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

bails

nykmedia wrote: »

or else just didn't think at all. :rotfl:

It was this one :rolleyes::rotfl:

As for the shoes, I wouldn't have a clue what designer is either, they just looked like posh shoes to me :rotfl:

Your day sounds exhausting CW, take it easy today.

Just had a woman parked practically on our drive for ages - I'm assuming she was looking at the house, just hope she wasn't casing ths joint as she's not a very good burglar!
Right, I have just taken a couple of photos of the dog and am off to see if I can track down that dratted lead....no promises! Hmm, will have to wait til OH gets up, no joy so far.

BTW, anyone who plays TAB free scratchcard - for several weeks now it keeps deducting the amount I'm about to win from my balance then adding it back in ie I win nothing! Is this happening to anyone else? Surely that's not legal? I'm going to email them but just wondered what others thought first?

savingfortravel

Hi All!
Nyk-Thanks! Great advice as always.
BB-Badgers cakes looked delicious too!
Bails-I also rarely disagree with Mr SFT. However we have had a few tense moments about money. I am very MS and he is now but I had to show him the benefits before he truly converted. Half of the cost of going to Central America was paid for by last year's grocery challenge savings and when we are away I will remind him (and myself) that we one of us came for free. I am slightly worried about the financial aspect as we will be away for about a month. When he was in charge of our finances in New Zealand we were eating out quite a bit so I asked to look at the accounts. That's when I realised we weren't going to have enough money left if we continued to spend in such a way. So I took control and we self catered in Youth Hostels for most of the remaining time...I would rather eat a basic meal, with a supermarket bought NZ sauvignon blanc (still delicious) and afford to see Yellow Eyed Penguins.. or sail down the Milford Sound. So I want to be in control this time. We have to pay for all of our meals so there will be a budget and I hope he doesn't find that restricting but I may splash out and even use CC if there is a once in a lifetime wildlife/cultural experience..that would be money well spent.

Years ago (I was about 17) I was in a Youth Hostel in Florence and in my dorm was an older lady (prob about my age now :rotfl:)and she had this big leather book open on her lap. I asked her about it and she said it was the accounts for her and her boyfriend's trip around Europe. They wrote down EVERY penny (Lira?) they spent...She wasn't one of your relations was she CW?

But seriously that's what you have to do... and take a CC just in case.

Anyway we are off for a lovely morning's walk. Neighbour has just given us an enormous cucumber and offered us eggs from his hens for 70p for 6 (in our local supermarket you would pay at least £1.40 ish). We are joining the local gardening club and his wife is the chairman (you should see their garden it is remarkable for produce, hens and cottage borders..stunning). We asked them over for a drink tomorrow night..would be nice to be social like that (and pick their brains a bit).

See you all later.

sft

Brighton_belle

Blairwich - that is very exciting: well done for taking that first step. So often that is the hardest one and things will snow ball from there:T.

CW - take things extra easy with your back for this week: I'm sure i don't need to tell you to go OTT in cautiousness for abit just to be safe, but sometimes it is good to hear someone else tell you that to confirm your own instincts.
Thanks for the praise Nyk:D. I felt ridiculously happy that our inspiring leader thought I'd dun good:D. I've just written down your projected budget from post one so I can compare like for like with my spends so far later today, just for interest.

I can comfirm that bails's attic bedroom is waaayy lovelier than the photo: lots of cosy sloping ceilings; a very romantic little space reached by a super set of wooden stairs.

I have discovered that uber cheap @sd@ deoderant (34p) does not work sufficiently well in this heat so will have to pay a bit more:rolleyes:. The crystal rock thingies don't work very efficiently on me either whic is a shame as they are a brilliant solution otherwise.

I've signed up to our freecycle cafe where you can skill swop a bit and I've asked for help to sort out my bike and someone is very kindly coming round this weekend (in exchange for some HM cakes) so hopefully I can finally get going on it.
I've been trying to get rid of a portable tv for a month now on freecyclewith no takers. Yesterday someone asked for one so got in quick and they've just collected - so another thing gone.
I felt very frazzled yesterday but today is cooler and I had a restful night so feel refreshed and hope to continue the declutter and box sorting in our front room, with regular breaks on here...

