the trees have been planted now, thanks to HS, and I have sat some wooden planters around the bottom of a couple of them so I can grow other stuff. It really will make the garden look like a tiny orchard next year and I can't wait until the trees begin to bloom.

Tonight's rea here was turkey soup, ham sandwiches and the either trifle or flan. Mr Hedgehog and Ginger Bagpuss have soup. I'm just trying to replan my garden planting now, as the fruit trees need so much space between them and I have the new quail run still to be built up and installed at the back of the house. Just sitting here with a 'wee half' mulling over my options, as I want to really optimise all available southfacing space. Any of you gardeners out there know what (pr if) I can grow on a north facing patch that gets very little sunlight?

Off to do some (paid) searches now, hope everyone is having a fun time.

taka

:rudolf: :xmassmile :snow_laug :santa2: :xmastree: :snow_grin :xmassign:

I hope everyone had a good Xmas!!

Well... I did it! I hosted my family's Xmas! :j :dance: I spent the last few days panicing and clearing my flat but I did it (just) in time - I finished at 11am on Xmas day with people turning up at 12noon :eek: and had to have a shower at my parents (as my bathroom drain is still not fixed) before everyone turned up - I only got out of the shower at 11-45!! :eek: Unfortunately my bedroom has ended up as an emergency dumping ground but the rest of my flat is the tidiest it has ever looked since I moved in 6 yrs ago :whistle:

The Xmas meal didn't entirely go to plan but was lovely to have people here :beer: _party_ :dance: I didn't even get time to wrap everybodies pressies - they had to shut their eyes and hold their hands out instead Ooooooopps!

I'm enjoying today soooooooooooo much more though... Lots of sleep last night, no stress, food taken care of (lots of leftovers and my parents brought enough to feed me for a good while too). I was so excited to get up today and sit in my tidy livingroom for the 1st time and not think its a tip and I should be tidying/sorting things out. :j Its such a good feeling!

I have given myself today and tomorrow off then I need to start sorting out the [strike]war zone/assault course[/strike] bedroom but I can do that at a much more leisurely pace between now and the 5th of Jan when I go back to work. :rolleyes:

I also need to find a 30th pressie for my wee brother :eek: as its his birthday in a few days. Anyone know what to get a 30yo guy with no hobbies, every gadget he needs and wants already and a very minimalist flat (so doesn't like getting loads of "stuff")? His Xmas pressie was very rubbish so this has to be good...

PS Santa brought me a MR Fastbake breadmaker :j Woo Hoo!! :j :T

sophiesmum_2

Well done Taka on getting to grips with your flat:T :T :T , it must make you feel much happier to spend time in it now. I know if i'm messy I can't seem to get started on anything properly but when everywhere is tidy I can accomplish lots:D

Nyk - cute hedge hog:D we have a couple here but judging by the number of slugs still about i think we need a[strike] few[/strike]lots more:rolleyes:
Found this on the allotments for all website

Re: Vegetables to grow in shade areas
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2008, 22:29:15 »

Grow early vegetables such as spring cabbage, winter lettuce and broad beans (Aquadulce). Sow in early autumn so they are well established by early spring.
Shade tolerant vegetables (shade for more than half a day) like beetroot, 'Bolthardy', calabrese, kale, kohl rabi, lettuce – little gem. Also radish, spinach and herbs - chives, mint and parsley are all shade tolerant. Fruit such as raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberry and rhubarb are plants of the woodland edge and will thrive in this environment.
Asparagus cultivated in the normal way a very acceptable crop can be gathered in half shade although the spears may be a little thin. Choose a vigorous, all male cultivar.


Some suggestions there

Frugaldom

slowlyfading wrote: »

Nyk, oooh an orchard pack?! That's amazing :j :j and google ghds haha :rotfl:

Slowly, I just G00gled it. :eek:

I've been having a look through the greenfingered moneysaving forums and have seen a few suggestions about starting early for growing some things. I've actually got potatoes chitting/sprouting now, as I'm planning on planting them in buckets in the greenhouse as soon as I have the splace. I'm going to plant one bucket per week starting from New Year (next week :eek: ) and see what happens. I've also got a few empty sacks and feed bags that can be used. I think I'm getting impatient to start now. :rotfl: Going to read my seed packets so I can make up a planting schedule in my diary! I think I'll be opting mainly for pots, tubs and baskets this year, so they are easier to protect from anything that might munch, chew, scratch or dig. Watch out for some unusual recycling going on over the next few months!