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

Frugaldom

whitewing wrote: »

I don't know why you're all worrying about not spending during the first week of the challenge, I'm the very opposite - I get an unquenchable thirst for spending!

Because it's a slippery slope and if we spend now we won't stop!

Perhaps I should have meant it more as a plea for help than anything else, sorry, no offence meant, I'll wear my spikey shoes to help prevent any slip-ups.

cw18

Interesting comment about the dried food Nyk, as our vets strongly recommend keeping him on dried food

He has three flavours of his current food -- original, chicken and beef. The pricey one I've moved him off had salmon and rice, turkey and rice or duck and rice.

I know a dog can be vegetarian, but a cat can't -- so in that respect I guess you can feed a dog with cat's stuff but not the other way around. But I'd still have to watch for those blasted 'E' numbers and additives if I try using cats treats -- so may not be any cheaper than buying ones meant for dogs

I'll have a look when I'm next in a good pet food supply place, but he's quite happy 'earning' carrots, grapes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, brocolli or cauliflower stalks, chunks of cucumber......

fizzel81

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Fizzle - I regularly leave my SC on over night

Thank you
the downside i will want chicken potato n veg soup for my breakfast its starting to smell nice already but need a good few hours more yet so ive figured leaving on low it will be ok by tomorrow when we want it, will then keep rest in fridge and heat up in bowls as required (my boys love chicken soup)

hopefully will have enough for a big meal tomorrow and then for lunch untill he is back at school next wednesday, stuck on sundays dinner, have a chicken in the freezer but if i use that we will end up eating a week of chicken, my freezer is too small to free leftovers i have to use them as i go (untill i sort a chest freezer) either that or i have a 2kg chunk of pork woopsied from £10 to just under 2 quid that my brothers girlfriend got for me, but we will then be eating pork for a week)

think i should get myself to bed or i will spend the night waiting for soup

candygirl

I have an urge to spend in the sales and stockpile birthday pressies for this year, as I need to make savings somewhere.I always lose xmas stuff if I get it too early though
I'm recording all my spends on here, but also have 3 notebooks for menu planning, grocery shopping and pressies:D

Frugaldom

I'd stick with the fresh veggies as dog treats, no point buying items that attract VAT when you don't need to. Has anyone noticed if the pet shops have dropped their prices yet? Have they even bothered?

I have never met a vegetarian dog :rotfl: Sorry if this was supposed to be serious - do you mean there are real, live dogs out there that refuse to eat meat or meat products? :eek:

fizzel81

ohh last quick one tonight

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Beef-Lamb-mixed-box-organic-conv-freezer-ready-20-kg_W0QQitemZ390008098197QQihZ026QQcategoryZ71260QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

was thinking of perhaps getting, is that a good deal? and how long approx could it last me and the 3 boys, we do ekk out alot more than we used to with veggies, its a big chunk of shopping budget if there is not ideally 2 months worth there (as i could justify 60 a month on good meat), or would i be better sticking to asda?

candygirl

CW please don't give your dog grapes, raisins or sultanas as it can cause renal failure hun:eek: .Mine love carrots;)

System

:hello: slinks back after a very long absence....

Hellooooooo frunchkins!

i went away for a looooong time! i got sent away from home on placements for uni/hen night/birthdays/christmas and fell off the frugal wagon... well, by frunchkin standards

did you all finish on target? what big news did i miss?

getting sent away from home on lots expensive placements again (one next week) so i dont really know what to aim for this year...i might just track what i spend for a while

Frugaldom

fizzel81 wrote: »

ohh last quick one tonight

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Beef-Lamb-mixed-box-organic-conv-freezer-ready-20-kg_W0QQitemZ390008098197QQihZ026QQcategoryZ71260QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

was thinking of perhaps getting, is that a good deal? and how long approx could it last me and the 3 boys, we do ekk out alot more than we used to with veggies, its a big chunk of shopping budget if there is not ideally 2 months worth there (as i could justify 60 a month on good meat), or would i be better sticking to asda?

Hi Fizz, I'd print out the list, show it to your local butcher and ask him how much better a deal he can offer. It's in his own best interest if he suspects you'll spend that amount in one go and then possibly come back for more when it's done. Plus it's easier to haggle out any bits you don't want

Yeah! Jumble-Bee is back! Hellooooooooooooo stranger, hope you didn't roll too far away when you fell off the wagon and can still get back on again this year.

cw18

candygirl wrote: »

CW please don't give your dog grapes, raisins or sultanas as it can cause renal failure hun:eek: .

He doesn't get many -- and only a single segment of satsuma 3 or 4 times a year. The vet has OK'd it all.

I've also been told onions can be a problem, but he loves them and the vet said fine in small quantities a couple of times a week (he gets a single onion layer of a sliced ring or two at the most).

The only thing he's ever stolen is red peppers -- and the only trace of the first one was seeds all down the hallway when I came in from work. He was half-way through leaving a trail of seeds the same way when I caught him with the second (the next day) which was the only reason I knew what he'd had the day before :rolleyes2

Raw potatoes are the only total 'no-no', even though he begs for it