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

bails

Oops, sorry guys no time but will try to sort out later - ooh the suspense! :rotfl:

savingfortravel

Wonderful walk this morning.
Been clearing up in the front garden this afternoon.

Managed to book up some cheapish flights for a trip to France (Dordogne?) during October half term. The Grandparents of a child I teach have a big house out there but only charge per person, to those they know..which is about £100 each for the week/ £120 each for the flights/ £100 each for car hire. Can't wait!! :j

sft

andromache_2

OK, OK, so I'm massively behind the times on this, but, firstly, :T to the new thread and, secondly :j:D:D:D:j to Whitewing's news - I'm SO happy for you :D:D

I'm very busy at the moment doing work experience at a big London law firm. I'm really enjoying the work itself, the people are nice, and think I'd fit in well and be successful in that kind of environment; the only concern is that I'm worried about the hours I'd be expected to do Tricky. I'm not afraid of hard work in and of itself but I worry about the impact on my personal life... Hmmm.

Things with OH are going well though I'm spending more money than I'd like on travel and suchlike to see him. I think I'm also incentivising him to have his LBM... partly because my frugal ways are making him re-evaluate his more spendthrift ones, and partly because he's now putting real thought into the future. I've given him the URL of this site

Love to you all

whitewing

Thank you! (We've just told my family. My brothers were pleased. My parents could hardly bring themselves to say congratulations. A very strange reaction; don't know why. I felt quite insulted on behalf of DH. I'm used to their total lack of enthusiasm for my major life events but sometimes I really wish I had proper middle class parents, who'd start talking about decorating nurseries etc).

Talking of freecycle, we have just been and picked up a rocking chair! The description said that it was lovely for nursing baby, so I had to go for it. I never thought I'd be selected. I'm really pleased with it, although I will have to surgically remove DS from it before I can use it. I think it's beech. How am I best to clean it? (Not that it's particularly dirty, but could do with a scrub up and polish for its new home). A rocking chair is such a luxury to me.

I am pleased too about Blairweech's open day, and that Mr DT has popped in lately and love the sound of bails' attic rooms, and all the vegetable growing and elderflower stuff and travelling, and everything. You are all wonderful. We wouldn't be where we are in life without you guys.

savingfortravel

Very quiet on here this morning?
Had a bit of rain here last night but I didn't hear it. Back to blue skies this morning although there are some white fluffy clouds in the sky. Sitting in our little conservatory with budgie. He's been sleeping here and we've been woken up at 4.20am each morning as he tries to join in with the dawn chorus.
Yesterday we sorted out all the cupboards-when we moved in tins and jars were going in all directions. That meant we could meal plan until we leave for Panama. Just about got enough in apart from usual bread and milk (just as well as we've only got £16 left in our food budget).
We've also started to think about other aspects of our trip like clothes and travel insurance (anyone recommend any good deals at the moment?-worldwide, more that 30 days, up to 2 million).

Today I need to print out some good luck certs for my class. We hope to fit in a little walk and neighbours are coming round for a cup of tea. Mr SFT is off to the pub with his mates tonight...which means he has used the car this weekend but I haven't ! (one of my 101). :j

Have a great day all.

sft

lingojingo

First tomato has appeared overnight! Funny how excited I am by one tiny thing, it's the size of a cherry and very green :rotfl:
Also got some tiny flowers on some of the peppers, and the potatoes are all in flower - how long before we can harvest them?

Frugaldom

Good morning I slept in this morning, didn't get outside until 7.30am, so you can imagine the din from my geathered friends! :rolleyes: (Sorry, SM, hope you didn't want a lie in.)

Anyway, all caught up with now - s loads of washing done and out, updated online, had coffee and now about to head back outside. Hope everyone has a great day.

Whitewing, your parents are probably just concerned about you, possibly they hadn't really considered the possibility of your having another baby as something that you'd pursue and are just a bit shocked by it? The news will slowly sink in and they'll, hopefully, be just the same grand parents to the next one as they already are to your DS. I hope you are looking after yourself, please take care for at least the first 12 weeks. I'm not sure of your age but with a 12 year gap between babies, remember you won't be as fit or supple as you used to be and you don't want to risk anything happening after trying for so long to make this happen. Look after yourself and don't get stressed out by other people's reactions. It's your choice and your future, make the most of it whilst you can make those choices. How is MIL taking the news? (Fingers crossed she's over the moon about it all, especially if it's her first grandchild )

Lingojingo you need to wait until after the flowers have died off and the leaves & stems begin to wilt on the potatoes. Sorry, nae tatties the noo. :rotfl:

Brighton_belle

whitewing - my parents would have been the same. They've never been sentimental about babies, as they are too aware of the hard work and the potential strain of relationships and also would have been worried about my health, especially as an 'older' mum. But for their 4 grandsons (not mine obviously) they did have, once each actually arrived they were and still are fabulous grandparents. They were able to trot out the congratulaions bit to dau -in- laws, but because I'm their daughter and know how they really feel, they wouldn't have done the pretending stuff for me.

I appreciate the sense of disappointment though. If my OH ever proposes, I know their response is going to be sooo low key, even though they think he's the bees knees. As for OH's mother... I've already placed a bet on her first response being "ooh aren't you brave" (as in, "with so many divorces around now adays"):eek::D

We have a baby seagull in a next very close to our new bedroom window. It makes a lot of noise, especially early in the morning (high pitched sqwark every 9 seconds til it bores into your brain). It's not exciting as they are 500 a penny down here. It'll be about a month before it leaves the nest. Still, all par for the course if you choose to live by the sea.

A day to myself today as OH is off saving the planet with vol conservation work. I think I'll paint a book shelf today. This evening, off to a local club to an open mike shortstory telling.

EDIT: ooh, do you think in 5 more posts I might become a Fantastically fervant moneysaving super fan!

Skint_Lynne

Morning everyone,

My visitors have been and gone, they're off to catch the boat, it takes around 2 hours to get to Stranrear from here, the boat is at 2.40, so they've plenty of time.

The wee fella has come on so much, it's been a year since I saw him. He has mild autism and doesn't talk very well, but he is soooo bright. He found an old scaletrix I had in here that I bought for DH one year, he had it all wired up in no time. He's only 7 and done that all himself.

They were at the 'walking with dinosaurs' show yesterday and had a fab time. It isnt on in Norn Ire, probably because of the cost of getting all the lorries onto the boat.

I am going to have a lazy day today, I've got some washing in the machine and will get it on the line soon hopefully.

BB, you're right about the shower, I was all proud of myself. The next thing I'm going to fix is my tumble drier, the thermostat has gone so I'll try that myself too. I think I can buy the part online, so I'll look into that. I don't use my drier very much but it is handy if I need something quick if DH is going back to work.

Hugs to everyone, have a great day.

savingfortravel

Whitewing-My parents worry about me all the time and if I made an annoucement would behave exactly the same. I think it's to do with them being war children and working very hard all their lives and babies cost alot of money. And their generation is more reserved as they were brought up by Edwardians who didn't show their emotions so freely. Once they get used to the idea they will be ok and certainly when they see the baby- I bet you and OH won't get a look in!
How did the rest of your family take the news. I bet they were delighted. x sft

Skint Lynne-You should hire out your services.

BB-Oh how lovely. Baby seagulls! Would love a photo of those!