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

grandma247

there are free patterns all over this site http://www.youcanmakethis.com/beginner-basics.htm

rozeepozee

I've really had to skim read tonight as I'm very sore with my back and pregnancy bump and can't sit for long.

Had a hair raiser today. Taking more control of my finances means checking my bank accounts regularly and today I noticed that my credit card had deducted by DD my full last month's balance even though I'd already paid this (£600+). I called my bank and checked and they'd done this inprevious months, sometimes small amounts and sometimes as much as £850!!! And this is what was causing me to go overdrawn. I hadn't noticed it before as I don't print off monthly statements, I just look online at a few lines at a time and because this was an amount I was expecting to come out of my account, I hadn't noticed it was being duplicated.

The credit card company seems to have a complaint system that is dessigned to make it as difficult as possible to complain (call centre in India, no email address provided, no ability to speak to a supervisor) and they refused to return my overpayment by bank transfer saying it had to be done by cheque, which seems to be in breach of the DD guarantee which requires and immediate return of the funds taken in error, so I've composed a lengthy complaint to them today (hence my achey back through sitting at the computer so long) asking for compensation for my financial losses and inconvenience.

Will keep you posted.

Spend day today. Finally bought that Slow Cooker, a breville for £26 and paid my childminder £15. Looking forward to trying out some recipes in it when it arrives next week.

Fishcake_Random

Well I finally got round to it, whoop whoop

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26183176@N03/4276673141/ Pic 1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26183176@N03/4276672319/in/photostream/ pic 2

What do guys think?
xx x x

slowlyfading

fishcake - that's awesome!

NualaBuala

Fishcake, that's brilliant! So cute!:T

slowlyfading

:hello: Nuala, how are you this evening?

grandma247

fcr very cute well done.

NualaBuala

slowlyfading wrote: »

:hello: Nuala, how are you this evening?

I'm in good form thanks! I felt rubbish all week but seem to have got my groove back today. I'm trying to crochet with my new set - don't think I'll be posting photos of my progress for a while yet. :rotfl:
How are you? Hope this week was better than the week before and no more falls!

babyboysmommy

Fishcake_Random wrote: »

What do guys think?

Wonderful!

skint_chick

What's going on with BB? Is there an announcement soon?:j

Fishcake I like your elephant it's really cute - will you be knitting for Fishfinger? My mum makes pram blankets really easily - and she just made me a hat that makes me look like one of the Flumps - I think I'm showing my age now:o

I've been doing lots of mystery shopping so should have about £150 extra at the end of the month and have got some nice freebies - Body Shop/fancy gym day/food/stamps/petrol. I'm also starting another evening course on Thursday at my local uni just for fun until the end of May.

I registered to be a volunteer and applied for a couple of positions last week but haven't heard anything yet -and these are vacancies that have been online for months so you would think they would jump at the chance to have someone offer their time for free- and I have all the skills needed and more because it's the field I work in:mad: hopefully it's just that they're really busy not that I've been rejected:o

Hardly spent any money because it's our busy period in work so for the next couple of months I'm under pressure but I'm still enjoying the job so can't complain. I'm also part way through a re-organisation of the living room as well now that the understairs cupboard is almost finished (OH still has to hang the coat rack:mad:)