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

grandma247

I have just found this great site. It has gifts in a jar and all kinds of other useful homemade stuff click here. I have been looking at the mixes and seasoning pages and have saved some to try.

I finally worked out how to put in a link.

bails

Fizzel, I'm so sorry to hear about your losses, thinking of you xx I had hoped we had had our last sad news of the year.
At least all the frugalmites are an exciting start to the new year, congratulations to everyone, there's loads of you! :T

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

Grandma247 -thankyou soooo much for that link -I will be saving that ready for the pressies for xmas 2009 ..I have nearly finished a scarf for the 1st part of one of my nieces gift :rotfl:

Fizzle -so sorry for your loss... my family are letting this xmas pass us by quietly after losing my sister and my mama in the same week a few months ago..what with that and the 20th anniversary of my dads death on the 22nd (my birthday) Im not sure how my mum keeps here sanity at all....
we can't remember who let the new year in this time -but they are banned for life now
Here is to us all having a happier and calmer 2009 :T

On the "finance" front.... Im really looking forward to starting the new year -full of enthusiasm -made much more exciting by joining you lovely lot :j
For anyone venturing into veggie growing for the 1st time -please feel free to PM me if I can help with any questions- I did really well last year with growing in tubs..so I would love to help others save money if possible
right I will get off now..have a lovely weekend everyone

fizzel81

evening all

Thanks Bails and mrsmcawber, i dread the phone ringing at the moment dont need to hear of anything more iykwim

on a good note a offered post appeared on freecyle tonight im not one to ask for much but ive been offered lots of summer clothes for the boys and even better its being brought to me locally so im a little chuffed (sad i know) think i should part with the last of the baby/small child bits to make someone elses day

im sat here with my back to the washing! have 4 indoor stands for drying it all and now well its all dry :rotfl: but i dont want to, folding and ironing and then putting it all away, need to find a dinner idea for todays left over casserole not enough chicken for a 2nd meal out of it (i only put 8 chicken chunks in) but too much to waste oh for being frugal pre frugal id have binned it now i dont want to get a chicken out for tomrrow when i have half a dinner to use (ideas please!)

oh before i frget welcome to all the new challengers nice to have you on board its not easy but loking back on the past year im pleased with myself, i had times when i thought i wasnt going to manage it, ive had people laugh at me (they dont laugh when they want to borrow a few quid) but its been worth it and hence im up for a 2nd year of it

grandma247

fizzel81 wrote: »

evening all

(they dont laugh when they want to borrow a few quid)

strange that isnt it? I get the same.

fizzel81

not just me then lol, worst thing is they know you have it to lend iykwim and im on fr finding it hard to say no

MRSMCAWBER

grandma247 wrote: »

fizzel81 wrote: »

evening all

(they dont laugh when they want to borrow a few quid)

strange that isnt it? I get the same.

I was just about to quote that bit too :rotfl:
My mum was laughed at for using her thermals and a blanky to stave off some of the cold... until her gas statement came in at just over £40 for the last quarter..the person who initially laughed spends £35 on electric and £40 on coal A WEEK :eek: ... I know who I would rather be

fizzel81

gas/elec makes my blood boil i think ive been very carefull untill i got my gas bill but obviously not

theromstat is now on 16 the boys wear vests tshirts and jumpers and then a fleece on top if cold and i treated myself to 2 mens £5.00 jobbies from asda in a size m to pop over my clothes if cold

never felt so warm today ive used under 1 unit of gas all day (1st time ive tracked it iykwim) no chance am i going back

Frugaldom

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

..the person who initially laughed spends £35 on electric and £40 on coal A WEEK :eek: ... I know who I would rather be

Wow! I just found someone who spends more than me on heat & light! :j I'm now approaching £30 per week electricity and was getting annoyed at a £10.50 bag of coal only lasting 10 days whilst using logs as well. There just doesn't seem to be a simple, cheap way of heating a house in winter - ANY suggestions welcome. I know how to keep warm, so no point in sending suggestions for that, but I'm sure that, among over 200 of us on this challenge, we can come up with a cheap, eco friendly, frugal alternative to electricity and gas. Then we could all retire as millionaires, or move some place warmer. :rotfl:

fizzel81

what id give to move to somewhere warmer

untill then it big fleeces for me in the winter, guess a bonus is fleece dries quickly

shame is my house originally had coal fires both downstairs and what is my boys room as upstairs and down here its just been blocked off both rooms ahve the mantels iykwim just painted boards over them

been like it since ll brought the house in 2006 am tempted to ask her abou seeing whats behind the boards but i have no ideas on costs or what i could face, if i knew all would be ok id do it and burn wood to heat the house