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

Skint_Lynne

nykmedia wrote: »

G'morning frugallers

SFT, my fingers are crossed for your survey to be acceptable and well done with the mortgage payment! That's excellent news!

BB, hope the migraine goes soon and lets you get back to normality. Well done on the cake baking, I'll bet everyone loved it and the greatest value would be in seeing your dad enjoy his birthday.

SL :eek: Sparks flying, burning arm, ruined blouse... I hope you are alright. I had no idea sparks could fly from gas cookers or lighters or things but please, please accept my apologies for having to confess to the following - I couldn't help but think of Mrs Doubtfire! :D I hope you're alright and not in too much pain.

Cha, hope your friend's baby recovers quickly from the op, they can be resilient little things, so we'll all think positive thoughts.

Washing is on, sun is shining when it can get a look through the clouds and I'm expecting broody hen's eggs to start hatching anytime. This is another of the frugal rehomed hens but I stuck a couple of extra eggs under her, in the hope of making Mr White a daddy.

Have sold some eggs, house plants and surplus veggie plants, someone is collecting them this afternoon. I'm hoping it will the beginning of a trend and let me start clawing back something towards the set-up costs of Frugaldom garden. Also need to bake a birthday cake and lemon meringe pie for DS's birthdat tea, so that should keep me busy for a while.

Edited in - eggs have started hatching

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Nyk, that's another new nickname for me. So far, I have been called toastie, wee burnie and have been asked when I am starting work in 'flames' tandoori. Now I am Mrs Doubtfire, I wonder what else I'll be called.

Hope the chickadees are doing well. xx

cw18

SL - ouch!! I know one of my hob burners has a habit of 'exploding' beyong the pan if I light it after putting the pan on..... a habit I'm desperately trying to get out of having almost singed clothing a couple of times!! Shall be extra careful now, and I hope you heal up soon

Cha - sending gentle cuddles to the babba. As Nyk says, it's amazing how the wee ones can bounce through some of these things - but it's heartbreaking as a parent (or grand-parent or friend) to hear a new baby is in need of medical treatment.

Nyk - keep us updated of the hatching please I luuurve hearing about your feathered friends, and my GDs love seeing the pics. It's the closest they'll come to following the progress of hatchlings, as my deeds (and DD's lease) prohibit the keeping of any type of livestock

lingojingo

SF, BB, SL and Cha - thinking of you all and hoping everything gets better for you.
SFT - fingers crossed for you.

CW & SM - DD and I went to Didsbury last night as DS's GF had the preview for her first art exhibition, (which was a lovely evening). Not very frugal despite the free wine, what with the train to Manchester, and i can't believe the bus fares in Manchester - Stagecoach on the way £2.20 each :eek: yet coming back on Fingland bus was only £1.20 - how can they have such different prices for the same journey (both after 7pm, so no difference there)? Got home after midnight and feeling very tired now, but so glad we went.

lyndasharp

SL, eek! That sounds like a scary moment! Glad you are mostly OK.

Michelle, hope your friends baby gets better soon.


I can't remember who asked, but here is (hopefully) a photo of the earth oven and the BBQ. I don't think the oven is meant to lean quite like that - should have used mud between the turf blocks like mortar. Still, easy enough to take apart and rebuild if it collapses....



This is where all the turf came from! You can't see it in the photo, but there are tiny bits of potato appearing from the furthest of the veg patches, and tiny carrot seedlings appearing on the second one from the end.

Edit: hooray, the photos worked!

patchwork_cat

SL - Owww. I nearly did that once in my dressing gone the spark travelled up one arm and down the other, but thankfully my dressing gown must have been treated or something because it just travelled and didn't light, but I was seriously scared, so take it easy - are you shaky now?

redglass_2

Rhubarb vodka still brewing up nicely.
SL, take care of that arm of yours....:eek:
Michelle, sorry to hear about your friend's little mite. Fingers crossed for the op.
(((hugs))) and :j as appropriate to other frugallers...
Lynda, I love the picture of the earth oven, how does it work? What can you cook in it?

lilac_lady

We beat ourselves up over trivial matters then something like SL's accident comes along to remind us that our wellbeing is more important than other things.

Burns are sore so be good to yourself SL and take all the help you need. Hope it heals fast.

Blairweech

Oh, SL, :eek: Thank goodness you are alright. Hope your arm gets better asap!

Had a NSD today. I cancelled my Saturday shift, so I have the whooooole weekend to myself. Any frugal ideas for what to do? I am sure there is a good thread about that somewhere on the boards. I was thinking about going to the library on Saturday, and if the weather is nice, maybe just sitting in the park and reading my book. Might treat myself to lunch at the East Gate too :shhh:....then on Sunday, a trip to the carboot. Such potential...:D

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!
SL-OMG!!! Not surprised you're shaken up. LL is absolutely right about it putting things into perspective.
Survey update-What survey?? Survey company have no info about us so we are asking for our money back and going with someone else..13 days to go till we move...:eek:. Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for us.
SFT

cheesedoffwithdebt

HI- I use Excel for keeping an eye on my budget- if you enter a column and your total budget at the top, then next to every amount you withdraw underneath enter a minus sign first, there is an icon at the top at the tool bar like a squiggly E sign- if you scroll up the column and click on that symbol it will keep deducting your spends from your budget- this is probably the worst Excel training session you will ever read but its a wonderful budgetting tool- I do cashflow forecasts on it and all sorts.

I also use the spending diary!!!

Best wishes:T

HH62 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm still here although not managing the challenge. So, I thought about how the first 3 months of 2009 have gone and decided enough is enough. It's the first day of a new month and I'm back and I'm sticking with it.

I use spending diary so I know how much I'm spending but does anyone know how I can keep a runnng total of how much I have left? Would Excel do this? So if I put in my total budget figure for the month, then every time I spend money I note it down and it automatically tells me how much I have left for the month?
Help please