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

cw18

nykmedia wrote: »

Well now you're just showing off! My mobile can't even take photos. Mind you, my mobile can't even make calls or texts from where I live! :rotfl::rotfl:

Won't be accessing it from my mobile after August though !!! My package (that I can't get out of until then) includes Internet access - which is why I went for it. Meant I could catch up on various forums on the bus to/from work, giving me more time at home to do the essentials and keep and eye of DH when he was ill

BigMummaF

Brighton_belle wrote: »

It's always reassuring to hear others with a similar problem. To be honest, I've tried ever possible approach [over the last 3 years] [in my case, most of a lifetime!No2 offspring to be exact....] ....so lovely to be with in every other respect but just has a complete block. I don't think anyone can suggest anything I haven't tried 10 times. We are slowly slowly making progress, but I don't always have the energy to force change where I can and urge it, where I can't.[I can write that too]
It is hard to understand when the solution would be very simple, ....just can't take the practical action/effort required. But we are moving in the right direction.[Just when I think we've had a :idea: there's a power cut in the next 30seconds :wall:]
......
EDIT: sft - take the birds eye view - glide on the thermal and look down: 3 weeks in a life span of 80 years is nothing. It is disappointing but time will fly by and be an insignificant memory.[What a lovely way to look at Life..I shall remember this always. Thank You]

No2 offspring has always been challenging...I almost gave birth in the car park of the dairy we had milk deliveries from Since as my little bundle of "joy" made an appearance, nothing has ever been right--a crying baby is soothed by cuddles right? Nope! Didn't want to be left in the cot but didn't want to cradled...want to have fun but won't join in...loves surprises but wants to know exactly what will be happening when...wants all the latest gadgets & gizmoes but refuses to stop wasting what little money comes in Every payday is the same, going out with mates for a burger & such, then scrounging money off the rest of us till next time....not a good place to be at when you're quickly approaching 27!I know we should stop handing over the cash...easier said than done tho...but I do try to be strong
I've just read back & realised how many times I've typed "want". Perhaps I'll leave this page open 'by accident' for a while in the hopes a certain someone will also see "want" is not the same as "need" altho inclemency & water-fowl spring to mind :mad:

As to the challenge itself, I'm keeping more detailed spreadsheets to see exactly where my weaknesses are [apart from afore-mentioned sprog] & the anticipation is growing as we get closer to the next challenge. By then I should have a better view of how spends change throughout the year & be able to make a better informed judgement as to what my goals will be.

I'd just like to quickly say a big Thank You--to all of you--for allowing me to follow your lead & I wish you well for the coming months ahead.

bails

Morning all, caught up! I had in fact read up to SL's post I quoted so knew what was happening up to that point - I didn't trust myself to post so had to stay away :rotfl:I agree completely with Nyk that the written word can be very misleading and having looked at other posts realised it was a general tone and therefore best avoided (a new strategy to save my energy for the important things ).

I too love that way of looking at things BB - we've talked about it before and it's a lovely way to keep perspective. SFT, aeb's 17 weeks with MiL :eek: makes my story pale into insignificance but we've also had a similar problem - 2 days before completion the seller raised their price by 16k and we had already moved in (long story) :mad::mad: so we then had to move out immediately and spend 3 weeks in my brother's house. It will pass soon enough I promise xxx

Good luck with your scan today aeb, I really hope all is well and you can be excited. In other pregnancy news.....




















I had a dream last night I did a test and it was positive, which meant I was 8 months pregnant trekking home across Mongolia :rotfl:

Frugaldom

:eek: Bails! Don't jest like that - what if it wasn't a dream and you just forgot you'd done the test? :eek: I remember being forgetful when I was pregnant and my memory has never recovered to this day. In fact, it's getting worse by the minute - what are we discussing?:rotfl::rotfl:

On an even scarier note - condolences to BigMummaF - I can't even begin to imagine my DS still being here at 27, far less having to sub him money, but perhaps I have a bit o' the Glesga in me an' aw, an a wuid ma heid hae him hame at that age! He'd be oot oan eez lug an fendin fur himsel or hae a swift fit up the bahookie tae git him oan eez wae! :rotfl::rotfl:

Now to the serious stuff - I just tallied up my utilities spending to include fuel for heating and, to date, I have spent almost £700 of my budget on that, alone. I seem to recall comparing prices and saying that it would soon cost more to heat than to eat... and my grocery budget proves that this is already the case. Who is in charge of this stuff? the Government? My suggestion is to take every one of the money-grabbing, expense fiddling so-and-sos and make them exist on minimum wage for a full year and show us how they'd do it! :mad::mad::mad:

One more question - what do they do with the smoke that they must surely have to remove from smokeless fuel? :rotfl::D

cw18

Not long back from school -- the Teaching Assistant was back (it's her FIL in hospital not her Dad, and her DH is there with all his family so she prefers to keep to as normal a routine as possible), but the normal Parent Helper had cried off for some reason. Class teacher said they could manage the one down, but I was more than welcome to stay if I wanted - so I did. And I didn't seem to stop all morning..... neither did the teacher, nor either of the TAs, and we have a work placement lass in there just now too !!!

