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

BigMummaF

cw18 wrote: »

Our dustbin collection didn't happen today, and having checked the council website it appears that all collections are 'suspended as of Monday 21st December' as the snow, then rain, then snow/freeze has made the roads unsafe for the 30 ton wagons. ....It looks like Basingstoke SIZE=1]Hants for peeps with limited geographical savvie like me [/SIZE][SIZE=2 has been hit quite badly--for us dan sarf anyhow Double deckers, emergency services & even the gritter were all stranded....[/SIZE]
the bin from the house at the end of the drive is that full already that the lid won't happily close properly !!! Have they started that business where you are fined if the lid doesn't close? I've seen reports & can't tell you my opinion..it would all come out as !!!! !!!! !!!!!!!!:rotfl:

....And I've also finally been pro-active about the entry road for our estate. It's lethal in weather like this - and a 'lovely' down-hill slide to the main road :eek: I've often moaned (in the almost 8 years we've been here) that it doesn't get gritted, so this evening I've emailed our local councillor asking who I need to contact with regard to getting a 'grit bin' put in place so locals can treat it (I've even offered a piece of my front lawn which is useless for growing anything and accessible to all - as well as being right up close to the top of the slope). I got an email back within 10 mins to say he's forwarded my request to the person who would deal with it, so even if we have to struggle for the rest of this winter we'll hopefully have something in place by next

We could definitely use something like this in our little cul-de-sac; I was watching the cars skidding around yesterday & in reality all they were doing was polishing the surface even more I suppose we are fortunate that we don't get snow & ice like this every year but that also means we're not used to it. Perhaps I'll take a closer look at The Great Escape next time it's on [no hardship for me cuz oi wuv-zit anyhooz :j] & fashion mesen a pair of those longjohns, then I can fill them with salt & empty the legs as I go along :rotfl:

shaz_mum_of__2 wrote: »

....no doubt people buying last minute presents they could get on credit terms. (been there done that)....shaz

No2 had their ESA revoked end of last month & has entered an appeal. A call last week said a benefit payment would go through & be available yesterday so we[ME] ordered something for No2 to give to No3 on Sunday. Then the company can't deliver after all cuz it's been taken over by someone else so it was a mad scramble to find a company that CAN deliver before crimbo Actually it is only £4:95 next day delivery so not as bad as it sounds & would have been totally avoided if the benefits system had been a little quicker letting us know what was going on. On second thoughts...No2 is renowned for being an absolute shambles with money & organising but I would have had more time to [STRIKE]nag[/STRIKE]enquire on their progress

grandma247

BMF (fashion mesen ) are you an absconder from yorkshire? I have only heard that expression there

DH got home around 2am last night so it was not as far as we thought and the traffic was ok.
It keeps snowing heavy here we have had a couple of inches so far. I got to work and back without falling but it was a bit slippy in some places, in fact there was no grit on any pavements until nearly 3/4 of the way there.

My dd1 rang today and she told me something odd is going on. People are spending an unprecedented amount of money at her place. She is a manager at a warehouse,
wholesalers that do all kinds of house and garden products. Kitchens and electrical goods are flying out. They took a months worth of money in one day last week. She thinks it is all going on plastic so next year could be very grim for a lot of people.

savingfortravel

lyndasharp wrote: »

Yep, clearly not awake yet!

I'm looking forward to the walks round there, I do have hiking boots but will have to find some for H2B.

Lynda - I am so thrilled that you're going there! I am a lover of YHAs. Next year we are taking M and D to Blaxhall, Suffolk for a long weekend-paid for entirely by Mr T vouchers. I've also asked for YHA vouchers for birthday/Christmas presents so we can use them to pay for food.*
RobinHoodsBay is definitely on our list next time we venture up north. I've just read up on the hostel. The comments rave about its location and atmosphere (aided by drinks licence-means that you can’t take your own sadly).

Wondered if you could request to be in the annex as the rooms there are particularly nice. *Apparently the food portions are huge so you may consider buying hostel meals-apparently the hostel is down a steep lane. You may want to find out what that means for parking. If you can take your own food-maybe non-perishables like cereal/soups/baked beans/jams/pasta/tuna/pasta sauce. Looking forward to hearing all about your visit.

My news-Quidco money came through. So £20 for food fund! Just stockpiled all our washing liquid for next year too-so made a further saving of £11.88. Going to put stockpile savings and grocery savings in a money jar I was given for a wedding present (works along same idea as sealed pot as you have to break it to empty it).


sft

lyndasharp

savingfortravel wrote: »

Lynda - I am so thrilled that you're going there! I am a lover of YHAs. Next year we are taking M and D to Blaxhall, Suffolk for a long weekend-paid for entirely by Mr T vouchers. I've also asked for YHA vouchers for birthday/Christmas presents so we can use them to pay for food.*
RobinHoodsBay is definitely on our list next time we venture up north. I've just read up on the hostel. The comments rave about its location and atmosphere (aided by drinks licence-means that you can’t take your own sadly).

