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

Frugaldom

Hi guys, thanks for the link, looks like I can catch the programme rerun on Channel 5 Sunday lunchtime

Friend and I had hoped to do a bit of frugal island hopping up the west coast, think I mentioned it on here early last year, but then I had DD's wedding to save for since then, so plans for most things got aborted. It's still something I plan on doing one day, though, and it's only a few weeks until the wedding.

Frugalicious wedding bargains - DD wanted a double hoop crinoline style underskirt for under her dress and shop wanted £85 for that plus £140 for the tiara she liked, so I found her near identical items elsewhere. The tiara is gorgeous and underskirt has just arrived. Now I have a BIG problem and need some HELP please. I stupidly took said underskirt out of the bag to see what it was like but umm, err, ehhhh.... don't know how to make a huge snowpeaked mountain of hoopy underskirt fit back inside a tiny plastic bag. It just kind of sprang to life as soon as I removed the packaging. I've had to kind of twist it just to make it fit into a bin bag now, instead of the neat little pack it arrived in... anyone got any ideas before DD has to have it delivered in a black bag?? :rotfl:(I hope I warned you all that I'm a walking disaster? :cool:)

savingfortravel

[DH passed an important test yesterday, so we are chuffed to pieces. Very tired though too as DH had to go to the city. DS and I went along for the ride (and Ikea!). I would have bought a cot but DH says it's too early. We had a good look round though. I didn't manage to get a nap (even in the car as I had to navigate), so I felt very ill by the time I got back. Am still in bed now but will get up in a minute. Feel a lot better this morning.

Like to read everyone's news and I nod along, or grimace as the occasion demands. Have a lovely day all of you.[/QUOTE]


Glad you feel better Whitewing.
SF-How are you today? You sounded a bit down.
sft

ps-I am doing lots of important trip jobs but allowed to post between them.

Brighton_belle

sft -you haven't been going off topic - it's all frugal living related:D. And to be honest, I love your regular posts and am going to miss you lots while you are away. As for bails going off for 8 months (inserts wimpering smilie..). On the plus side - it will be great when your both back (and doubly fantastic that bails has good health once more to go off on her longed for jaunt and that makes me very happy):T:T

Hope you were able to pick up the meds this morning cw and that dd/dgds feel better soon.
I have a list of tasks today I would like to see some progress on. Starting with menu planning for the rest of July as I'm struggling abit with cookig energy at the mo and being more organised helps me. OH is off on a dragonnfly course today, and I must make a card for a wedding I am going to tomorrow.

Talking of wildlife photography bails - did you see the giraffe disection prog on Monday? - stunning design and I have all the more respect for them now.
Rest up whitewing

bails

Brighton_belle wrote: »

sft -you haven't been going off topic - it's all frugal living related:D. And to be honest, I love your regular posts and am going to miss you lots while you are away. As for bails going off for 8 months (inserts wimpering smilie..). On the plus side - it will be great when your both back (and doubly fantastic that bails has good health once more to go off on her longed for jaunt and that makes me very happy):T:T

Aah BB, you made me cry :smileyheaI will miss you and everyone else too but am hoping to keep in touch when I can on here and definitely on my blog (the one I haven't set up yet ).
OH's dragonfly course sounds v interesting :TI didn't see the giraffe programme but have a couple of hours to myself tonight so will catch up :T
Whitewing, lovely to hear from you and glad you're feeling a bit better today. Congratulations on DH passing the test!
Nyk, I can't believe it's only a few weeks til the wedding now! Hope all the preparations are going well, aside from the underskirt :rotfl:I'm afraid I haven't got a clue how to help with that one, I'd probably fight with it for half an hour then break it! :eek:
SFT, you have the same priorities as us :T As you know we've been living on a small joint income (student loan and IB) and people are often amazed at how we manage to get our trips in, but we spend very little on anything because these things are so important to us. Great news about your mortgage decrease :T

Right, I have been containing myself up to this point but...I just have to share this with you, fellow cottage dreamers! :j Please feel free to skip this bit anyone...

