FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE part 3, July - Dec 2010

NualaBuala

Nothing much to report here - I just wanted to send hugs to those of you having a hard time.

Frugaldom

Hope things improve for all concerned.

Whitewing, could you compromise and spend part of your holiday in Cornwall and the other part in Brighton? It might even allow for a trip to Paris if that's not too much to manage when you have baby with you. You could always go as foot passengers by ferry and call it a mini-cruise.

Erme, I gave up on the cheap bread because we just can't get it here and I don't live near enough to a supermarket to be able to check regularly for discounts. Good luck with work options and I hope the meds can be sorted out to avoid any more memory loss.

CW, I meant to ask about the running shoes and now a size down in clothes? Have you taken up jogging or the C25K challenge or similar?

Not a lot happening here frugalwise. Nothin into savings pot this month as it all got spent on the stuff needed for fitting the woodburner, which I'm hoping will be installed soon! Got tiles for the fireplace through LETS but had to buy the tile adhesive/grout, which was another £15. I reckon that the whole lot for doing the job has cost me almost £500. The bulk of that was for all the chimney stuff, as the tiny pot belly stove cost just over £100 delivered.

We now have an entire new roof on the house and on the flat roof above the pantry & porch, so no more leaks. The clear up job outside has taken ages and I'm still finding the ocassional stray nail despite sweeping and raking at least twice a day. Chick count is currently at 8 hen chicks, 16 quail chicks, 6 newly hatched ducklings and incubator filled with quail eggs and guinea fowl eggs. Sales of surplus stock have been OK and LETS trading is still brisk, so I have absolutely no complaints or grumbles. Frugal living suits me, even if it isn't on my long-dreamed-of smallholding. Happy enough with my garden based microholding for now.

cw18

Frugaldom wrote: »

CW, I meant to ask about the running shoes and now a size down in clothes? Have you taken up jogging or the C25K challenge or similar?

I started on the C25K - and ended up doing week 1 twice (mainly due to my back). But I didn't really like the 'music' on the Podcast, so while I was trying to figure out the alternative version (signals only that you're supposed to be able to put over your own music) I just started running to specific landmarks using my own music. I found that worked much better for me, so have ditched the Podcasts entirely for now.

On Fri & Sat I did a 1km run, 500km walk, 1 km run. On Monday I did it as a straight 2.5km run (in 17 mins, which I was pleased with for a first time). Waaaay back at secondary school I was useless at the 100m/200m/400m, but held my own in the 800m and managed the 1500m without problems - so I guess I'm more of a distance runner than a fast runner.

I'll probably go back to the early weeks of C25K soon though, as I want to work on building up speed as well as distance so I can go out with OH - and plan to do that by interval training which the early Podcasts fit. He does 4 mile (roughly 6km) runs at a much faster speed than I'm at now (even though he classes it as slow!). I've not told him I've started running yet, as I want to get to the point I can (just about) manage his before dropping it on him

Got central heating service today, but if the chap is here and gone in time I'm hoping to go over to the local running club and get some more info from them. A friend mentioned them to me yesterday, so I've been reading their info on the web.... just a bit concerned on one or two points so want to speak to someone in person, and they meet at a local point on a Wednesday. Membership is only £20/year, so it won't kill any of my budgets

Blairweech

Hi everyone,

Have you seen this about the £14,400 cost of living?

TD - I wish I lived nearer you so I could give you an actual hug. Pardon me for asking but why is the uni capping your exams at 40%? Feel free to ignore if TMI. I really hope things pick up for you soon.

Optimisticpair

Frugaldom wrote: »

Nice to see a few of you still here going into the third quarter of 2010.

>snip

The guy never appeared to install my logburner and I haven't heard from him, so have no idea when it'll get fitted. It won't be today, that's for sure, as the weather wouldn't permit anyone to go anywhere near a roof to fit a chimney liner - it's horrible out there at the moment. Guess the grass & garden does need watering, though.

Got eggs due to hatch today or tomorrow, still keeping very busy here and still need to get my elderflower champagne started. I have the rhubarb one bottled and it's already started to fizz.

Still here I went a bit over but needn't have it's just we bought some proper winemaking equipment. I've got 3 gallons of fruit juice wines and 2 of elderflower on the go now.

For some reason our chosen woodburner fitter came and measured the cavity and didn't get back to us after that...at all :huh: Huh? They have queues for fitting central heating here and the most demanding or needy get up the queue overtaking those who aren't urgent or pushy. Even if it goes against your grain you might have to chase him up. Another I've asked doesn't fit in the summer.

It's chucking it down here too so topping up our rainwater store nicely and whilst it stops me doing much outside it saves me watering the veg.

