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

DFrancis_3

I am very frugal, but living on that much will be a challenge.

Brighton_belle

Thanks SF - i do think if people can afford to eat very well in an expensive restaurant, then adding a tip is fine. Though I do query how employers running an expensive restaurant get away with paying their staff so little. Where I think it gets silly is if we treat ourselves to a tea and cake - and that's a big treat for us, that we are somehow expected to tip the person who carries it the 5 paces from the counter to our table. My OH is 50 and doing a job for which they require a degree and is on minimum wage and spends his day helping the public. There is no question of him being tipped.
Thanks blueberry - you are of course right, which is why it is bit bizarre now. Anyway - I don't mean to go off topic, but it was a genuine query from as a low income frugaller as to the rules and history because it does make me uneasy and I'd much rather it was all upfront.

I'm rather pleased with my last batch of flapjack, as I subbed 50g of oats with 50g of left over at the bottom of the pkt weetabix I've been collecting and you wouldn't know the difference.

slowlyfading

BB - i understand that getting tea and a cake and tipping may be a bit over the top - i wouldn't tip in a cafe, but would in a restaurant. lol its nice to hear what other people think on the issue! and your flapjacks sound yummy, have you got a pic of them I can drool at?

patchwork_cat

I always find tipping a minefield. My mum always said if your hairdresser owns the salon you don't tip. I therefore don't tip my hairdresser, but feel awkward not doing it. Also if I pay by card sometimes I don't have any cash (my purse is raided for spare cash for bus fares and a drink by the kids regularly). I have electrolysis every 4 weeks or so and since they put up the price I can't afford to tip. I do tip her at Christmas though - although I think she said she got commission on customers so that would be OK wouldn't it. ( I probably ought to tip her as she probably thinks I am a mean cow)

shaz_mum_of__2

I don't mind tipping the waiter if i know they get it and they did a good job........i have worked in places where tips were not always shared properly ................when you go on a cruise you are asked to tip once to the bursar and these tips are shared amongst all the crew(seen and unseen.supposedly ) but i prefer to tip where its justified and because I want to not because its expected or i was asked too

Shazx

thriftylass

I once went to the seperate dining/function room in a really posh restaurant and we paid the usual 10% tip with the bill. We ended up there again a year later but this time asked the waiter (foreign and prob on min wage), who did a really good job over the hours we were there, where the tips go and he said the manager only. So we tipped him directly and told him to share it with the staff and just paid the balance of the bill without a tip. The way he reacted and acted afterwards we did the right thing. In bigger posh places we keep doing it that way now.

slowlyfading

I bought a lottery ticket for the Euromillions on friday (i do it online) and i just checked today and won £5.40! :rotfl: cant give up the day job yet

Blairweech

Better than a kick in the teeth SF, congrats

I had a NSD today, hooray. However, I did have to throw away some food - I made lemon chilli chicken, which sounded nice but was actually horrible (and its not often that I find something so horrible I have to chuck it out). I managed about 2/3 of it, so not too bad I spose.

Edit: I am considering going to the Bath and West Show this year, but at £17 a ticket plus £5.50 for the programme, it is not exactly frugal. Has anyone been and can tell me what its like please? Will I find it inspirational to a would be smallholder?

Pips_Mum

Oh dear I did something VERY blonde and baby brained and forgot we were on a new thread, kept looking at old one thinking not much was happening!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Anyhoo, Ive found you all now!!:j

I am still finding it really hard to keep my spends and totals up to date, and look after a 4 month old baby, but I am still sticking with it and determined to do so. OK so it might not be as accurate as I would have hoped but hey ho.

Will try and catch up on the thread now.

x x x x

thriftylass

I lost my sign up money from one Bingo site yesterday plus it didn't give cashback , it's the one that lets you play free bingo so I thought I try it out, but you never win ....... But today I signed up to another one, deposited £10, will hopefully get £15 cashback and I won £32. Yipee so I made hopefully £27. I should really stop doing this, luckily I used all the ones that go through a cashback site which should stop me now (and I came out with a positive balance) :rotfl: