FRUGAL LIVING CHALLENGE part 3, July - Dec 2010

NualaBuala

Hi everyone :wave:

I'm back from a wonderful week away on retreat. It was a fantastic experience, even better than the one I did last year. It's given me a renewed sense of what's important in life. Last year I felt really glad to go home, I found it quite hard - but this year I was sorry to be coming back to "reality". So I'll definitely be saving my pennies to do this again.

My container of veggies has been neglected and the salad leaves look like they've gone to seed - there are flower stalks growing! I wonder if I can eat them - waste not, want not and all that.

Also, I didn't get to use up all my veggies in the fridge before I went. They're still edible but past their best so I'll be doing some soup making. Does anyone know a nice broccoli soup recipe? I was thinking I could add the slightly dead looking bit of parmesan that has been lurking in the fridge for ages now.

rozeepozee wrote: »

Surely this shouldn't be confessional. Remember, the thread says "The challenge is about living a frugal lifestyle - establishing your true cost of living, sticking to your budget, clearing any debts and making savings wherever and however you can to enable you to live the life you really want.

We were able to buy our campervan from our savings because we are frugal. It's not a rehearsal

You're 100% right RP, thanks for the words of wisdom. I was feeling so guilty about spending the money. But I couldn't have done it without living frugally and it's done me so much good - worth every cent!

Kerry Woman, I have saved a fortune on phone calls since I switched to Skype for long chats with my sister. We don’t have proper skype phones, just headsets plugged into our laptops. We got our headsets free but I don’t think they cost more than a few quid. Hope the ecoballs work out, I’ve wondered about them but never tried them since I still have a load of soapnuts that’ll keep me going for ages.

(((((Jen))))), you’re going through a very rough time but try to remind yourself that it won’t last forever.I know because I’ve been there. So will you be continuing with your degree or not? The work experience sounds interesting – you’d be making a real contribution there. Hope your housing gets sorted - I’d find it hard to share with noisy people and I like living alone. Hope everything starts turning around soon.

Hey Erme – hope the leg is getting better and have a great holiday! You sound so well organised and have the finances well under control – yay for you!!! Oh, and I love the idea of HM espressos (from a free machine) and board games, frugal fun is the best!

Natalie, I’m so sorry about your break-up and what tough times you’ve had but I’m so impressed at your strength. You’re such a great role model for your children and for all of us here. Is the swim school still going?

Great to hear from you aeb – you're another inspiration to me. Hope everything keeps going well for you.

Winchelsea, sounds like you had a wonderful day out, sounds right out up my alley so I will borrow the idea some time. Well I’m not artistic so won’t manage the sketching bit but I could manage the flask of hot chocolate!


I hope everyone, posters and lurkers alike are doing well. Hugs to anyone who'd like one.

slowlyfading

nuala - glad you had a good time! Does the place you went to have a website? Can you PM me it if it does? It's something I would love to do

xnatalie81x

NualaBuala wrote: »

Hi everyone :wave:



Natalie, I’m so sorry about your break-up and what tough times you’ve had but I’m so impressed at your strength. You’re such a great role model for your children and for all of us here. Is the swim school still going?

ohhhhhhhhh yes, and going from strength to strength lol - Jan was 1hour now i run 3hrs sat and 1hr sunday with almost full classes - i am getting paid quite well......... looking to be around £100 week for the sept-oct term - i do more than 4hrs tho lol so with admin i do about 15 hours a week and then i do other teaching to top hours and money up

I don't feel strong lol. Things are really tough - more horrid stuff came out friday and i am struggling to cope. Keep trying to get a doc appt to get back on anti-ds but no luck as they are absolutely !!!!!y at my new docs! Not happy but every day should get easier i think lol

Erme

am in psych unit...the conspiracy got to bad and I had a freak out over the weekend (costing about £30 in train fares)...at home this sec (cos fl = no internet on phone and no lock on locker = no laptop either) but going back soon....however fishcake has my mobile for texting.... so no hols etc...and depot upped...

E

mama67

Frugaldom wrote: »

Good morning

Garden producing lots of salad leaves, cabbage, snowball turnips, strawberries, raspberries, cauliflowers, broccoli, herbs and, now, potatoes. Courgettes andfreezer full peas should be next, I think, and one of the apple trees is laden. Rhubarb did well, after a shaky start, so I have loads of fruit stewed and in crumbles in the freezer plus almost about 10 litres of rhubarb 'champagne' fizz bottled. Must bottle the elderflower today.

Hope everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel - loved that expression, must remember not to wave if I think it's a train. :eek::rotfl:

Frugaldom, forgive me if it is somewhere and i should have known; but can you please give a recipe for the rhubarb fizz mentioned I have loads of lovely pink rhubarb ready at the minute, and this would be good.
I bottled my elderflower approx a week ago so will be trying some poss tonite.

