Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

dizzy_lizzie

Erme wrote: »

Didn't know I had a fellow crocheter (occaisonal knitter) on here :j...what utter bliss. I spent 11 months last year making a Barn raising afghan for my £5 (inc delivery...the manager was having an off day ) sofa cos I couldn't find any throws I liked at the right price... It looks so fab

What exactly do you crochet? I personally am a great fan of US granny blankets and have LOADS of patterns I got off ebay years ago I'm loathe to throw out. I just use DK...though occaisonally I will dip into knitting when I have to and am currently on my 2nd pair of socks which would have not been possible without silver's sock class that Fishcake told me about :T
E

Hi Erme. The barn raising afghan sounds amazing. They really can make sofas look so snuggly.
I'm much better at crochet than knitting. I love making little hearts which I turn into bunting, baby blankets and wristwarmers etc. Just basic things really, can never fathom a proper pattern out, though I did crochet a finger puppet lion from a crochet book someone got me for Christmas
You might like these linksif you haven't seen them before...
Attic24 She has loads of just lovely crochet patterns and her tutorials are so easy to understand. Just scroll down on the left. Also this one...Julia Crossland I made her tiny hearts and they are just gorgeous and really easy. I've added photos of stuff I've done on the crochet thread.
We've just got in from shopping so when I get a mo I'll try and get some links up for the things I've made.

I've also found the missing cake scoffer book which had the lovely chocolate in. Think itsallinthemind wanted to have a peep at it so here it is...it's based on an old wartime recipe from when eggs were in short supply apparently...
6oz SR flour
10z cocoa
2oz sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb of soda
2/3 pint soya milk
10z marg

1) Cream the marg, sugar and syrup.
2) Dissolve baking soda in soya milk
3) Sift the flour, a pinch of salt, and cocoa
4) Add some of the flour mixture to the fat mixture and beat together, then add some of the milk mixture and alternate between the two like this until everything is mixed
5) Bake in a greased tin for 30 mins at gas mark 4 or 175 c (I actually had enough mixture to split into two round cake tins)
6) Cool in the tin(s) then ice with whatever you like.
I have made cocoa buttercream icing and put this in the middle and melted some vegan chocolate and poured that on top...the one in the photo I put buttercream on top as well. It is delicious!!! and I can tell you it doesn't last very long. here it is...da da.........


Have done my shopping and bought a few tops but couldn't believe everything in the shop was £3!!!! So bought 4 tops and a long cardi. So that was a 'spaving' is that the right word?
Well done to all who are making great savings, moneywise and food wise, this thread just gets better and better :A
Luv Dizzy x
♥

midwinter

Thanks for those links dizzy, i might start crotcheting again! The hand warmers and the hearts both look rather good

minnie2

midwinter wrote: »

H*me bargains do 18 for £3.59

I believe pound stretcher currently have http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/36-toilet-rolls-2x-18-packs-for-a-fiver-poundstretcher/863972

never heard of the first shop can you order online?

not sure we have a poundstretcher either!!! can those be ordered online?

ah just looked at the link and they are not available online!

midwinter

minnie2 wrote: »

never heard of the first shop can you order online?

not sure we have a poundstretcher either!!! can those be ordered online?

Home bargains are predominantly a northern chain, but are expanding south: check here http://www.tjmorris.co.uk/stores to see where there might be one near you, they have nearly 200 stores across the UK, and I get lots of excellent bargains from there.

Neither do online shopping.

Erme

Nichelette wrote: »

Hi all...

I've popped in every now and again on some of the older threads for this challenge and have decided to make an effort to join in.

I spent the last year paying off a £11.5k loan for my dad (long story, related to my parents divorce, see the first post of my diary if you're curious). I cleared this in Nov 10 and then went a bit mad with my spending it seems.

I work full time but I'm not paid very well, so I was literally going to the bank every Friday when I was paid and using 80% of my pay on the loan. Not the most fun for a 23/24 year old, and since I've had that massive weight lifted my spending has gone a bit awol. That said, I've just had to pay for my car insurance, and MOT, and obviously Christmas was a big one too..

