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

Frugaldom

Sophiesmum, it was lucky that I had plenty of polystyrene from Freecycle, as it meant that I hadn't used any of the big, thick, new sheets I previously bought for insulating the brooders. These were promptly boxed together around both incubators and then I covered the top with quilting and bubblewrap. It SEEMS to have done the trick but I gave the hen eggs their final turn and closed up the incubator. It will now stay closed for the next 3 days until hatch date.

I'm being positive, we will get some chicks, we will, we will, we will!

cha97michelle

Hi all,

Another pricey day here, but i knew it would be. I paid a week's nursery fees (DS2 was ill in the car on the way there, and it annoys me i have to pay even though he isn't there - he had a coughing fit, and wasn't actually ill. Perfectly perky all day, but they wouldn't have him as they really have a nasty bug doing the rounds.)

I had extra running round to do as i got my sisters old car seat off her while i can get ours washed/dried, so i also topped the car up with petrol as it was low.

Then i had my opticians appointment, and need glasses for computer work and reading, so that was pricey. (I can claim £37.50 back through a private healthcare scheme work pays for, but seems though i spent £200 it won't ,make much of a dent)

And i thought to round the day off i would take out another years subscription to LF as the DVD rentals are pretty much our only entertainment. We were ummin about it but decided to go for it. Should have done it a few weeks ago as it was 25% off then with an offer, and only 15% off today.

So lots of money spent, although i don't think i am going to include the glasses as i got a more expensive pair as i will mostly be wearing them for work, or completing things at home for work. Once i am back there it will be hard to find any time for my leisure pursuits, so a bit sneaky, but i think justifiable.

That's about it from here, the boys are mostly better, although DS2 is still loaded with cold and waking up with gummed up eyes and still not sleeping brilliantly. I hope it settles as i will truly be a zombie at work if i don't get a bit more sleep before then.

louby glad to hear you are better now. It is not nice having to be in hospital when you want to be at home with your loved ones and the new baby. I hated being in a week with DS1, so i pestered them and they let me out with DS2 when he was 12 hours old. I was paranoid they would find some excuse to keep me.

mr DT good luck for the move.

Michelle, x

savingfortravel

Loopy-Glad your feeling better. We have a lovely Daisy in our school.

MrDT-Good luck with the move.

Nyk-That lamb is gorgeous!!!
Thanks for your positive comments about the cottage, I've cut and pasted it..it was a serious suggestion wasn't it?

Bails-Not long now..4 days and counting..x

SFT

slowlyfading

Evening everyone.

Went to the co-op today and spent a bit - have updated my total! I got two bargains there I got a bag of sweet potatoes for £1.29 ( i love love love sweet potato) and have made a huge pan of sweet potato soup! :j i have never made it before - just bunged in some onion, garlic, herbs and sweet potato in a pan and left to simmer and then blizted it up at the end and i think it tastes okay, so that's okay and then I got a pizza (not homemade though, my bad) that normally costs £3.49 (:eek:) for 75p! It was BBE today and I've just put it in the freezer, so that can be a nice treat when the bf is here

Have been babysitting this evening, so that's a few more pennies for the pot, and taught my 2 piano pupils earlier which also went well. I can't seem to stop sneexing though, which gets a bit annoying as I hate the sensation! lol :rotfl:

MrDT - hope the move goes well!
Nyk - fingers crossed on the chicks, it'd be amazing and of course we'd all need pics!
Loopylou - glad to see you're feeling a bit better, and I have to say I love the name Daisy!

Sending big (((HUGS))) as per usual, to those who want/need one.

sf xx

lilac_lady

I thought I'd stay within budget for the first quarter of the the challenge but I spent £49 this afternoon. New bath towels, a jacket, top, PJs and Tshirts for grandchildren and a couple of household items, nearly all at reduced prices. I've got so used to not spending money that I nearly had a bad turn at the till. (it was all in one shop).

I'm staying in for the rest of the year.

slowlyfading

lilac_lady, its normal to have a slip up sometimes, don't fret about it. Plus, you can make it even over the next few weeks by not spending so much - that's why this challenge is so good!

BigMummaF

cha97michelle wrote: »

Hi all,

paid a week's nursery fees......have to pay even though he isn't there

Michelle, x

Sorry to be a Voice of Reason, but I used to work in a nursery & this comment is really upsetting & frustrating. With something as precious as child care, the staff HAVE to be there because X amount of children are expected to attend & it is not their fault if one is ill. They still need to be paid, the rent still needs to be paid, the utilities still need to be paid, resources still need to be bought.....
There is a world of difference between a nursery & a drop-in centre so please don't confuse the two unless THAT is the level of care you expect them to supply.
Here endeth this morning's lecture! Apologies if I've trod on toes but it was my chosen profession until I had to go for something better paid

cw18

BigMummaF - as a parent and grand-parent, I'm fully with you on this......

But my DD has regularly complained at still having to pay when she takes my GDs out for sickness or holiday -- even though she actually works there !!!!!!!! She's calmed down since I explained that if parents didn't, then her job would be a 'be available for a phone call telling you to come in' basis -- and her pay would be for the hours she actually worked, making it impossible to budget on a week-to-week basis

Frugaldom

Good morning

SFT - Yes, that was a serious suggestion. Power cuts are part of the 'norm' out in the country unless you are off grid (wish I was!). Depending on how rural you are, losing your electricity can also mean losing your water supply if you depend on a water pump from a well. Fortunately, the farmer here opted to get rid of the pumps and settled for gravity fed from the main tank reservoir. Phew! (We're rural but not that far from civilisation.)

Bails, it's good to see you back and sounding so confident and healthy, well done on achieving so much! :T

Lilac_lady, I have been spending like a woman possessed, so don't worry about going over budget if it has no impact on existing debts - that's exactly why we budget frugally in the first place - no debts, pay for what we want when we want it

OK, I updated my signature after putting all my misc spends into the non-4k part of my budget. I'm well behind on recouping the misc spends and about half of them are on garden & livestock related 'things'. It's more of a longterm investment, though, I hope! :cool:

I heard 'peeping' from one of the incubators this morning! :j :j :j That means we have at least one chick getting lined up to attempt to hatch in the next couple of days.

cha97michelle

BigMummaF wrote: »

Sorry to be a Voice of Reason, but I used to work in a nursery & this comment is really upsetting & frustrating. With something as precious as child care, the staff HAVE to be there because X amount of children are expected to attend & it is not their fault if one is ill. They still need to be paid, the rent still needs to be paid, the utilities still need to be paid, resources still need to be bought.....
There is a world of difference between a nursery & a drop-in centre so please don't confuse the two unless THAT is the level of care you expect them to supply.
Here endeth this morning's lecture! Apologies if I've trod on toes but it was my chosen profession until I had to go for something better paid

I'm sorry i offended you. I don't think you read my post properly or maybe i didn't explain myself well. I was annoyed because i knew my child wasn't sick with a bug and they wouldn't take him. Then i had a perfectly healthy boy at home when i had loads to do. That is when it feels like i am wasting my money. When i had both of them off sick on friday i had no qualms about them not being there when i had paid for it.

i am not stupid, i know they have all those things to pay for. I guess i shot myself in the foot with my own honesty as usual. If i had said nothing i would have left him there and he would have been ok or ill and i could have feigned ignorance, but because i actually do care about the health of the other kids and staff i tell the truth and get penalised.