Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 1

enjoyfinancialchallenges

miss empty piggy how disappointing about your fire, breathing in smoke isn't much fun either but neither is being cold, I hope you manage to get it sorted soon especially as you have tried so hard to put if right frugally.

RFTA love your poem and have a good imagination so I now know how your home looks in the winter :rotfl:

Came home this evening after spending the night at my DDs, was lovely but DD does love to be in charge...of everything... I doubt if I could live with her again.

Good luck with sorting out your electricity charges, its frightening when the cost goes up so much. I hope you both manage to agree on an affordable amount that doesn't leave you short.

Spent about £62 since yesterday, choc buttons for the DGS x2 plus a few bits at a craft shop which I felt very guilty about, very strange that I really hate spending so much. I filled my car with petrol and that was a bit of a shock as its never cost me so much and this is only the second time this year, I'm now not rushing as much as I used to so the petrol is going a bit further. I started to log all my petrol purchases and mileage at the beginning of the year as I thought it might be useful to keep an eye on driving costs. The council are cutting our two buses twice a week down to one bus twice a week any less and we shall be isolated but at least I wont be able to spend much. Once the weather brightens up I shall be outside in the garden more, I borrowed DDs heated propagator so I can get a few seeds started asap she has no plans to start doing her garden until the boys are older, last year they picked all the green tomatoes and then told mummy they had some apples for her...bless 'em.

dizzy_lizzie

:hello: Hiya everyone. Been popping on now and again to try and keep up with posts as unfortunately ended up on the antibiotics due to chest infection so haven't been in work for a few days. Had to rest, doctors orders. Really missed posting on here and looks like I've got even more to catch up on.
Will have a proper leisurely read over next day or so. I'm sure we've got new posters who I haven't yet said hello to.
Haven't even managed to plan a frugal Valentines day
Love and hugs to all and I hope I haven't missed anything too drastic though I must find miss empty piggys post re: a fire, sounds awful
Hope you're ok miss empty piggy.
Love dizzy x
♥

mooomin

Evening all

Another not-so-frugal day, but mainly essential spends. I was working this morning for overtime, so felt that that offset the coffee I bought on my way to the office

I then met a friend for a cheap and cheerful lunch which cost £3.03 and we then went to Morrisons (only essentials bought, cost under £3) and Tesco. I bought cat litter in Tesco on 3for2. I wish I had more storage space as with this offer it works out around £6 a bag and in most high street places it's £9 a bag, so a really good saving.

I had slow-cooked lamb with garlic and rosemary for dinner (Yummy!!) and have spent the night with the heating off colouring images for my cardmaking fest tomorrow. All in all, not a bad day really!

rubytuesday

Naula I am losing weight slowly but surely too and if I see something I like in a charity shop that is a little small I buy it anyway as I'm sure I will fit into it eventually.

Miss empty piggy so sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. Life does seem to go a bit like that at times I'm afraid! I do hope your luck changes for the better soon xxx

mooomin

Morning all

Frugalish day planned today - meeting a friend for lunch so there will be spending there but nothing I'm not willing to spend.

For anyone who hasn't heard of these sites, Wotnix and Snazal do an offer of a "free" book a day, paying £2.65 for postage. Snazal has a lovely crafting book today so I thought I would mention it http://snazal.com/freebook

CRANKY40

miss_empty_piggy wrote: »

Am so fed up nothing I do seems to work at the moment. I tried out the fire and it is just as bad as ever. Me and my 2DDs sat in a room full of smoke with the patio doors open freezing with a quilt wrapped around us. Just been up stairs to put little one to bed and eldests bedroom stinks now from the fumes through the chimney breast wall. I just don't know what else to do. Why does everything have to cost the earth. We had the fire opened up to cut down on costs and it has ended up costing a fortune and looks like it will cost me even more trying to get it right eventually. I give up. I'm so sick of struggling. Sorry guys just venting, I am grateful for what I do have, I just really wanted this to go right but it never. x

If there are fumes coming out through the upstairs walls and your house is old then your feathers may have gone in your chimney. See number 9 on this link?

http://www.chimneysweeps.co.uk/othercausesofsmokingfireplace.htm

Erme

Hi every1 yes am doing this on my phone. All 2 thumbs of it. Anyhow just 2 say really bad day yesterday. Just cudn't shake off the depression & the weather was lousy. Got bad thoughts & they 0 go away. So came up here (the local psych unit) 2 give my consultant one last chance). Alas 0 able 2 find dongle 4 netbk so will have 2 c if am well enuf later 2 go home & hunt 4 it. Got Crochet & phone thou so have enuf 2 do.

Only bit of gd news is that my free gloves from the student car boot sold 4 just ova £7 last nite on eBay - whoop whoop whoop!!!

Losing concentration now.

E

mooomin

Sorry to hear you had to "check in" Erme, hope you're well enough to go home soon.

Lots of love from Fresian Towers. Xxx

midwinter

NualaBuala wrote: »

Aw what a pain .. maybe a better bargain will come along, the prefect size, colour and price!

Thanks NualaBuala, I'll just keep looking! Curtains are unusual to find in the length I need in charity shops, but one day ........ !

miss_empty_piggy wrote: »

Am so fed up nothing I do seems to work at the moment

Chip up miss empty piggy I hope you soon get the fire working properly, without smoke, and without a huge bill.

Know the feeling though, waiting for a surveyor to come and look at an internal upstairs wall that's cracking rather badly, dreading the cause and the cost of whatever to put right

flying_fresian wrote: »

Morning all
For anyone who hasn't heard of these sites, Wotnix and Snazal do an offer of a "free" book a day, paying £2.65 for postage. Snazal has a lovely crafting book today so I thought I would mention it http://snazal.com/freebook

Thankyou for the link for the site, worth looking at daily if they have constant free books for just P&P :j

At most today, it's a purchase of milk, planned lasagne and rice pudding tonight, but there might not be enough milk by this evening, and the walk to Mr M's will do me good

Living_proof

Miss empty piggy - it sounds like your chimney needs lining which can be quite an expense. It also insulates the chimney though so less hot air up there and more in the room. I have one fireplace which works perfectly with an open fire but the only problem is that the adjoining house is filled with fumes and the breech in the chimney can't be found and the only way forward is to line it. I will be moving soon so haven't bothered having any estimates.

I hope you get warm soon.