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

ceridwen

grandma247 wrote: »

An interesting article on the effects of the recession in America here

Where's the clap hand to head smilie when you need it? Oh boy....those journalists just dont get it yet do they?

....ceridwen goes off vowing to "zip her mouth shut for once" as I'm both a babyboomer and I know a leetle bit (not a lot:D) about Peak Oil.

BeHAVE...ceridwen....beHAVE.....:cool:. Wheres a smilie with set of handcuffs round wrists and gag across mouth when one needs one......?:cool:

Aint that just the way it was Grandma? - a lot of people have been busy imitating ostriches for some years now?

....now I'll go off and behave myself and see what my "leftovers lunch" turns out like that I've got cooking away now in the oven...

grandma247

many people have been spoiled by easy credit for years so they are not going to cope well especially if there are no pay rises. My dh is earning about the same as he was about 12 years ago just a different job. Only when he works overtime does it go over that.
The pension we have is not going to be very much now. But on the plus side if we can get this mortgage paid off within the next couple of years it will not be so bad and there will be a little time to put some money aside. It was this site that finally convinced me it was possible.
We are not quite babyboomers but with all the things we have learned and put into practice dh should not have to carry on working unless he wants to which I doubt.

Savvy_sewing

Gosh, has taken me 2 hours to catch up. Dont know when I will be back on, as my computer died on christmas eve. Am borrowing one at the moment. While my daughter is taking DGD out for the bread and milk etc. We are currently visiting her. Waiting to collect DD, twin2 and her BF from his families house. So am iddling the time away in a bit of MSE. Missed the computer!
Christmas was practically cancelled, DGD got to open her presents, but on christmas eve she and her mum were ill, and on Christmas day I was. so we didnt have the planned meal. Infact it all went a bit pearshaped!.

DGD did have lots of presents to open though, as Social Services did send out some toys for her, and with the things I and my family had got her, it made up for Mum not having got her anything. (Apparantly no money).
I have had several nospend days as i havent been out. Also must be the only person to have lost over half a stone plus in weight over the festive season!.
Still, the food is mostly still there to be used for the newyear.If we are all eating again.
I shall be tweeking and fine tuning my budget on paper, as the computer is DEAD as a DODO. so dont know when I will be on again. But when I have saved up to get the thing fixed I will be back. Meanwhile its when I can knab someoneelses computer to get on.
2010 has got to be a better year!.

Frugaldom

Hi guys, had a quick read at the US article and wrote a screed in response. On reading it back, I deleted it all and put away my recycled soap box. :rotfl:In conclusion, my solution to all financial problems is, 'the less I spend, the more I can afford' and THAT, my frugal friends, shall be my signature motto for 2010.

bails

Good motto Nyk!

Parts 1 and 2 of the Flight Challenge complete - about £45 spent on bags, felt stuff, stationery etc and another £86 this evening on jewellery. OH's mum is holding a Nepali evening for her friends so he had the great idea of leaving the jewellery there for them to browse and see if they want to buy anything :T

Tomorrow, I'm off back to town again for the next installment - I'm doing pretty well considering I really don't like shopping! All for a good cause though, that helps

Sorry to hear about the osteoarthritis SFT x

Go to dash as OH needs some TLC x

looby-loo_2

Belated Merry Christmas and I'd better say Happy New Year as I may forget that also. Hugs to Bails and Bails OH.

I've not been to the shops since Christmas Eve and even then resisted shopping for bargains - the time was better spent at home for me this year.

I set myself a personal challenge of not throwing any food away. I am normally quite good but occasionally get caught out. Usually this is because I have a meal plan in my head but then OH looks in the fridge and because nothing jumps up and bites his nose he panics that he wont be getting his meat quota and buys a bag full of meat on his way home. Anyway, whilst on holiday I'm in charge so most meals planned.
So far I have only thrown away one orange which turned green oven night - I could smell it when I came down this morning. Everything else has been recycled (rechauffe in the old days??) into new and delicious meals for six.

My extravagance this year was a free range organic turkey from the farm which cost me £41. It was more solid and meaty and hardly any gloopy fat came from it, the dripping is rock hard and will be used to make pastry soon. It served 8 on Christmas Day, 6 on Boxing Day, 4 rounds of sandwiches midday on Sunday and bones boiled for 10 soups servings Sunday evening, 6 meals tonight as a fricase plus 5 more portions in the freezer, probably topped to make a pie. So, altogether that is 25 dinners 14 snacks.

I wondered what everyone used from their garden. I cooked potatoes, sprouts and carrots on Christmas Day and made stuffing using sage and onions. On Boxing Day pickled onions, pickled beetroot, fresh red pepper and chili, apple sauce with the pork and 5 soft fruits in the triffle. I'd love to hear of other ideas so I can plan for next year.
PS - We ALL had a try to dig up the parsnips but they were just too frozen into the ground and we didn't want to risk the fork, spade or our backs being injured, so no parsnips!:rotfl:

sophiesmum_2

All that home produce sounds great looby, well done:T:T:T, and the turkey worked out at good value for organic too

Lol at the parsnips though:rotfl:

bails

ARGGHHHH! I am so sad and angry and frustrated here - it is puppy season and people keep dumping litters on the street :mad: Someone has literally just put a box of them down outside the internet cafe :mad::mad: If I'd seen them I'd have told them! I know life is hard here and animals are lower down the scale but then DON'T GET A DOG YOU CAN'T AFFORD AND DON'T LET IT HAVE PUPPIES!!! Argghhhhhh! It is SO incredibly hard to watch...
*goes off to see what I can do*

bails

Oh great, I've just got home to find that the company has cancelled our flights, no explanation whatsoever!! :mad: It's an impossible time of year to find flights back to the UK anyway, and now the cheapest ones I can find are up to £827.21 :eek::eek: I really can't afford this

Frugaldom

bails wrote: »

Oh great, I've just got home to find that the company has cancelled our flights, no explanation whatsoever!! :mad: It's an impossible time of year to find flights back to the UK anyway, and now the cheapest ones I can find are up to £827.21 :eek::eek: I really can't afford this

Can you demand an explanation, will there be an automatic refund and can you fly home via anywhere else? Life will always throw obstacles in the way but you'll get over/around then somehow, even if you have to dig deep to get to the bottom of things and then start climbing back up out of the hole.

Re the dogs, perhaps the majority of people there aren't even aware of how to avoid indiscriminate dog breeding, please try not to get too wound up, there is far worse going on in many countries than just a few abandoned pups. Harsh but true, there's not a lot that you can do about it.