2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

bails

Thanks sweetpea, I had a lovely time with OH thanks and treated myself to a hot chocolate! As it was 'entertainment' (don't we have exciting lives at the mo?!) it doesn't count for this challenge so I still had a NSD, yae! I dropped him off then was going to pop to Mr S to see if there were any bargains as I thought I'd blown my NSD and I was in town but we don't need anything (except some milk which I can do without) so I came home instead. :T This is addictive! My OH is laughing at me constantly and telling me I can have good chats with his nan now (she has an obsession with talking about the prices in supermarkets... Brighton Nan, are you on here?! ) He is grateful too though, and is a love, so we can have a laugh together at my crazy antics!
As Aril suggested, I keep a track of everything I manage to save, otherwise you don't get to 'see' the hard work you do in finding bargains (well, not until the end of the year when you've spent a lot less!:D) I find it helps keep me inspired.
I really don't know how the two of you have managed so many NSDs in a row, that's just so amazing! :T You can be my heroes too, along with Nyk And the rest of you for all your great tips and for being mad enough to join this challenge! x

Frugaldom

CAUTION - This is a very long post

Andromache - isn't it a great thrill to find an overspend error in your spending diary? I was so happy to find that mine was out by a few pounds because it thought I had spent my £2 coins! Congrats on the scholarship! As for the whopping big cheque, think of how you'll be able to write them to spend on fun from your future savings if you can keep to your strict budget now!

Bigbullyweedave - We're only 2 weeks into the year, I'm sure once you get the hang of this then the other 50 weeks will prove to be a real roller coaster ride into 2009 with cash to spare. Like you say, stay positive!

MRSMCAWBER - you are fast becoming one of my heros with your great info, tips, recipes, gardening enthusiasm and for just being a part of this thread. Anything tax free sounds great to me, even if you'd to sell it once back over here! I'm sure you'll not mind what's sitting in the driveway when you are back in your very own house with that huge kitchen! I'd love a farmhouse style kitchen with a log burning stove. I think I'd prectically live in the kitchen then, assuming, of course, the laptop was with me. :T

Hi Fizzel! Your spending wasn't that drastic and you have cleared your rent to January. It must be awful having to face the prospect of the impending court case and I really hope you get your housing problem sorted out soon. Good luck with the no spend days and I hear Scotland's quite nice, if you fancy a change of location .

2 weeks without stepping into the supermarket?! Keren! You must be overjoyed at that! Imagine if it was like smoking! Supermarket shopping would be completely out your system and you could just say no to ever having another trip there again! If you'd had washing soda crystals in stock then you could have delayed the trip even longer by using them for your washing! Great things to have around the place and, still on the subjects of cute donkeys, they're also great for scrubbing out hooves! ROFL I'm printing the donkey pic and adding it into my actual book - I got what's called a 'wishing book' for Christmas. I'm now wondering what would happen if I put a piccie of the person who gave me this present into the book! (Shhhhhhhhhhh.... in case they visit this site!! I don't think they do :rotfl: ). PS: I don't know how you managed to avoid going spend crazy with all those reduced items! Eggs at 4p a carton! Hope your pigsback vouchers come through - I keep spending mine on squishy stress pigs! :rotfl:

NEGirl, you must be really proud of yourself being able to say no to a trip into town for the sales. I'm most impressed by that and wish you lick with this mission

Sweetpea you always sound so organised! I'll join you for the freezer inventory update and we can compare notes on frozen leftovers. I also have some seed packets that I found in the garden shed, I have been trying to remember to do my click throughs, I ALWAYS do my morning click for www.thehungersite.com and I always check for freebies. Do you use www.hotukdeals.com? Oh, I also remembered to click through to Pigsback all last week so I can get my free point per day. I've ordered another 'Curly' pig and hope this next one doesn't get stuck in the letterbox!

My most profound apologies go to the_cat for re-igniting the flame of 'must have a new horse' syndrome. I can sympathise completely and have to admit that I could possibly have been bankrupt by now, had they not closed down most of the horse markets in Scotland. Visiting the Dumfries one was like a total blast from the past seeing those exact same dealers who were doing the rounds 25 years ago when my affliction was at its worst! I can't bel;ieve they have found a cure for this and need to confess... I had a single share in a racehorse last year, I got it as a Christmas gift. I also made an offer on a really nice filly from a local breeder who, fortunately, wouldn't sell! (Oops, just a temporary relapse, I hope. Confession time over :rotfl: )

Sorry to hear about the dratted bank charges, Debrag. Nasty little beasts that can multiply like a virus out of control once they start! Fear not, for once you are debt free and in control of your budget, I believe one of the prizes is total immunity Your boss must be one interesting character - a modern day good lifer! Hope you enjoy the eggs and I'll bet you'll notice the difference from the shop bought ones!

Halia - the best tip for getting the OH to accept a spending reduction is a pocket money reduction with a nice reward at the end of it so he hardly notices. And don't even mention it to him LOL I'll leave the finer details down to you on what he'd like as a result of adopting his new frugal lifestyle but if you know he has £50 a week in his pocket, just make out you're short of a couple of pounds now and again or in need of change and he should happily oblige :j (Sneaky? I think not! It is for the overall benefit of the entire family. It's only sneaky if you spend it on something unnecessary for yourself.)

