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

Frugaldom

looby-loo wrote: »

Welcome - you just have to get into a different mind set, try to avoid the big shops, shop local with a list and when you feel tempted ask yourself if you really need it - could you make what you have last a little longer or get it elsewhere eg freecycle, boot sale.
You can do it!:j

I think the opposite on your shopping tips.:rotfl: Quite a few of us on here have no shops at all within walking distance, so it is more a case of organise an expedition to the big shops and make the very, very most of it while you're there, it could be months before you go back. :rotfl: Not much by way of boot sales or markets here either, although there is a small Freecycle group and the local town has a LETS group (that I'm just not prepared to pay to join).

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...

CarolBee - This really made me laugh but I think I read it the wrong way! All I can think of is an old lady in a cupboard now. :rotfl:

Welcome, Guesty6, I'll get your name onto the challenger list asap

I have caught up, at last. We still have a howling gale outside, 80 - 85mph winds according to news, but have been fortunate, so far, that power has stayed on this time. Hope everyone is surviving the blast without incurring too much damage. Janey, hope you are safe and well over in your neck of the woods - let us know you are OK.

I'm getting really low on logs and will need to order more in, as the fire is just swallowing them up by the basket load. I did consider resorting to an oil-filled electric radiator but then decided I'd prefer to keep my pet fire, especially with the start of winter power cuts. Touch wood, it's only been out for a couple of hours over the last week.

Made the stock from turkey leg in the slow cooker last night and then was amazed at how much more meat I got! I have enough to make a large pie. I had added celery and leek to the stock, so those veggies can go in the pie with some mushrooms for tomorrow night's dinner. Wasn't expecting all that, so it's an added bonus, especially as the other turkey leg is still in the freezer. I'm also going to use up more of the homegrown apples and make a crumble whilst oven is on for the pies. Can't decide whether to make small ones or one large - will see how the pastry turns out (yet another of my not-so-strong points). :rolleyes:

Larders - I have a little larder in my kitchen and there should be another walk in one at the back door adjoining the kitchen, but it's currently filled with other stuff that's waiting to get moved into the garden shed that isn't yet built. The base is all ready for it, but the weather has made sure that no construction work is being done here this weekend! Mind you, yesterday's horizontal washing was the softest and fluffiest I have got my towels in a long time! Why have fabric softener when you can have gale force winds! :rotfl: I'd really, really like a windmill, this place would be great for that!

Edited in - just checked back and I used to pay 99p for a fresh turkey drumstick. 'Mysupermarket' has them showing in A$da for £1.27 so, even with over 27% increase, that's still a great buy when it can make 6 individual meals plus a pot of stock for soup.

trex170104

WOW Sophiesmum you really do have a massive amount of food stockpiled. I've worked out I don't need to do a proper food shop until March - but 6 months ahead that is really impressive. Do you need a special members card for costco? Don't know if there is one near here but I'm gonna check it out just in case.

JAMIEDODGER

afternoon:)

after a very slow start this morning....i blame the excessive amount of wine i drunk last night:D, I have managed to bake some cakes for the kids lunchboxes, do all the ironing and throw a loaf in the BM, very productive for a hungover jamie:)

My half of the takeaway last night was £5 and I also sent DS2 down the shop yesterday for a couple of things I had run out of, will update spends later on this evening after the kids have gone to bed, still well within budget for the 11 days though.

Kids will just be having a snacky tea this evening, which is usual for a sunday evening. Yesterday I made up a spaghetti bolognaise, half went in the freezer and the other half in the fridge for dinner tomorrow night:)

After reading SM's stockpiling post, I have decided that I really need to make an effort to do more of this, going food shopping every week is not my idea of fun!
We will be adding to our chickens this year, maybe another 4 birds, so eggs will be in abundance!! which is good because I use an awful lot of them!

Going to go back and read the posts I have missed. There is a lot to catch up on!!!

carolbee

nykmedia wrote: »

I).

