FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE part 3, July - Dec 2010

Kerry_Woman

Erme - Great news about your job. Hope all works out for you. Sending hugs to you.

pagangirl

Hi - still lurking, just not been posting. Overspent slightly this month, but overall still on track. Need to update sig later.

Erme - glad you are ok, look after yourself hunny and good luck with your new job.

Frugaldom sorry if the challenge turned into into something you didn't want, but it has made me sit up, sort my finances out and realise just how little I actually need to live on (although would also be classed as poor in the real world). So thank you for starting the thread.

Hugs to all
xx

NualaBuala

Hugs from me too Erme, sounds like you've been going through a lot. You sound very self-aware of what you're going through, I'm sure that's a good thing. As usual, you seem to be getting on with things despite everything - yay for you! Best of luck with the job, hope they are not taking advantage with the unpaid trial. Try to take extra good care of yourself and get some rest. xxx

pagangirl wrote: »

Frugaldom sorry if the challenge turned into into something you didn't want, but it has made me sit up, sort my finances out and realise just how little I actually need to live on (although would also be classed as poor in the real world). So thank you for starting the thread.

Hugs to all
xx

I feel the same!
Sounds like you're doing grand despite the overspend.:T I've had lots of overspends as I miscalculated what the various categories would need. But I always make up for it by rejigging things around a bit so I'm on target overall too. :j

Nothing exciting to report. It's a beautiful sunny day here but I am hiding indoors as the light is bothering me. What a waste when in only a few months it will be dark at 4pm!

Hope everyone is well - hugs to all in need.

JayneC

Hello everyone,

well we all seem very busy don't we?

Nuala, I'm not at all minimilist usually - I hate throwing things away (always think I'll need it one day) and have even been known to 'rescue' things that other people have thrown out!! At least there's freecycle now so at least you know your stuff is going to somebody who wants it.

Erme - Good to hear youre back with us again. Take care of yourself.

Back to work yesterday - yuck!! The atmosphere there is awful at the minute as everyone is so stressed! We have 3 people off sick with stress related probs at the moment and everybody else is cracking, it's a bit scary really:(. Makes me just want to go and live in a field away from all the madness! I'm planning to spend a fair few hours at my other garden tomorrow, hoping taht'll take my mind off it. Also (not sure if I've mentioned this before) I've become involved in a theatre company and we started rehearsals for our fisrt performance (Animal Farm) yesterday so that's providing a distraction and also a good opportunity to get out with some like minded people and relax a bit:).

DS survived 'big' school but he's still not impressed with it! Hopefully he'll settle better as he makes some new friends.

I counted up and bagged my change from my jug ( I have such exciting Friday nights!!) earlier and now have £41 ready to pay towards CC. I can now see the end in sight for my remaining debt and have to say am feeling quite giddy about getting it paid off at last:j. I don't think I've ever been without debt since the age of 18! It's quite amazing really how much my attitude has changed since finding this site! Not just towards money itself but towards what's really valuable in life - ie NOT possessions. I'm getting all philisophical now

Anyway have a good weekend everyone,

Lots of love x

Winchelsea

JayneC I've just been catching up, and loved reading about Off Grid. I looked it up, and I was excited to find it's actually not that far from me (probably 45 mins if I drove there - which I'd try not to do), so I may try to go next year. Sounds very much 'my thing'!

I'm another one who gets a lot of satisfaction out of living a simple life. Because I'm an old biddy now with much lower energy levels than I used to have, I can't manage to be as self-sufficient as I would like, but still get so much pleasure from managing with the minimum of mod cons. And I can still go camping, manage the tent etc. Went to a folk festival by myself earlier in the year, which I know surprised some of my friends.

Erme - I was so sorry to hear you had to go to the psych unit. I do hope you're feeling much better now. I'll be thinking of you.

Frugaldom

Frugaldom wrote: »

... The challenge on here has taken a different route from my original concept and I can't change my challenge to suit, sorry.

Hi guys, don't misinterpret the above, it simply means that my personal challenge (Living on £4,000 a year), the original one, is on a slightly different route to what this MSE version has now taken, that's all. This one certainly hasn't gone a way that I don't like. On the contrary, I love the fact that so many different people were interested enough to begin taking part and simplifying their own lifestyles, cutting down on needless spending etc, etc, etc. :beer:

Hope everyone is well/getting better. I was treated to a family 'whip round' for my birthday, so that's why I'm ploughing ahead getting my kitchen done, at long last. Things always take longer when following the debt free, frugal route, but it's also more relaxed and almost stress free. Like my signature says, "the less I spend, the more I can afford", so each item can only be bought as the funds accumulate to cover all the costs.

