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

Blairweech

Morning folks,

Hope everyone is not too hungover this morning!

I had a great Christmas, was lovely to spend time with my family. OH did not make it due to the weather, but he is coming over Sunday (working today :eek:), so still got him to see!

Recieved The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency, The Self Sufficientish Bible, and Surviving and Thriving on the Land for Christmas. All fantastic books, and all covering very different needs. I am particularly pleased with the Surving and Thriving book, as it deals with things which seem to to be slight grey areas such as actually making money from your holding, managing family etc etc.

Plans for today include doing a bit of online sale shopping :rolleyes:, sorting out next years budget and generally eating and lazing around. VTaped a couple of films yesterday which I might watch, and maybe go for a walk later. Hope you all have a nice chilled out Boxing Day.

cw18

Blairweech wrote: »

Plans for today include doing a bit of online sale shopping :rolleyes:

I'm hoping to stay away from the sales this year.....

I have more than enough of most things - including a head start on presents for 2010, as I decided I'd bought too much for everyone and have held back some of those I bought for 2009 to use in 2010 (Means I have some budget shifting to do, as I included presents bought in 2008 in my 2009 spends, so those I'm holding back need deducting from 2009 and including against 2010 instead!)

The only thing I need is a decent (warm & waterproof) coat, but I have cheque for Christmas from my parents that I plan to use for that. I had seriously considered using it for crafting stash, but that's definitely a 'want' not a 'need', so decided it has to be used for a coat instead...... I'll almost certainly get another cheque from them next month (my birthday), so will either use that towards a better coat (if needed) or splurge that on 'wants'

Frugaldom

Good morning

Hope everyone has had a fantastic time I spent all last night wrapped up in my new '$lanket' watching TV, munching on choccies and having quick flicks through an assortment of books, including the Marguerite Patten 'Jams, Preserves & Chutneys Handbook'. :j Going to do much of the same today, I think, as it's frozen solid outside and we've just had an almighty downpour of rain & hail over the top of it. SM - BRING PLENTY OF SALT WITH YOU! :rotfl:

I think most of the rellies have now grasped the fact that we like to keep warm here, as we've been well 'fleeced' this Christmas. Even DS has claimed one, and I've also got a lovely new bed throw for extra heat. Last night I was sweltered! :rotfl:

Not long before 2010 challenge starts, but my signature is up to date before I go surfing for bargains in the Boxing Day sales.
:beer: Good luck to all bargain hunters!

BigMummaF

Morning All & Yuletide Salutations
The only thing I'd be sale-hunting for is prezzies for next year so altho it would be nice to get a head start, there's nothing imperative pending
We had a glorious day & only one real argument when one wanted to go back & forth collecting various friends; oft repeated & will probably continue to be so.
I have to say tho, that I have an amazing family :A They all chipped in & got the various components to service my car :j Spark plugs were cunningly concealed inside loo roll innerds &--weather permitting--the lovely mechanic will find the time before returning to paid employ in the NY. As No2 said to me muvva, I am probably the only mum who was thrilled to receive an air filter yesterday
Perhaps the Frugaldom Manifesto is reaching further than I thought :T

grandma247

BMF I love that kind of pressie

I went out the door this morning and ended up on my back. There was water sitting on top of the ice. I ended up walking in the road.

I now have 13 jars of turkey, 11 jars of mince beef, a jar of chicken cubes 7 jars of ham cut various ways and a jar of turkey cubes (from the freezer not the fresh ones we got on Thursday).
We also had one of the turkey legs yesterday. There is now a couple of gallons of stock in the pan. I left it cooking overnight.

cw18

I've just spent the last 3.5 hours (:eek:) digging out the drive !!! I can't claim I was digging out the car, as the snow/ice didn't go very far up the tyres - but the drive had turned into sheer ice, and I could have done with finding my ice-skates before trying to go up and down it :rolleyes2

It's now clear from the kerb to my car - which I reckon is a distance of about 20 metres, but our side of the road is still sheer ice meaning I'll have to be careful as I come off the drive. Still going to be tricky getting back in though, as I normally go a touch further up the drive and then reverse into my spot.... may have to pull in forwards and then risk backing out next time I want to use the car, but not sure I'm much keener on that idea

shaz_mum_of__2

Wow Grandma you have been busy!


Cheryl shame about the weather

Hope everyone had a great day yesterday ,having a lazy day here playing with my new dehydrator got carrots onions and parsnips drying and prepping some fruit for tomorrow........including a fruit leather or 2

Cannot wait to play with the sausage maker but no meat or skins so will have to wait a bit longer

Just had my second xmas dinner with all the leftovers from yesterday and having a buffet style tea later and watching tales from green valley/victorian farm DVD that hubby bought me

My DS girlfriend bought me a beautiful m and s hamper of food wine and smelly goodies so thoughtful and home made too guess she has got to know me quite well

Better go i want to watch the rag nymph on ITV3 i think its the only Catherine Cookson TV adaptation i havent seen

DdraigGoch

well done on the clearing out, Cheryl. Is your car front or rear drive? If it's rear drive then backing out could be a real problem .... fingers crossed for you.

I'm browsing the sales with an eye towards stocking up for the entire of next year! Any presents/bits n bobs/essentials we might need through 2010 might well end up here sooner than we thought. Only problems I can forsee immediately are a] where do we store it? b] what if I/we change our preferences ..... oh, what to do? what to do?

cw18

DdraigGoch wrote: »

well done on the clearing out, Cheryl. Is your car front or rear drive? If it's rear drive then backing out could be a real problem .... fingers crossed for you.

It's one of the two :rotfl:

DS reckons it's front wheel, but I'm honestly not convinced (Fi@t Punt0)


ETA: A quick G00gle leads me to think DS might be right

DdraigGoch

I'm wondering, in a very MSE manner, if it would be better to stock up my pantry/present cupboard now, in the sales, or wait until we need something? I've a chunk of money put aside specifically for this purpose - what would you do, why and with what provisos/precautions/warning/thought? Thanks in advance for any advice/opinions.