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

mama67

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

I loved the original coal house and have missed the others from this new series but will be watching tonight i would love to go on a go back in time and live show.............and wartime home front is my fave period!!


Shaz

Mine too Shaz!!

mama67

sophiesmum wrote: »

SkintLynne and anyone else who liked the three tier basket planter that is on lakeland site.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/3-tier-flo.../product/51190



I have found this one on wilkinsonplus - looks almost identical and only £10 so you could get 3 for the price of the lakeland one:D - I think they have them in store too.Think I will be picking up a few of these out of my extra earned income budget.:D

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0158058

The cheaper one also has the liners included - the lakeland one does not include the liners!

can also get cashback on qu!dc0 for wilkinsonplus.

ram_murdock

Hey everyone -

first of all thank you nyk and angelatgraceland for your reassurance the other night in the midst of my panic.:A ..i found the passport at my mum's house the next day thankfully. i hadnt realised that you have to go for an interview now if you have lost your passport and leave at least a week for it arrive. I thought te one day emergency service was still available.

Anyone heard how Deleted_User is?!

1274 - congrats on the healthy eating and aims. I find healthy food can be expensive too especially fruit and nuts. I've been meaning to try making homemade parsnip crisps...must put that on my to-do-list!

Angelatgraceland - congrat on you weight loss!! :T i didnt lose anything this week but i hadnt really been trying as had been comfort eating as i looked for my passport!

Been a big spend week so far - provisional MIL's b'day this week which set me back more than i want to count up but it was definately worth it. She is so good to me - feeds me any time i call and treats me like one of her own.
Had to put in petrol which was £40.00 and i need to renew power-plate membership this week which will set me back £20/£30 depending on how many sessions i buy. Also B/F bday next week so need to start thinking of little things to get him.

Made homemade tomato and red pepper soup this week which was delicious. I've really taken to this home cooking lately! I'm going to make some buns tonight to take to a charity evening at the weekend.

Will check in later everyone xx

lingojingo

sophiesmum wrote: »

I have found this one on wilkinsonplus - looks almost identical and only £10 so you could get 3 for the price of the lakeland one:D - I think they have them in store too.Think I will be picking up a few of these out of my extra earned income budget.:D

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0158058

The cheaper one also has the liners included - the lakeland one does not include the liners!

Ha Ha! you must have all been buying them - they're now out of stock on line :rotfl:

sophiesmum_2

Going to pick mine up (3) instore on Sunday - saves on the postage costs:D
I have found a neglected little corner of the grounds which is tiny and concreted but will soon be home to 12 hanging baskets, 3 of these towers , a raised bed,2 cold frames, plus my potato grow bags.

skint_chick

I was doing figures after grocery shopping and worked out that last Sept I owed £162,104 mortgage and unsecured debts (not counting BTL mortgages) and today I owe £140,726 - family loan is interest free and mortgage is @3.19%.
I've paid off £21,378 in 6 months!!:j I did use £5,000 savings from old well paid job to clear credit card and reduce my mortgage. But it's mostly due to making extra money, and being on this challenge and becoming more aware of my spending.

I don't think this level of debtbusting will continue but I'm aiming to reduce my mortgage by another £2985. I can afford this from my wages but I won't be able to repay my family loan in full this year because of the wage drop - I'm aiming for reducing the balance to £4000 and full repayment by June 2010:D

Skint_Lynne

Evening all,

I've had a busy day, not long in, so I'm really tired. It's amazing what you can get if you shop around sophiesmum, I'll maybe get a couple of the three tier thingys from wilkos. I've to go to Carlisle on the 1st April, so might swing by when I'm down there and grab some. Was at costco, so got some mince and stewing steak in prep for DH coming back, I need to start stocking up. I got £6 off the mince as it is on special just now, next week it is chicken breasts. I got 2 packs of mince, so got 12x1lb bags off of it and I might try throwing the lentils in now to see what happens.

I'll probably be back for stamps on Friday night so I'll get some rice etc then. I gave my old one to my mum as they had run out. I never told her that I was at costco today, I sound so mean but I'm getting fed up with her. She sent me to Asda tonight (another bug bear), got fizzy pop, micro chips and 3 trifles and it cost £5.50. She gave me £3.50, said she did not have enough for a trifle and she would really like one. I'm fed up telling her to make her own small trifles as she is really good at making them. But she won't. Also, she spends a fortune on fizzy pop, she should try and stop drinking it.

It all mounts up if you are spending that each day, I wish that she would listen to me and then she would end up with savings. She says it is impossible to live on next to nothing, I just think she does not want to mend her ways. I just got some stuff for myself today because I'm fed up with trying to help, it doesn't seem to make any difference.

I am terrible, moaning about my mum like that, but she makes me :mad: at times.

Never mind, moan over.:o

I will have an early night tonight, tomorrow is another day. xx

redglass_2

That is inspirational, SkintChick! :T Bravo!

Mmm...have had to think long and hard about the challenge these last 2 weeks. Some of you will remember that I was waiting/hoping to see if I would get a certain job. Well, I got it! :j:j:j (Sorry to be still a bit coy and mysterious - just call me Mata Hari :cool: .)

It means a big change in lifestyle, though: I will be significantly better off, but will have even less time than I have now. I can still be frugal (in fact, I don't think I'll ever be extravagant, never really have been) but I don't think I can keep up with the challenge any more - I am in danger of going mad, pulled between two conflicting sets of demands and the damage is already showing in my totals, which have got way over what they should be. If I spend a lot of time hunting for the very cheapest ways to do things, as I have been doing up to now, I could easily lose more in earnings than I would ever be able to save in economising, and might also muck up this new opportunity that won't come again. I'm therefore withdrawing from the challenge, with regret but knowing it is the right decision for me at this time.

I'll be permanently better off for having been part of this thread, since I've learned so many useful things here. I'll always be grateful for that, and for the kindness and generosity and ingenuity of all the people involved. :T

No doubt I'll still be lurking and perhaps even putting my oar in from time to time. And I'll be cheering you all on from the sidelines. :hello:

Best wishes, Redglass

[Deleted User]

Hi all

Ram_murdock - I'm still here hanging on! :rolleyes: I'm booked to be induced on the 20th unless baby feels like arriving any time soon. So the end is in sight!!

Skint_chick - Well done on overpaying on the mortgage! We're overpaying ours too. Its such a good feeling!

Redglass - Sorry to hear that you're not going to be carrying on with the challenge, keep popping in tho. Would be nice to hear from you.

Hope everyone else is okay x

Brighton_belle

redglass - really sorry to see you go , as I have enjoyed your imput very much, so please do stick you oar in when ever:D . As for your decision - the most obvious thing is that you're excited about this job opportunity, and isn't that ultimately what life should be about - grabbing with both hands that which excites and energises us. It makes much more sense to go for this than compromise it by using the time to shop around to shave pence off. As you say, the principles of this challenge are never going to leave you.
My motivation (as that of many others I believe) is to enable me to live the life I want, but keeping debt free - just as you are now doing - living the life you want, yet remaining debt free:T .

SM - those baskets were a brilliant find:T .