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

cw18

the_cat wrote: »

Will spend some time playing around with CW's spreadsheet. It's fab (thanks Cheryl) but will need a bit of juggling to fit my finances.

It's very hard to write a 'one size fits all' spreadsheet for this kind of thing :rotfl:

Very much anticipated people needing to tweak it to fit, but if anyone needs a hand then please let me know. Depending on how big a tweak (and how competent you feel you are with Excel) I'll either try and 'talk' you through the changes via e-mail, or adapt a version for you.

And even if I do some tweaks for anyone, I still wouldn't hold them to actually using it !!!! I quite enjoy 'playing' with spreadsheets, and it keeps my IT brain ticking over a bit too

xnatalie81x

It is also NOT cheating of it is your first yr and you had no idea where to start lol. I think i started around 'live on 10k' which then went to 'live on 11k' and has ended with 'live on 13,500k' lol. Next year i have a better idea!!!!!!!! - did mean i have managed to save 3200 where all other yrs i have got into mega debt! Just shows!!!

Next yr am going to reduce to live on 12,350! which is over a 1000 less arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

sophiesmum_2

Brighton_belle wrote: »

today I have rehomed/saved from landfill 8 cushions, 4 artificial plants,3 bin bags of curtains and old bedding, 2 sofas, a pouffe, a coffee table, a tv stand , and a partridge in a pair tree.

:rotfl::rotfl: well done BB:T

I've been doing this for the past week or so with contents of one of oldies flats, nearly all gone now and hardly anything at all gone to landfill
Just grandma's spin dryer later this week and a few more bits and job done
Just about to use lots of my surplus boots stash having a pamper evening for the olds, hand massages, head massages, foot care, facials ,a few bottles of wine, music and chocs. I'm on hands and feet duty ,so after all the rubbing in of lotions my hands will be smooth as a baby's bum :rotfl::rotfl:

savingfortravel

BB-That's amazing..giving away all those things.

We have just rejoined fre*cycle. Going to put lots on. Love giving stuff away.
Also asked for old wood. You never know...

sft

grandma247

SF people regularly ask for wood on ours.

Brighton_belle

thanks peeps: immensly satisfying: took quite a lot of work and a lot of emails to fr33cycle & g*mtree members. I now have the 'bits and bobs' of a 3 bed house (not mine) piled high in my dining room and I have to work my way through that tomorrow and try and convince OH how much we can do without and send off to local charity shop. For a man who keeps 25yrs worth of bank statments WITH envelopes... I have my work cut out:rotfl:.
Hope Mr SM appreciates your baby bottom hands SM:D

SFT - freecycle is great. Occasional time wasters but I've met loads of nice people on it too.
Nyk - I thought of you today when I read an article in the times about a mansion that had a room dedicated purely to gift wrapping presents... I wondered if you had one of them...:D

Meant to say yesterday how wonderful it is to have so many lurkers appear and to hear how much they have got from our thread:T.
Natalie - no it def isns't cheating in your first year when you are getting to grips with your budget - it's all a great learning curve over time.

Mooloo - this lack of ss support really makes me angry, though I guess it is the system that ultimately fails the individuals. It seems to be they are not taking proper care of a little girl by not doing this properly.

xnatalie81x

I have been to collect my goodies from a fantastic freecyc*** - lots of baking stuff!!!! egg poacher, lolly moulds, 4 pyrex dishes a pastry thingie for sweet quiche (yeah im new to this lol) so now i can bake and cook loads at once and do some freezing!!!!!!!! More frugalness coming from this house - tonight as i cooked the chips for our egg, chips and beans night i managed to cook 12 cupcakes and 6 biscuits in the oven at the same time. For someone who has been doing this for 11 mths i sure have a lot to learn

oo and a piping set and some a swivelling cake stand

Blairweech

Well done to everyone getting frugal bargains!!

My day has been not so frugal but....guess what I FINALLY got to post today ? (It took 5 attempts to get it past the PO). But hooray, it is finally in the post, now I just need to hear back and absolute fingers and toes and everything crossed I get my passport back in time for my holiday (28th Jan)

Right, off to make a Spanish omelette. My house is absolutely freesing for some reason, I managed to get it toasty on Saturday and nothing has changed since then

I have done my budget, and it is looking like I will spend £2000 in the first quarter of next year. But I am still very up for it!!

Edit: Nyk - Was going to PM you, but thought I would post here for everyone else instead. I know you mentioned delaying getting a passport in case you were tempted to start jetting off abroad, but after all this trauma, I can honestly advise you getting one soon, before you *need* it. And, if you see one of those great 1p flight sales, it is nice to have it just in case you do fancy a break from it all! The rules for getting a passport are only going to get stricter (which is completely understandable), but once it is done and you are 'in the system', you only have to renew every ten years which is no hassle.
Advice to everyone else: If you do not want to have grey hair at 22, do not leave it until 8 weeks before your holiday to apply for a passport!!

taka

((((hugs)))) Mooloo and anyone else who needs one.

Natalie - Cute pups!

skint_chick wrote: »

Maybe this blog entry will help
http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2009/10/ottoman-howto.html I wish my home looked as good as hers!

Wow... I've just spend aaaages looking at this blog! Thanks for pointing it out! :T I have loads of MDF and need a footstool... dare I try to make the ottoman? :eek: Maybe a project for after Xmas as I'm off work till the 5th Jan... :think: I'd only need to get some foam and borrow an electric drill... I think I have everything else (I'd have it on legs not wheels) ...

You've also reminded me that I should talk to my parents about their old kitchen units. I think they are still in their garage (they are worse than me for hoarding stuff! :rolleyes: :rotfl:) I wonder if there are any units I could kidnap and reuse when I come to do up my bathroom after Xmas? Wall cupboards may work as a shallow enough base unit if I add legs... :think: Even if they don't have something then kitchen (wall?) units may be an affordable enough way to add storage into my bathroom anyway... :think: better than the £2 or 300 odd I've seen for the bathroom shop equivalent! :eek:

Sorry... thinking out loud... :rotfl:

nykmedia wrote: »

I'm not jealous of the partridge in the pear tree, honest. I have pear trees in the garden and there is a partridge around somewhere, I just can't get the wee beggar to sit in a tree. :rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Brighton_belle wrote: »

For a man who keeps 25yrs worth of bank statments WITH envelopes... I have my work cut out:rotfl:.

Ermmmmm no envelopes... but I think I have every statement I have ever been sent. :eek: This and similar helps to explain why my flat needs major decluttering... :rolleyes: :rotfl: Guess what I'm up to this week... Sigh! :rolleyes:

Savvy_sewing

Well I have resigned myself that any funds that I get will be long faught for, and willnot happen soon.!
Meanwhile, I will still see if there is any help out there.
My granddaughter will be cared for, as well as I possibly can, or I will die trying too.
I may be in pain, and I may be tired. But she is happy enough, and is fed and clothed now. Cuddled and loved. She gets to see her Mummy when ever I can, and I am sure that when my daughter gets her bills sorted out, she will be helping me with the Child tax credits. As we do not know how long this is going to take, and it may be sooner rather then later that she goes into this assessment centre, then its not worth transferring the money officially. If you know what I mean.
I have the Healthy start vouchers that she has left. Thats 3 of them, so that will help for the next lot of milk and fresh fruit.
Right now its bedtime for me!