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

JAMIEDODGER

Been busy here this morning, have chopped a load of veg for the freezer, taken down xmas tree and generally had a good tidy up:)

Two washes have gone on and they are both now drying on airers. Trying to have the heating off most of the school day so am sitting here with dressing gown over my clothes:D

Ordered a catflap this morning out of last years money, down to £19.44 left now! Waiting for quite a few deliveries now, hope they start arriving today otherwise I am going to be waiting in all this week!!!

Need to buy DS2 new school shoes so will probably pop to chichester maybe thursday, trying to think if there is anything else I need while I am there as dont really want to go for just one thing!

Better get on now 6 hours goes very fast!:D

skint_chick

Went to Mr A on mystery shop yesterday and managed to find my deodorant on offer for £2 - it's over £3 everywhere else so bought the 4 that were left with the other 2 that I have stockpiled hopefully should get me through the year. So if anyone uses Mitchum Mr A is the place to go!

Also went slightly over budget on pizza mystery shop due to OH being v greedy and had to use £2.25 of budget but had a great time and it was good for me to be out enjoying myself. Today is going to be expensive £185 car tax for OH but luckily this doesn't come out of the budget since he pays for it and he needs a car for work. My car needs new tyres and they're almost £200 for 2!!! So it's not in the budget but they should last me a couple of years because my mileage has drastically reduced and I'm going to make this money neutral with mystery shopping.

Mystery shopping earnings this year and what's left of last year's should pay for my car tax, insurance, tyres, household insurance, and all my presents.

dND

Have decided not to go to town today. The publicity did arrive with the postie and reminded me that the official sales start tomorrow. Sales are governed by the state here - there is an official start and end date and they are only held twice a year. Another difference is that there are very rarely good bargains. Most stock at end of season is put away and then brought out again the following year so most of the sales items are stuff bought in cheap especially for the sales. However there are occasionally some bargains so I'm going in for day one this year:D

I'm generally having a 'can't be motivated' day, I really should tidy the house, it's a tip and there is only me to blame but there is also only me to worry about it. I'm tiptoeing round the kitchen as cat no 4 is on mouse watch. She insist on bringing in her catches live and last night she managed to lose a mouse in the kitchen. Luckily I've not fitted the kick boards yet so she's a good chance of getting it although I have set a trap under the sink as mice and kitchens are a no no in my book.

I also had time to read the savings rates booklet that F!rst D!rect sent me yesterday. 0.1% :eek: on most of the savings accounts, I think the money would be better off under the mattress! So my plus bit for today is setting up a new e-account with them and transferring the savings from the old accounts over to a better rate. I probably could get better rates elsewhere but I stick with FD as they have a good call centre and nearly everything can be done online and they allow me to operate my accounts as an ex-pat.

The snow is gently thawing here so I'll venture out to do the animals in an hour or two and bring in another load of wood for the cooker. I finally got round to making some bread yesterday so time for a lovely frugal lunch of sunflower bread and cheese with broccoli and blue cheese soup:j

dND

skint_chick wrote: »

Went to Mr A on mystery shop yesterday and managed to find my deodorant on offer for £2 - it's over £3 everywhere else so bought the 4 that were left with the other 2 that I have stockpiled hopefully should get me through the year. So if anyone uses Mitchum Mr A is the place to go!
/quote]

Hi Skint-chick

I always used to have to use Michum (it was the only one that worked) but was worried about it as it apparently had a high level of aluminium in it (this was back in the 80's so I've no idea about now ). However I found that I could alternate it with a couple of other brands and eventually - I don't know if it was age or changes due to having children - my perspiration problem decreased dramatically.

Well done on finding it such a good price, it always used to put a large hole in my budget especially as I was buying it for my son's too!

SiannieLaz

Morning all:T
Was hoping for a NSD today, but set my alarm wrong so got up late and didn't have time to heat up my lunch:( . I got a food thermos flask for xmas so I can bring in hot food that's a bit more filling than soup, I made a huge batch of bean and veg stew at the weekend which I froze but today's portion is still sitting in the fridge. Luckily our office canteen is subsidised, so lunch shouldn't cost more than £3.50, but I begrudge spending that since starting this!!
I've turned into a total tighta**e and I love it!!
xxx

wornoutmumoftwo

Take a look here is you are looking for a savings account;

I have a couple paying over 5% (not that there is any money in them though, and when the bonus time runs out, I would move any money I had in them over (assuming the banks are still solvent by that time!)

Skint_Lynne

Good afternoon everyone,

I got a cheque in the post today for a survey I done before Christmas for £50, so I am well pleased with that. I have offset it against my presents bought so far. It's really useful to do the spreadsheet, I can see who I have bought for and what they have.

My parents are moving house after 20 odd years in the same place, so I am going to help them clear everything away, this means that I can get everything they don't want for the car boot sales I have planned later on in the year:T :T :T . I'll need to make room in my shed for these, so will maybe clean that out on Sunday after DH is away.

I am also going to look out all financial paperwork and get this dealt with so that I know exactly how much I owe and to whom. I'll need to do the same with shop paperwork too.

I have so many plans swimming about in my head, that I think the best thing to do is write down exactly what I want to do with personal finances and life and also work/shop finances and life and take it from there. Will also need to crack on with the journal, as I want to read it on New years day 2010 and see what has happened to me through the year. It will be good for me to do that.;)

Frugaldom

mumzyof2 wrote: »

Quick question

In oct last year i went through quidco to get virgin media ..it all tracked at 65 cashback.. but they rang me few days later sayin i could only get virgin if i paid 100 deposit so i said no. so i did not end up gettin virgin media.
Now just checked my bank and quidco paid 65 into my bank...went to quidco and its from virgin media!! But did not end up gettin there services... so what do i do??? Do i keep it?

Mumzy, the cash we make from these companies is a form of advertising for them and they spend a fortune on it, trying to reel in as many new customers as possible. Having thought it over (and worked in media, advertising, marketing, promotions etc) then I hate to say this, but I'd keep the money. If you signed up in good faith, as per their terms and conditions, and only then found out about the deposit, that isn't your fault. Everyone has a right to cancel and if they aren't on the ball enough to spot any flaws in their own campaign, then that isn't your fault either. You could say that you were paid the money to make you aware of their brand, in which case, it certainly worked because look how many people have found out about it just from your talking about it online - Job done, they should be grateful. (Off to see if I can get V!rg!n Med!a plus £65 cashback, might be worth my while switching :cool: )

wornoutmumoftwo

I agree with nykmedia, but would be careful just in case - if you can put it away in an account you won't use, just to be on the safe side.

dND

wornoutmumoftwo wrote: »

Take a look here is you are looking for a savings account;

I have a couple paying over 5% (not that there is any money in them though, and when the bonus time runs out, I would move any money I had in them over (assuming the banks are still solvent by that time!)

It does look like there are a few good rates still out there although I noted on the Tesco site that they are dropping their rates by 0.9% on the 8th. Sadly it's the 'resident in the UK clause' in the T's & C's that I fall foul of

Deborah

Ps Does anyone know if it's possible to change the default colour of the text rather than have to set it every post, I had a quik look through the User CP options and didn't see anything ?