Bails, I have to continually applaude you for adapting to this challenge in such a spectacular way! Please don't be too upset about not having a donkey, there's always next year or the year after And you have that cute little kitten to contend with for now. Did you make the most of all the free cat food/kitten food samples? whiskas kitten packs and I'll see what other ones there are listed as I'm sure I saw some on Hotdealsuk as well. Hope you get a good night's sleep tonight and can dream of your little animal sanctaury. That's what my place will end up like when I eventually get the place in the country with a little bit of land Did I tell you we used to have 2 pet nanny goats? Now goats' milk cheese... that is nice! Unfortunatley, this is a really long catch-up post so I'll apologise if it takes you aaaaages to read everything tonight

Whitewing - You sound as though spring is in the air in your part of the country! What have you been up to???!!! All this talk of Valentines and smiling despite a whopping great business expense arriving early... overspending, and £50 in savings, but that part is exceptionally good! Please share your secret! (Perhaps not ALL your secrets, though :eek::beer: )
Oh, and MSE is essential; it isn't a want, it's a need. It replaces socialising, buying books, phoning a friend for information and learning new things. It is a must, I tell you... in fact, if you work on a computer, it is compulsory. wonder if time spent on here is tax deductable for the purposes of research and development? :cool:

dND - we are pleased to have you lurking but don't feel you need to lurk - just jump right on in and have some fun even if you aren't taking part this year. You are participating, that's the main thing

Broke mum your son is a gem for going and borrowing an egg! Good neighbours are always a bonus and I'm glad to hear that you have some. It's so much better than having to go spend extra for the sake of one egg/cup of sugar whatever. Tell them I said 'hi' and that I'd nominate them as 'neighbour of the week' if we had to vote I say save for a couple of chickens if you live in the country. The initial expense could be saved from click throughs, cashback. eBay/eBid sales etc... and not need to interfere with your budget. A couple of nice point-of-lay pulletts around the time the clocks go forward would be handy Then you can keep us up to date with your chicken diary. They aren't that difficult to keep and as long as you aren't counting them in as a money-saving device for eggs then the fun value alone is equivalent to pet keeping and hobbies expenditure but with the added bonus of eggs

Freya - I am so jealous of your getting the chickens in spring. Please convince Debrag she should have a couple and then youcan both set up the chicken coop foundation in our 4k challenge Might get confusing for us Co-op shoppers, mind you :rotfl:

Notanother - 12 NSD out of 14 must be close on a record similar to Keren's 14 day stay away from supermarkets! I don't know how you do it as we go through so much milk in this house that I really would need a goat or a cow in the back yard to keep me out the shop that long.

Funbrum - good luck with the BF frugal training. As soon as he realises that he's done well from a bargain then be sure he'll be much more observant towards bright labels and discounts from thereonin do they know about the 'Nice & Easy'??? LOL

Janey51 can keep us informed about square foot gardening as I like the sound of that too! Sounds easier to protect from wandering chickens, if I ever get around to having more of them one day, too. (Bails, we need that animal sanctuary now.) Hope you are all fully recovered from the shock of the fire and good luck working around that Atkins diet for OH. Is that the carb free one where they need to eat loads of fat?

Princess Leia - Glad to see someone else here can start a recipe as one thing and end it as another depending on what ingredients are missing. My 'fruit loaf' with demerara sugar is about to be scoffed with custard for supper!! I know! \late night eating and all that but when you don't go to bed 'til 1ish then it's never to late for hm custard (I use powdered milk, so it isn't all that fattening)

Oi Lexxi! Watch it with the 'oldies' bit!

Sorry, Aril, this is a very long post, but it's the only way I can catch up with the day's events on here. Thankfully I don't need to defrost the freezer but I do need to complete the inventory of what's in it so I can work out what and what not to buy this coming week. Great thread this, have to admit that! I haven't read a book for over a week other than a careful flick through Martin's new one!

Good luck Frankie, and to everyone else on here. Apologies if I have missed a post anywhere today but I will, no doubt, be checking back here later on tonight - after the custard!

PS: Anyone who attempts this challenge deserves a medal of they last the duration, so keep posting, keep receipts and keep up the momentum for a really fantastic year. 2008 could be the best yet

PPS: Made it to the end of today's posts, I think. Need to go check for more now :T

Mollymop5

Evening all.i'm another one who's addicted to this thread and challenge.I constantly check for updates and to see if anyone has any money saving tips.I had a biggish spend today.I heard quorn mince and quorn chicken pieces were only £1 each in asda.I now have 10 bags of quorn mince and 10 bags of quorn chicken in my freezer.This is my first time at bulk buying this much but as I'm working to a monthly budget for the first time ever I felt it was justified.Yeay for challenges

debrag

why don't I have an Asda near me or a freezer with more than 3 draws )5 people sharing) - boo

mini_huny_money

hya everyone......you all sound so upbeat, can I spoil the party ???? am feeling fat, ugly, old, overworked!!!!!!!.....so there!!!!

wasnt going to post tonight, cos I feel kinda down, but then I reckon thats what we're all here for, whats the point of posting only during the easy times

now Ive got that off my chest

am annoyed at myself for going to the local spar tonight after the first episode of Corrie....., was too lazy to take the car a coupla miles down the road to a cheaper shop, but then again, the damage wouldve been much worse.......

