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

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lingojingo wrote: »

....... and he'd run out of salt for the paths! He said he was going to try and buy some himself (goodness knows where from) as the council won't give him any more, they've got to save it for the roads. He does a great job and we're so lucky to have him.

What a lovely man, you are definitely lucky to have him in these days of so many 'jobsworths'.

Heard on the news about stocks of gritting salt having run out in many areas of the country and one authority had ordered several tonnes of white table salt:eek: to spread on its paths as they felt the safety of people outweighed the cost. Now this is commendable in many ways but as a DFW who only ever uses cheapo cooking salt instead of table salt with our food to save a few pennies I find their spending mind-boggling:(

cha97michelle

Masomnia, the right person would not do that to you as they would care that it might upset you, so although not nice now, better to find out now than before you invest more of your feelings in it. I used to hate this time of year when i was single. Not that we do that much about it now, but it felt so high pressured that i wasn't in this rose tinted relationship.

Does anyone else find with facebook/texts etc nowadays it makes people more in a rush, and less well mannered than they would be in real life?

it is a lovely sunny (but cold) day here today. I am going to get a vat of porridge on in a minute for my boys. They both ended up in with me last night, so i don't feel overly rested, but i guess i will have to crack on with the day anyhow. I need to wash DS2's bibs, and rewash a new jumper of DH's that he left on the floor and the cat peed on. It's been through once and still rather whiffy. It's his own fault though for leaving it laid about as he knows what the cat is like.

DH will be back late tonight, so more time on the wii fit for me i think. I'm shocked by how weak some of my muscles are. Mainly lower body. My upper body gets taken care of by carrying DS2 around.

I hope the weather is nice for you all and some of this dratted snow starts to disappear. x

nickynoo08

Morning peeps, well the snow from this morning has melted, the sun is shining but its blummin freezing.
My lovely billows arrived this morning. They are sooooo comfy. cant wait to wear them out.
My commission cheque from paying off my catalogue arrived this morning. £285.15!!!! As its money i would never of had i'm using it to bulk buy driving lessons for my OH, just been looking at prices and i cant believe how expensive it is. thanfully OH works in a garage and speaks to driving instructor all the time so should be able to get himself a good deal.
I've just joined the virtual sealed pot challenge, i'm currently doing the sealed pot challenge too. It has now been decided that all funds in sealed pot will go towards a car and my virtual sealed pot will be for xmas. Any funds left over from gc and treats budget each month will be transfered in to my virtual pot. I'm hoping that this will be a good incentive to cut back and stop spending money on rubbish and impulse buys.
Need to pop out later to withdraw next weeks money. I've never done this before i normally use switch for everything, but as i'm trying really hard to curb any silly spending and to keep us under/on budget i thought i'd give it a go.

Frugaldom

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

What's a fedge nyk, is it the same as a hedge. (sorry for my dimness).:o

Good morning frugal-gang

Skint Lynne, a fedge is cross between a fence and a hedge. It acts like a fence but grows from the live willow. You can even plant the willow and then sculpt it into arches, pergolas and all sorts if you want, it is brilliant stuff, especially if you can burn the off cuts or weave the excess whips into baskets.

It's sunny here again, so I'm heading back out to the garden until LETS buddy arrives for cuppa and chat.

The incubator is sitting here ready to be set up and I now have 2 dozen quail eggs sitting waiting to go. These will hopefully hatch enough chicks to get me a few laying laying hens by Spring. :j Big, big fan of quail eggs, family was practically reared on them as I used to rear hundreds of them back then. Another step in the direction of self-sufficientish, cottage industry living that will, hopefully, see my £4,000 per year budget drop for 2010

Washing ready to be hung out now, so that's my cue to get in gear and head for the garden. Catch you all later, have a good day/weekend all.

Brighton_belle

Haven't the energy at the mo to respond to everyone from last 2 days of messages, but have read,appreciated and learnt from them all, so thanks.
Skintchick - sorry to hear of your diagniosis but glad you have one,so you know know whatyou are dealing with. It does help. Loved your fun mosaic:D .
Masomnia - she's certainly sending mixed messages, which is always horribly unsettlingand when it's someone uyou really like, hurtful. She's responded almost as though she didn't get your reply?
ChaM - I love hearing your simple ideas for entertaining your children.
Lynne - belated congrats of the job: delighted for you as you have kept trying and trying.
Marru - great news at the prompt tax rebate:T .Any value in hanging onto it as an 'emergency fund' so next time something unexpected happens, like your car being faulty, you have a fund to dip into - really relieves stress having a back up emergency pot.

Someone mentions mifi dissapearing with their 500 points. Made me get on with ordering a voucher from pigsback rather than leave my points any longer: so have just orderd £10 halford voucher (got points for trialing ilovefilm) So that will cover the 80% of the cost of replacing our car aerial, which was nicked a few months ago. We enjoy the radio when travelling but haven't been able to justify the spend for a new one (it's one of those screw in roof ones).

Very cold but sunny & no snow here.

This weekends frugle/simplifying to do list:

• bulk cook sc lentil lunches
• do sealing coat on kitchen new plastered wall.
• Put up 'new' shelf & old microwave brackets.
• take stuff to charity shop
• divvie up month's butchers meat into freezer
• paint 2 kitchen cab doors
• prioritise some 'being creative' time
• Clear last bit of 'dining' room clutter filling arm chair.

Masomnia

Thank you all for kind responses to my self-centred winge! Feeling a bit better today, definitely her loss. ChaM, I definitely agree about texts/fbook, it's just not the same and I hate doing it normally, much prefer talking on the phone. Brighton Belle, I thought maybe she hadn't got my messages, but it was on a private message thread on facebook, so it's like the thread here. Her message asking how my week was, was directly below my messag saying How's Friday?

