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

bails

Aah, lots of general loveliness in amongst the moneysaving tonight, that's what we like :T If your doctor is lovely SF then that would be a great place to start (they offer free counselling too ).
Sounds like you're getting your feet well under the table Loopylou, well done you! I'd let you stay at home for a blackberry muffin too :rotfl:
Well done for persevering with the bike fixing Andromache :T Isn't it great how this challenge motivates you to go the extra mile to save some cash?
Thanks for the tip SM, I will add sheep shearer to OH's list of skills :rotfl:Ooh, the smallholding's going to be grand
Currently on the lookout for my local Netto now, thanks Grandma :T

slowlyfading

savingfortravel wrote: »

SF-Doing my PGCE was one of the most fulfilling years of my life. I stopped drifting and found what I love to do most. As already said, September will come around so quickly..and if you haven't got your accomodation sorted out then I would do so ASAP as those kind of arrangements can make things seem more real. Which will lift your mood no end. Personally I would not stay with your parents as the level of support you get from fellow students is invaluable. Parents will not understand.
I'm 37 years old and still worry about what my parents think but as Nyk said thats common place. My parents will flip when they realise that I'm hopefully moving out of a 3 bed, 10 mins walk from school, in a city full of amenities to a 1/2 bed (if you include a tiny side room) tiny cottage, 15 mins drive from school, in a country lane in a hamlet with only a pub..even if we will beable to pay off our mortgage far quicker. Laid a bit of groundwork tonight when I spoke to my mum by telling her how unhappy I've been. But why do I worry at my age..honestly...its crazy!! Maybe I could adopt a MS mum who would give me a bit of moral support..Anyone aged 53 years and above please apply.

Thanks for your comments - i'm going to move into student accommodation hopefully so that'll be that sorted! the sooner i move out, the better

Great news: Our 2nd offer was accepted so we will pay 4k under asking price!!!
Now we've got to get this place sold and we could be off to the country.

That's great news :j :j :j

Skint_Lynne

Not much to report today, I spent about £7 today on shopping. My mum is so disorganised. She had gotten herself into a bit of a mess with money and my dad is now giving her an allowance and he is paying the bills etc. She is getting £200 a week for going out and shopping and she claims it is not enough.:eek: I pointed out to her that whole families have to eat and pay their bills off of that. I have actually just phoned her as I spotted Cheryl's signature, she spent something like £25 on whoopsies in January and they were actually worth £225ish.

So, out of the £200, she has next to nothing left and I had to buy the bit of shopping today. I really will need to take her in hand. I had bought her the soap powder out of costco, that is a really big saving. If she got herself organised, she would end up loaded. I have told her to get herself onto here to look at old style, but she won't do it, I've to have a look for her.:mad: :mad:

Any suggestions for meals that are cheap, filling and nutritious guys?

slowlyfading

I just want to say thank you for today everyone, this thread is just amazing. xxx

slowlyfading

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

Any suggestions for meals that are cheap, filling and nutritious guys?

This might not be helpful, but veg soup? Get loads of veg from the supermarket when they're cheap, just cook them in a big pan and then blitz. can be frozen into portions I hope you get it sorted xx

Skint_Lynne

Thanks SF, I used to do that a lot, but just forgot about it, veggie pot luck soup, yum. It's nice with breadmaker bread. It's on the cards on Sunday. It'll be September before you know it and you'll be in your student accommodation. Then things with your mum will get better, I promise. xx

redglass_2

savingfortravel wrote: »

Maybe I could adopt a MS mum who would give me a bit of moral support..Anyone aged 53 years and above please apply.

Well, SFT, I am 53 and willing to offer moral support....:D There's just one leetle problem, namely that I still can't get my father to listen to me after about 40 years of trying everything I can think of. So you have all my sympathy and my moral support....but I haven't any foolproof strategies. I visit my parents as a successful professional woman and am treated like a naughty and rather stupid adolescent. Nobody else I know would treat me like this but I can't get it to stop and can only escape it by going home. To be honest, sometimes I think we waste a lot of time trying to communicate with people who for reasons of their own are determined not to reciprocate. We think it's up to us to solve everything, and that everything can be solved - not always true. I watched an older friend waste her entire life doing this, always trying to get permission/get agreement/get her husband to 'understand' when it was clear to anyone outside the marriage that he actively enjoyed thwarting her. Sometimes all you can do is decide it's their problem, not yours, and that you are going to live your life as you see fit. Please don't think I'm assuming anything about your mum - these are just general observations growing out of my own experience.

grandma247

SF hugs for you, families can be such a pain sometimes even though we love em to bits.


Maybe I could adopt a MS mum who would give me a bit of moral support..Anyone aged 53 years and above please apply.:rotfl:
That could be me then.;)

I've had a busy couple of days with work yesterday morning and son and daughter visited with families today as its half term.
Had terrible trouble sleeping last couple of nights too. My Aus. friend phoned this am and as we were talking about mp3 players it dawned on me I could take mine to bed and listen to an audio book without disturbing oh. He has been working lots of overtime due to the cold weather so is very tired but going to have a day off on fridays to use up the odd days he has left of his holiday entitlement. just got to find the thing and then I can fall asleep to James Herriot if i dontstart laughing, I find his stories very funny in places.

grandma247

just spotted reglass's offer

It is problems with my own mother that makes me determined not to repeat history with my own children. I try to let them get on with their own lives knowing that I am here to help if they need me. The youngest two girls seemed to need a lot of help when they were first married and very young but the last three years or so we have tried to back off and get them to sort out things for themselves. The older of them has now finally grown up and is standing on her own feet with her oh and the youngest is nearly there but is still adjusting to being a single mum after her marriage failed last year.
My oh's mother was a control freak and it made our relationship very difficult, she did not want her boys to grow up. She died when our older children were very young so I don't know how things would have turned out.
In the end you have to live your life the way you want to. No one else can do it for you.

savingfortravel

Redglass and Grandma247
Yes please...I'll adopt you both!! Consider yourselves honoury SFT mumsxx :T
You're absolutely right redglass and I do think that conciously or subconciously, disapproval or disagreement is a way of keeping control.