Erme, I have a little soldering iron for pyrography - you can burn pictures into wood or leather or cut & join shapes from perspex/plastic to make any manner of object. I've never had the time to experiment fully, likewise with my duck egg painting project and I've completely given up on the rag rug I started - it's now helping to line the underside of a neighbour's duck pond. :rotfl:

Spending plan going well here and, having just emptied the larder & pantry, I can see just how much is in stock to be used up before buying any more. Freezer's full of half price meat from Mr S reductions and foraging season is well underway here, so loads of wine, jams and jellies. Garden producing a fair amount and we're still getting eggs every day. My only problem is rehoming all the surplus male chicks that hatched this year. We can't kill/eat them, so they need to go somewhere.

That's about all the news I have for now, so keep on frugaling, guys and gals. It is well worth it for stress free, simple living without the worry of clock watching or materialistic impulse buys. (Unless the impulse buy is a lop eared rabbit, of course. :rotfl:) Keep on frugaling, guys and gals!

Erme

NualaBuala wrote: »

Hugs from me too Erme, sounds like you've been going through a lot. You sound very self-aware of what you're going through, I'm sure that's a good thing. As usual, you seem to be getting on with things despite everything - yay for you! Best of luck with the job, hope they are not taking advantage with the unpaid trial. Try to take extra good care of yourself and get some rest. xxx

Well having been up @ silly o'clock :eek: I now find myself late up but feeling well ....

I was going to go to the Royal Highland Games today on free bus but I'm not up in time so it's going to be a gentle walk down deeside this afternoon and it's such a lovely sunny day... :T

I had a whoopsie last night on quick bread books and a food processor cookbook by Beatrice A something that I looked @ on Google books and that looked really good...$16 :eek: that's less on the electric on Monday (day before pay day :P) and boy the electric needs juice right now cos I've missed 2 months payments. So praying I can catch up before next bill that I think is due in September... If not I will phone them and say look 'will pay you extra for a few months till it's paid off but don't just increase the monthly payment' I wish I could change electric companies but living in a high rise being a council tenant under stuff I don't know i I can...maybe one to phone the council about because there sure is cheaper out there than what I'm currently paying (by at least £200 a year)

I'm still on the £4k a year challenge frugal but bearing in mind I started this late and like I have the illness and the fixations to contend with it's not so easy. Sorry not updates on spends for past few months...just been sick. But my plan and my aim was £4k and I still believe in it and think it will be essential for many with the cutbacks by the coalition

Anyhow breakkie will soon be ready and I have to take my pills and stuff...

Hugs

E

Frugaldom

Thanks, Erme. Enjoy the highland games if you get there today. I'm off to update signature whilst waiting for jam to boil. Foraging time is a bisy time here. Blackberry, raspberry and apple jelly on the go just now, with apples from a tree in the garden.

JayneC

Hi again,

Winchelsea, would definately recomend Off Grid,maybe I'll see you there next year;)

Erme, You are able to change electricity suppliers if you like, doesn't matter if you rent - it's your right.

Frugaldom - I've been preserving too today, yet more blackberry jam. I've been putting the cooked blackberries through a sieve because of all the seeds but have seen a recipe that doesn't need that. Just wondered if you - or anybody else - makes it with seeds in and is it ok?

managed to get to the garden for a couple of hours with DD this morning, more clearing but making progress. Have identified a couple of spots for my gooseberry bushes (which got smothered under my rhubarb in my real garden) so I'm planning to get them in tomorrow and hopefully they'll get going proper then!

Not made any progress on the decluttering I have to confess! Definately need to do it tho. It's really difficult to keep up with everything whilst working full time. I always think I've got more time than I have and then get frustrated taht I don't get things done. Need to prioritise.

I ordered the Moneyless Man book from Amazon - I'll let you know if it's any good.

Take care everyone x

Erme

Not sleeping well tonight ...have spent half of it napping on the sofa....:(

Anyhow...ended up in In* feeling pretty down but being in in* took the edge off it so was happy... Thought about going to the UTG protest but ended up catching the 4pm bus (and it started @ 3) but on the bus met a lovely lass who has PD and depression and who was freaking out about having another bus journey. So we spend the whole of the bus journey chatting about recovery and stuff and exchange nos....that was nice . Made my day

Anyhow having had the gut feeling to go to In* and having that happen to me felt it was only right I went with my gut feeling and get off the bus @ U T and see if the protest is still on. No protest...tired...decided to catch bus half way home. (and baring in mind prior to all this in the am I'm pretty yucky). Just as I turn the corner into one of the side streets off george st I see a hoover go in the bin. Looked like students moving. They're still there as I walk up to the bin so we get it out and I get it home and it works even though it's noisey...Free bagless electrolux pink hoover (well cerise and white)..:)...Worth £60 from Mr A (Electrolux vitesse pet lover 1800w)...wow

Get home...get freecycle done..on this high after the hoover.. go out and get food...Get home and there's a text from L from couchsurfing group...She invites me over to her place but I decline but say I'll pop round soon. I only made contact with her yesterday because she wanted to go to Braemar and like stuff but she had to fix her bike...

PRAISE GOD....

Hugs fans

E
PS. Still think there's no conspiracy

E
PS. thanks Jayne about the info on elec suppliers....you sure it applies to scotland though? And council?