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

Sarah147

Evening all, will catch up with all the posts once I have posted, bet there are 19484 pages to read, at least

Started my new job today and despite the pain of getting up so early and having to walk twenty minutes to the train station at what felt like the crack of dawn it was quite a good day and the people seem lovely. Brought in my own salad lunch made up of Co-op whoopsies but it didn't quite fill me up and I ended up spending 80p in the newsagents on my main weaknesses; Cherry Coke and pickled onion space raiders Will put a bit of Quorn in my salad tomorrow to bulk it up a bit. having a lazy evening as I am shattered. Just had a long bath with Christmas present bath stuff and made a big batch of brocolli and stilton soup with reduced stilton cheese so will freeze some of that when it freezes. It was quite nice.

Had a load of things I needed doing this evening but far too tired to contemplate them, will take me a while to get used to this work lark again :rotfl:

wornoutmumoftwo

Just watched the tail end of that programme and have been warned by OH not to get any ideas!

angelatgraceland

JennyBee wrote: »

I'm still here! No sign of my frugal-teeny yet...thank god! Just joined the flylady challenge and have stuff to do!

Was my first official day of maternity leave today. Felt like I was skiving off work, it was terrible! (I'm sure I'll get used to it really quickly!) Spent £21.50 doing a Food & Hygiene Course (about £60 cheaper than doing it at the local college and always useful to have!) so if you want to know anything about storing and reheating food, I am now a fountain of knowledge! (for about an hour before the baby brain kicks in and I've forgotten it all!)

However, I did take my own sandwiches and so didn't spend £5 on the lunch they were doing

For those that are interested...Chocolate contains seratonin which is the same stuff that's in prozac....(about the only thing I remember from my degree - it was a degree in pharmacology, not chocolate by the way!)

Also - stationery fetishes...I am a paid up member of stationery anonymous (or I would be if it existed!) I blame my mother as she is just as bad. I also "save" notebooks as I don't want to mess them up and I can't stand crossing things out! I'm also as bad with cards....to the point where I had so many cards from Phoenix Trading that I became a trader so I could have them in the house but also make some money from them!! And my mother? She makes me wait to unpack deliveries so she can put them all in the little cellophane bags! No wonder I'm mental!!!

Ah I was lucky-I got my food and hygeine course free when I wouked in Iceland-I take anything going in the way of free courses. Cant get any freebies on vision to learn tho as my qualifications are above Level 2. For thos who dont have these though there are a lot of freecourses on there.
Good to know all the Xmas chocs were good for me! Just have to watch the toffees cos I see my dentist oo often-nice as he is!
Really cross yesterday as Ive crossed out 2 entries in my new spending diary so its now ruined! Lol a pet hate of mine-turn the page and it will be ok! I hate crossings out. Its now defaced.:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

candygirl wrote: »

I'm cynical but the pre arranged meetups with the freegan and the bloke who cooked plants wouldn't happen with an average homeless person.He would still have been hungry by now:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Yes my son pointed this out too but-the idea was living free for the week as opposed to(in my sons words)being a tramp.

I remember as a kid going around the back of Tesco and bringing home still frozen stuff from the bin there! Yes-I did start young-times were hard! Lots of burgers I seem to remember so we just cooked them well. Never got upset stomachs so we did it right. Dont think Id fancy those choc biscuits though-thats another matter.

kittiej

Hello one and all!

Well after a full day in work I went to pick the boys up from holiday club.

Got home, made food, bathed the children and put them to bed, put a load of washing into the machine and currently have a madeira cake baking in the BM, yummy, will take some of that with me to work tomorrow.

I feel like a domestic goddess now, Nigella move over :rotfl: :rotfl:

Sarah147

Ooh just remembered, I need to book something which costs no money but brings benefits that you could never measure in pounds and pence... my giving blood appointment!

Stocks are low over the holiday season and I have been unable to make my last two appointments due to being on medication but determined to give blood very soon. My sister had an operation last year and needed blood. If some kind souls had not donated theirs she would not be alive today

If you feel inclined, visit www.blood.co.uk

angelatgraceland

Wish I could-but Ive got to wait 2 years due to the transfusions I had after the birth of dd23. The first time I offered I found out I was anaemic. so Ive tried twice. Third time lucky!

cw18

andan wrote: »

I have also been given a bike on freecyle so i will be picking that up tomorrow and then will start using it once or twice a week to ride to work.

I must get mine serviced so I can use it when I want to pop to Mr T for a couple of bits..... Almost certainly needs new inner tubes, if not new tyres as well due to not having been used in about 4 years

It's a 3.5 mile round trip that I can (and do) walk from time to time, but as I want to start a major dejunk of the house continuing to walk up and back will start biting into the time available for clear-out

It might also make it possible for me to get to F/foods -- "just" out of reach of walking as I'd have to use the route that enables the use of a shopping trolley (2.75 miles each way), but can't justify the expense of taking the car for the small amount I'd save by going there

fizzel81

i watched it with interest it was good but some as said above was pre arranged which most homeless people wouldnt have been able to do.

i need to find some paperwork its only for 9.50 but im sure ive nearly payed the insurance on fridge freezer, glad i got it as its paid for itself when it broken down but im sure ive nearly payed the amount and can cancel the dd, need to downgrade sky to just 2 mix's saving £3 a month or £33 over the rest of this year

cannot and wont cancel my life insurance not planning on going yet but... its 26.50 a month which would be a big saving but if anything happened i like to know its there for the boys but canceling wuld be a potential saving of over £260 for the year

bt i wish i knew how to cut this, ive only got basic broadband but the higher talk line rental thingy (where local etc calls are included all day) the main problem is me phoneing mobiles

otherwise id dont have many outgoings iykwim so not much more to cut than what i spend day to day, now considering stopping the boys with there childminder 2 days a week but i use there dla money for that

bails

I would love to donate blood Sarah but am not allowed because of my illness - I guess it's because they don't know the cause of it so won't take the risk. I'm hoping to one day though, as before I was ill I wasn't allowed because I'd been in Africa too much!:rolleyes:

Was browsing the links from the programme (no useful info on where to go ) and came across this which might interest some of you. Wonder how he's getting on? EDIT: this is his blog and website. The blog may be a bit 'self reflective' for some but the principles of the website are definitely worth a look.

I know what you're saying about the pre-arranged things but it wasn't a programme about how to survive as a homeless person, it was about highlighting ways to access free things. It means Freecycle will get a big boost so that's always good! I'm a member of the couchsurfing site BTW so if anyone evers wants a bed in Bath...

cw18

Sarah147 wrote: »

Ooh just remembered, I need to book something which costs no money but brings benefits that you could never measure in pounds and pence... my giving blood appointment!

I really, really, really want to get back to doing this, as I'm only 1 or 2 off my silver badge -- and I'm determined to make the gold my Dad didn't manage :rolleyes2

Unfortunately it's 3 years since I've been able due to pain killers, and as I still take codeine from time-to-time they're not keen on my going back yet

So hopefully my target for weight loss this year will also get me off the meds, and then I can get back to this :T

I also feel it's about time I got back to it as DH (who'd also been a donor for a number of years) had quite a few pints while going through his chemo -- and BIL and SIL can't give due to having had a transfusion (BIL) and being on long term meds (SIL). They won't take my Dad's since he had a stroke, and they stopped inviting my Mum years ago as she had too low an iron count more often than they could take it. DD has given a couple of times, but has then been barred due to having kids or new tattoos !! Elder DS isn't keen on the idea, but I need to work on younger DS as he's now old enough