CarolBee - This really made me laugh but I think I read it the wrong way! All I can think of is an old lady in a cupboard now. :rotfl:

I dont really plan to stockpile 'little old ladies'!

redglass_2

Guesty6 wrote: »

I also play football)

Guesty....ahem, must put this delicately....are you by any chance a man? I'm surprised the other men haven't asked this question already - they were each pretty relieved to find there was at least one other male on the thread! :rotfl:

Alas, smugness comes before a fall...I've had to shell out for a broken light pendant to be fixed and it came to just over the £20 I blew on books. I counted the books as 'luxuries' but it does underline the fact that you never know what's going to crop up and should put the surplus away for a rainy day, so that'll teach me! :mad: Never mind, whoopsied frozen Rubber Chicken for tea tonight: roast, followed by the usual permutations ... here at Frugal HQ we are getting the situation back under control.

sophiesmum_2

Checked my food spends for this years challenge so far I have spent ;
£2 on the huge bags of carrots and sprouts
£2 on the huge box of mushrooms
£5.94 on my 4kg of mung beans
£2.25 on dozen tins branston beans
£36.00 on approved food bulk order
£88.27 on costco food bulk buys

Total spent so far = £136.46:D which means to make my aim of £800 for this year I need to spend less than £263.54 over the next 6 months on all the extra bits and bobs.to be on track for first £400. I will add this to my daily post and track it there, along with spends. I reckon I can do it - watch this space:D

fizzel81

afternoon all

sadly not a nsd for me but i did pick up some great bargins in asda, went for a chicken as i forgot to get mine out freezer

spent £10.80 if i include the change i put in the tin and for my money got
half price free range chook which is now in oven should be 4 meals worth there and a soup
mashed potato for 10p got 2
stir fry for 10p (im having chickn an stir fry veg today)
4 tins of beans
8 spaghetti
2 bags of 10p salad
24 toilet rolls mega woopsied down to £1.50 didnt 'need' them but there in my stash, i now have 114 toilet rolls in the house total spend on them £16.50
2 lots of toothpaste for stash 40p each
3 lots of veg oil at 20p a bottle
lucozade for brother 80p for 6 bottles
capri sun for little 2 packs ups for childminder 90p
2 cake mixs (i wanted the cookie cutters with them) 40p
3 lots of cookies and a loaf of bread (all 20p items)

i was in the reduced isle as they brought out the crates of items with say damaged packing hehe so i hung around and think i got the best bits (ie veg oil, loo roll, juice cartons,toothpaste

sounds silly but felt chuffed, lots is now in my stash and that now means im sorted fr a year on a good few things, im working towards a nice stocked storecupboard, outlay this year will be higher than if mine was fully stocked but im hopeing to do it within budget as a mini bonus for next years challenge

sophiesmum_2

Great bargains fizzel, soon have your storecupboard up and running

Annie021063

Well done to everyone and their achiements.
feeling good today cos I have had a NSD
I have also cooked:

• Huge batch of vegi soup
• 5 meat and pot pies for hubby and kids
• sw meatballs and sauce
• cooked a chicken which will do several meals
• pre cooked roasties for mid week and mash for mid week
• SW chick pea and potato curry

Most dinners for next week either done or easy to do.
Saves so much time for just a couple of hours effort.
BFN

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!!
Well am thoroughly enjoying my day off!! Currently watching The Victorian Farm programme I recorded.

• Fitter not Fatter/Something for me-We went for a lovely walk-We have been blessed with a beautiful warmer day so OH and I went off to our local reservoir-could have got away without paying but we did as I think its important to contribute to wildlife preservation.. Speaking of which we saw lapwings, pochards, fieldfare, a goldcrest, long tailed tits, robins, blue tits and many more. And yesterday we saw a green woodpecker in the garden-we live in a city so I was delighted and then worried that birds are being forced to look away from their natural habitat for food due to the weather!
• Non Choc Day 2
• Will menu plan for February-think we have most breakfasts and main meals sorted out (excluding fruit/veg).
• Will update spreadsheet and adjust signature.
• Will look at Mr T deals online-we might be able to stock pile a little more as we have been doing well with Money Off Coupons-I definitely agree that you save money buying when items are BOGOF or whoopsied. Especially if you live with someone who eats everything.

Well done everyone with your decluttering! Jtb2412
hgbels-Glad you booked your Hol. How exciting!
CW18/SM-Sounds like a great raid on Costco!
Fizzel81-Well done on your stockpilling and whoopsie finds.
Nykmedia-Wow-sounds like you've had wild weather in Scotland. I was a bit confused about the LETs scheme...so you have to pay to join?? I also wondered how you made your drumstick stretch so far.. more info please!!

Will probably post again later...Limiting myself to twice max a day

SFT