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

Marru

Good morning,

I have finally caught up. It seems that everyone has been busy stockpiling and/or decluttering. :T

Bails: so upset to hear that you are in such a lot of pain I hope it is not because what I did yesterday but on the other hand if it is then it should get better soon.

Planning a quietish day here. Just doing some washing, having bath, catching up with payments and correspondence (to creditors) and walking dogs. I should also start working on my Biology assignment in case I can start studying part time instead of completely dropping off from college. I have already taken sandwich for lunch out of the freezer and I am sure I can find something for supper from there as well so definitely an NSD for me today (if I don't count debt payments).

I did manage to almost half my gas consuption last week from the previous but then the heating wasn't on during the weekend apart from couple of hours last night.

Hope everybody is having a good day!

Marru

Skint_Lynne

Hi all,

I have been thinking about this question for quite a while, and especially since I have joined the thread. I think that money is actually a very powerful tool and can cause great happiness and also great misery if it is not used properly. It is a pity that we are all trained/educated properly at school in how to use it.

This is why I think that this thread is so good. By swapping notes, we can educate each other in the art of using money in the proper way. Money is needed in every aspect of life, for paying bills, letting us live, even letting us eat. It is a pity that it is not treated with the care and attention it deserves, because for so many people, the debt monster rears it's ugly head and can break people. I would urge many people to look at money in a different light. Unforunately, I think the majority of people would have a laugh at me and think that I was some sort of weirdo. I'm interested in what others think about this?

redglass_2

Feeling calm now although still no word from the B*dy Shop. Perhaps I'll just spend my money elsewhere....(huffs about importantly)

Re slow cookers, I have just discovered from this thread that you are supposed to put water in when you cook a chicken! In my ignorance I have never done this, just drizzled a bit of olive oil inside the SC and over the chicken, plus some herbs, and then left it on the LOW setting overnight. The chicken has always cooked fine and when it cools down there is a layer of fat/juice in the pot and underneath it a lovely savoury jelly (if you use free range chicken - not quite so good with the other sort) . The only thing you don't get with a SC is the crispy skin, but the meat is so tender i don't mind (and I'm overweight anyway so should lay off the skin).

I have also cooked rice pudding in the SC overnight and have used the upturned lid to support a bowl of milk and yoghurt culture so that i was using heat inside the SC and on top of it. It gives good results and I'm very proud of my discovery of the SC yoghurt maker....:cool:

People sometimes say everything cooked in an SC tastes the same. I don't agree but it's true that some herbs and spices lose their strength during long cooking, so if you're using an SC you might need to put them in nearer the end, or at least check to see if they need topping up.

fizzel81

Sl totally agree with what you have wrote.

debt along with something else (which i wont put on here) is the reason my marrage broke down

money really is evil iykwim

cw18

bails wrote: »

CW, try Freecycle for the CDs if you don't really want the paper.

Hadn't thought of that

But, TBH, I think I'd rather pay for the paper just to be sure of getting the disks -- especially when they do some as 2-parters (like Saturday and today)

I'll have a bash at any puzzles in them too :rolleyes2

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

Just sticking my nose in again (helps me keep on track )

So far -so good..since december 22nd I have spent a grand total of €79.32 on groceries (most are store items or in the freezer for the following months ) and that is all I have spent so far..not a single cent on anything else :A :rotfl:-oh and I have saved €98.60 on whoopsies so far -thats just from the NAAFI.. keeping track of the price paid and the full price on the spreadsheet is a real eye opener

best of all - I haven't touched this months housekeeping as hubby borrowed €100 in december and gave it me back when he got paid..so I have been using that for groceries ...so I'm actually ahead of myself :j

Im getting rather good at walking past magazines ..not had one now for about 2 months :eek: ....we have to pay through the nose for them here so Im standing my ground.....so far

We still have 5" of snow -which just won't budge -so no getting out in the garden for me yet ..although all the seeds are ready for action..over 100 varieties and counting :rotfl:

Im now onto numbers 4, 5 + 6 of my xmas pressies ..and have more supplies on their way to get the rest done..

hope everyone is doing well -Im popping in and out but not quite keeping up to speed :rolleyes:
have a great day everyone

Zelie

I find myself slightly freaked out about money today. I took fifty quid out of the bank just before New Year for random spends and I've put a couple of supermarket shops on my credit card. Today I just checked my bank accounts to make sure there was sufficient in the rent account and NOTHING has moved. It's weird. My money is just sitting there. *pokes money in case it died*

I've always thought I was reasonably sensible with money but it's definitely a weird feeling to have pretty much nothing moving. I think I'll actually get paid again (four-weekly) before the credit card gets paid. Strange.

I've been working on cooking healthy meals from scratch which is a real saver. But I think I need to work out some more for evening meals at work. My project for next week.

whitewing

SL,

I got my Qype Ninja, ipod shuffle, memory stick, long-sleeved t shirt and a bag of sweeties delivered today. Unfortunately, DH was in too, and he appears to have snaffled the lot!

I also got my eon energy monitor (outstanding since the end of October) so have to get that installed. Exciting.

Skint_Lynne

whitewing wrote: »

SL,

I got my Qype Ninja, ipod shuffle, memory stick, long-sleeved t shirt and a bag of sweeties delivered today. Unfortunately, DH was in too, and he appears to have snaffled the lot!

I also got my eon energy monitor (outstanding since the end of October) so have to get that installed. Exciting.

Hi Whitewing,

I emailed them after your last post re: this, I think that was on Friday and have not heard anything from them yet. I'll maybe do this again tomorrow, just to give them a bit more time to respond to my email.

jtb2412

Afternoon everyone, will update a bit later but i've got a quick question ....... what (if anything !) can you do with a chicken carcus that has already been cooked and then frozen. I've just found 2 in the bottom of the freezer that I think MIL put in there when we were away on hols last year. I'm not sure if I can defrost them and put in slow cooker for stew (they look like they've got a bit of meat on them). I'm pretty sure they were fresh chickens to start off with (she doesn't buy frozen).

If I have to throw them then so be it but i'd rather not until I know whether I can use them or not (I've always used the carcusses straight away so not entirely sure about using them after freezing).

Have posted this on the GC thread too so apologies for those of you having to read this twice