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

candygirl

MARRU have pm'd you so you can tell Bails;)

redglass_2

I'm trying the system of opening a window and going through the posts to add in a bit for each.
Bails: I would be very careful about using other treatments as alternatives (rather than supplements) to antibiotics. I used to do this and I found Potassium Citrate solution helpful, and also branded remedies sold over the counter. Soon after coming back from a holiday abroad I developed a feverish shaking, very scary, and it was thought I had malaria. In the end the doc discovered i had rigor (pronouned 'rye-gore') caused by cystitis. She explained to me that the cystitis bug had got into my kidneys (because I hadn't bothered going for antibiotics) and every time it multiplied and released a fresh shower of bugs it gave me the 'malaria' symptoms. If I hadn't called for medical help it could have got very serious indeed. :eek: Since hardly anybody seems to know about this (I certainly didn't, until it happened to me) I think it's worth reporting it here.

Oh dear, have just realised I didn't do this right - I didn't get my message in a separate window, like I thought i was doing...not sure what I should have done. Think I'll just read thru the rest of the posts.

bails

Thanks for the advice peeps, and good to know about that Redglass, I wasn't aware of that.
Pleased to say Monkey was in bed fast asleep just after 8 :T I am under no illusion that the rest of the weekend will go so smoothly

Off to make the most of a quiet evening with OH, have a great weekend everyone and enjoy your ME time Sarah, sounds perfect!

fizzel81

evening all

had a busy day, brother was round and spare room is now sorted (almost) but ive had to order bedding etc which i got via ebay as he point blank refuses to ever stay at mine if there is pink bedding and curtains so a £16.95 spend on a complete bedding set (duvet cover, pillow cases, valance sheet and curtains)

he also took me to asda spent £45 in there inc duvet for spare room and 2 more pillow cases, a matress protecter (i melted mine)

i got some woopsied mince 75p for 500g of the very lean, i now have 9 portions in the freezer ready to make cottage pie, mince and rice etc with, split the 3 packs into 9 iykwim

now have 60 cans of the hp beans and 40 of spaghetti, 35 bottles of activefizz plus the too many little bottles the vouchers come from, also stocked up the fruit/veg rack and got 16 pints of milk and a few other needed bits

freezer wise i have around 30 dinners (well meat for dinners in there) brother reckons i couldmanage a month without buying any, he does do my head in sometimes when he turns his nose up at some of what i buy (ie today smart price ham, flour, jam, bacon to name a few items) then when i got home addmitted sometimes he can be a be of a snob (and then said he knows why i can always lend him money)

got most of what i needed to get done, done.

not heard anything ie about remoska yet im starting to worry that i jumped in too quickly and am standing to lose nearly £80 please keep everything crossed that i dont.

does anyone know anything about plug in convection hobs? if i get remoska would love to not have to use the gas cooker at all (plus that means no worry of replaceing it even though i think LL should) ive ot an elec steamer, and mircowave but heard of these for heating saucepans/frying etc pretty much anything that can be done on a standard hob

anyway off to update spends and get some me time reading my book

Sarah147

Have just been doing some frugal travel booking!

If anyone is travelling in February, the National Express have a great offer on, travel for £1. Anywhere! I have just booked a ticket from Newcastle to Leeds for a quid, was expecting to spend about a tenner on the train so it's all good. Link here (you have to register first) http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/offers/mirror.cfm?nosession=yes&CFID=37825374&CFTOKEN=85421138

Plus, for anyone travelling on Transpennine Express (from Ncle to Lpool and in between), they are doing a special offer with 25% off when you book via a special link on their website http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/special-offers/11/bag-a-bargain-in-our-january-sale-.htm

Happy Travelling

cha97michelle

Evening everyone.

I've been in a bit of a funny mood today. I know it is hormonal and lack of sleep, but i've been grumpy with both boys and not myself, so i need to relax a little i think and try to be in bed a little earlier in case they disturb us again. DS2 was up at 4ish, DS1 at 5ish, and both ended up in with us, and having a tussle in the middle for space. At least DH is at home to help out over the weekend when i lose my temper. :rolleyes:

Anyway, i have been trying to create a bit of space in the freezer but it isn't working :rolleyes: Tonight we ate a turkey curry, made using up onions and peppers from the freezer (chopped to stop them going off while we were away over xmas), leftover turkey, and the chickpeas we had leftover from last night, plus finishing off some curry powder that i forgot we had. I also did a smallish food shop at Mr S, and got some SP pitta bread (6 for 20p) so made them into a naan bread type thing (added some garlic and cumin, then grilled).

