Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 2

minnie2

ok so i am now getting back on track but so so much to catch up on!!!!!!!! We have not been very frugal at all!! oh dear!!! It has been spend spend spend I am afraid!! had two weeks off work and over a week without a laptop plus also something very unheard of hubby got 5days off to spend with me!! Most of these days ended up as disasters which is typical so didnt get much quality time together!!!! Had a disaster on my birthday 18th!! emergency vets appointment (which i think i can make my second home) £262 and 3 more visits later hes had a tumour removed from his mouth. And Friday lovely day organised with me and hubby but no - the same dog is on three legs and the leg is full of fluid so another trip to the vets and spent most of the day waiting by the phone with the prospect of a £1200 bill. So with most of the day gone the call came and it wasnt as bad as expected but another £283 then we had to go pick him up and hes on bed rest for a week and another two trips next week! Went shopping in braintree but on the way saw some furniture for sale on side of road and oops!! £70 later my car was full of furniture, then when we got there oops they had some gorgeous radley bags for sale so that was another £60! and i paid for lunch which was £57 as we invited my mum and sister! plus petrol eek!!! Didnt get home till gone 11pm so straight to bed! The next day was a disaster was suppose to go to pleasurewood hills - hubby needed to do some internet banking so with no laptop we popped into his work - but he came out and said the day he wanted wasnt available so he had to go into branch argh!! so we had to go back into city, went to bank started again heading towards pleasurewood hills to get a call saying the bed we ordered on ebay £130, was 10mins away from our home.It was suppose to be 8days but without a laptop i hadnt got the emails and he said he couldnt wait 5mins for us so he dumped it on the door step,so we headed home to find a double divan bed, mattress and headboard infront of our front door!! by the time we got that in there was no point in going to pleasurewood hills as there wouldnt be enough time. So we went to ikea instead at thurrock bought a mattress,a unit for under the stairs and a few bits and bobs!! £105. We also saw outside furniture we liked went to self serve but they didnt have any tables left so we then went to ikea at milton keynes to get the table and chairs - eek £274!!!! another late night too!! so the next day we went to pleasurewood hills £34 to get in!! plus food and photos etc £15!! and another late night. and our last day toget was spent sorting out hte house which was full of boxed furniture!! oh also kitted out our two spare rooms £50 on soft furnishings, plus £50 for two mirrors plus a new hoover £40.I have probably missed things oh yes £300 for new laptop too!!! expensive!!!!!!!!!! and i think i have about 10 pages to re-cap on here.i also need to find all the other challenges i am involved in as i have lost all my favourites.
Last night we went to my mothers for my sister 18th birthday - £20 petrol eek but i did drop off some of her junk from under my stairs 10months after i received it - still have another car full in the house and our garage is still full of her stuff. oh i did take the bearded dragon back the other tuesday very glad she has gone back - my electric should go down without her two lights on!!

Anyway i think that is everything!! now to catch up on all your posts!! what a couple of weeks its been!! and im one year older too!!!! boo hoo!!

minnie2

Lady_Lesley wrote: »

3-2-1 and Im back in the room. Im frightened to speak but Im here so thank you for all the support

welcome back!!!!!!!!

minnie2

thank you those all those who have offered advice about my laptop!!! much appreciated!!! I think i am fighting a losing battle!! so latest is - i picked it up from th shop and they have spoken to ac*r and the usb ports are not covered under warranty - they wont entertain they were faulty in first place. Also i can send it in to be looked at but if they say its been damaged (which is very likely either way) then they will charge me alot!! so i give up i think!!!!

minnie2

ok so i think i have caught up!! hugs to all those who are having a hard time!!! well done to all those who are doing well on their frugal journey!! hello to all those just starting on this journey!!

tumptyteapot

minnie2 wrote: »

thank you those all those who have offered advice about my laptop!!! much appreciated!!! I think i am fighting a losing battle!! so latest is - i picked it up from th shop and they have spoken to ac*r and the usb ports are not covered under warranty - they wont entertain they were faulty in first place. Also i can send it in to be looked at but if they say its been damaged (which is very likely either way) then they will charge me alot!! so i give up i think!!!!

Have you thought about fixing it yourself? There are loads of step by step videos on youtube, it is how I learnt how to add extra memory to my laptop and replace the dvd writer. It was really easy!

minnie2

they say i need a whole new board which is a new laptop.plus there is a piece of plastic missing from inside the port. the second port isnt working either because they are connected so if one gets damaged the both are which i think is silly!! we need usb ports as our internet is a dongle.i am considering selling it on ebay - we paid £400 for it so think i could get some of that back!! its fine for anyone who has wireless or plug in to telephone lines internet etc.There is nothing wrong with it except the ports broken.or i keep it as my study laptop as we havent got word on the new one.but i dont know!!!!! i am trrible at making decisions!!

minnie2

ok so today - well whats left of it anyway - hubby is at work and has the car! so i cant go anywhere!! hate that feeling!! so may do a check list of everything in the cupboards and freezer! also need to sort out the house and do some washing!!! been out so much everything is a mess!! i also have 25 privet bushes to plant but it is so windy outside!!! i cant imagine that that is going to be a pleasant job!! I am aslo on the hunt for a cheap holiday for me and hubby over the summer!! we have had a mad couple of years with my brain tumour and all its associated problems, the lack of fertility and babies because of it also, plus the animal dramas, the house dramas, work drama ( i could go on) so i think me and chris need some time alone together just to relax and appreciate each other! but it needs to be very cheap and i also need a new passport with my married name on it!! which are very expensive i feel!!!

Got to do it all beofre 5.30 when he gets home!! hoping the motivation kicks in soon!! oh also building myself up to do a car boot!!!! but i am no good at them id let people just have all the stuff - i cant haggle or refuse people!! Need to work out if its worth it yet as pitches are expensive now £7 a car.Thought about doing a yard sale in my front garden but i live in the sticks and although there are a few houses here im not sure theyll want my junk!! plus id give it away even cheaper as they are neighbours.im so rubbish!!

tumptyteapot

Minnie - have you googled the problem with it or are you just accepting what the shop says?

kittiej

Minnie - you're wearing me out just reading your posts!

My cake is done and I wasn't sure how it would turn out as I used half sugar substitute and half of the real stuff to see how it would taste. Not bad at all, but that is my opinion, and the boys like it. I need them to leave some for school now!

SandraScarlett

kittiej wrote: »

Minnie - you're wearing me out just reading your posts!QUOTE]

Hear hear! Oh Minnie you really seem to have gone through the mill both frugalwise, and stresswise.

Auntie Sandra's advice would be ............. sod everything, sit down and have the tipple of your choice, wine, whiskey, tea, coffee, whatever. Read a book, watch TV, have a long soaking bath, or chill out generally.

Then, 10 minutes before your hubby is due home, spray rooms liberally with fresh air spray, put a drawer on the floor, and scatter some of the contents around (always looks like you've been doing loads) and he'll be none the wiser.;)

Also, he gets the benefits of a chilled-out wifey, instead of a stressed out one.

xx