TIA

NualaBuala

Hi everyone :wave:


(((((Erme))))) Hope they take good care of you and you're feeling better soon. If anyone is texting Erme, could they sent my love too? Ta!

slowlyfading wrote: »

nuala - glad you had a good time! Does the place you went to have a website? Can you PM me it if it does? It's something I would love to do

Thanks a mill SF - and how was Italy?
Here's the link for Gaia House, I figured I'd link here in case other people might like it. In any case it's a lovely place and they deserve the publcity. AFAIK, it's for people of any or no religion although they use Buddhist meditation techniques like mindfulness meditation. I really liked that it's run in a frugal and green way.

xnatalie81x wrote: »

ohhhhhhhhh yes, and going from strength to strength lol - Jan was 1hour now i run 3hrs sat and 1hr sunday with almost full classes - i am getting paid quite well......... looking to be around £100 week for the sept-oct term - i do more than 4hrs tho lol so with admin i do about 15 hours a week and then i do other teaching to top hours and money up

I don't feel strong lol. Things are really tough - more horrid stuff came out friday and i am struggling to cope. Keep trying to get a doc appt to get back on anti-ds but no luck as they are absolutely !!!!!y at my new docs! Not happy but every day should get easier i think lol

Natalie - wow! You're doing just fantastic and even if you don't feel strong, you are! It really is people like you that inspire me most - I wish the bookshops were filled with autobiographies by folks like you and the others here who keep on going despite their troubles. But instead we get "celebrities". I have no doubt things will get better for you, hopefully sooner rather than later.


I had a frugal enough day today with no major spends, just a small amount on fresh stuff from the supermarket. If I'm organised I might be able to reduce my grocery spend this month. I'm delighted that the parsley, basil and coriander seeds I sowed before going away have not only germinated but are really flourishing now! I had covered the pots with plastic bags I'd saved and it made such a difference from last time I grew herbs from seed. I also got a present of a whoopsied miniature rose plant in perfect condition. I'm not sure whether to keep it indoors or plant it out - either way it's lovely!

Hope everyone is ok and has a lovely evening.

slowlyfading

Nuala thanks for the link - I'll have a browse Italy was amazing thanks! 40+ degrees everyday which got a bit hot, but had a great time it'll be something I'll remember for a long time.

Had another NSD today and have been sorting out things to buy for the move - I have a long list! :eek: if anyone has any tips/suggestions I'd love to hear them? I'm sure we've forgotten a lot!

top_drawer_2

hi,

Well its been an amazingly expensive day!! But hopefully something good has come out of it...... and the end to my bad luck run and something for me to look forward too.

I have booked a holiday .... only to London for 5 days but I am really looking forward to it. I haven't sorted out what I will do with Leo and Augustus for those days but I have paid £100 of it on my credit card and I will have to pay the other £120 in the next two weeks. Initially we were looking at going abroad, however I discovered this morning that my passport has expired. I had absolutely no idea, so we looked on the internet at b and b's/hostels and couldnt find anything decent enough/close enough to the attractions of central london. So as a final resort we looked in the travel shop at the bus centre in town and managed to get this for £119 per person, and we get breakfast and lunch too!! - we will also be stopping in a TOP 4 star hotel. I think we might not be posh enough to be honest as the pics indicate its AMAZING ..... It will certainly give me a huge incentive to be careful with what I spend .... I have already reined in spending £5 tonight on something I dont really need.



Anyway, Erme I hope you are feeling better .... what do you think might have brought this on? Its such a pity about the holiday, you have certainly earned it.

Natalie - well done on the swim schools, its a pity your not local as I would love to practice my swimming (I leant the basics aged 21) and maybe my nephew could join too.

SF - When I move I always make sure to pack one box of stuff with all the bits and pieces (tea making stuff, wash stuff, 2 days worth of clothes etc) needed for the first two/three days before I am sorted properly into the new place. I HATE moving with a passion. I find I dont normally need to buy as much as I thought though so tend to wait and see ...

Frugaldom - kind of unrelated but there was a proggramme on last week about some drug addicts who went to a retreat to be treated .... it was very strict but there seemed to be a good success rate. It was really interesting.

Jen

grandma247

TD never think you are not as good as anyone else. I have worked for some "posh" people in the past and they vary just like the rest of us. Some were perfectly ordinary in spite of their wealth because they were comfortable with it and it was not the focus of their life. One lady was very snobby when I first started there but by the time I finished a couple of years later she was having morning coffee in the kitchen with me. I just talk to people in a normal way, but If they have a position of authority I am also very respectful of that.
I hope you enjoy your holiday.

Erme get well soon.

Erme

thanks for the messages ...just home for the morning...feeling a little better....but tired due to lack of sleep last night...weird dreams...the other night I woke at midnight dreaming of ice cream....last night @ 3 dreaming of my espresso machine :rotfl:

Hugs

E