2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

stefejb

my first NSD - yay :T

Ive got a can - did I miss the next step?

mini_huny_money

hello everyone, and its Friday night again. am off soon need to get another 2 boxes of tiles, will pop into the supermarket and get bread.and some cheese.......and seein as its Friday a wee bottle of wine, yum, looks like Im goin to get another week without doing a grocery shop, honestly don't know how......I think my freezer has become the magic porridge pot cos its just not emptying.:rotfl: Helps a wee bit that Ive been working late most nights and my DS has been fending for himself, which means take aways for him ( if he gets takeaway, he pays for it himself)and some pasta and sauce for me.....I know.....am a terrible mother

still havent measured me yet.....but I weighed myself and have lost 2 pounds, have been very bad though the exercise bike hasnt been used since Tuesday and even that was just a token shot (hardly even broke a sweat!!!!)

Speak soon

XX

hopeless_spendthrift

Hi Guys :hello: Sorry I haven't been in for a while. Now desperately trying to catch up on your posts b4 I have to dash off again! Have just been busy with school stuff mainly. It was Parents' Eve last night at DD2 and DS1's primary school and I spent 2 days solid prior to that, making bags and bags of hm popcorn and hundreds of little cakes to sell to provide refreshments for everyone on the night plus make some money for the school. We made over £65 pounds so it was worth it.

Apart from that, haven't been feeling too well. All the children have been off school every day for the last 2 weeks between them with one of those unidentifiable viruses, which has, frankly exhausted me - no matter how ill they are, they never fail to manage to argue and bicker for at least 3/4 of the day! :mad:

You guys all seem to be doing great as usual :T I loved the hot house made out of plastic bottles - must suggest that to the head at my kids' school!

keren29 wrote: »

ooooooooooooh dear.........the scraping, grinding noise from the front wheel came back so I went straight to Kwik Fit.

LOL Keren, I read this as a response to the post immediately b4 as I thought u were demonstrating the sound of us all slamming the brakes on our spending after Nyk's nifty advice! :rotfl:
I am sorry about the inconvenience (and expense! :mad: ) it has caused you though. Let's hope this is the last of your car worries for this year at least.

Burlesque_Babe

cheers hopeless...They gave it a good once over and unfortunately (as I suspected) the power steering pump is also on its way out. There is nasty squeak just before full lock which they noticed on the test drive. It isn't leaking but will need replacing at some point - to the tune of £200 - £300 - OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It also explains why, in the mornings when I reverse off the driveway onto the narrow road I live on, the steering can be a bit heavier than normal - cold, plus boy racer tyres plus a dodgy power steering pump. For now, I'll just have to remember to not quite get to full lock and if it means an extra maneovour (god, I've tried 10 times to spell that word and it still isn't right!!) to turn, then so be it.

I have a lovely car but it is 10 years old and although I've had it a year (to the day this weekend!) I have to realise that bits will start to wear soon.

hopeless_spendthrift

Aril wrote: »

Hello fellow frugalites!
Much moneysaving has been going on in my absence I see [have nipped in and out briefly to keep tabs on you all:D ]. As ever am hugely impressed at the lengths to which you will go to keep your cash carrying receptacles firmly shut:rotfl: My by proxy afflication contines as I can honestly say I don't think I have ever attained the level of NSD I am currently at [that excludes d/d out of the bank account and OH's spending]. Had to break out and spend £2.50 today as had run out of loo paper amongst other things...that's simply one of those dull things you can't wait until next week for isn't it:eek:
OH and I were neck and neck in the gnat bottom stakes. However, I think I may have just inched forwards slightly as I was able to Make A Very Important Phonecall to OH yesterday complete with chest puffed out [technically difficult with an ironing board frontage but I tried] to impart Important Information. I had got my hands on Martin's email first...consequently OH and I spent a highly romantic evening together last night comparing our current ISA rates compared to the new provider for the transferred in ISAs that :money: had highlighted. That will give us an extra £130 on our savings pa:j and I am now incredibly overthrilled by the news. Is that a normal reaction one might ask oneself....in the outside world maybe not but amongst fellow frugalites yes pretty bog standard I would say:D
Carry on the great work chaps!
Aril

:rotfl: Another very witty post from u Aril. Thank you, you never fail to make me laugh!

I, also, am plain bog standard over the moon at hearing of the savings you will make! Yipppeeee!!!

Regarding the toilet tissue, have you ever used water to clean before using the tissue? I have a 'lota' (pronounced lowta),which is basically a plastic jug with a spout. I know some people who keep a small watering can (with a long spout!) in their bathrooms. Without going into toooo much detail - it generally makes you feel much, much cleaner and since trying it I find i use much, much less toilet tissue .....Also, this could add a whole new dimension to your situation in the 'gnat bottom stakes'!!!

hopeless_spendthrift

Would l:heartpuls ve to have you aboard Elantan
Next year is a long time to wait isn't it? Maybe use this year as a 'practice run'. (I am! ) Then come next January, frugalising will be second nature to you and you can begin the challenge proper!

hopeless_spendthrift

Penny2myName wrote: »

I find my bargain food hunting good for trying new things, such as the avocado's. That way if no one actually likes them them it cost me a fraction of the cost, rather than buying at full price to find no one likes them.

:T Great idea Penny. I too have the challenge ( i like to use 'challenge' rather than 'problem' so it sounds more positive!) of often being booed off the dinner table if I try to introduce any dish containing any 'different' sounding/looking ingredients!

Think the pasta you're planning sounds like an ideal way of using up your well hunted out bargains :j Can't think of anything better apart from yes! - the guacamole :drool:

skintwellie

I have my can (ex spaghetti hoops)

Janey51

I have a can :j

The carrots beat the evaporated milk. The label is printed on the tin so I can't get it off. Is that OK?

CharliesAngel

nykmedia wrote: »

Hi whitewing, sorry if it looks like I'm having a go at CharliesAngel, but I have issues concerning the need for absolute honesty when posting on a public forum. My own possible over-sensitivity found their initial posting a little offensive.

CharliesAngel said, "still can't work out how this is a challenge.... me and two cats live on £11 a week.... lol....."

The 'lol' comes across, to me, as their finding it funny that many face a real challenge living on £4000 over the period of a year.

but if you don't have a lot to live on, you can't spend alot... i shall consider myself publicly humiliated and thus refrain from making further comments on any other forum.

The real challenge is realising what we have, and what we can reasonably live without - i was 'laughing' because, although I sympathise with everyone, I'd love £4k to live on a year.