Anyhoo, at the moment I'm taking home a paltry £933 a month. This should be more like £1070 but due to being made permanant at work I'm overpaying tax at the moment. I was planning to survive on what I've got and get a rebate come April, but I've realised that as I'm going to have to pay some extra income tax as I run a small jewellery business making & selling it on the internet. I'll probably submit my tax return for the 10/11 tax year very early, then their website can work out what I do/don't owe them. I'm pretty sure I'll still be due a rebate of around £300ish, but it means I won't have to find the extra to pay for the income tax from the jewellery business as it will come out of what I'm owed.

I'd like to try and live on 5k for the rest of the year. I'm going to go away and work out the figures later, but it should be achievable provided I don't buy lots of junk I don't need...

You know what....all you can do is try and if you don't make 5k don't lose any sleep over it cos there's bigger fish to fry in the great pond of life. Dust yourself off and start again next year....

I aimed for 4k last year from the beginning of February and ended up closer to the 5k mark than I'd like to admit (if not over)...but the loan repayments still got paid on time etc. etc. You can do this girl - just don't put too much pressure on yourself and allow yourself a whoopsie fund just in case you feel the need to splurge yet again. It's not going down that's the crime but staying down and you cleared 11.5k of debt so well done you :T...and you're only what 23/24...I was still in denial about money at that age so you've got a heads up on me - that's for sure...:)

enjoyfinancialchallenges wrote: »

Have just been reading all the posts to date and everyone seems to be achieving some succes or another, well done. Group hug all round. :j Its amazing what can be cut down or out once we know where our money is being spent but its the being brave and actually recording it thats the frightening bit. mogan6 you were saying earlier that this was an eye opener for you...well not in so many words,but...You will get all the support and help you need on this thread so don't panic. LollopyBear your success in saving £400 seems spectacular, well done for that. :T just think if that were to continue over the period of the year, amazing.

Erme your dilema about the kindle seems to be a tough one, to sell or not to sell that is the question. Only you know what you paid for it and if my memory is correct it wasn't that long ago but if you get a good price and its cheaper to do the alternative well that sounds fine to me. You asked a question about your health,well I think you seem to be Ok so dont worry, I think now we know you would like any feedback it will be easier for anyone of us to tell you...BUT ... do let me know if this is what you want I don't want to make assumptions about this.

Please somebody tell me what a spave is? The words been used few times but I must have missed its definition somehow.

I wanted to comment on youngmummy post also but I'm having a senior moment and cant remember why so I'll save that for later.

Have a good rest of your day everybody. XX

Yeah I'd like you guys to tell me when you think I'm getting unwell cos the other weekend you guys spotted it way before I did...and the sooner I know the sooner I can do something about it. The sooner I do something about it = the less chance of psych admission (and I always spend a heap of dosh in the readjustment phase after those...so it kind of would be a tad of a frugal idea.)...

flying_fresian wrote: »

If I'm right and you have an Android phone, then you can download the Kindle software and have books downloaded directly to your phone. I don't have a Kindle but do use the software on my HTC.

I think only you can decide if you want to sell it. If you're not using it then it makes sense, but maybe keep it for a while and see what suits best.

Yeah I have wildfire...and well...I never thought of selling my beloved kindle..certainly that was not the reason I bought the wildfire but it started with Little Women the other day on the bus and today I discovered that my newspaper (once a month - internet sub = £6 a year = printed over £10) is easier to read and a lot less hassle to put on the HTC (by the time you've done all the converting of files....whatever I do the kindle isn't keen on pdf's) than it is on the kindle....

Maybe the upgrade of the memory card is a tad luxurious at this stage (I only have about 1gb of books on the kindle and the HTC came with a 2gb memory card) but something to consider. At this stage I'm in no rush to put any music on cos that will slaughter the battery and I'm quite happy with my fossiled Creative Zen touch I got cheap off amazon the other year (plus that has 20gb memory)...it may look like a brick BUT IT WORKS :T....plus I reckon I'd get very little for the MP3 player with things moving on so much so why sell? You can even get a 30gb or so ipod these days 2nd hand for about £100 or so...exactly..


