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

cha97michelle

Spends today are £1.12 on a loaf of bread and a TV magazine. The dentist was free.

I'm having a great day. We woke at 6:50 so that was a positive lie in for me. I have done loads. 2 loads of washing. Got out all the clothes we want to pack for the in-laws visit this weekend, hung up my washing, run the steriliser and got water in the bottles, been to the dentist, been to the bank to pay in my cheque, popped to the shops, took the kids to the park for half an hour, checked all my online banking stuff, washed up the morning's pots, emptied my dehumidifier. This much stuff would normally take all day. It's amazing what a bit of sleep and sunshine do for me.

Plans are to have a tin of soup from AF for lunch with some bread, then walk back up to the library for the kids group and to meet my friend, then when we walk home i might call in the park again. Or DS1 is pestering me to do some painting.

Then i need to make something for the kids for tea, get them bathed and in bed, and then do our tea, pack, finish my ironing pile in front of some telly, and then collapse in bed i bet. That reminds me, i'd best get some meat out the freezer to go in omlette for our tea, i have some eggs that are out of date that i should use really.

Nothing exciting really, but a lot more fresh air and exercise than we have been getting so that has put a smile on my face. I love spring before my hayfever appears and wrecks it. :rotfl:

Hope you all have sunshine too

bails

Yae, our first frugalchick, how exciting :T and great photos Nyk!

I'm up to date with recent posts but still haven't caught up on those 4 pages so apologies if I've missed anything important.

Having caught up battery is now about to die :rolleyes: so just to let you know for now I'm still furgalling away (of course ). I've done a menu plan for the whole month after we finally did our freezer audit and that's going well so far, including a bonus free meal at my parents last night :T I still need to update my spends but I've been too busy to get it done so far. No lessons at the mo as pupil is still too poorly. Puppy had her jab today so that was £35 :eek: but not from this budget. After seeing it on the news, went to the Bookbarn that was closing down in Bristol (2ndTR also put a link up about it recently) and got some good books to help with all aspects of my teaching :T and we're going back to get some shelving units to make shelved for my office and the lounge :T Free stuff rocks!
Really must do the spends to give me a good idea of where we are with everything but I've saved over £500 in the Dream Pot now and £400 in the ME Fund so v happy with that
This weekend I'm off to Wales to introduce the dog to the great outdoors :j and will also be writing a CV. Anyone who has any good advice about CVs (and teaching ones in particular) I'd love to hear from you!
Have a great day all, really will try to get on here more frequently soon and comment on everyone's things xx

Sarah147

Wonderful photos nyk, so cute

I am feeling a bit better today but still off work as didn't want to pass the lurgy onto anyone. Think am over the worst of it and exhaustion is now setting in, being ill really takes it out of you! And from -2 degree temperatures and frost last night we now have a beautiful day. So much so that I think I am going to sit in the back garden in a bit and get some reading done. Got a load of books as Christmas presents I still haven't got around to reading yet, plus a wonderful book called "waste not want not" which is all about re-using leftovers. It looks great

mama67

These are the cummulative figures for Jan & Feb.

Car Running 338.00/1500.00 includes 6 months road tax

Heating Oil 114.00/685.00

Electricity 120.00/720.00

Coal & Logs 20.00/250.00

Mobiles 26.19/180.00

Phone & internet 60.55/405.00

Boys pm etc 171.00/900.00

School lunch 180.00/780.00

Grocery 315.00/1820.00

Boys clothing 80.00/520.00

General clothing 45.00/260.00

School Uniform 40.00/260.00

Presents 50.00/340.00

All other 37.26 }/240.00
Stockpiling 48.71 }


TOTAL SPENT £1645.71



Saved 11.26 against the cost of phone calls and mobile


this is a spend of approx 18% of my yearly allowance but should even out over the next few months.

lingojingo

Just wanted to say a big Thank You :beer:to whoever(??sophie'smum??) alerted us to claiming childrens tax credit for 2002/3

My cheque arrived today! so that's £526.80 extra in my account :j

mama67

Sarah147 wrote: »

Thanks nyk, I do agree with you that it is getting silly these days, you wouldn't mind so much if they broke sweat occasionally but half the time they just stroll around doing very little and you have mediocre players living in million pound mansions while those watching them struggle to pay the bills. Grrr.

About five years ago all my money went on following football. I had a season ticket which was about £400 odd (cheap by todays standards!) and went to all the away matches, as well as jaunts around Europe in the European Cup. Cost me a fortune but at the time I was young and naive and spent way beyond my means, still I have been left with loads of wonderful memories and great friendships from that time. I have not been to a Premier League match yet this season but as a Manchester United fan living in the Newcastle area, I could not miss my beloveds playing up the road tonight :T

feeling a lot better too, it's amazing what a days rest does for you. But day time tv.... urgh!!

League 2 match tickets are just as bad.

It is £16 for an adult and £8 for a child to watch Grimsby, at least with the Premiership you expect half decent footy.

Frugaldom

lingojingo wrote: »

Just wanted to say a big Thank You :beer:to whoever(??sophie'smum??) alerted us to claiming childrens tax credit for 2002/3

My cheque arrived today! so that's £526.80 extra in my account :j

Well done! I'll bet you were jumping for joy when that arrived!! :j

Bails, hope puppy enjoys the great outdoors, amybe you could do us a photo diary of 'Bails in Wales'. :rotfl: Are you going anywhere near Ddraiggoch?

No more chicks here - Frugalchick is an only child until the next lot of eggs hopefully hatch (3 weeks) but there's been plenty of attention lavished on him/her by the visitors who came especially to see the newest arrival. :rotfl: Changed my avatar to show chick. I was going to call him Bruce (as in Bruce Lee, for being such a ferocious fighter and surviving) but we've decided that, because of the striped-looking colour, he is more likely to be a she, so she hasn't got a name yet.

grandma247

Does anyone know if romain lettuce is in season and can I buy ceaser salad dressing in a bottle?

Frugaldom

grandma247 wrote: »

Does anyone know if romain lettuce is in season and can I buy ceaser salad dressing in a bottle?

I know you can buy caesar salad dressing, I got a bottle of it in Co-op last summer. I think most lettuce varieties are available all year round in big supermarkets, it's the same as Cos, which is what I would use. I have lettuce leaves almost ready for eating growing outside here in Scotland.

Vixstar

Grandma247 you can buy caeser salad dressing in a bottle from most food shops.