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

slowlyfading

Just a quick post to say thriftylass, I'm sorry to hear about your news. Take care of youself, and sending big (((HUGS))) your way. xxx

Skint_Lynne

sammey90 wrote: »

Hi All

I am really trying to get my life in order, but it seems i keep hitting brick walls.

I tried to look at my cap one account online this evening, only to find it locked, so I rang the number. After nearly 10 mins of blather, including reading out my balance, telling me how much i was over-limit, and demanding immediate payment, I finally got through to someone with such a strong accent, all of her words ran together and I had no idea what she was saying!!!!

I turns out the account is locked because it's over it's limit. The account won't get under limit cos they keep adding a bl**dy £12 charge, so the payments i make seem to make tiny 50p size dents each month. They won't stop that charge cos it's automatic (b*ll*cks).

I then asked if anyone could put my account back on, and after saying THREE times that my account was over limit, she eventually "put me on hold" while she transferred me to customer services,who, surprise surprise, were having technical difficulties!! (more b*ll*cks)

How do I keep an eye on my account if they lock it for being over-limit? It's not as if i can spend through it.

GRRRRRRRR. Sorry for the long rant, this one's been brewing for while!!

Sammey,

Have you had a look at reclaiming your credit card charges? The full instructions are on the 'reclaim £1000's tab' up at the top of the page. I claimed back around £1200 from capital one for unlawful charges. That's what got me started on here. You could maybe clear your card off with the charges you get back from them. Follow the instuctions and use the template letters every step of the way and I guarantee that you will get a hefty wad back off of these characters. Good luck, and remember and do it. xx

DdraigGoch

Thriftylass - so sorry to hear the news. Take time for yourself and your DH. You're both suffering and we all sympathise, I'm sure.


I would have thought that LETS would suit you down to the ground, NYK.

The willow idea is a brilliant one. :doh: I've loads of willow at the bottom of the field! I'll have to have a go - when the snow goes, at making a fedge at the bottom of our ha-ha. It'll ruin the effect but who cares? At least I'll have fire lighting sticks galore, well, I should by the end of 2010. One year to plant them, one year to cut them and store them, next year to use them. I think that willow is one of those very wet woods which take ages to burn and then only grumble at you from the bed of the fire! A rather sullen wood, if I recall, when green....

The idea of willow weaving has intrigued me, but not enough to do anything about it though!

Hoping everyone is coping well with the weather. We're just about ok here, it's cold but I have enough logs for this week. I don't think my famous wood pile will last until late Spring, it might not even last until the end of next week... so, scavenging it is, then!

all the best to everyone on this challenge
DG

looby-loo_2

Sorry about your loss Thriftylass

Skint_Lynne

slowlyfading wrote: »

Just a quick post to say thriftylass, I'm sorry to hear about your news. Take care of youself, and sending big (((HUGS))) your way. xxx

are you not out with your young man tonight?

slowlyfading

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

are you not out with your young man tonight?

I was last night, and mum let him stay in the spare room over night! aah -sigh-

Frugaldom

Hi Ddraig, I brought some willow with me when we moved, cut from previous garden where I had planted my fedge and, once dried, it is fantastic for burning as it produces a lot of heat quickly (IMHO). Not quite sure where the new supply will be dried yet, but it's a new start to one of my favourite projects. I'd love to have the space to grow it on a larger scale to help with the self-sufficientish scheme of things.

Extra income suggestion - if you have plenty of willow, perhaps you could harvest it into bundles of foot-long cuttings and offer it for sale to anyone who wants to grow their own? As hedging, it doesn't need much space.

angelatgraceland

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

have you ever thought about refilling your cartridges? I have been doing mine for a long time now and it works great, both the black and colour cartridges. I always keep a spare cartridge in the drawer as they will refill quite happily lots of times for months and then on the next refill just refuse to work for some unknown reason.

When they do that, I just change the cartridge to the new one. The current price for 250ml of black ink (the cheapest way to buy it is in the 250ml pack size) is £18.99, cheaper than many cartridges. Most black cartridges hold roughly 20ml. So that would be less than £1.60 per cartridge refill - bargain.

I get them from here http://www.medea.co.uk/jr/prod_info/jr_refill_kits.htm

I used to do this but as my hands have been hurting a lot lately Im having trouble litteraly getting to grips with things! I will bookmark it and I may have a go another time. Ive got lexmark at the mo and they are more fiddly than other brands Ive found so at present Ive settled for 2 no 1 replacement carts for £15 with double normal ink in they say. When I did my own they were approx 50p per refil at the time! I do still have some inks and syringes put away but I also gave away a lot as they cannot last forever.
Thankfully I dont need to print too much anymore as the kids arent into me printing off pictures for them anymore-colouring stuff-homework stuff rarely so instead of approx 100 sheets a week its down to about 15!
Ive kept my empties just in case so I will look into it-I suppose I could get my son to do it for me really. So many things are hard to undo-thank goodness for rubber gloves! I do actually have a fantastic gadget DH rescued from a bin to open jars-its hacksaw blades set in a v shape on a board and screwed to the wall in the garage. The most valued piece of "rubbish" I own!
Trying to declutter at the mo by watching old vids I never got around to seeing so Ive had a lazy day and watched 2 films today. I will give them away afterwards. Biggest effort in that was setting up the video which I hadnt used for ages and had disconnected from tv dvd freeview box-you get the picture-easier said than done. Now out of bread milk and cheese-eggs running low. DS has offered to walk to shops tomorrow if the weather is still bad here-well its one way of not spending much and he is a very good shopper for a lad of 19.
Glad I had my social life last week now-as this week Ive done nowt of any interest and yet again-my hopes of getting some regular exercise has been dashed-it happens every time.
DH got a lift home safely tonight from a workmate and DS didnt have a driving lesson so all safe and well here!

Skint_Lynne

slowlyfading wrote: »

I was last night, and mum let him stay in the spare room over night! aah -sigh-

Oh my,

This is serious, getting introduced to mum and being allowed to stay in the spare room as well, he must be really nice for that to be allowed!!:p

You will be married by the end of the year at this rate, perhaps an engagement ring over dessert next week? (I know, I am getting ahead of myself)!!!:rotfl: :rotfl:

purplevamp

:hello: How's everyone? I've been quite good these last few days, although I've spent over £100 already on food :eek: , have paid off most of my overdraft with savings, so hopefully won't be stung too much with the interest later.

DS2 is going to a party tomorrow and DD has one on Sunday. We only had enough wrapping paper for one present, so DD and I got some brown parcel paper and she covered it in gel, glitter, shiny teddy bears and stuck a couple of flower beads on. It looks so sweet and much more personal than normal wrapping paper, we may do this again.