2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

LollopyBear

Bails - I'm very impressed with your number of NSDs. I've just totted mine up and I've only managed 6 so far this year. Not good!

Whitewing - I hope your MiL continues to be a fun houseguest! She sounds promising but it still seems like she's going to be there for a very long time.

Mollymop - That sounds like a great idea for your daughter's birthday, especially asking other family members for bits to go with it too. I'm sure you'll be able to find where you can squeeze that extra £50 a month from.

Janey - That was a lovely post of yours to read as the first post of the day. It's so full of optimism and happiness that it made me smile to read it.

I had a NSD on Friday! Spent a bit yesterday on my guilty pleasure of Country Living magazine, plus a free-range chicken from Waitrose and some household bits and pieces. Today is another NSD (hopefully).

On cats and cheese. My cat adores cheese as well! One of my old cats who lives with my parents goes mad for cheese and also buttered toast. I could never eat my breakfast in peace there as she would keep trying to steal my toast from my hand.

Does anyone know a frugal way of dry-cleaning? I have a couple of jackets that are very grubby now and a couple of nice dresses that need to be done to preserve their life.

lingojingo

Jumble-Bee wrote: »

why oh why did i not discover before that lidl GIVES away food that is going out of date sooner????

I only found out yesterday when i overheard the couple in front of me ask the cashier 'is that free stuff there again?'....

What time was it please Jumble Bee? It's a £3.50 round trip on the bus to get to town, where Lidl is, so it would be great to go when they have free stuff. Mr. T had hardly any decent stuff reduced when DD and I went there last Monday after our trip to the cinema.

I can't believe it's 2 months since I had a delivery from Mr. T :j(used to be every 3 weeks)! I thought I was saving money by having it delivered and cutting down on bus fares and temptation of being in the shop, but I'm spending so much less this way. Will have to do a big shop soon, as cupboards getting a little bare, but putting it off as long as I can.

Home baking may not save me any money though, as the bread is so tasty (only simple white loaf so far) it disappears really quickly so we are eating much more bread than we used to!:rotfl:

Mollymop5

lingojingo wrote: »

Home baking may not save me any money though, as the bread is so tasty (only simple white loaf so far) it disappears really quickly so we are eating much more bread than we used to!:rotfl:

I know what you mean.Is home made bread anymore fattening than shop bought? Does anyone have a rough calorie guide.I've been making rolls more than bread recently and get 12 rolls out of the recipe in my Morphy richards Fastbake recipe book.It says to roll into 6 rolls but when I did they were huge!!!

mama67

Spent £4.80 on 4 hot drinks at half time.

We had the Jacket potatoes with cheese before we went and I took some twix bars with us for a snack.

Did some oven chips and chicken nuggets for the boys when we got home and me and DH had the second quiche.

Unfortunately Grimsby lost, but never mind.

Signature updated.

Burlesque_Babe

Hi Mama - I grew up in Grimsby, my parents and 1 of my sisters still live there and my brother is a HUGE town fan - he follows them literally EVERYWHERE (he would have been there yesterday) - it wouldn't surprise me if he sleeps in his Mariners shirt!

lilac_lady

Today is a lovely crisp one in bonnie Scotland. Doesn't the (free) sun make you feel hopeful? I've estimated that if I continue to take the same amount out in cash each week I'll be able to pay for my summer holiday without trying. I've also realised that I can spend on anything as long as the money comes out of my weekly cash so I don't feel that I'm being deprived of anything. Keep posting, you're all so inspiring.

Jay1_2

I'm feeling all excited.... just posted my first item for sale on Ebay!:T And its cheap compared to other things like it (the starting price anyway, here's hoping:D ) and nothing else exactly the same :j ! Keep you fingers crossed for me.

Nyk I'm impressed by your crafty pressies, I shall have to start thinking what I can do (for adults)... Problem is most of my presents have to be posted, and I'm not very practical .

Janey beautiful post. It seems that we are expected to be disatisfied, and want want want (I really hate those posters you get in banks with suggestions of things to buy and "Why wait":mad: ). Here's to MS for making us appreciate what we've got :beer: :T :T :beer:

Right I've made a decision... I think . I am going to count the furniture I am buying in with my £4000. Might have to catch up with next years £4000 (thinking ahead is good right?:rotfl: ) espcially as I need a new pair of boots and the pair I like is £110. But I won't need to replace this furniture for a good while and the pair of boot I'm replacing I got in 1999! But I will try to do it all out of the £4000, after all I don't have any children or pets expecting things of me and my favourite activities are reading and watching TV.

I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it. I will make my lunch not buy it.

broke_mum_of_three

Just about to head off to Disney on Ice,High School Musical with DD, going to park the car and take the bus as the traffic is appalling around the venue and the car park money will now be the bus money, wish me luck as you are not allowed to bring your own food or drink ( sweets, crisps and the like) so I will be performing army manoeuvres( had to look that up and it still doesnt look right) to try and smuggle some goodies in without being caught, once you get in there its £7 for a slush drink about 70p for a bag of crisps, get the picture!

FunBrum

Yesturday I took a lovely strole to my nearest shops which is about 1 1/2 miles away. I needed veg and was very please with myself by taking my own 'bag for life', and refusing any plastic wrappings!:D That will make my rubbish bag a little lighter this week!:D

So thats £2.29 spent on veg, My menu this week is made up out of what I already may have, or what I can grab from my late night raid at Mr.M's! So it should be another cheap week as far as groceries are concerned;)

I think I'll pop off and do a spreadsheet for my DD's, I never seem to know when they are going out, and hence makes it very difficult for me to know where I am! I dont think Im doing too bad with this challenge though. Every one seems to be on course too:T

Burlesque_Babe

I found an excellent thread on OS about different ideas for mince. I'm doing stromboli for dinner!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=266076

the mince is fried, the peppers are roasting in the oven, the tomato sauce is reducing now and I just need to fill the breadmaker with the ingredients.