FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE 2010, part 1. (Living on £4,000 a year)

Thriftkitten

Feeling rather chuffed with myself after recent failiures with the breadmaker and yeast issues, I tried a "Delia" bread recipe BY HAND may I add, Ohh yea!!! it actually came out fantastic.Yippppeeee only wish I could post a pic to show you all but cant see a way to do that here.

NualaBuala

Nessa56 wrote: »

Nice list LYNZPOWER

I would love to grow potatoes but they look a bit difficult ( I love potatoes, must be the irish in me me thinks:rotfl:

:rotfl:Yep, we love our spuds all right! To prove the point I'm having HM wedges for dinner with a a bit of lasagne I remembered to take out of the freezer.

danielley wrote: »

Good afternoon and thank goodness it's Friday fellow Frunchkins

Bit of a random one; does anyone else find the freecycle website really slow and sluggish?

Yes! I've found it really slow lately. I find it even slower when I'm logged in - really annoying as I'm clearing out under the stairs and keep popping on to try to list things I find! I've noticed there are a lot of posts since Christmas, maybe it's just that time of year and their servers are a bit busy?

Thriftkitten wrote: »

Feeling rather chuffed with myself after recent failiures with the breadmaker and yeast issues, I tried a "Delia" bread recipe BY HAND may I add, Ohh yea!!! it actually came out fantastic.Yippppeeee only wish I could post a pic to show you all but cant see a way to do that here.

Well done! Mmm, would love some HM bread now with lashings of butter.

lynzpower

Nessa56 wrote: »

Nice list LYNZPOWER

I would love to grow potatoes but they look a bit difficult ( I love potatoes, must be the irish in me me thinks:rotfl:

I can't wait to see what seeds I can get tomorrow/Sunday

Good luck with your growing

v
x

Hey nessa

Well i asked a few pages and another frugaller seemed to suggest you get a large recycling box, throw soil/ compost in, throw seed pots in and then dig deep to collect your crop. They def seem like hard work in the ground!

My plot plans are loosely based around:
what will we eat
what grows easily in pots grobags or an old chest of drawers
what likes direct sunlight or greenhouse as we have a lean to
what stores well
what is expensive ( pak choi) or air-freighted from peru or otherwise ( babycorn) or otherwise to save on food miles. ( summer squash, patty pans)

I think im going to order seeds off the internet as they do seem good ( lots of interesting varieties) Im also ordering this mag at 3 for a £1- looks quite good

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/c4.php

pagangirl

Hi folks - have read up to page 16 so far, but jumped ahead to ask if I can join in?

PAGANGIRL

brilliant thread nykmedia - thanks for all inspiration people :T

Budget this year is all over the place, as job ended 31st Dec, no new job in sight, and benefits still not sorted.:mad:

Outgoings so far are yearly - only me in household

Pension £192
TV Licence £142.60
Council Tax £755.56, hoping to get CT benefit off this
Dogs Trust Sponsor Dog £52.08
Insurance £74.04
Landline/Broadband £360
Water Rates £174 have water meter
Pay as you go mobile £36
Rent £3166.28 hoping to get Housing Benefit off this
Gas/Electric dual fuel £280 - with E-On-Age Concern

Total for basics £5232.56 excluding shopping/bus/train fares/clothing/leisure etc.

everything else still not sorted as waiting to hear how much money wil be incoming. Will do updated budget as soon as I hear from JSA/Council. (If/when new job appears, I wil revise budget again).

This is going to be a VERY frugal year , need to get more into home cooking - can do, but was working full time, with travelling to/from work - worked out to 52.5 hrs per week. by the time I got home - it was just shove a microwave meal in coz too tired to cook! No more !!!!!!!!!!

