Live on £4,000 for a year - 2009, Part 3

cha97michelle

Hello everyone

I suddenly realised i hadn't been here in a while and when i looked it was early in July. Oops. I've been truly awful at recording my spends during that time, and now i slap myself on the wrist and i am heading back to rejoin the bandwagon.

Healthwise, i am slowly dragging myself back to normal. I've had the councelling and still taking the high dose meds, but i am getting there. I have made my decision about work - i will be needing to be here more often i think. Did a budget that would leave about £500 per month for food/toiletries/entertainment/presents and the likes, but as soon as i worked that out, i realised that my decision was a lot easier and i suddenly felt a lot more normal.

While i have been away, we have spent about £600 putting a 3.6m square decking in the back garden outside the patio doors. It is brilliant. The kids go out by themselves on the decking to play, and feel like they have a lot of freedom. It feels like we are on our holidays every time we eat out there or sit out.

We also cashed in DH's ISAs that were really poorly paid and used it to pay £17k off our mortgage. This has reduced our mortgage payment from £432 per month to £191, and made my decision a possibility.

I have been using my time fairly well and been cooking a glut of courgettes from the garden, and also potatoes and runner beans. Other stuff is taking a while to develop. I am also thinking of applying for an allotment once i find out more about it.

We are going to have one last non-frugal weekend this weekend. DH's parents have offered to babysit overnight while we go to a wedding. We have booked ourselves into a hotel but checked around for the best deal and as we are not having a proper holiday we are looking on it as that. My outfit was a bargain though. I bought a dress from Costco that was £15. I discovered it was too small and hoped to slim into it, but then realised that was silly so exchanged it. Got a refund for £15.51, and replaced the dress now on sale at £12. Planning on wearing the dress for the wedding and 2 christenings in September. I put the £3 difference in a holiday savings tin, and put 50p in a ride at the supermarket as the kids were being angels that day.

Enough waffle for one night. I have missed reading what you guys have been up to, so i will be trying to pop in more regularly again.

Michelle x

sophiesmum_2

So glad you hve posted michelle, I was wondering how you were doing, had even checked your blog but you hadn't posted since you started the decking.Glad you are feeling better and able to make the right decisions for your health and family, well done reducing the mortgage too:T:T
Now we just need an update from whitewing xx

whitewing

Hello!

DH and I have been away for a few days (Devon), and had loads to do before then, and lots of catching up after.

Been a bad spender. I have just ordered a dishwasher. Free delivery and fitting, but not really a bargain. Just a luxury.

Have our first scan next week. DH is excited.

Anyway, another busy day ahead so I shall write more at the weekend.

Hardup_Hester

Morning all
Sorry for the confusion, yes DGK is Dear Grandkids. I've decided to pay any extra money I earn into an old bank account I have, so yesterday I paid in everything that was left from the day out at the farm park, I shall try to add to it & then have something put aside for Christmas, well that's the theory, but I won't know til first week of term exactly how much my wages will drop by.
Hester.

tryingtodobetter

Good Morning Everyone

We had a fantastic time camping (got back monday) the boys loved the freedom that being on a farm brings.

4K challenge wise this week has been excellent, I did a car boot sale on wednesday that made a £120 profit :j:j £30 of that was one big item the rest was all bits and bobs. That money has been put into the christmas fund , so only a little extra needed now.

A friend has given me a load of runner beans and courgettes so I need to do something with them. The runner beans I think I am just going to blanche and put in the freezer but not sure what to do with the courgettes.

I joined virginb1ng@ last night as I found out they do free scratchcards as well. I went through quidco and managed to win £14 playing through my £5.

Hope everyone has a great day

TTDB.x.

Blairweech

Michelle - Have you seen this thread? Some good ideas about frugal things to do at a weekend. Glad you are feeling better and that you are able to make things works out for you - especially knocking all that money off your mortgage.

I have a fairly frugal weekend planned - no work :j - OH is taking me out to dinner tonight, then we are meeting my Mum at Castle Drogo tomorrow, then Saturday night/Sunday I have to myself _party_ so plan on sorting out my living room shelves, making a chilli and doing some Ebay listings.

cw18

Think it's the GC challenge thread that has a recipe for courgette cake from Mrs M? Will see if I can find it for you and come back with the link

Back..... It's a "tea bread" rather than a cake, but the recipe is here I haven't tried it as I don't like courgette, but a number of people have mentioned it recently as they've been using up their crops

cw18

Michelle - glad you've felt able to make a decision on your future
Sounds like the decking is being well used...... unlike my garden furniture We've just not had weather you really want to sit out in since I bought it :rolleyes2


Whitewing - scan time already!!!! Hope you and DH enjoy seeing baby - I loved my scans, but seeing DD's (I went with her for at least one) was just as much fun.

cha97michelle

Thanks guys for making me feel missed and welcoming me so strongly back into your warm embrace.

I have been on the internet a lot in the last month just not in a useful way, i.e. sitting playing games on facebook rather than reading things to give me ideas/doing surveys etc. I'm totally addicted, particularly to an egg collecting one and my farm. Oops. At least it is sort of free. :rolleyes:

Plans for today. Done one washload already. I need to wash the kids bedding and have a good tidy up of the house before the ILs stop over by themselves on Saturday. They were here last weekend and noticed we weren't up to our usual standards of clean, no problem, but i don't want them to feel they have to clean to help us.

We have been really good this week and i had a cathartic sort through the boxes of school stuff and managed to persuade myself i could part with 2 large recycling bags worth. The men have been round already to take it so no looking back now. We also had a good prune in the garden filling ours and nextdoors green bins, and DH painted the fence. 1st time we have done it in the 5 years we lived here.

The sun is just starting to show its face so i had best get that lot out. Mainly DS1's stuff as he went through 7 outfits for his bottom half yesterday through potty training accidents.

Thanks for that link blairweech. Will read through that later.

Bye x

sophiesmum_2

Good morning frunchkins:D
Just having a pootle on here whilst the apples are boiling their pants off for the crab apple jelly to be made today. Already had an early morning coffee with frugal neighbour and been chicken watching through the lounge window for a while:p
Hope you all have a good day:D