SkintLynne - forgot to say woohoo for fixing that shower: it feels incredible empowering when you achieve something like that doesn't it:T

MrDT

Nyk, 4.5 litres of white grape wine has already been bottled, it should really be left alone for a good 6 months before drinking... We'll probably drink it next month :rotfl:

cw18

savingfortravel wrote: »

They wrote down EVERY penny (Lira?) they spent...She wasn't one of your relations was she CW?

:rotfl: not to my knowledge

And the only time I've been to Florence (as part of the tour and stay we did for our honeymoon back in Aug/Sep 1992) was loooooong before I'd have even considered keeping records :rolleyes2




ETA: As for my back, I've often find a good (but gentle) walk helps ease things off - so I've just been 'round town' for a good slow meander. Will see how it feels in a couple of hours before deciding whether or not to start on my meds Had a nosey in a few shops while out, and spent very little - but am tempted to move some money into my current account and go back out for a big (non-challenge) splurge :eek:

I picked up some more 'doggy bags', as a local cheapy shop had a couple of boxes in - and my normal supplier hasn't had any for months (getting very short of these, so a much needed purchase). Also picked up some (very cheap, so probably won't last long - but hopefully long enough for something I'm wanting to try out) hand tools for the garden.

But I nipped into F0cus to check the prices of 'proper' tools, and they have the most stunning table and chairs set for the garden. Was originally £350, has been reduced to £180, and is now £150 - plus another £35 for the parasol I liked and another £5 for a parasol base :eek: They have 2 huge piles of the flat-pack boxes left, so I'm going to think about it this afternoon/evening - and may go down tomorrow for a set (just not sure the box for the table will fit in my car )

The table and chairs are here if anyone want a nosey - and any views on wooden furtniture in a south facing garden would be most appreciated They had a couple of other sets that I quite liked, but one had a glass topped table - not convinced with my GDs around, plus it'll surely heat up in the sun? - and the other was a 'rattan' type thing that looked as if the chairs would eventually (not sure how long though) go brittle in the sun? One thing I did like about the wooden set is that the chairs fold, so they can be put away at night without a lot of hard work -- and even the table looks easy enough to flatten away for winter storage.

I don't currently have any garden furniture, but am wondering whether (with a decent parasol) this would encourage me to sit outside when my GDs are out there playing..... not that there's much of this school term left, and heaven only knows what the weather will be like when they go back in September. I do know that elder DS is likely to use something like that a lot if the weather's nice when he's home - and he's due back for 3 (possibly 4) weeks in August !!!

bails

Finally - sorry it's taken me SOOO long peeps - hope they're worth the wait!

In a bit of a hurry before PC dies so hope they work, bit of a rush job!

Off for viewings now then organising ourselves for a car boot tomorrow, back later, have a great day!

cw18

I can't see the pics

All I get is a message that says

This content is currently unavailable

The page you requested cannot be displayed at the moment. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.

Blairweech

Well, I have just spent half an hour making up a new spreadsheet - in an attempt to get my grocery spend down, I thought I needed to scrutinize my budget in minutae detail So, I made a spreadsheet with catagories for 'Fruit and Veg', 'Meat' etc so I can see exactly where every penny goes
So far, I have spent £25 on Meat :eek:

taka

Bails - I got the same message as CW :confused:

CW - that set looks very like my parents ones only they have a octagonal table and 4 chairs without arms. They have lasted 11+ years and counting though they look a wee bit sorry for themselves now - a wee bit faded. They've hardly been oiled (once or twice in total instead of the once or twice a year they should have been done (I think?) to help reseal the wood and protect it :rolleyes:) and left outside for ~ 8 months of the year on a sheltered south facing patio. I think oiling them would have helped no end and they'd look loads better if they had been! :rolleyes: Their table is pretty heavy though it folds down very well. The chairs are sturdy enough to sit on without worrying about them collapsing under my weight. :rotfl: You may want to invest in some cusions for them though as the slats aren't the comfiest for a long sit in the garden...

cw18

Taka - thanks for the feedback on the furniture They do a have a bottle of oil strategically placed on the set (£2.49 a bottle - but I guess I have time to shop around for that :rolleyes2 ), and the boxes say to treat once a year.

As to cushions (thanks for the confirmation it is advisable to have these), I have a few in the house I bought for a cheap kitchen dining table and chairs set (which isn't in use) but not enough - but will shop around before spending what F0cus want for theirs :eek: