Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 1

January20

Well, as I'm back at work tomorrow morning, it may not be so easy for me to catch up on this thread, let alone post on it!

Was hoping for a ns weekend but I had to fill up the car and buy some stuff for packed lunches for DD and I, and buy a present for a friend's baby - the latter being a delight as I love buying babyclothes and stuff!

This year, I'm going to carry on with my habit of not taking money to work. I go there to work, not to spend money

charliedavis

candygirl wrote: »

Holidays, supply and don't forget we finish at 3.30pm according to popular myth;)
Glad i'm having a break from it , even though it's sickness related:D

I taught secondary school for 3 years before setting up my business so have full sympathy for you. It's a hard job, incredibly stressful and time consuming. I can remember spending evenings nearly in tears with so much work to do. I still do have a lot of work to do now, as I'm self employed, but at the end of the day if I choose not to do the work at least I have that option. Hope you get better soon. XX

fizzel81

thank you sophiesmum i thought it was but wanted to check cooking and then splitting it down will ekk out my grocery budget quite a bit i reckon i could manage the next 3-4 weeks on he freezer contents leaving only milk,fruit veg and spuds to buy if i sort papperwork for ds1 free school meals out wednesday thats also packed lunchs i no longer have the worry of (but the thing holding me back is my pride)

Kittikins

Marru: I'm with you on the chocolate = "mummy food" no longer working Whilst DD doesn't eat choc/sweets at all, she seems to recognise every darned type of sweetie wrapper.....

I'm also a member of the stationery fetish group, have some beautiful notebooks, always have a book or two of lists on the go

Have decided to leave my purse and credit cards at home tomorrow, determined to have some NSDs this month and really get into this challenge

Penny2myName

fizzel81 wrote: »

i need to up the anti so to speak, is anyone on here doing 4k with children and not including child benifit? would it be possible with 3 children the more surplus ive got the quicker i can be debt free which to me now is a must

I have 3 children and am trying this year to do it with CB £2,412.80 and CM £1,200.00(child maintenance) £3,612.80 Leaving me with £387.20 to make up another way. £1 aday savings (which is going to pay off the kids bunk beds when due) and then just try and earn cashback for the last small amoung £22.20 (yay should have made that bit with yesterday's Garden spends)

Do have more money coming in, but want to totally clear my debts this year, and start some savings in earnest.

Skint_Lynne

Hi all,

Not much to report today, went out with DH for a while shopping, I bought 2 shirts for brother prezzies, one was a fiver:D . Not counted in this challenge though as I am going for money neutral gifts.

spent 1.15 in Tesco, bought 6 puff pastries that should have been £6.90, I use these a lot for pies so, am well pleased with that. They are in the freezer now. I got 100% free Kallo organic veg stock cubes in morrisons yesterday, this is a bargain for me as I use these all the time, (no nasties in them), so I bought 15 packs, this equates to 180 stock cubes, so should last me forever!!!

DH is going down south for work tomorrow overnight, so I will have some time to sort out my spare room and get it habitable again, he throws his clothes all over the place in it and messes it up (and arrange my prezzies). Will need to deliver some of this years that I haven't managed yet, there is always someone who gets a christmas present at the end of January from me:o .

sophiesmum, I'll need to check out where the nearest market is to me for veg, you always seem to do well from there, but that is some impressive haul, there is no beating that methinks!!

whitewing

Lollopy,

Thank you for the website. I've been on it since you posted and have pulled off 61 quotes that I love so far, and shed a few tears along the way.

BB,

I ate all the profiteroles at lunchtime; sorry.

taka

OMG! :eek: :eek: Bails... I'm shocked... you brought stationery !!!!!! to our thread :rotfl:

Yep ANOTHER stationery addict here :rolleyes: ... I mine has its own set of drawers, but is now taking up a shelf in my walk in kitchen cupboard and several plastic boxes. I'm sure its breeding! I found at least another 20 notebooks in the pre-Xmas clearout Storage is another addiction too...

I must not buy more stationery
I must not buy more stationery
I must not buy more stationery...

PS Bails - Maybe have a look in art shops for square sketchbooks. Its the only place I can think of that may possibly have some around 14x14cm... :shhh: :whistle:

Penny2myName

JAMIEDODGER wrote: »

I too have a stationary fetish..... bails you are not alone:D

As a teenager I used to looking writing sets. Only did paper round so I could afford a new one every other week, good job I had lots of penpals back then. Now I find it harder to find writing sets at prices I would be willing to pay.:o

Sarah147

LollopyBear wrote: »

JTB - I'm not in Cambridge itself, but in Ely. However, I am also very glad they didn't get the go-ahead for Mill Road as it would have spoilt the vibe of the road completely. At least Cambridge has a big Asda, Sainsburys, an Aldi just down Histon Road etc. and some other bits and pieces, which offsets the Tescopoly somewhat. Though it is ridiculous how many Mr Ts are in and around Cambridge.

Two Tescos have just opened near me in the space of a couple of months, both those horrible little express stores which I find worse than the big ones as they are smack bang in the middle of the local independent shops and how can they possibly compete with that kind of buying power? The other is in the middle of a local housing estate which I find bizarre. The only other shops in the row being a fruit shop, a cafe, a bakery, a wine shop and a lovely little newsagent.

I expect them to all be out of business by the end of the year and it makes me sad