While that was cooking i peeled and chopped some carrots and got in the SC for a soup for lunch tomorrow as i got some reduced ciabbatta rolls 8 for 50p, and then i am going to have a go at a Jamie pasta from his new book, but instead of using anchovies i plan to use leftover sausages from kids tea tonight, and add a small amount of bacon.

I also made a banana cake to use up 3 leftover bananas from before we went away which were very brown. I'm very pleased with myself that we have so far thrown no food out this year. Not that we normally bin much, but i am being very good.

I was really tempted by another turkey crown as they were half price again, and i may still get one, but our freezer is quite chockablock at the moment and i didn't think i wanted to cook it this weekend or even then be able to fit it in.

The best bit is i have left all my washing up for DH.

Plans for the weekend are not going to cost money. We may take some of our reduced bread supply to the duckies with the boys, DH wants to do some of the garden AKA turning the rockery into a veg patch - quite a lot of digging there, and i am disappointed to be having to watch DS2. I might nip to the shops to try and spend my gift vouchers as i realised i do need a plan a day diary for when i go to work. We need to recycle the xmas tree, take down the outside lights and put away, cut DS1's hair, tidy up a bit, so i'm sure we can not spend. I might try and catch up on my recorded telly. I organised the tightest man one, but didn't get the ITV one.

Have a good one everyone. Particularly Marru having a break from childcare confident that LO is being well looked after. I long for that, but i don't think anyone would offer the way my two sleep. :rotfl:

Michelle, x

trex170104

Yeah another NSD here, but fab day in the park with DS, cousin and her two DS - very very cold though so back to hers for lots of coffee and wind-down time for the babies [or that should probably be toddlers now - when do they stop becoming your babies I wonder - think he'll always be my lil baby!!].
Also had a reply from my student who wants me to go ahead with the online lessons - a fab £240 per quater for very little work so this will go nicely towards my £1000 in 100 days - yeah again!

gillst_2

Had the shock of my life today. Had the gas and electric bill through. Both estimated readings and having checked the same found they were a bit higher than the actual readings. Also they have put my monthly payments up from £82 a month to £156.00 a month!!!! Telephoned our supplier, gave new readings and managed to get them to agree to put the payment up to only £100 instead of the £156. The person I spoke to said that he had had a lot of calls today, some from quite elderly people who had told him that they could not afford their bills and as such were going to be turning their heating off - i for one find this very disturbing. However if anyone else gets a high increase in their payments it may be worth a phone call to see if it can be lowered.

Skint_Lynne

Well, I watched the tightest man thing, and boy was he tight. It was also strange to see a grown woman admit that she wears boys pants on national TV.

I think that there is a distinct difference between being frugal/careful and being tight. (although I did feel a bit sheepish when pants woman was showing off her toilet roll collection), I do think that DH uses too much, he often blocks the toilet when he is here, but I think that rationing it is extreme as well.

I do think that pants woman and the guy that taped his shoes together were tight. I hope that the general public would not tar people like us with the same brush as those two. BUT, at the end of the day, they are not harming anyone and it is really a case of each to their own.

My sisters have said that I am going tight, but all I want is a good quality of life for as little money as possible. At the rate I was going, I would have been in debt for the rest of my life. I want some savings so that I am comfortable when I am older and to have my house paid off.

I was also concerned about the amount of takeaway and resturant food I was eating. Very bad for the health, waistline and the pocket, so that has been cut out!!

redglass_2

Read it all at last! :dance:
I'm very pleased with the stuff from Approved Foods . My only complaint is that stuff appears on the site for a while after it sells out - I wanted the honey but it was already gone. Still, I now have a year's worth of tinned kidney beans with long dates on the cans as well as lots of other things, and all much cheaper than other outlets.

My first week is under budget and I've just got £50+ from Quidco, so I'm a bit smug.

If only the fire would stay lit, I'd be in heaven. :rolleyes: