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

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Comments

  • bails
    bails Posts: 3,196 Forumite
    Thanks guys! :D Yes, India... a possibility but by no means certain, and luckily I have wonderful parents who are experienced collie owners and have one of their own who would love a playmate. Of course, far from an ideal situation - and not one I would have chosen ideally - but I'm confident the love she'll receive and the life we can give her far outweighs her short and very unhappy life so far and the possible temporary uprooting. I know some people don't agree and I respect that entirely. It is all still subject to her getting along with our other animals, who of course take priority.
    The 1,000 Day Challenge:
    Feb 16, 2016
    500/30,000
    1.67%
  • Frugaldom
    Frugaldom Posts: 7,152 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Bails, I know I mentioned India originally as well but OOOOOOOOOH! Happy.gifBails is getting a puppy dog, Bails is getting a puppy dog! :D

    Frugaldom doghouse is beginning to take shape as a duck house now. We've built the platform, so it's raised about 18" off the ground now, so plenty of air circulating around it to prevent wood rotting. Still loads more to do as I'm going to be insulating it with polystyrene before lining it, just need to find a few more bits & pieces of wood. Neighbours have been very generous with odds & ends and are equally excited about the impending 'hatch'. Neighbours other side have lost another of their hens, not sure if the foxes have been about or if the farm collies got another one. Each incident just reinforces my belief that anything that comes to live here will need to be kept safe at all times.

    Suppose I should go do more sewing now, it's less than 2 weeks until March and I've loads still to do in kitchen/larder/pantry project!

    Janey, how are you doing? Keep wondering how your starting back to work situation is going.
    I reserve the right not to spend.
    The less I spend, the more I can afford.


    Frugal living challenge - living on little in 2025 while frugalling towards retirement.
  • We looked out over the back today and noticed the white cockerel which arrived in our garden a few months ago. So we know it is still safely homed at the farm over the back! Well we heard him before we saw him. NSD today-I been deepcleaning in the kitchen-well-one section of it but at least what has been done-has been done properly.
    Just catching up on jobs while we have a couple of weeks booked off work-its nice to know Im "free" for a while.
    Just collected dd15 who has walked all over the area-at a gues I think shes prob done about 8-10 miles from what she says-she was relieved for me to drive out 2 miles to collect her and her friend and come home to a nice roast for tea. Apparantly she never wants to see a hill again!!(er look out of the front window dear);)
    I may take up my trousers tonight-afeter checking if they fit-if they don't then its something to aim for:eek: I know it will be hard work!
    Annual Grocery budget 2018 is £1500 pa £125 calendar month £28.84 pw for 3 adults
  • grandma247
    grandma247 Posts: 2,412 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I just got my first newsletter email from approved food and they have another delivery system
    It’s been some time since we sent out a mail shot and for many of you this will be the first one. Normally we include lots of new items that have just arrived. However this email is to tell you about a new courier service that is suited to shipping heavier loads. It’s an additional service and not one that replaces the existing £5.25 national delivery or off shore islands.

    As from today we can ship 56kg (123 lb) of shopping for £7.50, plus £3.75 for every 28kg thereafter. Unfortunately right now it is only available to England and Wales but we will be extending this area shortly.

    It makes offers like the Del Monte Orange juice more attractive as these goods really bump up the weight of the basket.

    We’ve got a much better stock control system in place now and are operating around the clock to fulfill orders.

    Please tell your friends and family about our service and if they wish (like you) they can register for our email shots.

    If there are any promotional codes or advanced notices of products coming in you will hear about them in future mail shots.

    Many Thanks
  • kittiej
    kittiej Posts: 2,564 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Hello all,

    Hope you had a great Valentine's for those who bother with it. We just exchanged cards and since OH was working today we're going to get all lurved up next Saturday :rotfl: (yer right)

    Oh I never realised how tiring this Freecycling thingy is. I only joined today and I've been inundated with peeps wanting my old tat.

    I'm getting rid of a load of old motorbike manuals and my unique garden feature. Yes I've finally got round to giving up my beloved Peugeot 406 estate that's been parked up in the front garden for well over 18 months :rotfl:

    Some guy says he needs a new engine so it's all good. I can't believe the number of people who wanted my non running car (and advertised as so) for their children to learn to drive in :rolleyes: this is in addition to the fact the engine is 2ltr and it would cost a fortune to insure.

    So that'll be even more space to grow spuds in once the Pug's gone, great!
    Karma - the consequences of ones acts."It's OK to falter otherwise how will you know what success feels like?"1 debt v 100 days £2000
  • Skint_Lynne
    Skint_Lynne Posts: 1,363 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Evening all,

    Tomorrow is the first proper day at my job, so I want to start as I mean to go on. Picking the sisters up at 8.45, be at the shop at 9. Then I'll get stuck in, will start phoning round for appointments etc. Hopefully, I'll get some for next week, even if I got some for this week, that would be a fantastic bonus.:D

    I think that I will manage fine, I will just need to be mega organised. That can be arranged.

    I didn't spend much today. They have opened a homebargains in Glasgow, so had a mooch around and got a spinning top, jammies and 2 wee easter buckets for presents. I am really well ahead with prezzies, I am just waiting for car boot season to kick in again so that I can pay for them all neutrally.

    I would like to get the house into some sort of order as well, I am going to try and do a room at a time and gut it out, if it has to be over 2 nights, then that's okay. I would like to leave a Sunday completely free from now on as it will be the only day I have off from work for the forseeable future. So, I will need to stop being so lazy after work now.:rotfl: :rotfl:

    Catch you all later. xx
  • cw18
    cw18 Posts: 8,630 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    grandma - I had that email as well. So I wandered off for a look around the site, and of the 8 or 9 items that interested me all but 2 were out of stock !!

    I didn't think there was as much choice on the site as when I first looked before Christmas :confused:
    Cheryl
  • grandma247
    grandma247 Posts: 2,412 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Cheryl I havent looked at the site I just thought that those who use it might be interested in the new arrangement. I think its a bit like the pound shops, stuff coming and going all the time.
  • Well that was a lovely visit from bails. In her excitement about the puppy, she has unaccountably forgotten to mention how impressed she was with my cunning use of old plastic milk bottles: can’t understand it:rotfl:
    In the spirit of the our frugal challenge, I offered her first pick of my box of things for the charity shop. Equally in the spirit of the challenge she declined to take anything and add unneeded clutter to her home. What excellent little forumites we are eh?:A

    It was a particular bonus her coming as I felt I really needed to tackle the layer of dirt and debris that had built up, with a visitor coming. So I was grateful I was inspired to have a 2 hr blitz of putting stuff away and cleaning and getting reacquainted with the vacuum cleaner. Shame prevents me from mentioning how long it is since I used it (but we don’t have any carpets in the house, I tend to sweep).

    Good news on the financial front: a letter from edf yesterday reducing my monthly DDM by£13 a month as we have used much less than they forecast.yay.gif
    And then I have been asked back as guinea pig for the local med school exams (please prod this patient and tell us what is wrong with her). It’s a very interesting experience and last time they game me a £20 smiths voucher as a thank you. So if they do this again that’s my nephews 21st present sorted for next December.

    Half way through Feb & I feel very in control of my finances due to my Cherylified accounts. Things will be tight for the rest of the month but I am determined to stay within my 4k budget.
    Redglass – that is really really lovely news: I too was on my own for a decade or so. Enjoy yourself, and I think new clothes and meals out are definitely worth spending on: you are not in debt and you know your incoming and out goings. So have a good time.
    Skintchick – wonderful hear how much better you feel just after a week of your eating regime. How encouraging.
    Shiannilaz – your food budgeting dilemmas sound a nightmare:eek: . Sorry nothing useful to add but but wanted to acknowledge how difficult it sounds.
    SFT - sounds exciting to me - I think Ddraig said it well. Good luck with it.
    I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once
  • purplevamp
    purplevamp Posts: 10,780 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Evening everyone, hope you're all well.

    Today we went out for dinner as DS1 is 18 tomorrow (that makes me feel so old :(.) There were 11 of us and the bill came to £90.67 including drinks, which I'm not including in the budget as it's a special birthday. I was really surprised it was so cheap, thought it would be nearer £150, this meant that I didn't have to ask the family for any contributions. He's getting a laptop as his main present.

    I will be adding the £9 odd DH spent in Mr A's today for bread and milk - again. Where does it all go? :confused:

    I'm off work for a whole week, not because of school holiday, but because I need to use my a/l up or lose it, so I'm hoping to get the house sorted and straightened :rotfl: .
    Mortgage: Was: £154,495 Oct 2039 Now: £81,279.78 May 2037
    Swagbucks ~ £180 (2024 ~ £395)
    Surveys ~ £195.89 (2024 ~ £280.14)
    Make £2025 in 2025 #5 ~ £1,406.55 ~ (2024 ~ £2,561.04)
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