candygirl

Aaargh I think i'm losing it totally:rolleyes:Drove to Mr T's today to exchange trousers cos I couldn't find the receipt, and got there and realised i'd forgotten the trousers:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Anyway went to Ethel Austins and got 2 pairs for the same price, so i'll take the others back next week:rolleyes::D
Then went to see DGD and had a dance with her, lol, and to the gym for a swim:D:D
Wathing Come dine with me and the bloke hosting tonight was dead 4 months after this prog was made last Jan, from pancreatic cancer, poor thing:( At the time of filming he had no idea he had it:eek::eek:
Got a gorg black cord skirt from thje charity shop today for £1.50 so I am being frugal really:D:DI admit i've had a splurge on clothes recently but i'm not usually like this, i'm just shrinking in size, and freeezing;)

lynzpower

Well, I think i need to do a round up of the frugal things that have happened for me today:

*OH seems genuinely excited about the idea of having a proper planned veg garden this year and told his mates he HAD to go with me to B&Q tomorrow am to deal with buying the compost :j
*More clearout stuff- more washing powder, flagon of Washing up liquid, shelving unit for office, some crabtree & evelyn handcream and a rucksack ( currently being washed) A pair of practically new office boots ( ebay) and loads of magazines about decorating including a few "coast", these do sell quite well on ebay I believe?
*Went to M&S to avail them of their meat offer, Oh my what a great deal that is :j 3 meats for £10 - good stuff too. I got oakham chicken, smal beef roasting joint, meatballs, soy pork belly roasting piece, pork roasting joint with black pepper, and also a chicken breast roasting joint ( you get LOADS of meat off these) So I got 2 lots for 20.00, bought a pint of milk, cream and a soft drink for me- 21.99- used a gift card for 20.00 so only had to pay 1.99 :j
*OH said he was going by the late shop top buy Coca-cola I directed him to go another much more inconvenient way via ICeland so he can get 3 litres for the same price you pay 2 everywhere else. He doesnt mind being tight, but hates going out of his way for it
*updated my spending diary. Im using spendometer on my iphone ( free app) I cant get on with spreadsheets. The great thing about the phone app is that when you spend money eg in a shop you can update your spending diary straight away. figures are looking ever so good feeling ever so angelic

Defintely getting a pile ready for ebay, I really do have a fair amount.

Has anyone sold/ selling on there recently- is stuff still selling/getting good prices etc? Sometimes its really dead and everything goes for 99p

glendam

Hope this is ok to put this here I used to run the local freecycle group but from September after the disagreement with the owners in America we are now run more locally as freegle, Not all groups have changed and some are still run by the same people as before so they are ok. Where there was nobody to run a group the are being run from America and maybe this is the problem.
Our local group is now changed to freegle and we have much more say about the running of the group. Infact our only rule is that it is free and legal.

To find a group in your area go to

http://www.ilovefreegle.org/

Not running down any other group but I know there have been problems in a few areas.

Glenda

top_drawer_2

top_drawer wrote: »

hi everyone,

My thoughts are with those who have suffered losses.

Congratulations to BB for whatever it is that has happened....

I actually have a trolley on wheels, its actually a box on wheels I bought from Staples and its amazing! I can easily get a weeks worth of shopping in it plus other bits and pieces which means I dont have to do repeat trips and can buy offers/bigger packs. I'm only 27 and dont feel at all embarrassed about using it!

I am really interested in joining a LETS group and I have sent them a couple of emails but received no reply. I am in Preston, Lancashire.

Jen

Furthermore......... I was thinking/telling someone why my box is better than a trolley - because I can turn back into a box and lift it into a taxi as and when ... it fits nicely between the kitchen unit and fridge, I can carry it when Im not using it and its rainproof because I bought a huge shower cap thing to go over it. Its functional!!

I have had a terrible day - I spent £80 on the house ... I have bought two gorgeous canvas pictures, rug grip, stanley knife (to cut the carpet remanant Im going to buy tommorrow to do my hallway with), No more nails to hang a mirror, a large pot thing for soups etc, three storage baskets ... the list goes on and on .... oh and sand for my draft excluders!

Jen

slowlyfading

lynzpower - I think there's a free listing day on Ebay on sunday, if that's helpful?

candygirl

slowlyfading wrote: »

lynzpower - I think there's a free listing day on Ebay on sunday, if that's helpful?

Aye there is!!I'm gonna put loads of stuff on;):D