FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE 2010, part 2, April - June.

grandma247

NualaBuala wrote: »

I feel a bit guilty as I spent €2.60 on a big mug of tea in St*rbucks today as I had time to kill waiting for the bank to open. Normally it's not my sort of place. In fact normally I don't buy teas/snacks out unless I'm meeting someone and it's a social thing, and even that is rare. So this was very decadent altogether. I confess I did enjoy it though.

Had some bad news today - found out I have to take a leave of absence from college because of my depression. I have mixed feelings about it but I believe things generally work out for the best so I guess this will too.

NB. We all need treats now and again to keep us going. If you are being frugal for any reason at all it is not easy when you are going against the general flow so something to look forward to or treat ourselves with is a good thing so long as it does not break the bank and I hardly think a cuppa would do that.
Sorry about you having to have a break from college but you never know, another door might open to you in a direction you had not thought of before.

Hello SF.:wave:

candygirl

Nuala when I was doing my degree I had a really bad bout of anxiety and depression towards the end of the 2nd year.I carried on but was very ill for a while after.Take the break hun, you will be much better for it xxx:A

NualaBuala

grandma247 wrote: »

NB. We all need treats now and again to keep us going. If you are being frugal for any reason at all it is not easy when you are going against the general flow so something to look forward to or treat ourselves with is a good thing so long as it does not break the bank and I hardly think a cuppa would do that.
Sorry about you having to have a break from college but you never know, another door might open to you in a direction you had not thought of before.

Hello SF.:wave:

candygirl wrote: »

Nuala when I was doing my degree I had a really bad bout of anxiety and depression towards the end of the 2nd year.I carried on but was very ill for a while after.Take the break hun, you will be much better for it xxx:A

Thanks a million both of you, you cheered me up! I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself. And I'm a bit annoyed at myself - I went back as a mature student and was so determined to do well. But these things happen and I will have to make the best of it. I think I did deserve my cuppa as a treat today after all.

On a more positive note, I had more dandelions for a frugal dinner today. Watched the gardening programme on BBC2 and feel inspired to do more foraging and growing. I think spending time in the garden is really good for me anyway so that will kill two birds with one stone. Another good thing is that I got my electricity bill - it was about a third less than it usually is! :j So turning things off standby is really working! The only other change I've made is to replace my main lamp bulb with an energy saving one. My energy bills have come right down so I'm very pleased with that!

Off to watch a bit of telly and then I think I'll have an early night.

enjoyfinancialchallenges

Hi all, been catching up every day as usual but have been trying to get as much time in the garden as possible to make up for the time I will be of my feet after my operation. I had a phone call from the hospital today to say its been put off until Monday 19th so thats three extra days to work outside and get more seeds planted, Hurrah. :j

NualaBuala Sorry you have had to take leave I understand how it is to be mature student and put yourself under pressure to succeed. I went to Uni when I was 50 :eek: and it was hard to cope with a family of 4 plus not so DH, somehow I muddled through and am sure it helped my chidren to be more independant, unfortunately or possibly fortunately my marriage did not survive but then it may not have done so anyway. Your enforced leave may help you considerably....depends on your attitude and it will be a good time to chill out and grow, grow grow, you as well as your seeds. so enjoy.

Ive also watched Edible Garden tonight/ last night and now have a long list of plans for tomorrow including planting a few beans up an old tree and sowing lettuce and beetroot seeds between the flowers. I hope the snails will leave them alone otherwise its death for them, I often go outside on a damp night with a torch ...(it very very dark in rural Suffolk, no street lights or traffic) I remove the snails individually then cover them for the night so they dont escape then throw them over my hedge onto the road when a few cars are around in the morning, ha ha, they dont return that way and I havn't had to dispose of them myself...coward that I am .

Goodnight or Good morning to all must go to bed now.

ceridwen

Well - I've heard of (am taking part in) The Great Re-Skilling

- However - we also have The Great Re-Sizing going on at present = manufacturers are imposing large price rises on all sorts of branded goods by cutting the size of the item in question.

Just one little thought here in advance - one of the commenters on the MSE thread currently running about this particular little con mentioned that their bars of Simple soap have shrunk from 125grams to 100grams. From this - any gloop makers on this thread had better keep an eye on the size of the soap bars we buy to do this - otherwise we would be using 80% of the amount of soap we thought we were using in this recipe and it may not work as well.

Just a thought:)

lyndasharp

Hi everyone, it's my first post on this thread as I've been rushing around trying to sort loads of things out. Finished the first quarter with £88 spare, which isn't too bad but I'd hoped for a bit more, as that included our 2 month break from paying council tax!

