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

sophiesmum_2

Good afternoon frunchkins:D
Just arrived back from town had a good morning with my friend.
Free parking
Free coffee at mc D's using loyalty cards (friend does coffee run for work and gets to keep all stickers;) )
Only spent £2.50 on veggies for week at market

Topped up DS phone in boots(his money) - split into 4 x £5 transactions and got 4 £5 No 7 vouchers ,
used 2 for free no 7 exfoliator scrubs (£4.30 each)
used 1 for no 7 make up wipes (paid £1.40)
used 1 for no 7 body cream (reduced to £6.30 so cost £1.30)

Total spend in boots £2.70 for £21.30 worth of goodies:j



General frugal aims for today;

• storecupboard lunch and tea
• reduce, reuse,recycle one item- reusable shopping bags,dropped off pile of telephone directories at recycle point
• do something nice for me - sauna and jacuzzi
• do something nice for someone else- take friend to town, make OH some tortillas
• fitter not fatter - treadmill - swimming later
• do next coat of paint on drawers

Todays frugal meals;

• poached egg/mushrooms
• red salmon with green salad (tortillas for OH)
• cheese omelette with green salad

Fruit and veg portions;
0 fruit, 0 pulses,5 veggies,

Expenditure or additional income
5 no spend days this week:j
spent today £2.50 veggies
£2.70 on boots goodies



Remaining target cash for first 6 months food spends - £227.96 left from budget of £400 for first six months.


Extra income generated £152.43 /spent £69.23 / left £83.20
(tortilla press/flour £33, boots pressies £18.35, hanging baskets and brackets x 6 £17.88)

ram_murdock

Hey everyone. hope you are all having a nice weekend!

Loved the pics of the chick - he is so cute! i'd love to have the room for chicks someday!

Been a really low spend week. Havent really been anywhere to tempt me to spend the money although going to look for a new suit online now!

Talk later everyone.

boring_beige

thanks for the pictures, nykmedia
Like sophiesmum said, buzz box, you will get your reward for your honesty
i ordered my mobile on monday. arrived on tuesday. After a phone call i found my £30 credit had arrived on friday morning.
i'm sure that the quarterly phone bill is going to arrive soon. so i will give my mum £30 towards the internet costs.
i've figured out why my food bill is high. first i always buy 2 x £1 saving stamps for my mum each week. Secondly it includes all my toileteries. So my roughly worked out £10 a week, isn't.
i often snack instead of eat proper meals which isn't helping my energy levels. i've looked thought my many copies of recipes from library books and found a few i think i will try.

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!!
Sophiesmum-So glad your voucher arrived.

Been busy viewing houses today.
First one was set in a beautiful location but had damp and mould and was an absolute tip.
Met sister and friend for lunch at Harvester paid £7.30 for tip, drink, salad, fish and chips and got voucher for free sundae.
Second house was down the lane from the one we have put an offer in for. Has more living space but smaller bedroom (other has bigger 1 and very small area classed as a bedroom, just about big enough). Loved lounge and kitchen, conservatory and garden (which includes an area of agricultural land, what are we able to do on that?. It backs onto fields, wonderful views). Bedroom was in the roof, slanted ceilings, just about able to stand up affair.
Third house was modern and when we went to look at 'views over paddocks' found chickens from a neighbouring property-I love chickens but it didn't present the peaceful surroundings I've been craving.
So no. 2 is a consideration..but its currently 34k more than the one we've put an offer in for. Also Grade II property. So my heart likes it more but my head says the original cottage is a better choice.
No viewers for ours this weekend so we are talking about giving the lounge a cheapish face lift.
SFT

lingojingo

Buzzbox - I bet it was tempting, but I agree with Sophiesmum, you'll get your reward some other way.

SFT - good luck on the cottage hunt, Don't rush into anything you're not sure about.

Well, what a lovely week and a bit I've had
Fri got my £50 Qype voucher
Tues saw Lenny Henry as Othello (tickets early birthday present)
and discovered I'd won £10 on the lottery
Thurs got £526.80 cheque for children's tax credit 2002/3
and my Mum had put £50 into my account!
and went out for a lovely meal with work as someone was starting maternity leave (restaurant in my village, so no travelling)
Fri got a huge card, 2 bouquets, a bottle of wine and £35 from work (expected a card, prob not till Monday, but had no idea about the rest, we don't normally do birthday presents!)
Today £50 cheque from my sister!
and got back from town to find a massive M&S bouquet on the back doorstep (from my 'hot-tub' friend for those of you who remeber that episode)
and tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be going out for a meal with another friend!

So all in all I've come to the conclusion that hitting my half century tomorrow isn't so :eek: after all:rotfl:
and I just read in the paper that Barbie (doll) was 'born' the day after me, and she doesn't look so bad for our age :rotfl:

As DD is in Spain with college, and DS & his GF can't get this weekend off work, we're having a family 'do' next weekend, with my Mum coming up to stay for a few days too.

Hope things are going well for all of you too.

sophiesmum_2

Oh yes the alcoholic prune like hot tub episode - another classic hilarious post from last years thread:rotfl: :rotfl: That was so funny (not for you obviously:p )

Hope you have a lovely birthday tomorrow - sounds like you already have:D

[Deleted User]

Hello all

I'm afraid I'm still here Nyk! :rolleyes: Me & DH went to a garden centre today, I just fancied 'a trip out'! Didnt get alot and we had a nice pot of tea and yummy cake, bought some bubblewrap (for insulating wormery) which reminds me must order worms soon! And bought the cat a new bed, which she doesnt seem to like very much. Thought she should have something, cos she wont be allowed in our bedroom when baby arrives....

Getting abit impatient, have been having a few niggly pains for the last half hour, so you never know. But that could be just cos I ate too much for tea I just want it to arrive now!! :rolleyes:

Bye for now! x

savingfortravel

Loopy-All the very best! This is very exciting for all of us!! SFT

Lingo/Sophiesmum..I feel left out..share the hot tub story...It can't be worse than I'm imagining (and I have a very vivid imagination)

Skint_Lynne

Good evening,

I'm just back from my exciting night out, (at Mr T's), but didn't get anything much. I bought a can of G & T which I get as a treat sometimes, so I'm just having that now, (it makes me go to bed early):D .

My qype voucher arrived today, I think I might get some virgin vie bits with it. It's a good website, I'm going to try the other one for amazon points cause they are handy to have.

Not much to report today, I'm going to need to get into gear as DH is home at the end of the month, and I think he'll be home each weekend when he is posted to England.:eek: My peace will be gone.:p

Hope you all have a good weekend, hugs to everyone. xx

skint_chick

I have a confession to make. I have been bad. I spent £6.50 on Indian takeaway because when I was at the doctor on Thurs I found out I've lost a stone!!

I had to get some new work blouses but I'm not including them in my budget because they're only for work and now I have enough work outfits for an entire week so I don't get laundry panic. I also realised after buying a lipbalm and hair dye that I've gone £6 over my annual toiletries budget :mad: But savings in other areas will make up for this so it's not all bad. Spending tomorrow on creative things - making a Mother's Day card and an anniversary card for DH - we've been a couple 2years this week

Going for a long bath now then watching CSI NY and then probably bed because I'm really sleepy