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

bails

cw18 wrote: »

But we ARE all secret millionaires.....

We have each other for support through this challenge, and that's worth much more than the money to allow us total freedom of spending (in my eyes anyway) :beer:

Echo that sentiment entirely :T

I'm intrigued too, have you got CW a job as a road use monitor?

boring_beige

You can exchange your coop vouchers for cash in coop food shops. We do it in the store i work at no problem. it's in your terms and conditions booklet, number 5.1.

cw18

Oooooo.... thanks for the info on cashing my vouchers --- will have to go and try that tomorrow, as it will pay for my grocery shopping on Friday (and then some!)

angela110660

lingojingo wrote: »

tomatoes have had flowers for a few days, and just spotted 2 tiny flowers on peppers and the first buds on spuds :rotfl:

Ours are in greenhouse and we have had to break off the tops on a few of them now because we have enough flowers - lower down branches even have tiny toms too.

angela110660

just looked at the beautiful cottage photos and have to say it looks like it could have come off Escape to the Country of some programme like that. Really lovely and you are so lucky.

Blairweech

Hi folks,

Well - got my new external hardrive case and...IT WORKS! ! :j _party_
So now I can go and update my spends! Had 2 NSD so far this week, don't think tomorrow will be one though as I have to buy bread.

SFT - Your cottage is delightful, hope you have many happy years there :beer:

Sorry, I have completely forgotten what everyone else has been saying but hugs, congrats, commiserations where necessary

Other than that, not much challenge-related is going on....

savingfortravel

Its been a beautiful day. Just sat outside the summer house and watched the sunset over the fields with Mr SFT..just beautiful and so relaxing... and of course very MS

Thanks for all your lovely comments about the cottage.

I agree we are very very lucky..keep pinching myself..

sft

Skint_Lynne

Hi, I'm back from my travels again! I had a really nice time catching up with my auntie, the house is gorgeous. You see the Cairngorm Mountains from the front window. I got a bit lost getting there, my sat nav sent me into a field, my auntie was laughing at that, saying she's remote, but not that remote that she's taken residence in the middle of a field!

I got a lovely surprise as well, my cousin appeared, she lives in Aberdeen and made the trip to see me, I hadn't seen her for a long time and she brought her wee baby, he's gorgeous.

So we were up late gassing. This morning my aunt called me to the kitchen to see her daily visitors, about 6 squirrels looking for breakfast, it was lovely to see, so took pictures with my phone. I got away this morning and done the appointments. I heard about my interview, I didn't get the job, but the guy is keeping my CV as he said he was impressed, second place again.:mad:

Never mind, it's all good practice and my turn will come eventually.;)

SFT, your house is really beautiful, it's like a storybook place. You are lucky, but deserve it after working hard for it. I'll have a proper look at your blog tomorrow.

I'm starting my 101 at the beginning of July, but one item is crossed off after visiting my auntie.

Speak later, hugs to all. xx

Frugaldom

Hello

Apologies for late return, I lost track of time whilst out in the garden. My greenhouse tomatoes have tiny tomatoes starting and my biggest pepper plant has a few peppers, but it was a 2008 plant, not 2009. Loads of potatoes flowering, peas flowering and podding (if that's a word?) but still only lettuce, radishes, parsley, mint, lemon balm and coriander being used. I have a few blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries, brambles and apples coming on the bushes, so I may get a couple of pots of jam and a crumble later in the year if I'm lucky.

Regarding the CW conundrum - What many people about here have done is sell up down south, buy for cash up here then work from home. EG - If you sold for £200k and bought for £100k, the interest off the remaining 100k would bring your annual income up to £4,500 - enough for 1 person to live off plus pay Council Tax, assuming there are no debts to be serviced. Amy other money can be made work for you in whatever way best suits your needs. Many just buy more property to let out. 200k could get you 3 houses in some places, there just isn't the income for locals to afford to buy houses and they are being priced out the market by second home owners and the 'buy for cash' types. (No offence meant to anyone, I would sell up 'down south', clear any debt and then buy for cash in a cheaper area if I could, too.)

As far as I am aware, university is free in Scotland, but this may have changed in the recent past. I know students still need to live, but there are bursaries and student loans available to help them manage, plus part time and/or holiday jobs. Learning grants also cover Open University and distance learning, as far as I recall. I am not sure how tuition fees are funded, are they paid for by the Government?

Re the traffic count - we were coming home just as the ferry traffic was heading the opposite direction and I was thinking about SM laughing at me when comparing this area with hers (I think it's mega busy in town here)and then CW saying about all the traffic passing her back fence. En route home today, there were 3 or 4 vehicles on our side of the road and we passed about 20 assorted lorries, buses, motorhomes and cars with caravans heading the opposite direction. That was within a 5 mile stretch and that is what I call busy. Now you know why I hate going into town and why I never venture anywhere near a city if I can help it. Let's just say that the weird chalet house on the side of the main road near us would not survive as a business relying on passing trade. :rotfl:Sorry, CW, my masterplan was to put you off that particular property long enough for me to save enough to buy it for myself and find you something miles from here so I'm not up against cash buyers with loadsamoney if it goes to closing date. :rotfl:

Frugaldom rules! I'm now going for some sort of record for how much I can grow within a 12' x 10' space. At the rate I am going, it could be enough to feed a family for a year. :rotfl:I fitted another 6 tubs onto the patio tonight, so it's gettng quite busy there now.

cw18

:rotfl: Sorry Nyk, but 20 vehicles most definitely does NOT mean it's a busy road. In commuting hours the road behind us grinds to a standstill in one direction and maintains a steady flow the opposite way. I've been known to get off a bus on the opposite side of the road just after 5pm, then have to wait 5 mins (and even more once or twice) just to be able to get across. And it's only 1 lane each way :eek:

Have to admit that I'm one of only a few people I know who feels guilty about pricing people out of an area (or stopping them getting a house). Our last house was ex-council, and I hated buying it even though it had been privately owned for over 10 years before we bought it (probably 'cos I also believe the government was wrong to sell off council properties). Felt much better when we moved out, as we sold it to the Housing Association who had taken the estate over from the council - so it reverted to 'social housing' again.

But I don't think I'd feel as bad about buying a single property in a cheaper area for cash - especially if I then put back into the community, either by providing a service or by doing voluntary work etc.