I'm pleased to hear things are going well for you. It sounds effortless to be so sorted now but I doubt it came easy.


Hearty commiserations to those having a rotten time.

rozeepozee

I'm still here guys:jbut mostly in spirit as I just don't have very much time at all with these babies at the moment. It's nice to see the familiar "faces" still here. I hope I can catch up a bit more regularly and keep my expenses recorded daily (it's such a faff trying to catch up when there are loads of receipts and such to input).

I'm more or less up to date with my spreadsheet now and I've some glitches in it (I may be in touch, Cheryl ) but we've spent miles more money than before they were born - mainly because DP is in charge of a lot of the shopping in months May and June as I was too busy with the babies! Reckon he spends at least £50 a month more. Plus, to be fair, we've bought some not entirely necessary but "justifiable" baby items (e.g. a swanky new baby monitor) and the grocery budget is way over as I seem to be eating the contents of a supermarket aisle a week as I breastfeed two babies!!! June grocery spend was £400+ compared to previous months at around £200.... AND the "Anything else" category is £1000 over :eek: I'm hoping that this will not continue into the last half of the year because, again, much of this spending is pregnancy/baby related.

On the plus side, breastfeeding exclusively means no spending on artificial infant milk and I've got bottles and teats from Freecycle (I express some milk to "top up" the twins so they sleep more at night). And, I don't need any baby equipment or clothes as they've been given and I've just made a new friend who has a 3 year old girl and is a shopaholic and buys gorgeous clothes, but she's got a baby boy now so she's passing all her girls gear onto me as she has no use for it :T

Baby crying gotta dash- will catch up again soon.......

Hugs to those having it rough...

R x

top_drawer_2

Blairweech wrote: »

TD - I wish I lived nearer you so I could give you an actual hug. Pardon me for asking but why is the uni capping your exams at 40%? Feel free to ignore if TMI. I really hope things pick up for you soon.

Thanks, I could do with someone to talk too or just be quiet with ... I haven't told my housemates about the job yet, I still feel so defensive about it and feel I will be "blamed" as it was my mistake.

My uni have decided that my extenuating circumstances for requuesting deferral of my exams to August wasn't good enough, yesterday was the appeal which could only be under 4 very strict guidelines - I put in additional evidence of why I was unable to sit the exams as they had already rejected my previous arguement (I never considered putting in an entire essay because I am stupid and didnt want to overload them with a list of my sh!tty life situation - if I wrote it all down I'm sure they would reply that its kinder to euthanise now). They decided that my reasoning wasnt sufficient and since they won't give any weight to certain things (i.e employment/illnesses starting prior to uni beginning and a whole host of other things which cant not affect my performance) then the 4 exams I missed will be capped at 40% (i.e just a pass regardless of what I actually get, unless I fail and then I do fail instead).

I signed on early this morning to find an email from someone I used to live in student halls with. The lovely caretaker guy who looked after our halls died last night after having a heart attack, this time 2 years ago he managed to arrange for me to use one of the unused rooms for 4 days in the halls as I was between homes (I moved in for three weeks to wait for my new room to become free but the contract ended as they started the contracts for the academic year but I couldnt move into my new place for another 4 days). I have bought a "With Sympathy" card but am at a loss as to what to write.

Jen

whitewing

Aww, td, have a cuddle from the whitewing household.

When my grandparents died, the best cards were the ones that shared a memory, eg the one that said, " everything I learned about such-and-such, I learnt from you" or "loved your beaming face when we popped in for an unexpected cuppa". Those are the kind of comments that made us nod along and remember the good times.

Erme

For all you lovely ppls wanting to stay awake eyes have a pressie



I got this from work for £10 yesterday ...it needs some filters though which I don't quite know where I'm going to get from but in the meantime is good ya ....Frothing is a bit tricky but once you get the hang of it works . It's a Bodum Granos 3020 - a few bad reviews but not a tonne. It's been around for a few years and is easy to clean and weighs a tonne (ask my arm LOL)...

Soon be time to go back to bed...:(

Want to stay up and crochet :j....

A year without the tv yesterday :T

Job wise it ended up being just a look round and getting an application form...have to get that back by end of week...find out August cos boss is going on a/l. Only downside to job is the hour there and back on the bus but fab location (royal deeside) and really nice elderly care home:) and I can do the job (knew it was a good thing teaching myself to iron :money:)

Blessings

E

top_drawer_2

hi,

I have searched High and Low for Borax today .... Morrisons, Wilkinsons, Home Bargains and Boots the chemist. Anymore ideas where I can buy this stuff, preferably off-line? I have spilt tea on a mint coloured top, forgot all about it and have washed it .... I have already tried Boots Multi-use laundry powder mixed with white vinegar.....

Jen