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

bails

Well that's good Fizzel, I really hope you manage it.
SFT, are you a teacher too? Love your 1st aim, v important! There seem to be a lot of teachers on this thread, wonder why that is?
My aim for today is to accept that I am ill and look after myself (still not great at this sometimes). I have to miss sign language which in reality means I'll probably need to give up my course as I am so behind through illness My lessons have to be my priority this week.
Ho hum, anyway, at least this means I am unlikely to spend any money (except for extortionate amounts on keeping my house warm!). Snow here too

grandma247

morning everyone. We had a tiny sprinkle of snow on the pots and walls this morning. There is more to come I am sure, its just a question of when.
I love the idea of a pony nyk.
I may have persuaded dh to get some chickens for the allotment. There is an agm next month so we will ask if we can then. We did have some many years ago and the eggs were far superior to shop ones even back then.
Got to go soon as have ds1 and dil coming later. Seems like they were testing the water with dh about coming back here to live as they are still struggling big time. All thanks to N.R. building soc. They had mortgage and loan with them. Managed to sell in the nick of time before crunch hit but they still have loan and nr put the interest up as they no longer have a mortgage. Ds1 job not looking too secure either.
They will come back on different terms though as last time it was dire need so we did not get anything except elec./gas money for their keep (they pretty much fed themselves) this time they will have to pay at least some board.

nickynoo08

Morning everyone,
Why cant i shake this cold, its getting worse everyday! Think i'm gonna have to venture out to get some more medicine. Got work this afty too so need to feel better by then, or at least not be coughing and spluttering all over the customers:o

My plan for today is...

• put bedding back on bed (didnt have the energy last night)
• get medicine
• sort next load for w/m
• put rest of xmas stuff away
• sort kitchen after OH trashed it last night. Why do they have to use everything in the kitchen!!!!
• GET BETTER - the cold has moved to my ears now, just hope i dont get a lovely ear infection.

Have a good day everyone

fizzel81

Water bills can anyone help?

Never had one untill today, moved into house 29th feb last year anyway ive had first water bill from feb up untill 11th december, my bill is for £182.10

there is 4 in my house me and the 3 kids, 2 have daily baths (there eczema is very bad) is this good or bad? i think im quite carefull about water?

cw18

Is that metered?

I'm in a 4-bed on a meter. With three of us here (4 for a few weeks) we've come in at around £25/month since last May. On that basis ours would have been almost £240 for the same period -- and we don't use the washing machine as often as my friends, and mostly strip wash (some showers, but only a couple of baths each a year).

fizzel81

yes but its an estimate, im in a 3 bed house, not sure where the meter is to be honest to check it

the boys all bath together and i mainly shower, can go days wihout the washing machine on

but im worried its under estimated iykwim, they were supposed to send me paperwork for the watersure scheme but ive never had it, wondering if ive left it too lat to get the years capped if it is an under estimate

cw18

never heard of watersure

our meter is in a box on the outside wall -- alongside the gas and electricity.

At our last address (a rental) it was under a cover on the pavement -- and a long way down, so a torch was essential for reading it !!!!

fizzel81

ok, i do have a small box but it only has a switch in it no numbers iykwim? rung thames water who are sending me the watersure forms out http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5D170AC2-AE7FEDAB/corp/hs.xsl/639.htm if i use ovr 284 in a year its capped if i use under i get the difference back

so thats a bonus, if i send the paperwork back when i get it it can b councted from when i moved in which is a bonus

tryingtodobetter

fizzel81 wrote: »

yes but its an estimate, im in a 3 bed house, not sure where the meter is to be honest to check it

the boys all bath together and i mainly shower, can go days wihout the washing machine on

but im worried its under estimated iykwim, they were supposed to send me paperwork for the watersure scheme but ive never had it, wondering if ive left it too lat to get the years capped if it is an under estimate

In our region (the most expensive for water rates :mad:) there is no cut of date for watersure so give them a ring and get the forms again. Come to think of it they are available on our water boards website so it may be worth having a look to see if yours is the same.

wornoutmumoftwo

I'm back, spent ALL day cooking yesterday (apart from sneeking on here to read posts with a nice cuppa).

I managed to cook and freeze all my mince and onion, made 9 burgers from 2lb mince, cooked 3 chickens, ate one, froze the rest into portion sizes for curry and sweet and sour and froze bubble and squuek from the leftovers of veg, and of course stuffed jackets wuth bacon in one lot and cheese in the other.

Today:
Take down decorations (just the wall ones to go - tree was done yesterday).
Washing and load up tumble drier (which goes off at 2am as I am on E7)
Tidy up/Clean - can you believe I scrubbed this house from top to bottom New years eve and it looks like a bomb's hit it now?)
Try and organise some type of inventory and a way of keeping a top of it.


For dinner tonight I am eating the last of the jacket potatoes with a pasta sauce.

I have updated my sig, £33 of which is Virgin and £20 electric. Although I note my electric on a daily basis because of my obssession with it I am not including it as a spend as such, so yesterday I managed to stay away from the shops, that's 3 no spends this year. (Which is good for me).

THought I should mention as well, anyone that needs a new tree for next year - B&Q are selling them for a fiver, (reduced from £20/30)

Going to go and tidy up now....no doubt they'll be another million posts by the time I get back on here!:eek: