2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

sophiesmum_2

Another £3 spent today, friend picked up some crisps for DD's packed lunches. Walkers 21 packs were on offer in Asda 2x 21packs for £3.00 which is quite good and will do DD now until she finishes school for her exams.

Anyway also on the crisps is days out offer, a 21 pack is worth 21 points towards days out. Some start at 5 points, this is the link to the site where you enter codes to redeem points. http://www.walkersbrittrips.co.uk/home/
There is all sorts from National trust day passes to Alton towers reductions. May help someone.

Nyk there are some in your area. Threave at Castle Douglas etc, may be some to help with taking DGD out sometime:D

mumzyof2

sophiesmum wrote: »

Another £3 spent today, friend picked up some crisps for DD's packed lunches. Walkers 21 packs were on offer in Asda 2x 21packs for £3.00 which is quite good and will do DD now until she finishes school for her exams.

Anyway also on the crisps is days out offer, a 21 pack is worth 21 points towards days out. Some start at 5 points, this is the link to the site where you enter codes to redeem points. http://www.walkersbrittrips.co.uk/home/
There is all sorts from National trust day passes to Alton towers reductions. May help someone.

Nyk there are some in your area. Threave at Castle Douglas etc, may be some to help with taking DGD out sometime:D

Oooooo im looking for a day out to a theme park for kids just after my hols as they have never been...may stay in my town and go camelot LOL as bus from interchange takes us there lol

LollopyBear

Wow! So many posts to catch up on!! I went out for my birthday drinking with friends session last night (birthday on Sun) and only spent £10.57 while out, including club entry and food! :j I can't remember if I mentioned my crazy plan of avoiding £30 taxi home charge? I decided that instead of forking out that much or staying at a friend's house (as I love my own bed and didn't want to trek home the next day) I would wait and catch the first train back in the morning at 5.11am. I did do this and I don't think I'll do it again!!! I was so tired and realised I had been up for nearly 24 hours. It also meant I slept until 1.30pm today and was very very cold when I got in.


Bails - Don't feel downhearted. Period 5 on a Friday is always a horrible lesson to teach! Mine was pretty dreadful as well (Much Ado About Nothing). They only really got engaged with me when I played a game of Beatrice/Benedick insults pictionary! From the latest sightings it sounds like your Mojo is hurtling back to you, though I don't think that it can be officially said to be gone based on the judgement of one lesson which is at such a dodgy time!

Marru - It's very inspiring that you've decided to 'follow your dreams' with your employment. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there are lots of dogs that need walking in your area.

Mumzy - Very glad that your son got into the school you wanted him to! Congrats

Janey - That is a very difficult situation with your niece. In those types of circumstances it seems to become frustrating very quickly as the person you are trying to help either doesn't seem interested in changing spending habits, or makes the right noises but then doesn't follow through. I really hope she listens to you and takes you up on your offer of budgetting help. With a wedding on the horizon it sounds like this is a crucial intervention period before they end up taking out wedding loans of thousands of pounds, and get into major debt over it. It doesn't sound as if her mother has been a very good financial role model (unlike the role model your sons have had ) so I hope she looks to her aunt to help guide her onto a sensible spending path.

Flowerofthewest - I hope you enjoy your weekend away! I'm sure it makes it all the more enjoyable to know that you've saved up for it and can safely afford to go away Please don't be shy, there is no reason why you can't go from distant relative to next door neighbour. Does anyone else feel like chatting on this thread is like having a chat with a cup of tea over the garden fence?

MarkyMark - Congrats on the free Folk Festival tickets! Are you not going to share the story with us? That is quite teasing you know :P

mumzyof2

LollopyBear wrote: »

Wow! So many posts to catch up on!! I went out for my birthday drinking with friends session last night (birthday on Sun) and only spent £10.57 while out, including club entry and food! :j I can't remember if I mentioned my crazy plan of avoiding £30 taxi home charge? I decided that instead of forking out that much or staying at a friend's house (as I love my own bed and didn't want to trek home the next day) I would wait and catch the first train back in the morning at 5.11am. I did do this and I don't think I'll do it again!!! I was so tired and realised I had been up for nearly 24 hours. It also meant I slept until 1.30pm today and was very very cold when I got in.


Bails - Don't feel downhearted. Period 5 on a Friday is always a horrible lesson to teach! Mine was pretty dreadful as well (Much Ado About Nothing). They only really got engaged with me when I played a game of Beatrice/Benedick insults pictionary! From the latest sightings it sounds like your Mojo is hurtling back to you, though I don't think that it can be officially said to be gone based on the judgement of one lesson which is at such a dodgy time!

Marru - It's very inspiring that you've decided to 'follow your dreams' with your employment. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there are lots of dogs that need walking in your area.

Mumzy - Very glad that your son got into the school you wanted him to! Congrats

Janey - That is a very difficult situation with your niece. In those types of circumstances it seems to become frustrating very quickly as the person you are trying to help either doesn't seem interested in changing spending habits, or makes the right noises but then doesn't follow through. I really hope she listens to you and takes you up on your offer of budgetting help. With a wedding on the horizon it sounds like this is a crucial intervention period before they end up taking out wedding loans of thousands of pounds, and get into major debt over it. It doesn't sound as if her mother has been a very good financial role model (unlike the role model your sons have had ) so I hope she looks to her aunt to help guide her onto a sensible spending path.

