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

Puddleglum

College closed today so an opportunity to keep up with this galloping thread. Have done some work from home but with the whole day to do it in have taken some time off to help build a humungous snowman. Very tempted to leave it in the road to confuse intrepid motorists however maturity told my little devil to clear off. Snowman in garden.
No spend day here too!

Paulgonnabedebtfree

Well I de-appendaged the aliens (spuds) and they are well on the boil now. I decided to mash everything. This will save a bit of freezer space and meant that I could boil all the spuds in one large saucepan as it meant I could cut them into very small pieces. Amazing how much potato can fit in one saucepan if the bits are small enough.
It was a bit wasteful because a lot of the skins had gone wrinkly and there were some bits going green so I needed to do a very thick peel. However, there was a time I would just have thrown them away. There should be enough mash there for a fair few meals.
I will need to breach my no shopping challenge a bit early though as I've realised that I'm a bit light on butter and this mash might clear me out of it.

mama67

grandma247 wrote: »

witworths sugar is beet sugar not cane sugar. It is ok but not as sweet and it does not store long term as it develops an off smell.

Whitworths always used to be cane sugar as that is how they got fairtrade status.

Silverspoon with the red tractor union jack is beet sugar.

hth

danielley

rozeepozee wrote: »

danielley that was a great deal! A few days ago I contacted O2 and changed my OH onto the £10/mth tariff as he doesn't use his phone much but I didn't get him a new phone! I may try and get them to do this now using your example. I can only ask!

Rozeepozee - I know, Its amazing what you can get when you are armed with a bit of knowledge! I hope you manage to get a phone... then you can sell the new one or the old and make a bit of cash:j

CandyGirl - That is awful about your friend. Fingers crossed it is just temporary and she can get home and snug asap

x

Blairweech

Morning

Finally caught up! Had loads to say to people but of course have forgotten it now...

SFT - Will PM you in a minute
Kiwi - Thanks for the ideas about Sri Lanka, was going to a tea plantation anyway (as I am a tea addict) but do not think my mum will be too keen on the hike up the mountain!! She would be quite content to spend the time sat by the hotel pool sunning herself, but I actually want to see and do things whilst there
SF - I would definitely complain to whoever you need to about that, what if you had crashed your car????

Had about another 2" of snow during the night, so not going into work (doesn't sound like very many people at all have gone in). My little car is still stranded. So glad I braved the snow on Sat and went food shopping!!

Plans for today:

- Make soup, either Parsnip or [STRIKE]Butternut Squash[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE] - Do a load of washing[/STRIKE]
- Make muesli bites
- Ironing (this will help me keep warm)
[STRIKE]- Do some decluttering [/STRIKE]

Breakfast is beans and cheese on toast, lunch will be soup and dinner will be pork chops and spinach with veg and potatoes

Will edit later with some financial figures - am definitely going for a NSD today!!

Brighton_belle

yes, very impressive thinking Flippin 36:T:T
great to see you back michellecha

thriftylass - my sympathies re ' the moneytalk' as we are in a similar situation. I hate having to sych myself up every time to be the one to adress HIS issues, even though things generally better than they were. Wears me out sometimes always being the one having to take responsibility. But at least things are moving forward now and although I'm the one who has to do it all and make it happen, he is on board.

Homemade: Really great charity shop ideas for presents :T.
I'm not sure though where you could get the quality of support and legal advice etc for free that NUT or any union, provides if something out of your control goes seriously wrong at work. If for example a child or parent makes an allegation against you,the school has to suspend you while it is sorted, who pays to give specialist professional & legal support? Or if you fall ill and get suspended through 'too much sick leave'. This stuff happens I'm afraid and it is not us who will carry the can but the op. Aslo, if something happens, you want help fast and may not be in the right state to then start researching where to get appropriate help.

I had counselling in the nineties - best investment in myself and subsequent quality of life ever. And again, in my experience, such things are very very hard to find for free, or without a long waiting list and if you have established a good working relationship with a counsellor already I think it is worth it myself, assuming it isn't putting you in mega debt and creating stress. Some people will be spending that amount this year on travel or weddings or other biggies in life, while being very very frugal in other areas - it is about what matters most to you an I don't think any of us can decide that for someone else.

What I love about budgeting is that it makes me aware where my money is going so I can channel it to the most important things to me. It's been great to read so many of you doing a double take when you have done the monthly and annual calcs of what money goes where - knowledge is power: and in this case, the power to control your own future financially.

The snow has finally arrived here:D or should that be:eek:...
Nyk - re heating - 3 inches of snow overnight and still falling, but in my victorian terraced house it is 15 degrees so no cental heating on today, just a fleece and a hottie. We do have it easier in the south.

Natalie - sounds a great idea your LO's snuggling up together in bed - they sleep well and you sleep well -result.

jbt - brilliant news that you have handed your notice in: very excited for you:j.

purple_angel_3

Morning,

Working from home today due to the snow, so a NSD for me, making 5 so far.

Sky DD gone out this morning and I have just cancelled mulit-room as it is not being used so £10.00 saving on sky next month.

No college this evening, which is good because I have not finished my essay, will get some done later.

Hope everyone has a good day.

purple-angel

knithappens

Brighton_belle wrote: »

y.
I'm not sure though where you could get the quality of support and legal advice etc for free that NUT or any union, provides if something out of your control goes seriously wrong at work. If for example a child or parent makes an allegation against you,the school has to suspend you while it is sorted, who pays to give specialist professional & legal support? Or if you fall ill and get suspended through 'too much sick leave'. This stuff happens I'm afraid and it is not us who will carry the can but the op. Aslo, if something happens, you want help fast and may not be in the right state to then start researching where to get appropriate help.

totally agree, i had a lot of sick leave due to severe depression following countless misscarriages and work pressure, being told by head depression did not exist, and that it was unacceptable for me to have any time off even after a misscarriage so i ended up coming in work even though i was misscarrying, and it created a situation where it all got too much, and i ended up taking long term sickness, without my union i would have lost my job, they were invaluable, the bonus now is finding out that i can claim my union subs through tax.
i urge anyone to keep up with union subs you never know when you will need it.

slowlyfading

Thanks for your replies everyone - I also slipped walking round to my car, and now my back is really painful. Today has not been a good day so far

rictus123

Morning everyone, how are we all today? I think today is going to be a NSD again as i dont know if il be leaving the house again. So will be concentrating on earning some extra pennies, set to get about £35 so far.....not definate though.