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

Kiwisaver_2

I'm too old and been married too long for Valentines. :rotfl: We're going to friends for dinner tonight, so I got some romantic pink wine and Belgian chocs to take (they were free with my credit card rewards). I spent the rest of my $40 rewards on bread, milk, eggs and loo rolls, so that's all good and I've spent only £20 this week on shopping. Anyhow I counted the free $40 as if it were my own cash for the purposes of this challenge and have recorded the items at full cost in my spreadsheet, because I really need to see this as a saving towards the plumbers bill. Ordinarily, I would probably have treated it as an extra bonus. I also picked up a box of Cumin that someone had dropped on the travelator - nobody around so I re-homed it.

Someone mentioned the freebie sites, so I had a scout around a few here to see if there was anything worth having, as I always forget to look for these. I signed up for a few free samples of tampons and must remember to check these places out more often, it's annoying to see the things that were there and now expired.

Not much going to be happening here, I'm limiting spends as much as possible over the next few weeks and since I don't need to cook dinner today, I'm steering well clear of the kitchen. I'm concentrating on jobs around the house, the airing cupboard carpet is finally dried, so that's my next job to straighten that all out, put the shelves back and have a sort through all the heaps of towels etc.

Seven, or so, of my listed books have bids on, so will definitely sell in the next day or two when the auctions close. It's all good and I have about ten more books I can list in their place tomorrow.

Well done SF on getting the job!!

ETA: Woohoo, the airing cupboard clearout offered up £62.30 from an old travel bag. Have checked the Bank of England site and it seems it's still okay to spend the old-style purple £20 notes. Will I get odd looks or are they still in regular circulation?

knithappens

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

I'm glad to be home. DH is back on Tuesday for his time off before he goes away. We'll make the best of it, even might get away for an overnight stay somewhere, I'll not see him for a while after all.:( Even though I complain about him sometimes, I will miss him when he is away, it is a worry, but the best thing to do is switch off and forget about it. As he says, if it is on the news, I have been lucky that day, it's just the poor people that get the knock on the door that have to pick up the pieces

My ex husband was a marine, so i know how deployments can be, he used to say all the time no news is good news, which I hated, but it was so true, our right switch off as best you can and keep yourself very busy, whic it sounds like you will be doing, and this challenge wil keep you focused, and if you ever need an ear i am only a pm away.

JayJay14

Kiwi - they are still in circulation, you won't have any problems.

mk_wotsit

flying_fresian wrote: »

Morning all!

I received my Te$co Clubc@rd vouchers this week and they don't seem to have linked my old card to my credit card so I got two lots of vouchers. Many of them are useful too - extra points on milk, bread, fruit etc. I've also exchanged £22.50 of vouchers for - two tickets to Edinburgh Zoo (normally £14 each), a Cineworld ticket (I have the Unlimited card, but it's nice to take Mr Fresian sometimes!), £5 of Pizza Express vouchers and £7.50 of Bella Italia vouchers (worth £20 and £30 respectivally)


Have a Frugalicious Friday all!

Did you know that you can use Orange Wednesday in conjunction with the Unlimited Card. DD & Boyf went last week for the 30p text cost! :T

Bargain!!!:D

ceridwen

Kiwisaver wrote: »

I also picked up a box of Cumin that someone had dropped on the travelator - nobody around so I re-homed it.

HEAVY SIGH.......:cool:

Not again - we've had this sort of thing out on the Boards many a time by now - as most of us take a very different view to the poster as to whether this is acceptable or ********

Yep - I'm with the majority - viewing it as ********

mooomin

mk_wotsit wrote: »

Did you know that you can use Orange Wednesday in conjunction with the Unlimited Card. DD & Boyf went last week for the 30p text cost! :T

Bargain!!!:D

I use this offer when I go with friends.

Unfortunately Mr Fresian suffers with pretty severe depression and one of the things he's not good with is crowds. This puts Orange Wednesday out of the picture at our local as it's bedlam

Skint_Lynne

ceridwen wrote: »

HEAVY SIGH.......:cool:

Not again - we've had this sort of thing out on the Boards many a time by now - as most of us take a very different view to the poster as to whether this is acceptable or ********

Yep - I'm with the majority - viewing it as ********

Ceridwen,

I don't understand what you mean, sorry for being dense, can you explain this? Thanks. xx

Puddleglum

lynzpower wrote: »

Another glastonbury goer :wave: a few of us on here :cool:

Which tent did you get im looking for one. Dont know whether to spend a little, or get something thats a "keeper" .

We got a tent from [EMAIL="Bl@cks"]Bl @ cks[/EMAIL] online. They were doing a half price sale. The one we got has two small compartments at one end for keeping brother and sister separate and a larger compartment at the other for us. There is also a largish living space in the middle. It cost £179.99 in the sale and we are going to put it up for the first time this afternoon.

TBH as DH, DS and DD will be going to Glastonbury on the Weds and I won't be able to go until the Friday evening as I am working, what I am looking forward to most is two nights peace and quiet on my own! The fellow Puddleglums are getting a bit fed up of me glazing over with a grin on my face when they mention Glastonbury.:D

Kiwisaver_2

Skint_Lynne wrote: »

Ceridwen,

I don't understand what you mean, sorry for being dense, can you explain this? Thanks. xx

It took a while, but I assume the blanked out words were 'stealing' however this is not a banned word, so I am as stumped as you are. Whatever it is, must be really terrible, but I'll live with the *HEAVY SIGH* and feel no guilt whatsoever. :rotfl: Hardly the crime of the century, picking something up from the ground (worth about £1) that clearly had no identifiable owner. I would similarly have no qualms about picking up and pocketing a stray £1 coin and if that makes me out to be an awful person, then so be it.

lynzpower

Kiwisaver wrote: »

It took a while, but I assume the blanked out words were 'stealing' however this is not a banned word, so I am as stumped as you are. Whatever it is, must be really terrible, but I'll live with the *HEAVY SIGH* and feel no guilt whatsoever. :rotfl: Hardly the crime of the century, picking something up from the ground (worth about £1) that clearly had no identifiable owner. I would similarly have no qualms about picking up and pocketing a stray £1 coin and if that makes me out to be an awful person, then so be it.

Gotta agree with this. Most of the things I bring into this house are "found" or "maggpied" from somewhere.

I am absosutely not a theif but an urban forager :A