A lightbulb?-Now MM's 5 in 4 challenge!

Dinah93

If you still have a working monitor, keyboard etc, and just need the actual pc box, try ebuyer, I got mine from there, £159 inc tax and fantastic spec, card reader, dvd burner, runs every game ive tried on it, just plugged it into my existing monitor

MidlandsMum

Thanks! you are all so helpful.

The biggun went to the cinema for the first time with his mates and no adults yesterday, so that relieved me of £7, but it was worth it to see how proud he was.
I took the little one out for sausage roll and a cake as he looked a bit lost without his big bro around. He said he cant wait till he's 11 and he gets to go with his mates. They both stayed at MILs last night so I was fully expecting a lie-in this morning, but the kitten wanted some company and has been kissing me, purring in my ear and playing on the wooden bedroom floor until she won and made me get up with her. I have t start thinking about putting a few pounds aside each week to get her microchipped and neutered when she reaches 6 months in April.

MidlandsMum

Been awake since 6.30 with a bellyache.
i think it's because I've massively increased my intake for fruit and veg this week and my poor sluggish tum isnt used to it. Ah well, will get some porridge and a small glass of smoothie down me in a minute.
I've hit a brick wall with my food shopping. I absolutely cannot get it down further than £40. Not even by taking leftovers to work for lunch or anything. Of course, £40 pw is very little for a family with two growing lads, but still.
I am going to try Aldi today as their fruit is very cheap this week and well, a grape is a grape and an apple is an apple, isnt it?
Vsiting a friend tonight, she's got the wine in, so I am taking dinner, which will be a pile if roast veg and some couscous, I think.

bathgatebuyer

MidlandsMum wrote: »

Yeah, he's selfish. Only child syndrome, I call it.

Woah there - not all us only children are brats!!! An only child is a lonely child and all that!

MidlandsMum

Just called Virgin and dropped my credit limit from £3500 to £1850 (I owe £1730), also called GE about my topshop card and dropped the limit to £100 from £385. I owe £74.44 on that) Am just about to call GE again and close the house of fraser card. So, "small" debts stand at

75 topshop min 16
360 marbles min12
210 debenhams min 12
318 hubby's virgin card min 12
195 hubby's egg card min 10
200 my barclaycard min 5

---

1258 total min 67
All adds up, doesnt it? All these will be gone by the end of april at the latest. Hubby's loan has only 175 left to pay. that will free up 58 a month too, meaning I will have 125pm month to start working on the big guys. Plus what I have left over after my budget in the spending account.

MidlandsMum

I have got to admit, guys, doing 150 a week for our living/shopping/fuel budget is getting pretty hard. I think I am going to have to raise it a little, to possibly 175, purely because I cant manage on a tenner's worth of petrol any longer and I cannot get the groceries down to any less than 40 for the week and a tenner for extra bread/ milk/fruit/salad. I've still got my eye on the prize, though. I've been working out how much the dream holiday will be and gazing enviously at Fiat Pandas everywhere.

OH managed to put together a new PC for us for less than 150. He's a clever boy. Now I just have to re-do my iPod as I've missed all my podcasts!

mhe

MM i think you need to jump over to the moneysaving the old stlye board. Everyone on there is really friendly and post some really good ideas about food cost cutting. One person feeds a family of 3 on £100 a month because she has to - so it can be done. We have a grocery challenge. You set yourself a budget for the month and post updates of how uch you spend each week or drop on to tell us youve had a NSD(nospendday). Youll get fab recipes and tips as well. I was spending £400 a month on food for 5 of us - i set myself the challenge total of £200. Iv spent £240. I know this is over budget but it is better than usual so im pleased with that. Im keeping £200 for march's GC and hoping to come in on budget this time. In feb my MIL gave me her bread machine and i got so many recipe ideas that i had to buy extra flour and baking things that i hadnt budgeted for - hence the £40 overspend. COME ON OVER AND JOIN US.

Lemon_Tree

hi MM you are still doing so well ticking away at your debts.
It gets tough as you get further into it, the newness wears off doesn't it., at least you have small debts that you can see disappearing.
I second the invite from MHE the OS board is really good, at the moment i'm trying to concentrate on de-cluttering but it's going very slowely.

MidlandsMum

Funny you two should mention the OS board, I've been lurking there recently. I will have a look.

OH :mad: Has spent 30 quid on a damn remote control. My last 30 pounds until I get paid on Friday. He really doesnt get it, does he?:mad::mad::mad:

Keeping_Positive

Deduct it from his next allowance