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

xnatalie81x

Fishcake_Random wrote: »

Hey all,

Good luck to all those on diets or starting diets. I'd lost almost 4 stone when I fell pregnant, I weighed myself the other day and I have put on 1 1/2 with baby which I think is pretty average (?) meens that the weight is all her and extra blood and not me eating for 2 or 3 or 4 lol. I'm planning to breastfeed to and I hear that can really take the weight off you as it continues so we shall see. Not suggesting you all run off and have babys though lol!!!
Fishcake
x x x x

I think my 3 is plenty - bf did make me lose weight BUT i had to eat more and i still lost weight. I kept my love of food and 18mths after stopping bf 3rd child I AM HEAVIER THAN WHEN PREGNANT! I bf eldest for 6mths. 17mths later pregnant with 2nd. bf her for 11 mths. when stopped was already 5mths pregnant with 3rd. wonder if i express loads of milk it will make me lose weight :rotfl:

Frugaldom

rictus123 wrote: »

Hey everyone how are we? Anyone know anywhere good in Scotland to get a van on finance? Seems this is the best option for me.

You're in the wrong thread for that as this one is about frugal living, I'm anti-finance, anti HP, anti-credit unless it's paid in full within the month, interest free and also saving the equivalent into a savings account at the same time. You might be lucky and find something completely interest free if you have a good deposit but interest free and best price never tend to go hand in hand. Good luck anyway, hope you find what you're looking for soon.

Back again, here's the link to the motoring section where you should get a better answer to your question

thriftylass

The first time in weeks I read the weekly MSE newsletter email. And that got me moving. For ages I've been annoyed with my ISAs interest rate (0.7%), so today I applied for a transfer to another one (2.65%) finally. Hope it doesn't take too long and is easier then when I tried it with another bank 10 months ago (and stopped the process because it was loads of unneccessary hassle).

gilligansyle

Just having a read through everything, everyone is doing really well, even if you appear to be not meeting targets, agree with nyk that best looked at over a year and not month on month. I know I am under budget this month because have still got toiletries etc. from Christmas, and no big expenses to go out, but this will change over the year.
For me, this is partly to help with the debt, I never had any until cirumstances changed and want to go back to my minimal existence.

Long term, I want to retire to somewhere sunny, and be reasonably self sufficient so long as my health allows, on a pension. The next few years are me getting into practice for that, cutting back more and more and getting used to what I can grow etc.and what I can do without.

So far this week have had HM soup and bread, roasted 'whats left in the fridge' veg and couscous so have not spent much money yet.

I'm getting so that I actually begrudge spending money now.

grannynise

I've just reviewed my planned versus actual spends for January (thanks to Cheryl's lovely wonderful amazing spreadsheet). It was all guess work when planning it as I'd never done a home budget before and some of my estimates are astonishingly wrong - some too much and some too little.

:o:o:o:o:o:o

I can see that it's going to take me the whole year to get it right. But I'm using all the wonderful ideas from you clever people so eventually I can reduce spending as well as monitor it.

mama67

We now have a white out again good job I had some more coal delivered last week.

Yes you can freeze all types of milk, I freeze both semi-skim and full cream, depending on what i get whoopsied.

KazLA

Kiwisaver wrote: »

Since I am planning some heavy vinegar abuse over the coming months, I headed off to shop tonight after researching cheapest options yesterday and bagged myself a two litre flagon of white vinegar for just over a quid. I was nearly tempted to get some Apple Cider Vinegar as an upgrade (for hairwashing), but decided to wait and see how much it is elsewhere first.

Where did you end up finding the cheapest vinegar? I've been soaking my slice of bread in it each night to get rid of the kitchen cooking smells , but feeling a bit excessive!

DdraigGoch wrote: »

ps if you're worried, either put a drop of essential oil in it or wipe around with a water/essential oil dampened cloth afterwards.

I do all my bedroom cleaning (dusting, mirrors, windows) with a spray bottle containing vinegar and water and a few drops of lavendar oil - it leaves the rooms smelling really nice and fresh... For the kitchen I added teatree oil, or something similar that said it had anti-bacterial qualities (although I have to admit to slipping back to dettol spray when it's been on offer)

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

cha97michelle Top tip on putting green bananas near the radiator.

I agree - I've made a metal note of this one! (Got the opposite problem at the moment though, they're all turning brown rather quickly - I feel some banana bread coming on - or perhaps my favourite, which has chocolate chips and walnuts (I think...) in too - Mmmm!


Really should stop reading and get on with getting some figures into the spreadsheet

lynzpower

A long drive out to Norfolk today. Alas my favourite farm shop at https://www.elveden.com/estate-shops/food-shop.asp had no pork ribs boo. Shame I only drive past once a month and they are only 80p with more than enough for 2 people Nearly bought some other meat ( eg mince, FR chicken legs) then thought better of it as we dont have much space in the freezer.

Would love any recommendations of other farm shops on the London - Great Yarmouth route if anyone lives in that area? ( specifically happy meat)

Then passed by Farmfoods and saw their milk was 2x 4pts for 1.50- so I bought 4. Freezers been reshuffled so the milk has gone straight in ( that should last all month) Also bought the 3litres of coke/dc for 1.59 also got beanburgers for 50p. the only convenience food I buy is vegetarian:D) useful to have something on standby in case meat doesnt defrost!! Bought a loaf from Lidl, for with my cupasoups some leeks and a couple of other bits, spent about £11.

Tonights dinner is meatballs from the M&S offer, griddled in HM tortilla wraps that Oh is making some onions, lettuce- possibly rice if we can be bothered. Should be nice- nom nom nom


Otherwise sold another book on amazon will package up the Ebay thing I sold the other day, and they can be posted together, weve made about a fiver but every little helps

NualaBuala

nykmedia wrote: »

You're in the wrong thread for that as this one is about frugal living, I'm anti-finance, anti HP, anti-credit unless it's paid in full within the month, interest free and also saving the equivalent into a savings account at the same time. You might be lucky and find something completely interest free if you have a good deposit but interest free and best price never tend to go hand in hand. Good luck anyway, hope you find what you're looking for soon.

That is just how I want to live my life. I'm fortunate enough not to have problem debt, in that I can afford my loans and my net assets are greater than my debt. But I've learned that debt of any kind at all weighs heavily on me - I'm just not comfortable with it. Nyk, do I remember you saying you are saving to buy a house without a mortgage? Might be getting you mixed up with somebody else.


I had to share this with you guys - I just love the sound of it! I found it while searching my library's online catalogue for books on frugal living. It's the title of a pamphlet published in 1788.

"The economist, shewing, in a variety of estimates, from fourscore pounds a year to upwards of 800l. how confortably and genteely a family may live with frugality for a little money together with the cheapest method of keeping horses and carriages, by a gentleman of experience"

Skint_Lynne

Michelle and rozee,

I find that the best place for milk is farmf00ds. It used to be £1.00 for a 4 pint jug. Now, I have noticed that if you buy 2 jugs, you get them for £1.50, or 75p each.

This makes it just under 19p per pint. It is £1.50 for 2 hovis loaves from there. I'm not a fan of frozen foods, but I go there when DH is home for the milk, bread and lucozade for him on hangover days.:D

Hope this is useful.

I'm feeling a bit rough tonight, so am in my bed relaxing, will likely have an early night. xx

Lynzpower has also noticed good farmf00d milk prices - we posted at the same time. xx