2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

bails

Hi everyone, I'm back after a few days visiting my brother in Brum, I've missed you!
No real time now but just to say, thanks so much for the Mini Eggs voucher, they're my fave!! I have no hope with the FFM at this rate I've had 3 NSDs in a row, bonus (although I think OH has done a shop while I was away so will have to count that, hmpf!:rolleyes:). I arrived home to an Olay moisutrising sample, three free condoms and no bills - can't say fairer than that eh? Just in time for Valentine's Day too...:rotfl:
Anyone who's thinking of leaving or who doesn't feel they have anything to add to this challenge, PLEASE DON'T! All of us have a valuable part to play, it's the collective spirit amongst us that is the most priceless thing about what we're doing.
See you all on the morrow for more frugal madness xx

System

sorry to mention 'knickers' yet again (i think im starting to sound a bit perverted....)

but for those of you who have wisely decided to complete the knicker stoozing challenge, then good luck tommorow, which must surely be 'knicker-day of the year'

:smileyhea

while many of us will be waiting in eager anticipation of some new knickers, please
be careful, as seasonal passions can result in high rates of knicker mortality

Aril

Hello fellow frugalites!
I have had 8 NSD so far this month:j and I managed 16 in January...yes I have reached such a stage in my gnats bottoming that such news puts me on a frugal high.
I am afraid I must confess that I have failed hopelessly in the Frugal Healthy Challenge...something in my psyche has sparked forcing me to double my efforts to eat naughty things so I had better be struck off. I am so sorry to let the side down...I think my Will Power must have abandoned me and headed for sunnier climes. I have however given up alcohol for lent [and I do so enjoy my vino] but I am confident that I will achieve that as have managed on a couple of other occasions.
It seems to be an expensive month so far...everytime the small person comes home from school he seems to be brandishing a letter asking for dosh in his sticky little paw and we've had to pay out the balance of his school trip. The equipment also seems to be out to spite me at the moment and it's either breaking down irrevocably [you know flat on its back with its legs in the air type pose] or throwing some hefty bills at us...£84 to replace the leaking shower valve. However, I draw comfort from the fact that we got money off the BM in Argos when that needed replacing, the new car tyre has been sourced from the cheapest local supplier and we got 20% off by shopping around online for the shower valve. See I have learnt from you lot even as a by proxy member:j
Many thanks all of you.
Aril

Frugaldom

Janey51 wrote: »

DH has just announced that the word "Frugal" was invented by William Shakespeare

Not a lot of people know that.

:cool: I didn't know that and I did Google frugal to find it's root meaning! Please pass on my extreme gratitude to your DH for revealing such important information. :T

That places even more importance on Mr William Power (Billy Can) in this challenge - my bean tin is a far off descendant of a famous writer! :eek:

I decided to do a count up on my spending Vs no spending days and, to date, I have had 20 NSDs out of 44 - 13 in January and 7 so far this month. Now I have set myself a target to get that over the 50% mark by end of this month. If anyone can - BILLY CAN! I NEED no spend days so I can catch up with my shocking spend in January. At least I have until April before the next electricity bill arrives!

OH! Wait 'til I tell you... you know I'm an avid 'leccy meter watcher' and that one of my spends last month was on 2 x half price oil-filled radiators, well, I have been running both of these 24/7 since getting them and switced off one of the storage heaters: result - electricity units have dropped by around 10 per night with no marked increase through the day and I now have a steady temperature round the clock. I know that might not sound much to some people but, in this particular household, that amounts to a saving of over £100 per year! :eek:

hopeless_spendthrift

Hello Everyone :hello: Sorry 4 not posting consistently - having a great laugh catching up on all your posts tho :laugh: Knicker stoozing indeed! :beer: So relieved this shortfall in our calculations has been addressed as it was something we had all neglected to cover (especially our dear old nun)!
Jumble-Bee! :rotfl: Thank u for making me laugh sooo much! I reckon drama teachers are expected to be a little eccentric or (as in your case !) - completely batty! Hopefully no-one will bat an eye at your whacky improvisation :rotfl:

Really just popped by to reveal my figures for week 6 of the challenge:
Total Spend: £112.77 (within my £114.31 budget for the week!), of which £83.68 was on groceries. £54.61 for a 2 week (at least) Mr A's shop, £4.00 soapnuts, £8.63 Abel & Cole (the week's milk, bread, yoghurt and some peanut butter!), spent £12.26 in Mr. T on Monday on 'top-ups' - mainly baking stuff and some vinegar and mustard to enhance food flavours - and £4.18 in my local chemist on toothpaste, stardrops and S.T's!

The rest went on :mobile phone DD(£10), 2 weeks worth of DD1s lunch money(£15) and a school requested spanish book for DD1(£3).

Happy to have found some Stardrops at last! Made a solution out of boiled soapnuts and Stardrops - about 3/1 ratio - and stuck that in an empty washing up liquid bottle. Works like a dream on the dishes! And my hands are really soft too! Even after scrubbing the cooker hob clean

Looking through my diary....have also paid £107.81 off my CC debt so far this month and added £90 to my savings account this week! :j Wow! Oh and 3 NSD's! :T
This may not sound alot to some, but it is a huge chunk out of my income which it would have been impossible to achieve without this thread and all your support.
You guys are the only thing I don't mind being indebted to! :A :blushing:

Oh - Happy Knicker Day! :heartpuls

Ellidee

How about calling female posters on this site fru-gals and males could be fru-guys ? Whaddya think ?

hopeless_spendthrift

Sounds good to me Ellidee

Nyk - keep forgetting to thank you for (amongst other things!) pointing me towards the Hunger Site. Always do the daily clicks (on all sites) as I get an email reminder (think u can do them more than once incidentally ) . I ordered a lovely gift for my sister's birthday from them which not only came with another beautiful free gift but earned 50 cups of food aswell! :T Thank u Nyk. :heartpuls

Frugaldom

Ellidee wrote: »

How about calling female posters on this site fru-gals and males could be fru-guys ? Whaddya think ?

Ooh, now we're approaching the boundaries of political correctness - are we allowed to differentiate, d'ye think? I just got corrected for talking about actors and actresses - apparently they are all actors now. :eek: How wacky is this world? Apart from that, can I be outlandishly sexist and report that my personal suspicions are that we are all Fru-gals on here? Please correct me if I am wrong, Fru-guys

Ellidee

Well Nyk if you are right that makes the play on words work better doesn't it ? Night night fru-gals X El

P.S. Trounced the trolls ?

hopeless_spendthrift

That is a fantastic result Nyk! Constant heating?! Well done! Does that make you an official leccy tart now too? LOL.
I am also really interested to hear the origins of the word frugal - thanks Janey