I've been thinking about it all day and I reckon I could easily get £80 if not more for the kindle if I can find all the manuals (it has them on it but you need to know how to switch it on and off for starters). I have the cable and the charger that's for sure ....and then it's just a question of formatting it which shouldn't be impossible. I have all my books on here via calibre as is.. So whilst not recouping total monies spent on Kindle and HTC I can't see how it would do any harm? And why do I need 2 e-reader devices? If worst comes to worst I'll get a cheap one (e-reader) from hong kong or somewhere off ebay My friend did that (she's quite geeky) - just for patterns off Ravelry and saved herself a fortune on the kindle...

BTW - having a lousy Sabbath...about the only thing I've not done to break the Sabbath is been out to the shops and now feeling very glum and down...don't even feel remotely like going to kirk..in fact feel quite frightened cos am so full of sin...

E

minnie2

midwinter wrote: »

Home bargains are predominantly a northern chain, but are expanding south: check here http://www.tjmorris.co.uk/stores to see where there might be one near you, they have nearly 200 stores across the UK, and I get lots of excellent bargains from there.

Neither do online shopping.

thank you ill give it a look

just had a look and our closest one is over 50miles away in skegness

dizzy_lizzie

Hi Erme
Hubby has put the shopping away so here are those links to my crochet on the crochet thread, can't do the individual photos but can do the page and I'll put on what post number they are, though you'll see them anyway
Here are the links for some of my crochet pics
Fireplace bunting post no 546 (my favourite)
lion post no 1278
Baby bootees these were hard for me to do post no 1141
Tin of hearts post 997
Hearts and flowers post 912
Blankets and flowers post 836
and post 3975 are my knitted wristwarmers

For anyone wanting a cheap hobby and to help take your mind off spending etc crochet really is quite frugal. All you need is a crochet hook which cost 0.95p in my local knit shop and a ball of wool, cheapest again 59p. And to make it even more frugal you can crochet strips of plastic carrier bags to make...bags lol, string, unravel jumpers that don't fit and reuse the yarn etc. Loads and loads of tutorials on youtube for complete beginners.
Luv Dizzy x
♥

Marru

I am so cross with my gas and electricity supplier. When I moved in November I asked them to take over the supply in my new place. I obviously assumed that I will continue with the same tariff that I was in my previous place but no, they have put me on standard tariff :mad:. Anyway, I have now requested that to be changed and also I have taken meter readings tonight and put them in i-measure (link in first post or easy to find with google).

I am going to take readings now weekly and keep an eye on the costs. The thermostat in this place doesn't work and I don't know if I can a***ed to go back to the agency about it. As long as it is not too cold and I don't need to leave heating on low during the day that shouldnt' matter too much. As it if bl00dy cold here as it is.

dizzy_lizzie

midwinter wrote: »

Thanks for those links dizzy, i might start crotcheting again! The hand warmers and the hearts both look rather good

Have sent you a pm midwinter
luv dizzy x
♥

dizzy_lizzie

Marru wrote: »

I am so cross with my gas and electricity supplier. When I moved in November I asked them to take over the supply in my new place. I obviously assumed that I will continue with the same tariff that I was in my previous place but no, they have put me on standard tariff :mad:. Anyway, I have now requested that to be changed and also I have taken meter readings tonight and put them in i-measure (link in first post or easy to find with google).

I am going to take readings now weekly and keep an eye on the costs. The thermostat in this place doesn't work and I don't know if I can a***ed to go back to the agency about it. As long as it is not too cold and I don't need to leave heating on low during the day that shouldnt' matter too much. As it if bl00dy cold here as it is.

Ooh that's not on Marru. I would be annoyed too! Hope you don't have any more problems with them.
Luv dizzy x
♥