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

In_Search_Of_Me

was wondering what alpacas were and here we are;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca
I'm now jealous - what cuties!! that and fresh eggs - what more can a girl ask for eh!
Just popping in before bed - will tot up tomorrow but got mcdonalds lunch (on the hoof), toast and a red bull kick...and some bits from mr t's - approx 15...Am wondering what to do with regard to beads as they are a make money expense so wonder of I should keep that separate from everyday - what do other do for things like that - same with jam/chutney etc as I do quite a bit and flog it at work but both (jewellry and jam) cost money to buy stuff before I make it back iykwim...would be grateful for advice!
off to bed as working tomorrow! hugs those that need them...still struggling to keep up!

cw18

Onions definitely keeps for eons if stored well.

I'd bought some mid November, then at the end of the month my BIL gave me some monster ones. I've been meaning to chop and freeze them, but somehow never get around to it (or don't have the space thanks to carrots, sprouts, mushrooms and meat from Costco ). In the meantime they're in the cloth 'potato bag' I got from the door-to-door kitchenware (and everything else) brochure about a year ago.

Suffice to say the one I used yesterday was one of the ones I bought, and I've not had to bin any yet. And the bag is just in the kitchen, so gets temperature fluctuations with central heating and cooking.

ram_murdock

Thanks for all the nice messages...you's have already lifted my spirits!! Looking forward to the weekend and a wee bit of 'me' time!!

Definitely going to try some of the onion receipe suggestions - especially the marmalade one... thanks for that dND! Going to go stock up on the onions tomorrow - my small larder in the back kitchen will be very cool as i dont have any heating in that wee room.

Sorry to hear about your friday afternoon andromache - thats a little bit like how i feel. I tried to help the HR department and it was thrown back in my face and i was made to feel like the worse person in the world when i was only trying to be helpful!!

sammey90

Hi all - this may have been mentioned already, but i bought 4-packs of Heinz chopped tomatoes for £1 each in @sd@ this evening - they were on the end of the veggie aisle, not with th tins.....hope that's helpful to someone!!

bails

Sorry to hear about your stresses Ram and Andromache. I know it's very difficult (impossible sometimes!) but try not to let their issues become yours. I'm sorry you both feel undervalued when you were only trying to help, I know exactly how that feels and how frustrating it can be.
Good luck with the interview Andromache, especially for the free trip to Japan
Thanks for all the toms advice, will get mum to search Mr T again (no Asd@ anywhere near any of us).
(Space cleared in PM box)

looby-loo_2

Good evening. I have been reading but not posting.

mumzyof2

Looby loo Im doing my test for Level1 english in 2 weeks time. hopeing to take L2 though as been getting 4 mrks above the pass mark. But i dont think i have it in me as there is a big jump from L1 to L2 and its very hard L2 i find to L1.
My course was 14weeks long but missed 3 lessons. half a day a week 9.15-12.15 and a 30min break lol

sophiesmum_2

looby-loo wrote: »

Good evening. I have been reading but not posting. I'm on track with my money but have given up as a household as DH just refuses to understand anything to do with MSE, however, it does save me spending time shopping and that is worth a bit in terms of quality of life if not cash.

I put a tray of lovely cooking apples on the front wall last weekend and only 4 were taken all weekend. How many of you would have walked past free apples? I put out bags to take them in too.

I have been doing as Sophiesmum suggested and cleaned a room each evening so last weekend I did indeed have a 'free' weekend:j I went swimming and swam 42 lengths, lost count a bit and wanted to be sure I had done 40.

Wish you lived near here - I would have liberated all the free cooking apples from you:D
Feeling much better now from my cold lurgy and as OH is on nights tonight and DD staying with friend I have decided to have quick run through flat and get cleaning up to date so that I have a free weekend again:j :j have had two nights on sofa feeling crud so a little behind schedule:p

enjoyfinancialchallenges

Just a quick post but am doing well at the moment, must get around to doing my signature soon. All this frugal living seems fairly natural to me now...probably because I'm not a spendthrift by nature anyway but I'm dying for the first month to finish so I can work out how much Ive saved.

A note to those people who will be able to identify themselves, its a common thread Ive noticed running through this forum.

Other people do not MAKE you feel unhappy, other people do not MAKE you feel embarrassed, other people do not MAKE you feel anything, your emotions are yours alone and you can decide how you are going to feel in response to them. Your feelings are in your control not theirs so decide to change how you feel, just try it and see. I hope this all makes sense.

Skint_Lynne

Evening all,

Just nipped on before going to bed. I'm just out the bath, so will need to dry my hair. Spent about £7 today, got 2 half price tomato sauce in Mr M this morning, I use this to make spiced onions, so I might nip back for more tomorrow. I'll also need to get back to Mr A as they have fairy liquid, 2 for £1, so this works out cheaper than Lidl's stuff. Also will go looking for the heinz chopped toms, I can't remember who told us about them, but thanks very much. It's handy now as it is near parent's new house.:D

I have a lodger tonight, my brother is off to the pub, so instead of getting a taxi, he is staying with me. I would rather he done this anyway, as the taxi might not turn up, or someone steals it and he is left outside shivering, and then you know what it is like at spilling out time, the risk of fights etc. So he is better off here. And, it is very MSE avoiding the cost of a taxi:T :T.

I'll start getting my total spends drawn together soon, I'm just waiting on my bank statement coming in and I've logged every penny into my book. Then, I'll load it all onto the spending diary to see what it is looking like.:eek:

Speak later, xx