At the end of my dog walk this morning (having done jobs on the way) I decided to try and find the land boundary for the cottage to see how big the garden was. Cue me, Bear Grylls styley, crawling on hands and knees through the woods in search of a path to the other side of the valley where the cottage is :rotfl:The dog thought I was mad but we had great fun and eventually came to the boundary, marked by a completely disused and overgrown tarmac path. Seriously, this place is amazing!! The 'garden' literally forms part of the woodland and it's an absolute children's (and adults) paradise! Think rope swings, building dens, imaginary adventures... I walked a few hundred yards through the woods and stumbled upon a stream flowing into several running pools, magical. The developer's idea for the garden is to clear it completely :eek: but with thought you could make it practical and retain the woodland element of it. It's very steep and not massive (he said 40 or 50ft yesterday) but being able to walk straight out into woodland is priceless :jThe best bit? I practically skipped home and rang OH immediately, who laughed lovingly at my gabbling and suggested we go and see it together! I LOVE THAT MAN!! Of course we don't remotely have the 250k price tag:eek: (you see the £1382 in the Dream Pot... )...yet....

cw18

whitewing wrote: »

CW - does DS drink normal cow's milk? We buy 2 litre plastic containers of milk from the supermarket and freeze them as they are. Literally put them straight in the freezer when we get home (upright).

Yes he does, but I don't have any freezer space that would take it upright (unless I bought the horribly expensive 1pt containers) as I don't have a chest freezer (none of my drawers are deep enough )

GD now has her meds, and DD has a top-up on her asthma inhalers (I could hear her wheezing on the phone, and she said she was using more than normal - so I told her to ask for 'spares' while she was talking to GP about GD).

Also bobbed into Mr A. Picked up £32.02 worth of groceries for DD, £12 worth of non-grocery items for me (blank DVDs and plastic sleeves, so I can save off the crafting demos I've been recording on my f/view box - got a pack of 50, so they should last me aaggggeeess!) DS came with me as he had a birthday cheque to bank (so did that while I was at GP and pharmacy) and wanted new footwear (which he gets from Mr A). Also managed to spend about £10 of food, but a couple of quid of that was paid for by DS as it was 'luxury' stuff he wanted/fancied.

When we dropped of DD's food we then had to go back out and top up her gas card - she'd let it run out completely again :eek:

Brighton_belle

LOL bails - you're incorrigible, in the best possible sense:D

This wedding tomorrow is going to cost me a fortune...
clothes - wearing what I already own: check
present - mosiac made with broken crockery and pot I was about to give away to charity shop: check
card - just made one: check
travel costs: £3 return bus fare:eek::rotfl:
simples.

Just having a quick rest from a bit of food shopping. The I need to hand wash a few things so dry for tomorrow and and sand shelves I want to paint while watching Tour de France this afternoon from 2pm

This weeks forum of the week is a cracker: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1807759

blueberrypie

cw18 wrote: »

Yes he does, but I don't have any freezer space that would take it upright (unless I bought the horribly expensive 1pt containers) as I don't have a chest freezer (none of my drawers are deep enough )

Can you remove a drawer so that the one below it has more height?

bails

CW, I freeze my milk lying down in the big containers and it's fine.
BB, now I really think you should rein things in a bit, your extravagance is unsettling me:p ps I can't quite see which is the best possible definition of incorrigible...:D

Off to look at that link...

Brighton_belle

bails wrote: »

BB, now I really think you should rein things in a bit, your extravagance is unsettling me:p ps I can't quite see which is the best possible definition of incorrigible...:D

Off to look at that link...

'persistant' and 'incureable' for starters?

CW I also freeze my plastic containers lying down with absolutely no problem ever. We defrost standing up in a large tupperware thingy.

cw18

blueberrypie wrote: »

Can you remove a drawer so that the one below it has more height?

Unfortunatley not - they all have fixed 'grills' between them.

bails wrote: »

CW, I freeze my milk lying down in the big containers and it's fine.

Have thought about trying it, but not totally convinced. I used to freeze milk when it came in the tetra pack style containers, but have yet to bring myself to try the plastic bottles for fear of it splitting and going everywhere I just remember the tetra ones "ballooning" which worries me




ETA: That thread is hysterical :rotfl: Think I may have to print out a couple of copies (wonders how much the ink and paper would cost to do so) and tape them up (more cost :eek: ) in my kichen and craft room