But I did remember to take money and pick up the newspaper on my way out for my GDs this morning :T Unfortunately DD spotted it in the car, and also spied the £5 off a Mr M spend emblazoned across the front off it - so I think she's twigged why I've offered to do her shopping for her

andromache_2

nykmedia wrote: »

He'd be oot oan eez lug an fendin fur himsel or hae a swift fit up the bahookie tae git him oan eez wae! :rotfl::rotfl:

I LOVE this word, I'm so going to start to use it even if it gets me some odd looks :rotfl:

Thanks for all your comments bails, nyk, blairweech, lingojingo and lilac_lady... I'm doing my best to focus on uni work and I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I had an exam nightmare yesterday (you know the kind of thing... all the questions were on coloured paper stuck together which I couldn't read, I was writing with a pencil which kept breaking, I couldn't remember any cases, someone had taken my desk :eek:) which definitely pushed me into getting some work done! I've done a lot of soul-searching and I've realised I was settling for a relationship which was 'good' but not 'great' if that makes sense... there were just too many little things wrong and we have slightly different outlooks on what we want out of life. I'm only 20, so I've got plenty of time to look for 'great'. (I really think the new guy might be 'great' ... watch this space.) It's a shame it's all so messy but I'm doing my best to do what's right and cause as little hurt as possible, so hopefully with time it will all settle.

taka

andromache wrote: »

I LOVE this word, I'm so going to start to use it even if it gets me some odd looks :rotfl:

Bahookie - I love it too (and use it!) It somehow feels much more expressive (especially the chhhhhh sound (like in the scots way of pronouncing loch) eg Bahoochhhhhhhie) than the rather boring scots word "doup" (pronounced daowp).

Good luck with your exams and I hope your lovelife isn't too messy. Great guy sounds... well great!

Skint_Lynne

andromache wrote: »

I LOVE this word, I'm so going to start to use it even if it gets me some odd looks :rotfl:

Thanks for all your comments bails, nyk, blairweech, lingojingo and lilac_lady... I'm doing my best to focus on uni work and I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I had an exam nightmare yesterday (you know the kind of thing... all the questions were on coloured paper stuck together which I couldn't read, I was writing with a pencil which kept breaking, I couldn't remember any cases, someone had taken my desk :eek:) which definitely pushed me into getting some work done! I've done a lot of soul-searching and I've realised I was settling for a relationship which was 'good' but not 'great' if that makes sense... there were just too many little things wrong and we have slightly different outlooks on what we want out of life. I'm only 20, so I've got plenty of time to look for 'great'. (I really think the new guy might be 'great' ... watch this space.) It's a shame it's all so messy but I'm doing my best to do what's right and cause as little hurt as possible, so hopefully with time it will all settle.

It's the right thing to focus on your studies, it's just a shame that sometimes in life we have to wade through a sea of s**t to get to the other side. You will be okay wee pal. xx

A good real life friend of mine is going through a really bad time just now, her thing of a husband is doing the dirty on her and will not admit it. He's left home and everything, and they have a wee boy. The poor thing was sobbing her heart out on the phone last night, it made me feel so bad. I told her the same as you, and that made her laugh.

You are in a different situation altogether, you are young and not married, in fact, you would be doing your current boyfriend an injustice if you just settled for 'good'. He will meet the right person for him later on as well, just wait and see. You might be doing both of you a big favour.;)

lingojingo

andromache wrote: »

I LOVE this word, I'm so going to start to use it even if it gets me some odd looks :rotfl: Me too!

I had an exam nightmare yesterday (you know the kind of thing... all the questions were on coloured paper stuck together which I couldn't read, I was writing with a pencil which kept breaking, I couldn't remember any cases, someone had taken my desk :eek:)

Reminds me of the nightmare I had, zillions of years ago, just before my nursing finals. I dreamt I was really well prepared, in fact I knew everything they could possibly ask, but when I opened the paper it was all written in Chinese :rotfl:
I passed, so perhaps it's a good omen.

It's really wet and windy here, and I got a lift home rather than my usual walk up through the village and past the shops, so no chance of spending anything today

savingfortravel

Hi Everyone!
Felt a bit better today. 17 days and counting! (sorry Nyk, put 3 exclamations marks there, just deleted 2). :rotfl:

Michelle-Sounds like you've had a hell of a time at school. I am also full of admiration for how you do it all. Glad you're better.
aeb-How did the scan go?
Nyk-Hope you'll be able to help with our fuel ideas when we move into the cottage.
CW18-Wish you'd come and help at my school. I love help and my children love maths...you could play lots of MS counting games with them.
Bails-What a bizarre dream.

My reoccuring nightmare is that I've lost my job at school..happened when Mr SFT had been made redundant so I found the owner of the school and made her promise that she had no plans for me.

sft