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

taka

Thanks BB!! Its a bit sad actually... I've banked with them since I was a child, worked for them as a summer student when I was at Uni and both my parents are retired staff! Oh well - no wonder they are having problems if they can't even understand and carry out basic straight forwards requests :eek:

Comfort food included garlic bread (reduced sainsburys basics), potato wedges and pizza! Horribly unhealthy but very much enjoyed :rotfl: I couldn't get up the enthusiasm to brave the weather in search of choc at the local shops... :rolleyes:

Skint_Lynne

What a horrible night it has been (weather wise),

it is flooded everywhere around here. I've never seen anything like it, I am a city girl, so I guess it must be much worse in rural areas.

I was out in it, a glutton for punishment. Dropped mum at bingo and went to check out a new Tesco my brother told me about. I was bad and got a c**ta coffee and my sister was with me, I was nearly a tenner, and do you know something, for the first time ever I did not enjoy it. (yes, they are even putting these in supermarkets now). Got some bits and pieces, not really any bargains but it was really nice, I think I would go there again. sister went to K*C and bought one of their new panninis, it was 3.50 or something, I said it wan't worth it, she then said to me "oh, are you going to gossip to your moneysaving friends about the money that has been wasted tonight?"

This was my response, :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: , I must be commenting on the price of things all the time, this is really getting under my skin, but I am glad.

Speak later,

SL x

purplevamp

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

...she then said to me "oh, are you going to gossip to your moneysaving friends about the money that has been wasted tonight?"

No, you wouldn't do that, would you?! :rotfl:

Janey51

cw18 wrote: »

Afraid I've no idea on the cost without knowing what weight of milk powder is in 1.5 American cups

1 American cup dried milk powder weighs 105gms

Any savings I may have made on making my own evaporated milk have been swept under the carpet by the escapades of my visitors yesterday :rolleyes:

DS2 and DIL arrived with 3 huge bags of washing because....they are selling their flat and don't want wet washing hanging around :rolleyes:
So, the tumble drier was on all afternoon :eek:
I did make little whimpering noises about using the airers and, to be fair, they did hang some things up to get a head start on the drying process. But the washer was on 4 times and then the drier afterwards for hours :eek:

I daren't even look at the meter reading this morning. I am severely distressed :rotfl:

But it is lovely to have people here and to cook for more than one :j

Kids. Who'd have 'em

Janey51

taka I hate banks with passion. I do have a Co-op Electron account and I have found them really good to deal with.
Mainly I use a local Building Society because I can walk and speak to a person who knows all about me and my family.

Skint Lynne what you are describing is nothing to worry about. You are merely progessing to the chronic stage of Frugalitis.
Before long you will no longer care when other people cross the road when they see you coming carrying your £land shopping bags :rotfl:

cw18

Janey51 wrote: »

Kids. Who'd have 'em

I have two that make me feel exactly the same :rotfl:

The odd thing is, they're the two who have moved out !!! The one still at home is rarely a problem, but I think it's because he's the one who's always been the best about money -- even when we didn't need me to be a frugalitic follow he used to save his pennies and tell me off for impule purchases!

Janey51

Plucked up courage and checked meter :eek:
Having the drier and washing machine going all afternoon and evening has used an extra 10 units of electric compared with what I would have used in the same period.
TBH, it's not as bad as I feared. I am lucky that I replaced my machines following the fire last year so I have the most economical I can get :j

I had made a big sausage/pasta dish for supper last night and there was enough left for me to freeze a couple of portions. So with my 17 portions of broth, I am well set for the next 2 weeks.
I will probably die of boredom
But I am going to visit relatives for a long weekend on Thursday and will be well looked after. They have spent many weekends here when DH was alive and are always asking me to go to see them.

I have got everything ready for lunch...chicken, roast pots, carrots, peas, sprouts, stuffing and gravy followed by choc fudge pudding...so when DS gets up, I will be shuffling him in the direction of the log splitter to earn his keep
I will feed him first of course.

cw18

Janey51 wrote: »

I have tried out the recipe to make Evap Milk off the Hilbilly website and it's pretty good. Tastes OK. Not exactly Carnation but pretty close.
I can't work out if it's cheaper or not.
A tin of Evap in Mr T's is 54p for 450mls.
This recipe takes 1-11/2 cups (American cups) of dried milk powder to 1 cup of water. You just shake it up and it's ready. That quantity has made half a pint (English half a pint)
Any Maths geniuses out there?

I did have to use up the milk powder as I had some past the use by date so it's no loss if it isn't a saving.

On the basis of 1 American Cup of milk power weighing 105g
And on using the cheapest dried milk from Tesco (which isn't currently the value one on a "pint for pint" or £/kg basis) at 98p for 283g (or £3.46/kg)

105g = 36.3p
So a quarter pint = 142ml (approx) = 36.3p
So 450ml = £1.15

But if you use 1.5 American cups, then this rises to 54.5p for 142ml - or a hefty £1.73 for 450ml

Think I'll stick to buying the "real" stuff


And to either of these, if you're on a water meter (as I am) you also need to add the fractions of a penny for the water......

cw18

Janey51 wrote: »

...so when DS gets up, I will be shuffling him in the direction of the log splitter to earn his keep
I will feed him first of course.

Now, I'd do it the other way around.....

split the logs and you get fed. don't split the logs, and you can starve :rolleyes:

shaz_mum_of__2

cw18 wrote: »

Now, I'd do it the other way around.....

split the logs and you get fed. don't split the logs, and you can starve :rolleyes:

me too:rotfl::rotfl:

Shaz