the daydream fund challenge thread

Jungle_Jane_2

Rummer wrote: »

Welcome Jungle Jayne, glad to hear that you are close to your dream! Remember to look on Freecycle for bargain gardening items and gumtree often has sheds and greenhouses going for free. There are loads of ways to save money in the garden. The people on here are so inspirational and friendly it is great place to come for advice!

I wouldn't say we are really close to our dream though. Our flat is still in negative equity and don't think we can really move until we have another £10,000 saved up .

Was planning on buying a greenhouse secondhand off ebay when the time does come for £150-250. I had no idea that you could get them for free though. Thanks for the tip!

bonsibabe

well i'm now looking at getting rid of my car although i won't get what i want for it. it's really too expensive and with me getting disability i can trade that for a brand new car every 3 years with insurance, tax, servicing and repairs included! so i think its in the paper with the motor. it's due its first mot this year and we need to get rid before then. hubby wants a van so he can transport his disco kit so that would be his and i could have the nice car for me and the kids. but need to sort all the other stuff out before we can do that.

well he bought the perspex but i dont expect he will sort it before he goes to his mums for the rest of the week. and then he is off to benidorm with his dad in a few weeks! his dad is taking him and leaving us behind. sometimes i think i would be better off on my own with the kids.

but we got a trampoline for the kids for nothing today! the neighbour two doors down got a new one and gave our kids their old one. all we need to get is the netting and we are sorted! we can get it online for £60 but need to wait till we have the money! but will cash in my quidco i think and that should pay for it! either that or hubbys dad can pay for it!

am off to sleep now as not really in much of a good mood today. hopefully tomorrow will be better and i won't want to change the locks when hubby is away lol. i know i shouldnt laugh about it but if you don't laugh you cry!

night all, hope you are all having a better day! xxx

LMac

Hi everyone. New to this thread, and been reading through it all bit by bit, when I get a spare 10 mins.

My daydream is a house (size isnt that important, within reason!) but a big garden. Its just me and dd so wont need acres. Would love to be mainly self-sufficient though - solar panels etc. I rent at the minute.

I currently have £6508 in my dream fund, and have just cancelled sky, and signed up for 2 Halifax reward accounts. The money saved/made from those will go into the fund, along with a minimum of £200 from income (currently saving £175). Ive taken on more work and as I was living fine on the previous income, the extra money will also go into the fund.

In the meantime, Im building up expertise with my garden. This year, its been mainly unusual stuff to grab the interest of my mindees (squash, popcorn, strawberries) along with 'boring' salad stuff.

Ive been promised a greenhouse, which Ill need to fit with perspex for safety with up to 6 kids running around. Also getting organised to get raised beds (really heavy clay here), water butts and a compost bin plus a wormery.

The money for the stuff in this house is from a separate fund to the daydream one.

Im looking forward to reading through the rest of the thread and really challenging myself to save a few extra pounds!

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all
welcome LMac -always nice to see new folks joining in :T
I will be able to do my montly total update in a few days -once the online banking stops playing silly devils so I can see what the figures say in the UK :rolleyes: - Im planning a super frugal month for August -the less I spend the more goes in the fund

At the moment the beans seem to be doing really well -getting some stashed in the freezer;), the courgettes are in overdrive -as fast as I think of a recipe to use 1 up -more are ready for picking :rotfl:-can't reccomend the courgette teabread/muffin recipe I posted on the grocery challenge thread a while ago highly enough -its gorgeous. Today I made some pasties with sauted onion, courgette, some frozen corn and a dollop of marscapone and plenty of seasoning-let cool and then added some leftover chicken -made into 4 lovely pasties (2 in the freezer) -we had them with steamed potatoes -and beans from the garden mmmm. The filling is nice served with pasta too;)

I can't wait until we are somewhere of our own so I can plant some things straight in the ground:D

Sounds like you could do with treating yourself to a little something nice Bonsibabe I can't imagine my hubby getting away with a holiday without me -mind I can't imagine him thinking he could either . When he is off -you want to spend the time doing some things that you enjoy.....

right I had better get off and get on with some more x-stitching..
have a great evening all

Rummer

I ate my first ever home grown cauliflower today! It has given me the motivation I need to really get things in order, I have been looking at ways to make a few more pennies and I am now selling everything that I haven't used in the last few months and today resisted the temptation of the bakers when walking past. Tomorrow I am going to plant another load of winter veg. Every penny counts!

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

I ate my first ever home grown cauliflower today! It has given me the motivation I need to really get things in order!

I think I might need one of your motivational caulis, Rummer. From today, we are owners of a Devon smallholding, but one which hasn't seen much gardening for a few long years! On the one hand I'm overjoyed to be finished with my search, but on the other, I'm not sure where to begin! The last gardener there was organic, so I know there's loads of comfrey everywhere...and nettles....and brambles....and rabbits.....and deer.:eek:

It's very tempting to make all kinds of plans, but now instinct is kicking in and I'm thinking, 'Survival!' We are going to take a big roll of Mypex sheeting and put it in the front garden area, ready to take all our nursery stock. The theory is that the rabbits and deer won't be so bold there, but it could be just a theory, mind!

We haven't been there since early June and we didn't go there today, just packed the van, ready to take the first load of our stuff down there tomorrow. Bloomin' holiday traffic will probably mean using the back roads, but I'll not be too bothered about that. I think I'll just be wondering just how high the grass has grown....:rotfl:

I'll keep you updated. I'd put the place up on here, but the agents have removed it already. We had a few problems with them, but things went our way, for once, so it's not worth going over the worries of the last few weeks.

choille

Excellent news Dave.

Watch those deer & rabbits - they can munch everything.

Comfreys great stuff - I make foliar feed with it.

All the best of luck.
Moving house is exhausting, so make sure you take time off as well.

stitching_witch

Dave, that's wonderful news! Have one on me :beer: It'll be hard work but well worth it.

Another £50 went into my daydream fund this week, but I had to pay some rent with my other savings money, which I had hoped to add to the fund. Never mind....

Only six weeks until my redundancy so I'd better get my act together. I did wonder how feasible it would be to be self sufficient from a council house with 80 ft garden and an allotment. Trouble is, DH isn't happy with me digging up the garden fo r food, and we're not allowed livestock at the house or allotment.

Looks like I've just burst my own bubble!!

Rummer

How exciting Dave, I am so happy for you that things are now all coming together! I look forward to seeing lots of before and after photos! Stitchingwitch how are the new business plans coming along? Soon you will be self manged and self sufficient!
Our self sufficiency plans are coming along, we didn't plant anywhere near enough food but we did a lot better than last year so we are on track to meet our 5 year plan (oh that sounds too organised!)

Tibbie's_mum

Ooooooo, I'm so excited, I haven't look at this thread for ages as we were in no position to do anything and it just made me sad. But we've just had an offer on our house which, although not the value we want, they are willing to negotiate and pay for carpets and appliances.

So we're going to look at a property on Friday for the second time, it has a couple of acres and a few outbuildings, the house isn't up to much but I don't care. Just to have space for the kids to run around, be able to grow a few veg and keep chickens is all I want now. So hopefully we'll soon be catching up with all of you!