Dog food a 6tin pack 2.99 ....eek, milk 1.20,

bread...(the scottish type that you have with soup).....we call it plain bread.....nuthin plain bout the price......1.19

1 litre sparkling water 80p ( well it was either that or a bottle of white!!!! ....

and a big bar of whole nut 1.30....aargh, now I feel sick ( no wonder I feel fat):rotfl: ...7.48 on nothing

Anyway sorry bout the moan.....but guess what I do feel a bit better

XX

Mollymop5

mini_huny_money wrote: »

hya everyone......you all sound so upbeat, can I spoil the party ???? am feeling fat, ugly, old, overworked!!!!!!!.....so there!!!!

wasnt going to post tonight, cos I feel kinda down, but then I reckon thats what we're all here for, whats the point of posting only during the easy times

now Ive got that off my chest

am annoyed at myself for going to the local spar tonight after the first episode of Corrie....., was too lazy to take the car a coupla miles down the road to a cheaper shop, but then again, the damage wouldve been much worse.......

Dog food a 6tin pack 2.99 ....eek, milk 1.20,

bread...(the scottish type that you have with soup).....we call it plain bread.....nuthin plain bout the price......1.19

1 litre sparkling water 80p ( well it was either that or a bottle of white!!!! ....

and a big bar of whole nut 1.30....aargh, now I feel sick ( no wonder I feel fat):rotfl: ...7.48 on nothing

Anyway sorry bout the moan.....but guess what I do feel a bit better

XX

we all do it now and again.Just move on I just pigged out on nearly a whole layer from my dairy milk box

mini_huny_money

Thanx Molly luckily I dont stay down for very long......am already bouncin back!!!!

whitewing

I'm still happy. Night, night and lots of love to you all!

Frugaldom

Hey Mini, you must have missed my recent post about what I do for February so perhaps you'd like to join me for that part of my 4k challenge too? I always pig out over Christmas & New Year, right thru January and would probably keep doing so until summer sun arrived, which could take some time here in Scotland. So, I set aside a month to catch-up with over eating by watching everything I eat and do for a full month. A month is SUCH a long time, so I always choose FEBRUARY! :T :T :T

That means you have 17 days left to get rid of everything that's ultra fattening and unhealthy by eating everything in your cupboards, fridge, freezer and preparing for the 'glorious 1st'

As an extra special (groan) treat, we even get an extra day this February but there is a reason for this - a very special reason! As we all know, a leap year is traditionally the time in which a female can propose to a male, and it's normally the 29th of February. Again, there is good reason! Firstly, it's a couple of weeks after Valentine's Day, so you have time to mull over how good the Valentine's Day pressie was and, on top of that, it is SUCH a popular month for dieting and getting fit that they blessed us with one extra day every 4 years for the very purpose of serious proposals. That's so no woman has to shorten the month by even a single day from her dieting time in order to be swelt and fit for 'the big day'.

This, of course, is all completely made up, but it's a great excuse for using the shortest month of the year to diet. Then you have 10 months left to trim it, hone it, polish it until the next festive feed-fest :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Challenge part 1 - live on 4k for a full year
Challenge part 2 - play catch-up by selling, clicking, cash-backing
Challenge part 3 - use shortest month of the year to diet for a full month!

:beer: Cheers to all who follow this superbly insane plan - I obtained an exercise bike free of charge for this part of my 2007 challenge - someone was wanting rid of it and didn't want to have the bother of advertising it in the paper. I had narrowly missed one for £4 from the charity shop. I also have an MP3 player... so get transferring all your old faves and get ready for some body-sculpting. There may even still be some free pedometers on the go... I already have mine :cool:

PS: This totally EXCLUSIVE, body-sculpting fitness programme can be yours to own for a full 29 days completely FREE OF CHARGE, with nothing to pay EVER. All it costs is 29 days worth of will power, a very strict grocery budget and the ability to have a laugh no matter how serious the situation gets. I'll post the instructions here (soon) on how to get your COMPLETELY FREE slimming aid kit. Don't miss it in the next, startlingly, shockingly, silly episode of NYK on MSE in the Live on £4000 for a full year challenge thread.:rotfl: :rotfl:

mini_huny_money

Thanx nyk, as always you'e here with encouraging ways.....and make me smile .....never thought of it like that and it makes sense.....shortest month of the year.....hey even I should manage that...

Ive got a dog, and any other time of the year I dont mind walking, but just now its a quick round the block....last night I even did it in my jammies!!!!, mustve walked a whole 50 yards...

hmmm a pedomoter .......who said I was competitive,????? could add that into my sig too....now there's an idea.......

again thanx nyk

XX