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

grannynise

flying_fresian wrote: »

3. Call Tesco as I've lost one of my Clubcard vouchers - I might leave this until tomorrow as I'm sure I can find it with a bit of a declutter. I'll have put it somewhere famously safe :rolleyes:

Do they really replace lost vouchers? My DD has lost several that she'd been saving to pay for a holiday (they were all put away in a 'safe place' :rolleyes:) Is there a special number to call or do you call the store? She'd be so thrilled if she could have then re-issued.

Twinkles08

Hi all, hugs to lilo
I've been v naughty this weekend and deserve a slap on the hand.My hubby and dd needed a haircut so that came out of our 'anything else' budget,then I stocked up on a few pregnancy related bits from holland n barret.I brought some reduced nursing nighties from mothercare and a few other bits too but I paid for that out of our savings.Plus we had takeaway twice in a 3 day period 'cos I was too tired and felt too ill to cook tea.Oh and hubby and dd wanted milkshakes so I caved in and agreed They know to strike when I'm weak,lol. **Holds out hand ready for slap
Utterly mortified as although the rest of the budget looks healthy our anything else is nearly double what it should be.The only silver lining is that we forked out for things we don't normally have to,plus I showed hubby and he was quite interested and seemed quite 'on board' about next month.
Forgive my ignorance 'cos I'm a complete novice,but I've noticed quite a few of you are planting seeds.I'm v interested in this but it wd have to be in the window sill and in pots in the courtyard.If you were planting tomatos wd you sprinkle a few seeds in 1 pot or just 1 seed per pot?Id also like to have a go at lettuces or salad leafs (whats the difference?)Wd I need to put stones at the bottom of the pots for drainage?Soz to bombard with questions but you friendly bunch seem to know everything about anything.:D

rozeepozee

Well, not quite a NSD for me but a fairly minimal spend of £1.25 on a bagel at the gym. I frugally took a lunch box for my son and he happily ate this, like last week, sitting in a closed locker after swimming whilst I got ready. It's so sweet and he thinks it's a real treat. The gym is a great money saver for us too as I'm a Pruhealth member so my subs for the gym for me are really cheap (don't know what I'll do when the scheme changes in August...) and LO's subs are £12 per month for 2 hours a day free creche and then all his swims are free too. Really need to make the most of this before the twins arrive in April as it costs £3/hr EACH for babies!!!! Hoping that they'll be good babies and I'll be able to leave them at home with OH (for free!) whilst son and I continue our swimming adventures.

nyk I have a few achilles heels when it comes to spending and gardening equipment is one of them!!! I've been good and done a thorough inventory of my seeds and have discovered I have loads of everything so I won't be buying any more, just onion sets for OH who wants to grow stuff that we'll definately eat (whereas I'm a bit more experimental!). Gonna do some swaps of plants with MIL and really need to investigate LETS in Sheffield... off to so do that now.

I'm still having to skim read posts which is frustrating as I get so much motivation and good ideas from them but my back just can't take sitting at a computer for long nowadays

lynzpower

Chika if you are doing Cambridge, stick with it. I loved my time on that diet, and altho I don't maintain, i do a fair amount of activity, so my weight is almost managed!

Had some very exciting developments in the Power Household. Oh has been temping for a long time and is being lined up for a permanent job there as they love him so much and its a promotion. Not counting the chickens till they hatch of course but in light of the fact he has taken on extra responsibility by acting up, he'll be rewarded in the meanwhile for an extra £100 a week! :T :j :T

So proud of Oh I know he was nervous about salary negotiation and they were falling over themselves to give him the rise ( begging him not to leave!)

So SO SO CHUFFED :j Well done oh

In addition I have worked out if I spend nothing by the end of the month we will have a spare £98 to put into our savings. We wont achieve this overspend, but Im going to near-as-damnit get there. Unless I get a freezerfull of the M&s meat before the deal ends ( 3 for 10er)

Dinner tonight is a frugal affair. Im making a lasagne with end of a bag of quorn mince, onions, passata, herbs few mushrooms and a HM white sauce :A Will use up the rest of the pizza dough left over to make some dough balls ( first try!) There might be enoguh to make a calzone for OHs lunch tomorrow seeing as the ovens on.

I made a banana loaf for the first time today- I found it actually really quite grim- so I've put it in a tin for OH to take to work tomorrow apparently they'll eat anything there LOL.

Anyway hope everyone is well, and love and flour-caked hugs to anyone that wants one

lynzpower

Also of note, with all this container gardening talk thats been going on, put us in memory of a news article Ive seen about these folk

http://www.foodupfront.org/

Food Up Front supports people to grow food in their unused outdoor space. Whether it’s front gardens, balconies, windowsills or back gardens all our members are given the opportunity to grow and share healthy, natural food. This helps to reduce food miles and dependency on supermarkets, whilst increasing self-reliance and community empowerment.

Just about to get involved in this as its in my area, I know its a long shot but are there any other frugallers in this area? ( lambeth/ southwark/lewisham etc)

lynzpower

Forgive my ignorance 'cos I'm a complete novice,but I've noticed quite a few of you are planting seeds.I'm v interested in this but it wd have to be in the window sill and in pots in the courtyard.If you were planting tomatos wd you sprinkle a few seeds in 1 pot or just 1 seed per pot?Id also like to have a go at lettuces or salad leafs (whats the difference?)Wd I need to put stones at the bottom of the pots for drainage?Soz to bombard with questions but you friendly bunch seem to know everything about anything.

Hey twinkles. |From what I understand with tomato plants you start them off individually then transplant the seedlings.

For salad leaves I got a pack of mixed salad leave and spinach from aldi or somewhere and sprinkled them on a tray of compost. The value mushroom trays with some holes stabbed in the bottom was perfect for this.

I posted a few pages back about grow your own veg mag a trail for 3 for £1 or similar offer.

If you can get hold of a book from the library- of course there is the "greenfingered moneysaving board" on here as well a mine of info. I have grow your own veg book, from the BBC series. If you can find any of these episodes on line they are DEFINITELY worth watching.

I personally ama beginner too really but what Ive tried has worked, its jsut that Ive neglected them and not put enough care into making sure they were watered, drained, cropped etc.there is a planner on the RHS site i think its now in the 1st post- you can print this off to know when to sow.

grannynise

Slowlyfading - congratualtions on another skills test passed - only one to go now.

I've read a fair few applications for teaching appointments and would be happy to advise on application forms and letters. You don't really 'know' me as I haven't been posting on her much, but I think Bails would give me a reference. Feel free to PM me.

Hardup_Hester

Today I spent.....................19p................................... on a bag of potatoes & a broccoli head, woo hoo, I love whoopsies.
Hester

mooomin

grannynise wrote: »

Do they really replace lost vouchers? My DD has lost several that she'd been saving to pay for a holiday (they were all put away in a 'safe place' :rolleyes:) Is there a special number to call or do you call the store? She'd be so thrilled if she could have then re-issued.

I think you just call the Clubcard phone number - it's on their website. I haven't done it though because I'm lazy and tired

I love Mr Fresian today though...

I was sitting on the bus on the way home from work, dog-tired and hungry and when I came in the door her was halfway through cooking for me (unasked) and there was a cup of tea waiting. Gawd bless 'im **






** Don't remind me of this next time he drives me nuts by leaving the heating on for hours

Savvy_sewing

I had over £80 worth of Tesco vouchers reisued, as Ihad forgotten to change my address with them. They went back 2 years I think it was.