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

Savvy_sewing

I have spent 2 hours catching up on here!.
Unfortunately the link to the free book, tempted me to purchase a couple of the KathKidson books too!! Oops. But I am creating etc for christmas so hopefully I will get a lot of ideas and influensces from them, when they arrive.

I also down loaded the ebook, grandma, as I thought that that would be good for reading with the grandchildren.

I am still spending on impulse too much, but I have noticed that on some occassions I am now saying, no thats too expensive, or no, I dont really need it. Its just when it comes to sewing things I am too tempted.!
Problem is I am on here so long, when I could be doing the creating!! Oops, better not top up my own thread,and get sewing!.

FrankieM

I've done my first day on cash only.
While I agree that as long as you pay off your balance in full then credit cards are fine, I'm finding that I'm spending without thinking about whether I have the money for item. I'm just spending without thinking!
I'm hoping that using cash will make me consider my purchases.

I went to Tesco today and did a smallish shop. I spent £58, but £10 of that was for 3 chickens. I have worked out that I have £135 per week, gosh it goes quickly! My DS needs some new clothes so we will be going into town on Saturday. He also has a couple of birthday presents to buy for a party he's going to. I'm hoping that I can get everything with whats left. Thankfully I don't need fuel this week!
Watching the cash leave your hand really focuses the mind!

thriftylass

Hello,

so here are finally my numbers for October.
I spent a total of £551. It was actually more but some of the money spent on going to Glasgow quite often and then the funeral has been taken out of my savings (hope that's not cheating, but it was money we planned on spending on a holiday anyway, which now obviously didn't happen)

The £551 went on:
Bills £80 (including £30 for leccy which is quite good for this time of year)
Food+hh £137
Other £335 (mum's birthday, Glasgow, craft etc)

So all is not lost yet for my budget as I have £961 left in total (~£300 for food and household) if I stick to my 7k budget.

This year had loads of ups and downs but I'm so glad to be part of this little community as I got so much support and help here ( I even missed you guys when I was away for a wee while recently- sounds cheesy but it's true). So a BIG THANK YOU to all of you. Hopefully the skills I learnt during this first year of taking part here will enable me to do even better next year.

Blairweech

Hi all,

CW - Congratulations on your new job

I did catch up, but instantly forgot what has been said :mad:

Had a lovely time, although public transport is something I do not enjoy. So cramped, and I am a small person

Not updated my spends yet, will try in a minute, although I only bought lunch twice, the train ticket and 2 poppies I think (lost the first one)

Going to Weston Super Mare with Mum and brother tomorrow, won't that be fun? :rolleyes:

FrankieM

Morning everyone,
I'm hoping if I post on here it will keep me on the straight and narrow.

My son has decided he likes getting up at 6am and he wants me to wake him up, so that's when my alarm has been going off. I'm quite enjoying it but I need to use the time a bit better I think. At the moment its used for web browsing and tea drinking!
I've decided to get back on the Mystery Shopping and Bingo rollercoaster and to also try to get some kind of part time job. I've applied for a Foundation Course that starts in Jan but I've not heard anything back yet.
I'm going for a no spend day today, wish me luck.

Hope you all have a good day.

slowlyfading

Have a good day everyone aiming for my 4th NSD! x

mollymunchkin

CW Congratulations on getting your job. Regarding breaks I believe that the European Working Time Directive states that employees must have a 20 minute break after working for 6 hours. And breaks are not usully paid.

HTH you working out your hours.

2NDTIMEROUNDER

Goodmorning everyone. Sorry for disappearing, mum is still in Intensive Care and I dont know whether I have been coming or going during the past three weeks. I was in the Army for two years and I always said that that period had prepared me for almost anything in this life but I was totally wrong.

You have not been tested to the core though unless your mother lies helpless on a hospital bed in a coma for almost 15 days, all family around her at 2 in the morning waiting for the inevitable due to severe hepatic failure and then it does not happen. And doctors look surprised because this is not meant to happen to a frail woman of 70. But I knew that her fighting spirit would carry her through. And boy it did! Within two days her liver kicked back and was back to normal and she has managed to come out of the coma three days ago :j:j:j:jbut sadly only her brain is functioning properly.

She is paralysed from the neck downwards but with very intensive physiotherapy there is a slight hope that she will be able to walk again. She has since told me that the only thing that made her fight for it was me talking to her when she was comatose. Actually I would close the door of the room and really shout in her ear things I knew would make her not give up. So SOPHIESMUM you were absolutely right and for that I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I always thought it would help her, talking to her, but doctors and nurses were dismissive because her situation was critical. When I read your comment that hearing is the last thing that fades I kept at it for many hours at a time, because I knew you had experience with working with older people.

Of course now we face new challenges as a family regarding Mum s future care but at least she is alive and past the danger. I even managed to make her choke with laughter yesterday when I was cleaning her face, which made me really happy seeing her laugh again after all the drama of the last weeks.:D

I wish to thank you once again for the good wishes and positive thoughts and prayers that you have sent our way for many days. All of you, each and every one!:T:TI HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THESE THINGS HELP IN THESE SITUATIONS and I am grateful to you people. THANK YOU. I have not managed to read past page 15 so apologies if something was mentioned and I am not aware of it. I will try to do it tonight, my first sleep at home in 22 days.:o

On the financial front I had to spend a lot of money on car rental, fuel, mobile phone credit, food, personal care etc as I was away from home for many days. Overall at least 1500 Pounds but I am not complaining, it was an emergency.I will cut corners with my 2010 budget and pay it back. I took the money from my House Fund as I didnt want to pay by credit card. It is at these type of circumstances that you are made aware of the need to have some savings aside and a long term future plan regarding retirement. I am even more stubborn in my belief that I am making the right choices since January this year regaring money, downsizing lifestyle and frugal living.

Have a good and healthy day everyone and be kind to your friends and family always. Life is way too short for petty things

Apologies for huge post.:o:o

sophiesmum_2

2TR, thanks so much for posting about your mum, and I am really happy that she has turned a corner:j. Your post has really cheered me up as I am going through some personal stuff at the moment which is a bit of a worry, but you have just made my day:D:D:D:D:D:D
Money does not come ino the equation when it is one of your loved ones that needs support, but it is times like these when it is comforting to know you have the security of savings behind you.
Your mum sounds like a fighter and I am sure she will work hard to recover whatever movement she is able to. i hope you can have a bit of a rest yourself now the worst of the worry is over, your mum is lucky to have someone like you in her life:A

FrankieM

2TR, I wanted to just post my best wishes to you. What a stressful time to be going through. It reminds me afresh what's important.
xxx