Live on £4000 for a Year, 2009 Challenge, part 2

whitewing

Morning, morning. Had a wonderful day yesterday, exactly as planned with a slight tan as I was a good girl and used factor 20 sunscreen. I made 10 squares for my patchwork blanket. Need 784 in total (they're dinky squares and very cute). Only about 730 to go!

Same again today. Pure chillout day ahead, and then a long chat with my friend tonight on the phone.

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!
Like a couple of others on here, I am looking forward to restarting the challenge on the 1st June. Would have loved to have been in our cottage by then ...still not too long now 13 days to go!

My parents are in their element at the moment..both country folk and are delighted that they have wild ducks visiting their brook every day. Also further down there is a Moorhen sitting on a nest (we think there is 8 eggs inside). My dad remembers collecting eggs for his school nature table (as did all the local lads in those days-the rule was only one egg from a nest) and that moorhens were one of the most difficult as it involved laying on your tummy with a long stick to get to the nest in the water. Nyk-He keeps making jokes about the eggs..wanting me to ask you (our expert) whether he can take a egg or two for his breakfast...

Had a lovely day yesterday. Went for a walk in the countryside with Mr SFT and parents. My old stomping ground from when I was a child. Saw a beautifully restored windmill, a field of poppies, a large clump of buttercups which glimmered in the sunlight, orange tips/large tortoiseshell butterflies and a row of hens sitting in the doorway of their Victorian hen house (real characters). Took lots of photos..some of which I'll put on my blog. I'll add some more of the wildflower pictures to my collection too.

After lunch we tackled Waitrose..not really planned but we had £30 worth of vouchers left and when we move won't be near a store..Saw on newspaper thread that The Times had a £5 coupon for a £30 spend so it was worth going. Got loads of non-perishable stuff..soups and jars of sauce etc..

Going to do a bit of school work this morning then we're off for a seafood lunch at a shack on an estuary. Supposed to be delicious if a little rustic. Last bit of eating out before I begin the challenge again tomorrow.

Have a sunny day everyone!
sft

cha97michelle

Morning everyone.

looks like another scorcher here. I've been up since about 6am with the kids, so all the bedding is washed and about to go on the line to make the most of it.

I need to go and do the food shop soon and i'm a bit gutted as we had a £5 off voucher for Mr M and i can't find it anywhere. Oh well. Not like the total end of the world. Bet i find it when we get back though despite looking last night and this morning.

Some school work here too. DH also is going to help Nextdoor neighbour in his 70s do his gutters. DS1 has requested a BBQ again today so i've got some sausages out and we'll need to dig up a lettuce from the garden later.

Enjoy yourselves everyone

Michelle x

Frugaldom

Counting the days for you, SFT, and will be checking to see those photos on your blog. Tell DH he can't have wild duck eggs and not to eat the Moorhen's, either. It may seem frugal but it'll be far better when he can stalk them in his new garden and they are ordinary hens and ducks - I know a frugalite who has some, if he's that keen? :rotfl:

savingfortravel

Nyk
DH??? Surely you don't mean Dear Henry...my daddy's name? I'll tell him..although he's not serious..despite his childhood he is now a bird lover and got very upset when 5 of the fledglings of his blue tits nest didn't make it. Mr SFT likes eggs but only hen, although he did get a bit adventurous and try a blue hen egg recently.

sft

Frugaldom

savingfortravel wrote: »

Nyk
DH??? Surely you don't mean Dear Henry...my daddy's name? I'll tell him..although he's not serious..despite his childhood he is now a bird lover and got very upset when 5 of the fledglings of his blue tits nest didn't make it. Mr SFT likes eggs but only hen, although he did get a bit adventurous and try a blue hen egg recently.

sft

Oops! Sorry I could send them both some chickens if you like? I have the ones that lay the blue eggs Mine are Araucanas and the first 'chick' has just started to try to crow, so it won't be laying any blue eggs! :rolleyes:

Enjoy your BBQ, Michelle

purplevamp

Morning, it's lovely down here!

I didn't post yesterday as I spent most of it in the garden trying to cut the grass, didn't do it all as it's knee high and quite hilly, but managed to do the bit where I wanted to put my greenhouse. I checked on the plants this morning only to discover the local cat has pooped in my plants again :mad: . Does anyone have any solution to deter them doing it again?? (I am slightly impressed that the cat is so well "potty trained" but why can't they do it in their garden???)

I've one lot of washing out and one on the go.

I have decided not to include my catalogue payments in the challenge as most of these were from last year, and also my Mum buys things and it's too hard for my little brain to work out!! The only thing I've bought this year is the tomato greenhouse and some trainers for DS2. So I am now back to under £4K :T

I'm still waiting for an ebay payment from 2 weeks ago, I've reminded the buyer and sent a NPB alert, and not a peep. He has until tomorrow to pay, then I'll have to claim back fees and resell it :mad:.


Nyk - I hope I didn't offend you by the expensive tomato remark. I didn't think about those who have little choice. I'm spoilt down here as we have a huge choice of shops, sorry


I must do some housework today, otherwise I'm in danger of Kim and Aggie turning up on my doorstep, closely followed by Anthea Turner :rotfl:. Not that I'd mind, that way I wouldn't have as much to do as they'd have to show me...

angelatgraceland

Hi All
Not been around here for a couple of months as Ive just been very busy. However,Ive still been keeping track of my spending! May was an expensive month for me with 4 birthdays-throwing a 60th party for DH and attending the other 3. Therefore quite a few meals out but all is included. I did a big shop yesterday which I am classifying as June spending as it won't get touched until tomorrow at least ;+)
I have £559.78 left to cover "everything" for June but shouldn't need much.
Also topped up on clothes during May so that was an added expense. DD had outgrown last years clothes so needed a lot spent on her-ended up spending approx £140 but I got some very good deals in a sports shop where they were doing a 70% off deal so got branded t shirts for £2.99 and £4 each.plus the same sorts of value on everything else. Hopefully it will do her for next year also though as she is now 15 and has started filling out so is at the end of the growth spurt. So-June will be a tight month but I think I will manage it! Just have to add on the "excluded" extras now!

Brighton_belle

Am I the only saddo indoors de-cluttering?:rotfl:

Making huge progress though and being ruthless. I shall be glad when it is out of the house so no last minute change of minds...

Oh, and am very exciting, have finally found the right bike and just ordered it:j:j. It's a dutch hybrid -so got the 'sit up and beg' position I needed, designed for people like me with joint problems, but sacrificed some of the beauty of the dutch bike for half the cost. Should arrive Tues:D. ..last week I got a very unexpected urgent request to help out a large institution for a day at 20 mins notice. Won't go into more details, but they paid me enough (I did save their bacon) to buy this bike - honestly there is no way anything like that has happened to me before. Life is good:D.

HH62

Spent £8 last night on a bottle of wine and a few bits of food but overall I had a very good week. Today is NS.
Roll on 1st June and a fresh start.