Being frugal today, made a good bolognaise sauce yesterday, and have two more meals there, so I'm going to make chips out of some potatoes I need to use up so I can have Chips Bolognaise Nice. I make my own chips too by the way, in lard, so not especially healthy but well worth it, and more money saving than frozen chips. Or I guess so anyway, I haven't actually done the sums.

Desperately need a food a shop, so I'm going to be good and plan meals properly. It's a habit I've fallen out of, so need to get that sorted!

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!!
Thriftylass-Big Hugs xx
Nykmedia-So impressed by what you are achieving...the willow, shed, eggs and LETs. So looking forward to doing my own bit in a few years time.
Purplevamp-Well done on the Overdraft
Cha97Michelle-I agree, your ideas for the boy's activities are great. Good luck with that meal planning too...hope to hear all about it.
Mas-She's not the girl for you.

Had a pretty good frugal week including:

• freecycle bits-double duvet and bedding which will be washed and used. Also clothes dryers and a hen shaped ceramic dish (for eggs or something).
• My gift wine/OH had our delicious free range gift sausages
• Mince pies using gift mince meat
• MOCoupons for food shopping
• Free lunches for me at school.
• OH joined Mecca Bingo-Got £20 cashback and won £19 from his £10 (put towards a meal when we go to Theatre in London in a couple of weeks time) then £16 from extra £10 they gave him. That £16 was used to buy 2 for 1 theatre tickets to see Billy Liar in 2 weeks time.
• Used 15% off voucher (from teacher's union) and moc at homebase towards paying for bits for our kitchen (which is looking pretty good now).
• Orange Wed 2 for 1-Slumdog Millionaire

Hope everyone is enjoying a lovely weekend.
Catch up later.
SFT

angelatgraceland

Spent very little of Febs budget so far! All of £57 total in the last week and £18 of that was on petrol. Booked our cars in for servicing and MOT so that ios where our money will go this month. Quoted £122 for full service-not sure if thats before VAT-Im guessing it is. Then MOtT of ? £45? no idea-its one of those things that keeps going up! Hoping £220 will sort out everything as Im sure something or other needs attention. Still stranded in house and watching the attempts by others to get up our hill-not much luck there! Hunbby on nights tonight-that will be fun-they may well have to send someone out to collect him in a 4x4. Just sent son out with shopping list and a "little freedom" for bargains.
Nice to know tho that we could manage a couple of weeks if we gave up milk eggs and chees-oh and fruit but I can manage without that at a push.
Chased up order from A Foods and that will soon be on its way. They have been ever so good and halved the postal charge because some items out of stock. So-my low spend will jump up very soon!!!

sophiesmum_2

Good afternoon frunchkins:D

Went to town earlier with my friend, found some free parking, had two free hot chocs in mc d's using loyalty cards, got some bargain veggies on market and bananas - spent £2 in total:D

Went to have a mooch in boots - found a No 7 electric massager 1/2 price, electric manicure set 1/2 price,x 2 and No 7 electric hair trimmer 1/2 price all for biirthday/xmas gifts - put them through tills in two separate transactions and qualified for two more of the no 7 gift bags. paid just under £44 using my boots points so no cost to me:D also got the face care £5 vouchers x 2 which used for two lots of eye wrinkle creams £1.84 each instead of £6.84 each.

Total value of goods before reductions /vouchers approx £102
saved almost £44 on 1/2 price goods
saved £10 using vouchers
used £44 worth of points
spent £3.68 cash:T :T :T and got two gift sets worth £31 each as freebies to boot - bargain, just got to find somewhere to stash my goodies now might be going in mums loft I think.

Total spend in town £5.68


General frugal aims for today;

• storecupboard lunch and tea
• reduce, reuse,recycle one item- daff bulbs, used reusable shopping bags in town,gave friend some books
• do something nice for me -hot choc in town
• do something nice for someone else- planted up some daffodil bulbs into an unused wooden planter for my mum as a "just because" pressie (bulbs already been growing in another pot) She will probably be a bit weepy about gift as the bulbs were saved from the grounds of my late brother's special school before it was bulldozed last year and gifted to our court as he had connections here. So turned out to be quite special - we didn't know we were going to lose him when we were given the bulbs - and they will now be a lovely annual reminder of him:A we have them planted around the grounds and also in some pots. Going to nip round later with the planter.

Todays frugal meals;

• porridge, OJ
• batch cooked carrot and lentil soup, seeded bread, banana
• whoopsied spinach and ricotta tortellini from freezer, HG tomato pasta sauce from freezer.

Fruit and veg portions;
2 fruit, 1 pulses,3 veggies,:D

Expenditure or additional income

Spent £5.68 in town (£2 veggies , £3.68 in boots)

Remaining target cash for first 6 months food spends - £251.44 left from budget of £400 for first six months.

ram_murdock

Good afternoon everyone!!

Been a very busy week this week and havent had a chance to count up how much i've spent this month yet. I know i still have £200 hidden away for febuary so probably spent about £100-£120 so far.

Made pasta bake today but didnt really turn out very well!! Awh well better luck next time!:rolleyes:

Got my hours cut in work this week - by about 40%. :eek: They say its a temporary measure and my hours should be reinstated to normal by April time but its a big blow to me in the time being.

I've read all the posts this week but havent had a chance to reply individually. Hugs to everyone and congrats to those who have made big or even little achievements this week!

Off to write my shopping list and plan my meals for this week...then going to BF house later for dinner (made by his mummy!) and will take with me a bottle of wine i have in the house and some party snacks. Talk later xx