Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

JayneC

Here - http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z356/jayne_coyne/Garden/mum647.jpg

seriouslyfrugal

midwinter wrote: »

For the green fingered:

Free tomato seeds are on offer here!

http://www.britainonshow.co.uk/promotions/#entryform

Thanks for the link midwinter i've ordered mine so fingers crossed :T

JayneC

Aril I like the look of that book, will have to have a hunt in the library. I managed to resist buying books in the library today, they're having a clearance there were quite a few at 50p plus it was buy one get one free. I wouldn't have bought any of them otherwise tho so it was spending money I wouldn't have spent, even if it was only 50p!

Jolaaled

wornoutmumoftwo wrote: »

Thank you, have put my details in. OH has spent two days building a greenhouse base, can order the greenhouse soon (out of last year's birthday money) and then I can get started

I am trying to decide how to build my own greenhouse base...can you give me any tips pleaseeeeee!

THANKS

cw18

Spend day for me today...... and none of it on essential bills either (nor groceries, other than the very last spend - and they wouldn't have been bought had I not gone out / not spent so long looking for bits I wanted meaning I'd been home earlier)

Bus fare to town was first spend.

Then went to bank and paid in some cheques - including christmas and birthday pressies from my parents :T

Picked up specs that I ordered on 12th Dec, and was informed were ready for me via text on 15th Dec despite having been told they'd take 2 weeks !!! (and I can now just about read some really, really tiny 'small print' )

Then nipped into W.H.S. - came out with a monthly craft mag, a special edition craft mag/book (half price), a runners 'manual' (released by one of the mags, but covers everything from basic eqpt to more advanced 'may like to owns' and includes training plans for everything from getting going up to marathons), and a 'market kitchen' cookbook (reduced from £16.99 to £2.99)

Had a mooch around various outdoor sports shops, but couldn't get what I wanted - need something to put over my running shoes so I can still get out next time we have snow. But I have now seen a system (that staff in another shop have used and were happy to recommend - they just haven't been able to get stock) which is cheaper - and seems more adaptable - than the one I was looking at on-line..... shame the store who had them in didn't have my size So I'm going to have to trawl the 'net for these, but as they're coming out of the money my parents gave me for Christmas, I won't count them as a 'spend' against my budgets when I find/order them.

Also did a trawl of mobile phone stores, and got myself another handset !!! I find it very hard to text on a traditional phone keypad, but could manage when I was only sending 1 or 2 a week. Now I'm up to as many as 8 or 9 a day my poor thumb is getting very sore, so I decided to see if I could get one with a QWERTY keypad at a reasonable price (have had several of these in the past, and love them). One I'd seen last September had been reduced in price by 50% to under £25, so having had the same one recommended in all three stores my network have in the city (and seen nothing better at the same price or cheaper anywhere else) I decided to go for it. But I'm counting this as a birthday pressie from my parents (their cheque more than covers it), so it doesn't come out of my budgets......

Then a visit to Prim@rk. Returned a pair of PJs I bought last month (wore them a couple of times and washed them, then went to put them on again only to discover a seam in one of the legs had 'come adrift' in the wash :mad:). So I got £6 refunded for those. But I then went to look for a replacement pair (found a pair in the same fleece fabric at the same price, but a different colour/design), and also spotted loads of PJs in the sale..... so I ended up picking up an extra 5 pairs for an additional £19. Should see me well through this year, and probably next year as well

Final spend was in a discount store while waiting for the bus home.... I'd forgotten to take a drink with me, and was starting to get one of my dehydration headaches So I got a bottle of water (19p) and gave in to a pack of almond cakes that I love (50p for 6)

All in all not the lowest spend day I've ever had, but waaaaaay less spent than I used to spend in a single lunch-time when I worked in the city centre - and none of it was 'tat' - so I'm not annoyed with myself about it

slowlyfading

Evening everyone.

Had a NSD today which is about the only good thing that happened today [details on my diary thread]. sigh.

NualaBuala

Jayne, I agree - Sandra so should be a motivational speaker! :T
Thanks a mill for bamboo pole hanging info - I really like the sound of it. Cheap and cheerful and easily replaced! Oh, and your chickens are beautiful!

rubytuesday

Jayne I'm sure you'll be more comfortable lying on the bed rather than under it!;) Oh the odd socks! Most of my socks are stripey and they all seem to be odd now!

rubytuesday

Chooks are lovely Jayne!

NualaBuala

Big hugs SF - have just read about your day from hell. I'm sure your ability to switch plans when hit by a technical glitch counts in your favour. Hope the car won't be too expensive to fix.

Cheryl - well done on returning the PJs. I am so bad at not returning things that didn't cost much when they have faults. Need to get better at that. I just remembered I have a running log book I used about twice. I don't have any need of it now - if you have any use for it I'm happy to post it to you.

Today was a spend day for me, but not too much. Got a whoopsied organic milk in Mr T and then some reduced ready meals in M&S. Ok, not very OS but better than takeaways - I knew I'd be too wrecked to cook when I got home - spent hours at the hospital today waiting for my appointment with the consultant. Between getting there, waiting, being seen by reg, waiting for consultant, seeing him, bus back to town, dash to shops and bus home it took 6.5 hours and I am knackered! It went quite well though and he is hopeful that I will get well enough to return to college. :j And he is happy to support my appeal to get disability allowance. :T