Flowerofthewest - I hope you enjoy your weekend away! I'm sure it makes it all the more enjoyable to know that you've saved up for it and can safely afford to go away Please don't be shy, there is no reason why you can't go from distant relative to next door neighbour. Does anyone else feel like chatting on this thread is like having a chat with a cup of tea over the garden fence?

MarkyMark - Congrats on the free Folk Festival tickets! Are you not going to share the story with us? That is quite teasing you know :P

LOL 5.11 am??? Was you drunk or sober lol. I was still awake at that time, trying to get to sleep lol. How far was your train journey lol :rotfl: :rotfl: You still makde the trek home the follwoing day but on a train lmao in early hours
Thankyou also..i got my confirmation through the post for his school, Last night i was reading what they do in reception and when it got to what they do on there first day..encourage parents to sit with them while they settle in...well i cried LOL. Im sure il also cry on his first day!

redglass_2

So this morning I released £80 in £2 coins back into the wild via the building society and now have 8 crisp shiney new £10 notes to spend. Wah hay

From one lurker to another, well done FloweroftheWest! :beer:

LollopyBear

mumzyof2 wrote: »

LOL 5.11 am??? Was you drunk or sober lol. I was still awake at that time, trying to get to sleep lol. How far was your train journey lol :rotfl: :rotfl: You still makde the trek home the follwoing day but on a train lmao in early hours
Thankyou also..i got my confirmation through the post for his school, Last night i was reading what they do in reception and when it got to what they do on there first day..encourage parents to sit with them while they settle in...well i cried LOL. Im sure il also cry on his first day!

I was pretty sober at that time. I'd only had 4 pints that night and at 3.30 I went to a friend's house and she made me a cup of tea and we watched some of Stardust so I wasn't waiting at a cold station on my own til my train came.

LoL, you are right, it was still the next day it just didn't feel like it as I hadn't been to sleep. At one stage (about 2am I think) I got very tired and just wanted to go home and I thought about going to the bank and withdrawing £30 but I couldn't do it! I thought about coming on here today and watching everyone keel over in shock and disgust at paying that much on a taxi and I decided to stick it out. Does this mean I am back to being a hardcore frugaller?


Awwww, I'm sure it will be lovely for you to be there while he settles in. Remember a camera!

DdraigGoch

Phew! just caught up with this thread - every time I go to make a cup of tea it seems to have grown exponentially

All I would say about Janey's problem is that I echo everyone's advice to either ensure that if you do lend her the money [I say I wouldn't but I probably would!] make sure that she sets up a reliable debt repayment, to include your lost interest - she has to know what she's doing to you.... and that this agreement has to include her keeping to a very strict money diet, supervised by you, regularly! or let her get cut off then have a firm word with her.

Oh, I'm such a misery aren't I?

best of luck with it all, it's always a mess when it's friends or relatives, isn't it?

DG

redglass_2

Janey, I agree with everything the other frugalites have said. You've got all that frustration and also the fear of what might happen to your niece if you don't shell out, but do try to stand firm and give advice and help but not money. It's going to be painful for you as well as your niece but there has to come a point where she takes responsibility, otherwise this could go on for decades (I once knew someone who was still sulking at 45 whenever her mum didn't rescue her financially). Good luck, I hope you're able to wean your niece off the designer clothes and equip her with a few basic strategies, and that in time she realises you have done your best for her.

Janey51

Oh, how I know you are all right in my head.
Its this stupid knee jerk reaction to help that I always have
I am a hopeless case and so is DH.
I once did a Psychological Test thingy at work and the man taking the workshop almost shouted at me.."You're too nice!"

Guess I'll have to toughen up a bit for the second half of my life.

Would you believe got a call from my sister (in the back of beyond) asking me to arrange flowers for my niece's birthday and Mum's birthday. And did I do it at £30 :rolleyes:

Somebody slap me really hard.

nevadagirl

Janey, I really feel for you. I'm in debt because I wasn't able to say no to my ex when his dad/sister/mum needed bailing out. I think you have to keep telling yourself that you are being far nicer by giving the support or the advice instead of the money. Stopping your niece ending up in more debt might be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her.

For all the money I ended up giving to 'stop dad being isolated in an emergency', 'save the house', 'stop the bailiffs', 'pay the £600 library fines or my sister can't graduate from university', always a life-shattering (and emotionally-draining) emergency, they all seem to be soldiering on perfectly well without me 2 years down the line, houses not lost, gas still on, phone still working, brand new car. And I'm still blooming paying for it, when I could have cleared my mortgage with that money I lost.

I think the best gifts any of us can give are time and in this case, experience and support. Much nicer to help solve the problem than stick another plaster on. But like most occasions where it's the right thing to do, it's very very difficult. My not giving money was difficult for me, and cost me my relationship in a knee-jerk reaction and a long-held multi-person grudge, but it was very much the right thing to do - I couldn't keep everyone else going at the expense of my health, my financial future and my happiness.

Very best of luck with whatever you decide to do - I think helping your niece to negotiate with the company over the bill and encouraging her to stick to the plan would be the way forward, maybe even suggest that she puts some of the outgrown designer clothes up on eBay to cover some of it?

(sorry, but I'm eBay mad today, just listed 237 items for sale and got another 50 sitting here to do after dinner).