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

thriftylass

Good morning frunshkins!

What a dreadful day outside.
I have decided to only report back now at the end off each month while the thread is so busy . I love this thread and learned loads but I just don't have the time atm to catch up with all those posts. But I guess it will quieten down eventually. I still try to read a few each day though. Plus I'll be busy working on BF. He's skinned 10 days before payday and wants to go on a snow holiday soon. I told him I won't go because I'm not allowed to ski anymore since I'm pg and to save the pennies. His argument is that he can't have one next year when the frugalmite is here. We'll neither can I, mate. I think he needs a few more lessons in money sense and thinking ahead financially. It's not just him anymore. And at our stage in life and with our salaries I don't want to just get by because he's doing god knows what with his money. Sorry for the little rant . I'm just sick off being good with money and planning ahead when he's not but then rolls his eyes about the initial expenses that will come with a newborn like buggies, carseats etc. Don't get me wrong I love him to bits and he'll be an amazing dad, he's just rubbish with money.

Anyway, off to a lazy day and catching up with some more posts.

Have a nice Sunday
x

Cat_Addict

Thriftylass I so sympathise with you. When I was married I earned most of our money and it went into a joint account. From this account my husband would treat himself to things like guitars, amps etc and then moan if I said we were skint! I felt like I had no control over the finances and that we should have been much better off. This has been proved in the six years since my divorce - I am much better off and my OH and I keep separate accounts but communicate well about our aims and budgets etc.

I'm not suggesting divorce as the answer LOL! Just sympathising that it's not easy.

Skint_Lynne

HH62 wrote: »

Lynne, this really made me LOL. I used to work for an airline and they sent us up to the office in Glasgow to work for a week, doing nearly all phone work. This is about 20 years ago. Anyway, even I, Manchester born and bred, could not understand that Glasgae accent! Especially how you say 'J' when you spell it, like 'jai' or something???
Anyway, this bloke on the phone one day got really mad at me because I couldnt understand him...all I got was 'are ye takin the puss out of mee?' or something like that. I wasnt - but he may as well have been talking Swahili.
It really is a hard accent to understand...and you all talk fast too :rotfl:

You have just made me LOL as well HH!! I don't see why you think you don't understand us, you've got the Glesga guy on the phone down to a tee!! And that's right about the Jai for John. It's not Jay for John, but Jai, you must be an honourary glesga chick!!!:T :T

HH62

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

You have just made me LOL as well HH!! I don't see why you think you don't understand us, you've got the Glesga guy on the phone down to a tee!! And that's right about the Jai for John. It's not Jay for John, but Jai, you must be an honourary glesga chick!!!:T :T

Well it's a bit of a cliche, but I do like Haggis too


Am feeling a bit down today, and just decided I'm not going to manage NSD today
Need some bits from the local shop (am only taking £3 CASH and no cards). Ok so I was going to walk there - fresh air and exercise and no petrol spends...It's a bit of a trek and is horrid in bad weather (fields and tracks, say no more....)....Well the awful weather has made walking very unlikely - I'm going to end up driving there instead unless the weather improves in the next 30 minutes.

When I get back I'm making some soup. I don't think I've ever made it before. Got onions, a leek, a couple of carrots, a parsnip and a spud to chuck in it.

Have a good day everyone.

Skint_Lynne

It's a really horrible day here as well. Now that DH is away, things will be back to normal (ish). Will go round to parent's house shortly for breakfast and then will spend most of the day there. They are moving soon, so will help with some packing up today. I'll probably come back round here later and finish doing the dinner and then take it round there. Turkey roast dinner today.:T :T :T

I'll be more organised from tomorrow, am going to start looking for a job seriously and will get my journal up to date. I'll write a to do list everyday and see how I get on with it.

I've got some vouchers I need to redeem so might do that after breakfast as I will probably need to got and get some bin bags.

Speak later all. xx

jtb2412

Sophiesmum - loved the pic of the storecupboard ! I'd give my right arm for a storecupboard like that (well, not literally ! lol)

Anyway, you inspired me so i've spent some time this morning (while the cakes were baking) to clear out some of my clutter in the kitchen (various baking trays, biscuit/sweet tins and a few other large items that I hardly ever use). I've popped them on freecycle and hopefully, someone else can [strike]clutter their kitchen up[/strike] make use of them

I've managed to free up a whole cupboard for when I start stockpiling (have decided this is a good idea after reading about how so many of you do it, although I think i'm going to have to adjust my grocery budget in Feb to allow for this :rolleyes: ). Have also managed to free up 1/2 of another cupboard as well (keep all my chutneys in there and had some other kitchenalia in there as well which has now gone in another cupboard). The 1/2 cupboard will be used for future jars of chutney

We also have a hallway leading to our back door which is big enough to house my chest freezer. I've also got 2 shelves above it (for light stuff - plastic pots, foil trays - mainly bits and bobs that I use for my batch cooking that doesn't have a home in the kitchen). I've been up and down on a chair tidying that up too (I'm kind of wishing I didn't see your storecupboard pic now Sophiesmum - it's making me work ! :rotfl: )

So, the long and short of it is i'm ready to stockpile :j(obviously on things that I will use and only if they're on offer ! )

Plans for the rest of the day - finish tidying kitchen (not quite done yet, i'm sure I can make more space ) hoovering, dusting, change DD1's bed (gone off on her school trip), make packed lunches later, sweep and wash kitchen floor (hubby doing ) and then settle down this PM with a nice glass of wine.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone xx

Cat_Addict

I seem to have missed where people got the idea that we should be stockpiling. Can anyone point me to where that idea started?

jtb2412

Cat Addict - I don't think it's a case of we should be stockpiling although personally i'm doing it for the following reasons:

Price of food just seems to keep going up and up and if I buy things now at a lower cost, then i'm saving myself money in the long run. E.g. If an item is B1g1F and I use a lot of it then i'll probably buy as much as I can afford. For reduced items (whoopsies) again, if it's something i'll use then i'll buy lots (if they've got lots that is ! lol)

Another reason why I want to start is that no one's job is safe (as we all know) and should either one of us be made redundant, then I won't have to worry about food shopping too much, I can just use what i've got until the money starts coming in again.

I'm sure other people have lots of different reasons ... the weather may be a factor for some people (bad weather = not being able to get to shops).

HTH

carolbee

sophiesmum wrote: »

My nana had a pantry in her house, you have just reminded me of the smell of it, it was a magical place for us kids, always smelt of a sort of musty smell and oranges. She always had a few tins with cakes and biscuits and the usual jams and stuff, fruit in a bowl, and piles of newspapers ready to roll up to light fire pre gas fire days, and the doorstop was an old earthenware hot water bottle.Her paperwork was in there too, all filed in old oxo tins and biscuit tins.;) and her pinnys were always hanging on back of door.I can't remember her ever not wearing her pinny. She died 20 years ago now.Nice to remember something simple like that.:D

we are planning to move and saw a place on Friday with a pantry. an old lady had lived in there, and it had that exact smell. we fell in love with the place, and I could have a stockpiling cupboard in there ...

just been to pick up a freecycled fish poacher, will be able to batch cook salmon now, anyone near Canterbury in Kent need to borrow it, I'm your girl!

Guesty6

Right, I am joining, my budget (excluding Debt payments and one tank of petrol per month) is £333 so £4,000 a year, its going to be hard, I have already spend £430 in January on "Non-Essential items" so the cutting back begins!!