Wondered if you could request to be in the annex as the rooms there are particularly nice. *Apparently the food portions are huge so you may consider buying hostel meals-apparently the hostel is down a steep lane. You may want to find out what that means for parking. If you can take your own food-maybe non-perishables like cereal/soups/baked beans/jams/pasta/tuna/pasta sauce. Looking forward to hearing all about your visit.



sft

Hope you enjoy Suffolk! If it was a bit later in the year I think we might have gone for Norfolk / Suffolk area, but I wasn't sure if there would be much open at the seaside in mid March. Maybe in 2011...

It sounds like there's a 1/4 mile walk from the car park to the hostel, so we'll be packing light... definitely going for the hostel's breakfast option, and we might just eat their food in the evening unless we're out somewhere else. We have so far done reasonably well in our requests from relatives for money for the honeymoon, so would feel guilty if we didn't spend most of it on things during our trip!

shaz_mum_of__2

If the hostel is at the bottom of the hill and the carpark at the top i would pack very lightly ........the last time we were ther a chap was pushing a pushchair up the hill and he was nearly horisontal it is really steep but theres a nice coffee/ice cream shop with a view of the bay at the top(but no loo!!)

i really must investigate clubcard deals better i appear to be missing out(i generally get my mag subscriptions with them)

Frugaldom

Hi guys, sorry not to have posted today but have now read all the posts, sp please assume appropriate responses to all

SFT, you must have missed all the posts about where we now are, but I have linked to it from post one and have a cunning plan.... I've changed the title of the new challenge thread in that obscure forum and it now reads as an INTRO to the 2010 challenge. I'll then create a new thread here in DFW diaries so we're all back in the same place. I don't like disagreeing with the forum guides and will accept any decision they see fit to make, but I still can't see how we aren't an old style challenge.

I have been so busy today! :rotfl: We decided to 'decorate' SM's front garden frugal festive fashion while she's not here... :rotfl:



Who said we couldn't play in the neighbours' garden while they're away? :rotfl:

Hope everyone is managing to keep ahead of the game during this cold snap and getting organised for the holidays.

Just checked my cashback and have now broken through the £400 mark since signing up! :j Household insurance showing cashback of £70.70 with their Christmas bonus so I am really hoping that clears pending status soon and gets upgraded to 'confirmed'.

Finished making the cards and have the home produce ready to go out complimented with a few duck eggs, as my ducks are back to laying every day! Better still, this morning I found a blue egg in the hen house, so it would be great to get half a dozen of them to add into a hamper.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

Hi all.
I put my name down for the living on 4 grand a year stuff for 2009 . It started Ok but then a few things went pear shaped (not just financial stuff) and I stopped recording my spreadsheet. The truth is that I don't know how much my living costs were this year. What I do know is that I did manage to cut back on my lifestyle in a very big way. I have done quite a few things to reduce my outgoings and can do more yet. I have managed to reduce my debt level but I'm about to be clobbered by a large (uncalculated) tax bill. This was for money earned well over a year ago so needs to be added to my 1/1/2009 start total when it has been calculated.

Anyway, I would like to join up for 2010 if there is another 4 grand challenge starting soon. In the space of a year, I have changed many bad lifelong habits re money. I feel more ready for the 4 grand challenge now as those changes are a bit more consolidated if that makes any sense.
So is there a 4 grand (or similar) challenge for 2010?

cw18

Sign-up thread for 2010 is here

Optimisticpair

nykmedia wrote: »

SFT, you must have missed all the posts about where we now are, but I have linked to it from post one and have a cunning plan.... I've changed the title of the new challenge thread in that obscure forum and it now reads as an INTRO to the 2010 challenge. I'll then create a new thread here in DFW diaries so we're all back in the same place.

I'm completely lost as I have been too busy to get on here for weeks. We are game for continuing in 2010.

Savvy_sewing

Hello, glad that in the end I had my Mr A order, and hadnt reduced it, as DS is quite ill and may still be at home for Christmas, also the Christmas Hamper that the SW had promised to Twin1/for us, did not arrive.
I left a message last night telling them that they have done nothing but let us down. We do not have a christmas pudding or a christmas cake, or any "sweets" but we do have some shortbread biscuits, and some cookies. So thats special for us.
I realise that the weather could be playing a part in it, but a phone call to any of us, she has 4 telephone numbers to contact us on, just to say, sorry we are not going to get them out. THats all it would have taken. A Sorry, not coming call.
After all the ups and downs of the last month, I suppose I should not be surprised.
£20 is all I had from SS to help with fuel on the first week!. Nothing since, no stairgate as promised, silch!.
I just thank people on here/and my thread who have offered me help, kindness and some have even sent us some funds which have kept us afloat.
NSD yesterday. But have to go and get DS some medicine today. He really is not well.
Must brave the weather, leave the village, if the road is passable, n go to collect Twin1 so she can be here with her daughter for christmas.