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

slowlyfading

purplevamp wrote: »

sf - I must have missed the cottage news, I'm reading that congrats are in order? :T

Think you mean SFT

purplevamp

slowlyfading wrote: »

Think you mean SFT

Sorry, blonde moment!!

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!!
Cheryl-Sounds like positive news about the buses. Well done!
Nyk-Hope you got out in the garden ok.
PV-Well done on your MS day out tickets

Well we have a latest development in the cottage drama. The Ab bl**dy Nat phoned us today and told us our mortgage wouldn't be ready for another 2 weeks. So I thought around the problem and phoned up the estate agent of the cottage we are buying, asking if we could move in anyway and rent it until the mortgage went in. They told me the vendors' have only just given their tenant notice!! :eek: WHY???? We were packing even before the survey came back - which the vendor held up by not being available for 3 days. Bit bl**dy late to give tenant notice this week isn't it. I'm livid. We will have to spend this weekend moving our stuff into storage and then leave the house on Thursday. Then we will have to move in with friends/family until the tenants out/mortgage is ok.
Honestly!!!

I know things could be worse...but I feel stressed.

sft

skint_chick

taka - can't believe your boss after you've worked so hard - maybe now's the time to get planning for your PhD for next year -bring on Dr Taka

aeb - welcome and congratulations on getting through things and staying strong -your kids must be so proud to have you as their mother. Life can be really tough - I joined this challenge at the lowest point of my life suffering from severe depression and the support from my challenge mates has been amazing - so stick with it and you'll come out the other side stronger and setting a great example for your family

Had a weird week. OH's best mate and wife have been married a month and she announced the other night she's pregnant. Then last night another friend told me the same. Both have been trying for a month:mad: While I'm trying to be happy for them and not burst into tears it seems so unfair. I never thought I would feel like that either and feel guilty about it. Haven't done much else - a couple of mystery shopping jobs lined up for tomorrow and a long gym session - exercise bike and big swim planned:D Got my Clubcard vouchers and because of the double points on petrol we got £5 and a £7 off voucher so saved money on a big shop - have enough for several weeks with only fresh fruit and veg, bread and milk topups.

Good news was I did a comparison quote for my landlords insurance and managed to reduce my policy from £135 a year to £84- £24 cashback through Quidco - £75 saving:j and it's through a subsidiary of the same company with the same level of cover.

ram_murdock

Hey everyone had a very sad week.My friend passed away from cystic fibrosis this week +my great granny also passed away on thursday. As you's can imagine its been an emotional week.

Welcome aeb! This forum is brilliant-i love the support i get here! Good luck!

Budget has gone bad this month but hoping to claw back some of spends. Goin to cinema 2mrw nite with my friends for my bday which i'm really looking forward to-we are also goin out to a restaurant which is offering credit crunch meals at a fiver!

savingfortravel

ram-murdock-You poor thing..losing loved ones xx Hope you enjoy your birthday treat.

feel guilty now about moaning earlier. Sorry everyone.

sft

whitewing

ram_murdock: sorry for your sad news.

sft: we all need to get things off our chest sometimes, and we're all at different stages of life and in different circumstances. Don't feel bad.

I'm making my patchwork blanket. Got some half price wool so am most impressed.

aeb_2

wow! Thank you for all the welcome messages, I knew you were all friendly.

sft - why is moving house always so stressful, let's hope you are in for summer and the stress soon forgotten. I live in the kitchen and two
bedrooms, me and the toddler in one and the other two in the other.

s-mum of 2 - yes, you are right, it is easier to talk to strangers. I left my friends and family 200 miles away and I haven't met many people here yet. I moved here between Christmas and NY intending to start work in Jan, I did one week but none since.

cw18 - I remember reading about your loss and how you had to cope. I hope you are getting back on your feet, you are so lucky to have your grandchildren, I hope your daughter/son appreciates your hard work.

The big things
Our mortgage was insured so that is paid, I pay council tax with the 25% reduction. We used every penny of savings to lessen the mortgage and took out a loan to cover remedial works. I'm paying that back but no work done yet. There is so much to do but I can't think straight to prioritise yet

The little things
potted on some tomatoes - have sewn together big pieces of plastic used in the move to cover the greenhouse frame, there was only about 30% glass
Baked two cakes, two flan cases and jam tarts for the week, with casserole in the oven too. Oven goes on twice a week 1) Friday baking 2)Sunday roast
Hoed up potatoes - just two rows which I planted before I knew I was pregnant. Everything else will have to grow itself for this year.

The house things
I think my 101 things will be for the house.
1. mend windows, I counted 26 with panes with cracks, three with holes, no double glazing. I have to decide whether to fix them or spend the loan money on some double glazing. I have 22 windows, one French door and two doors so no way can I doo them all
2. Heating. Very old partial gas central heating. The loan was intended for buying solar water heating which I would still like to do as it would save in the long run but it seems a luxury at this point, BUT, if I go for the cheaper new gas boiler option I would probably be stuck with that.
3. flooring (for the children) wooden floor boards in all rooms, with gaps! and splinters. I did get a carpet from freecycle for the kitchen which is OK and warm. First I need to replace skirting boards, but to do that plaster, but before that, wiring and so on.................

This is the problem, I need to go right back to the basics to get started but I can't seem to make decisions and get it sorted.

so only 98 to go:j:j:j

Sorry for waffling on

cha97michelle

Good evening everyone.

Haven't managed to post for a few days but have read.

aeb a big welcome. Everyone has said what i would in such a lovely way i don't think i could say it better. What a rollercoaster for you. I hope it is all good from here.

ram murdoc my condolences to you too.

SFT try to relax - these things are sent to try us. Would have been good to move then i guess because of half term and stuff, but at least it is still happening.

Not a lot happening here. I am feeling really ill and had to have today off work as my voice was playing up, and i can barely hear. I think my major problem is exhaustion, so i have done a few pottery bits like a load of washing and emailed work about some stuff, but basically sat on my bum all day to recover. I must be shattered as DS2 was awake at 4:30 this morning and i didn't even hear him. Totally unlike me.

Anyway, i'm feeling a little better now, but i think a quiet weekend is called for.

Quality time with the kids i think. DS1 was funny. He was asking me at bedtime if we could have another baby. As if i'm not busy enough. :rolleyes: I'm hoping to also set off some more seeds and try them on the window sill - i'll attempt tomatoes and peppers again, the only 2 things that haven't worked till now. I will also need to check and see if the stuff we have planted is ok after todays torrential rain. At one point i worried our garden was flooding.

My only other news of the week is my friends baby who was poorly is now out of intensive care, so i am really pleased by that and hoping she is able to take her home soon.

loupy i was also going to say to you, well done on resisting the clothes. My MIL is just the same at picking up stuff for the kids. It works great. I have only bought them shoes and DS1 a sunhat this year so far. It is the essentials like nappies and baby milk that kill me. Hopefully my last tin of baby milk though as i am currently giving him 3oz of formula and topping the bottle up with whole milk. Then my milk bill goes up though, not sure it is much cheaper.

Bedtime here now i think. I'm poopered and DH is out working most of the night so i will need to be up with the kids bright and early. Never changes.

Michelle x

cw18

ram_murdock - thinking of you at this rough time. glad to hear you're going ahead with your birthday outing though


aeb - how old are your children?

mine are 25 (DD - Mum to my GDs who are currently 4 & 5, so they're probably closer in age to your children ), 20 (DS - in the army and based in Germany), and almost 18 (DS - only one at home and still at college, but apparently there's a couple of local Uni's that run the course he wants meaning he can live at home for that as well. he wasn't impressed to be told he'll be applying for loads of grants and then paying his way at home out of them :rolleyes2, but it's that or I downsize :eek: ) If you ever need to vent about the injustice of everything (I know I felt a bit that way), then I'm only at the other end of a PM