We now have very lovely bantam hens, 3 of them. No eggs yet, they should be old enough to lay in June or July. They were really expensive, but worth every penny :-)

We're now taking my husband's tenant to court for non payment of rent, which is a bit scary as we're doing it as a DIY job, so I'll be the one representing us in court in May!

In other news, I'm waiting for someone to come round and quote for a new boiler and update to our central heating. The last quote was £2800, which we don't have to spare right now, but I think it ought to be possible to get it much cheaper. I looked up the prices for the parts quoted by the last guy and he was asking about 50% markup on those, as well as very steep labour costs. We just missed out on a boiler scrappage scheme voucher, grr.

Erme

Nuala for starters MLM = multi level marketing - think Kleeneze/betterware type tatt but also there's others (loads in fact). I'm just selling the products for now and get better discount (so hence more profit) than Kleeneze/betterware. I'm doing wikaniko which is enviro friendly products and I work as little or as much as I want and no one minds...Just pocket money to me and bit of fun

Also nuala Get a starbucks card, top up online and budget for these things...Even if it's just an SOS starbucks card. Just by registering it online you'll get about 3-4 free cuppas a year! My Starbucks budget has gone from £10 a month to £5 tops (if not less) for which I top up online...this is my 'official' (note the quotation marks) treat budget...sometimes you just need a decent brew and it sounds like you've been through a tough time lately. Please stop beating yoursef up hun cos no one else is!!!

Yeah whoever said about manufacturers downsizing the soap is so true.... now you get 3 bars of saver soap in the big stores for 13p when a few weeks ago it was 4 and I've noticed Mr As is trying to up the price of their saver knickers to £2.50 for 5 when it was £1 for 3 (and a couple of years ago £1 for 5)..so anyone who needs undies...GET THEM NOW..

On the treats front - Starbucks in the UK has a free coffee day if you take in a travel mug today (any variety)...believe cafe nero and Subway are also doing this but don't know when and like don't know their T&C - know with Star it can be ANY travel mug... Good free treat today for folk as applicable...sit their for an hour with ya fave book, sipping slowly or ya handicrafts, watching the world go by ...Got to be a good thing...

Alas I have no travel mug (and they wouldn't let me take my petrol tank LOL) and like I have GP (:eek:) today which am not looking forward to...despite the aches and pains from a picnic (we cycled there) in the country will simply have to cycle cos like otherwise I'll be stuck in starbucks till appt (hate docs waiting rooms with a passion)...

Yesterday was good....pics to follow. I only spent about a £1...(all I had). Friends bought reduced cheese and bread....got a flat tyre though so had to buy a pump last hight off ebay but someone @ the cafe we went to had a spare pump so I got home. Having forked out for a pannier (mad buy) on Monday from ebay I now need a new rack, new basket (can't get the basket and pannier on currently together) and another pannier for grocery shop....hmmm....my beloved bike...if bikes are THIS expensive dread to think what having a car would be like :eek:. Hoping to get a new rack from Becycle on Sat but don't know (it'll be cheap/free)...very fussy about the basket I want...like tall thin, pannier basket but to go on the top for balance. And the pannier was reduced from £30 to £18 including P+P...so that was good ...ebay is quite good for bike stuff I'm discovering..

Anyhow tis all my news...semi veg day today (full of aches and pains...:D)

E

slowlyfading

Nuala, that must have been a tough decision in a way for you, but if it means you being happier and less stressed, then surely that must be a good thing in the long run chin up x x

Erme

PS...Whoever said about mixing saver flour with normal flour in the bread maker :t. did it yesterday (had previously made a loaf out of saver flour and it came out mega crumbly)...works fine....worth doing guys!!!

cw18

I've spent last night and this morning defrosting freezers as I had 10 Whoospied pies and 12 Whoopsied breaded cod fillets, but couldn't find any space for them :eek:

After repacking (more logically) and pulling out a few bits (soup portion I've just had, curry portion and 2 mini Naan breads for DS tonight, and spag bol for both of us tomorrow) I've managed to get them all in :T

Think I'm going to have to use one of my joints this weekend though (1 gammon, 1 pork, 1 lamb and 5 turkey), as I need space for a bag of chips. That's the one glaringly missing item, and I have quite a few rolls of sausage meat in the freezer (plus the breaded fish) which we always have with chips...... so they're quite an essential purchase in the next few days

Will probably spend Saturday meal planning based on my latest inventory, but it depends on my vision after my 'minor eye op' tomorrow. I'm sure I'm not going to want to be out and about, but remains to be seen if I can focus enough for spreadsheets



Must start getting ready for work now..... after a 3-way shift change this week I'm in from 1pm until 9:30pm today (normally finish at 5), and only get 2x15 min breaks. Just had a biiiiig lunch, but must remember to drop a couple of my small App F00ds bottles of pop into my bag as I get thirsty more than anything on the long shifts.