Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

rubytuesday

Blimey Sandra I'm exhausted now! :rotfl:

Sounds like a great day!

23rdspiral

hello everyone,

can't believe someone would nic a clothes airer! i agree it Might be kids... if there's so few houses there i'd be round knocking on everyone's door asking if they had kids round who might have taken it... and carefully looking to see if anyone blushes! it might out someone, you never know.

we're having a house/garden warming party this weekend. i could really do without it. i dont like making a fuss... there'll be people from my OH work, our friends we see often and friends we see less often, plus a few older people we know. it will be fun, but feels so much effort. we've said we'll do summer punch and sangria (we've a few friends who'd drink all the beer before others had a chance to finish a can, so i'm not giving beer out). OH wanted to cook pasta & sauce for everyone (erm, we dont know numbers and hot food is tricky), but at least he didnt suggest a bbq. so i've said lets have a 'pot luck', every one brings a dish to share... how friendly is that! surely thats nice for a housewarming? i hope people agree!

so im thinking i'll do piza, pasta salad, and some form of cake... anyone have any other ideas? there might be 15 people, there might be 25, there might be kids, there might be dogs. i'm getting pannicked just thinking of it.

(we do have friends around a lot but usually the same 4 - 6 so its easy and casual, this is different!)

i'm also off to the tipshop today looking for a garden table or something suitable, and hopefully a gazebo. you never know eh? (i did find 2 nice garden chairs lastweek. i've given up on matching nice things as another friend broke one of our set and it really upset me)

gosh, sorry for the pannicked rant. i sound mad dont i?!

23rdspiral

oh, and i've deleted some from my pm folder now so can take new PMs. i've got a new referal for a very good survey site if anyone wants one? just pm me.
lola & arial - i've pmd you both.

paidinchickens

Pinching a clothes airer????????? what ever next :mad: Try asking on freecycle if anyone has one they no longer use.

LolaLemon

A good few years back, my parents next door neighbour just suddenly stopped talking to all of us (same time my parents bought their home) & they bought some solar lights for outside, they went on holiday n I stayed to watch the home. They came back and the solar lights where gone.... 3 years later I was coming in from hanging washing out and their they where, in her plant pots on the window sil, me being me, in shock, sort of shouts to my mum "mum, they lights look very like the ones that where stolen s few years back don't they" mother was mortified lol. Next day they where gone!
People can be very strange, and be jealous over the slightest of things. They way I look at it is, they must be soo much more worse of than me, that they can keep it, and its my unexpected charity donation for a while.(I find that said loudly enough, generally sees item returned , as most people don't want to feel like a charity case.)


23rd, I'm sure ur party will be lovely, u might want to ask people what course they are bringing or u might end up with a lot of starters and no desert lol.
What abt an easy banana loaf, but put in cake cases instead and u cook for around 15 mins (I make Apple n cinnamon ones that get scoffed quicker than anything else!)
Couscous is also good for big gatherings.

slowlyfading

23rd - I love the idea of a "bring your own dish" kind of party, because the stress isn't all on you I agree with the idea of a banana loaf, really easy to make also, what about some kind of muffin? Then people can help themselves I also find that a big pot of chilli/curry/goulash always goes down well, and it's easy for you to make and just leave on the stove whilst you do other things

23rdspiral

thanks lola.. maybe i will check... though lots of mains soak up alchohl and, well, too much dessert is never a bad thing!

i'm fuming :mad:. remember i had that horrid 170ish bill from SSE for the period our house was empty? well i got it down, with advice from here on how to act calmy and give meter readings ect, and it ended up at a more sensible 30ish. (gas wasnt being used but there was a 'standing charge'.) again, thank you for all your help.

so i paid it. well over a week ago. and now i've had a final demand / threatening balifs again for not paying the final 170!!!:mad: i'm so mad! i can only imagine that lots of people without access or knowledge of this site (or sites like it ect), would just pay up with the first bill, let alone a final nasty one. that's robbery in my book! i have a mind to report them to offgen.

SandraScarlett

Hope you've/you'll calmly telephone their accounts office and advise them that it isn't good customer service when amended amounts and accounts aren't properly recorded.

Furthermore you dread to think what effect this would have had on another person who may well have reacted in a different way. You're so right, this site, and particularly this thread gives such brilliant advice on so many things.

It's true I know a lot of people, but it seems that every couple of weeks, I make a call on someone's behalf to either the Tax Office, or DSS or complete a form. I'm happy to help, and can cope with the jargon, but it shouldn't be necessary. My head steamed this morning when I read that the Super Duper Huge Computer for the NHS, is likely to be scrapped having cost zillions of pounds to implement.

Rant over!

xx

rising_from_the_ashes

Hello everyone, have managed to get myself in a right old panic.:o

Got home to find a letter from the hospital confirming the date for my op:eek: - although I've been wanting to know when it is so I can plan etc, now it's arrived I'm in a right tizz.

Need to calm down and plan what I need to do - have started stocking up on things but need loads more so it looks like the cc will get a hammering this month:(.


Sandra, your day out sounds lovely and with another planned tomorrow! Enjoy:D

Spiral, bring your own dish parties are fab! Have been to a couple and there's such a selection there's always something to suit everyone! Fingers crossed the weather picks up.

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
By 'eck it's been a bit wet in these 'ere parts today...just as well I was holed up in the kitchen during the worst of it then:D Another good, frugallicious day here at Gnat Bottomed Towers- a thriftyish weekly shop done [plus a couple of small holiday treats] - got £2.50 voucher off and we also managed to get some great whoopsied meat bargains when we had to go to Tesco to get a couple of other bits.

In a bid to not overspend on our week away next week I have made a batch of cinnamon biccies and some flapjacks. I'm trying to cut down the number of extra purchases we need to make so that we can spend our money on enjoying ourselves. Whilst defrosting the freezer I found several odds and ends that have made a big pot of veggie chilli that has fed us tonight and will do so again tomorrow.

Hugs to 23rd Spiral [thanks for your pm] and Rising From The Ashes- I always have a small bottle of Rescue Remedy on me to help me not to trigger a panic attack whenever possible.

Arilx