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

lynzpower

They are not coming back btw. Confused and rolleyes are gone forever - unless you import them or something similar yourself. Apparently they were causing offence to people- so they have gone forever. Martins choice.

Hardup_Hester

Hi all
Hugs to Cheryl
So far this week I spent £6.48 on Monday on 10 chicken portions & a bag of bacon scraps & 19p on Wednesday on a bag of potatoes & a head of broccoli.
I used 4 of the chicken legs with half the bacon scraps & some mushrooms that are past their best & made a huge batch of pie filling/pasta sauce, the rest of the legs have been frozen singly as each leg will make a roast dinner for the 2 of us & the bacon scraps have been frozen in small quantities to use in soups, omelet or maybe bacon & onion hot pot. The potatoes & brocolli were served with whoopsied sausages for me, hubby & DS on Thursday & the leftovers I had for lunch yesterday, last night I served them with with steak & kidney from the freezer, the stalk & last potato made broccoli & stilton soup. I was given a huge piece of stilton 2 Chrismasses ago, cut it into potrions & froze it, I keep thinking I've used it all up, but maybe it's breeding in there.
I was given a free doughnut yesterday as a thankyou for all my hard work the day before.
I don't think I shall be spending any money this weekend as I have no plans apart from housework & some more stash busting crochet, more hats, scarves, blankets, not sure which yet.
Hugs Hester

Frugaldom

Good morning,

Like several others, I went in search of the 'confused' smiley only to discover it had been removed from the system. I was confused as to why anyone could be offended by a smiley, but then remembered doing this self-same thing myself and upsetting someone because I was :eek: at someone spending £65 on wellies whilst struggling with impending bankruptcy. I did apologise but I also reserve my right to be shocked and incredulous. :rotfl:



This weekend's frugal 'chores' include

• Clean out the kitchen cupboards
• Declutter kitchen cupboards via LETS, Freeble & charity shop
• Rearrange the larder & pantry
• Make some cider vinegar elixir/cure all - done
• Tidy my desk
• Make a trifle
• Free socialising with the neighbours
• Use my sewing machine for something, anything

Hope everyone else has a good weekend.

Hardup_Hester

Oopps, almost forgot, 3 pints of milk delivered today, that is a weeks worth, hubby's Dad was a milkman, so tradition insists we have doorstep milk. 2 pints have been watered down half & half, the remains of the other pint will be wartered down towards the end of the week after the grandchildren have visited.

rictus123

Watered down milk? To get more yeh?

xnatalie81x

rictus123 wrote: »

Watered down milk? To get more yeh?

Yep - i do it too - i water the families half water, half ff milk and mine to 3/4 water and 1/4 milk. Although changes nutritionally i ofset that against the amount of yoghurts and cheese these gannett's get through and they barely drink milk now. Mostly mine and OH coffee's now.

Just think 6pints is £2.25 and we get through 12 pints a week now (couple of milkshakes and lots of cereal) - normally would be £4.50 BUT with 1/2 and 1/2 my 12 pints costs £2.25 - a saving of £2.25 per week x 52 = £117.00 per year :T - my neighbour, mum and aunt do it now

xnatalie81x

Today i am frugalising:

1. DO NOT FOCUS ON IMPENDING HOMELESSNESS AT WEEKENDS AS THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT AT THE WEEKENDS! (yes i am shouting, but at myself - there is a difference lol)

2. Go and teach swimming at my swim school - take lots of cash for business - break even and any left over to buy portable changing tables for my bubba swimmers. I get paid my hourly rate and son gets free swimming lesson

3. Eat pasta for lunch which i made double of last night but lunch one has no cheese on as it is lunch lol

4. Do paperwork for swim school and stay off of wastebook and 'grabbit' board as i have enough!

5. Check online banking and sigh. Rent out Monday

6. Download and print FREE worksheets from www.sparklebox.com for kids to keep them amused - without having to buy activity books from shops

That is plenty - dinner is defrosting sausages, sweetcorn, broccoli, carrots, mash, cauli - all the left-overs from the bags in the freezer smothered in gravy.

OH is on weightlifting madness so has bought many many bags of frozen chicken breasts and eats those with salad and stuff - and tins of mackerel/tuna - lovely NOT. He buys his own when he is being 'faddy' as i call it - but he is looking very muscly so might be working. He is a bit money saving as he bought cheap weights bench and weights from friend for £50 saving £40 month gym membership - like you NYK it is beginning to run off

That has just reminded me that i am stuffed when we move as neighbour (bestest friend in whole wide world!) picks my kids up on a Tue when i work and delivers them to my mum - i may have to leave that job! Damn it - DO NOT THINK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AT WEEKENDS NATALIE!!!!!

mama67

grandma247 wrote: »

The exception to that is probably renting a washing machine if you have a large family. A neighbour rents and when she had eight in the household she was so glad because any repairs are done without cost to her and now they have upgraded her to an industrial machine and I don't think they are charging her anymore for it.

I rent my washing machine now, purely for this reason.

They are not made to last like they used to and when the last one broke I was faced with paying minimum of £10 per week at the launderette plus time and petrol to get there(25 mile round trip). No cash to buy one.

So we started renting and has been great, I have since upgraded to a bigger drum capacity with no extra payment and so now do fewer washes.

chika

xnatalie81x wrote: »

6. Download and print FREE worksheets from www.sparklebox.com for kids to keep them amused - without having to buy activity books from shops

Have a good weekend - just be careful about using sparklebox - many schools have banned it. You should be ok if you don't download the toolbar it turns out the owner is a !!!!!phile - link here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8462650.stm

candygirl

Morning all:j:j
Am having a very frugal day today, as my mate is coming round with bags of clothes for me, as she's losing weight too and has grown out of them;)She is minted and gets ace clothes, and hardly wears them so i'm really grateful:j
Am loooking after DGD from lunchtime today till tomorrow as DD's going to a wedding, so will be taking her to see my Mum:D
Hoping to have a NSD, and eating up lentil pate on toast, and hm veg curry :p
Also got a call from travel ins and i'm getting a £40 cheque this week for my flight delay, so it's all good:T
Have fabbily frugal days everyone xx:A:A