Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

tryingtodobetter

Just been looking at the interest beater thread, it looks quite doable but is it too late for me join up? Anyway what a horrible grotty day here, not got much done either. Signed up to the [EMAIL="Pl@y"]Pl@y[/EMAIL] boy casino thing mentioned on the interest beater thread and thats about it!! Hope everyone had a more productive day than me.

redglass_2

Hi, Frugalists, I'm a bit late catching up here! Courgette flowers - only eat the male ones, otherwise you'll have no courgettes. You can dip them in batter and fry (I shallow fried mine and it was OK).

Weather here is foul and I've been chained to the desk working, anyway, but on the other hand I've had great luck on Freecycle and got things I've wanted for a long time, so I'm a happy little frunchkin...:D

sophiesmum_2

Hi Frunchkins,
Where is everyone tonight ?- not more free bingo it is very quiet in here.
Not much to report on the frugal front today. The veggie meals and smaller portions must be paying off though, lost 4lbs this week when I was weighed at slimming world (mum pays for me:D ) then another friend we go with won slimmer of the week and was given a big bag of fresh fruit. She didn't want it as she had just stocked up at asda so gave it to me:j.It has been a good week for frugal fruit and veg this week.

sophiesmum_2

redglass wrote: »

Hi, Frugalists, I'm a bit late catching up here! Courgette flowers - only eat the male ones, otherwise you'll have no courgettes. You can dip them in batter and fry (I shallow fried mine and it was OK).

.:D

redglass - now you have me puzzled - how do I know which is a male one?? Maybe I had better leave them all alone;)

MrDT

Evening ladies!

Weather is atrocious here too. Sounds like the wind is trying to take my roof off :eek: Still, for the first time in weeks it actually felt good tobe trapped in the office all day what with it being so miserable outside! Every cloud and that

No bingo sophiesmum, but I have spent the last 4 hours reading up on matched betting... I came to this site to learn how save money, but I seem to have picked up a few other (not quite so virtuous) habits along the way:

gambling (maybe I'll give matched betting a go)
womanising (*ahem* according to jumble's fella anyway :kisses:)
drunk (i will be when the homebrew is done)

LOOK WHAT YOU'VE TURNED ME INTO - A MONSTER!!!



...On second thoughts, I'm just being a normal bloke huh?

Marru

Hi all,

I don't know what has happened to me but I just recently started to want to buy for myself a really expensive diamond ring! Those who know me would find this really weird as I don't wear any jewellery, now even a watch. Also my ISA account, my DMP and stuff for my animals and DD will always come first (never mind other things on the list like full valeting of my car and going to see a dentist).

Then I ventured to this site that was selling glasses. I have got my present glasses since 1995 (I did go to the eye test 2002 or 2003). My taste seems to be expensive sort as all the frames I liked were over £100.- I don't NEED new glasses but I WANT new glasses. As it happened I got some points mail from Mr S today and there was a voucher for free eye test so I might as well take on the offer and go and make sure that there isn't a slight possibility that I could have an excuse to get new frames. Did you get it? No? Good!

AND I desperately want a SatNav. I am fed up with printing maps and AA instructions and then having to stop to check where I am and how many turns I need to take. But I can't justify the cost so I have taken part on a competition where I can win a SatNav so fingers crossed.

What is going on? Could someone just give me a virtual slap for even thinking of things like that! A diamond ring? That will come handy next winter while mucking out the stables and chasing bunnies.

On the serious note. I need to start a frugal DD training come next week. I have visited Suprenanny's website and I am going to print out one of the rewards charts that is there. After being toilet trained for months she has started wetting herself. Last couple of days at the nursery they have taken her to the toilet every half an hour and yesterday it worked but today two pair of wet pants - not wet trousers thou. BUT when she came home she was sitting on the sofa and just wet herself and the sofa! I was sooo cross. She didn't do things like that even when we were toilet training!!! So I have decided to put a reward chart up and she goes up every day when she hasn't had an accident and half way treat is "hippo pudding" and the final price is to go to the big playground to the big slide. Any ideas and advice gratefully received as I am at my wits end here. I can hear her now - she actually woke up to go to the toilet - she doesn't wet her bed - only my sofa!!!

I am still trying to get under budget by the end of July but my little piggy boy needs to see a vet again next week. He is on medication and probiotics so lets hope that he is going to start putting some weight on. I know one shouldn't have favourites but he is the loveliest piggy anyone can have.

Ok - enough rambling going on. I shall go and have (try to have) an earlyish night and have a big slug of fortified wine that I treated myself today with.

Marru

Edited: Mr DT: You wouldn't happen to have an older brother (a lot older!)?

DdraigGoch

Night everyone - and best of luck, Marru. Sometimes the wetting knickers thing comes back if they have a] stress or b] slight bladder infection. Might be worth having a check up with the nurse ... not serious, though.

Best of luck
DG

sharon333_2

I would have to agree, I would have that checked out.

Janey51

Good morning Frugalites
The weather is miserable here but, I have bitten the frugal bullet and turned off the Rayburn. When we actually had our oil delivered, it was 61.5p/Litre which made it economically a no-go :eek: So my kitchen is not the cosy, welcoming place it was. It is now dark, cool and sad :rolleyes:
I walk around with a kitchen timer to remind me to turn off the immersion heater and have to use the kettle as much as I can to heat water. If the sun would come out, I would put bottles of water outside to heat up to try and get a solar boost :T My sister, who lives in a rather hot area of Europe, says she does this all the time and uses the water for showering. We couldn't do that, but it will be OK for washing up and cleaning jobs.
I will have to use the tumble drier more as I can't get stuff hung out at the moment....but as I type, blue sky is appearing :j

Managed to pick up 2 litre bottles of milk for 20p in local Co-op yesterday in the reduced section so thats in the freezer.

DH, who is recovering after his op is desperate to get into his shed :rotfl: but he is too unsteady on his legs at the moment. I had to go into town yesterday and he asked me to buy :eek: 2 DVDs. That really illustrates the difference between us when it comes to money. I would have borrowed them or rented them.
Since starting this challenge, I question everything I buy...is it a need or a want?
I do sympathise with those who are going through a "need to spend" phase...you know who you are :rotfl: I do worry about all the predictions of doom and gloom but we really cannot cut back any more. I think that MSEers are already in a good position to deal with any future recession...if and when it arrives

To all our future members of Gamblers Anonymous...you are very very brave. I am too much of a coward to bet. Unless I am drunk and its Bingo :rotfl:

Belated Happy Birthday Jumble-Bee. 24 :eek: Wow. You are less than half my age :eek: Still welcome to your bed in the shed if life gets too challenging.

Well done sophiesmum on your weight loss :T
MrDT Is anyone normal on here? :rolleyes: I think being normal means instant disqualification

whitewing

Lovely blue skies when I got out of bed, but it has clouded over now. Have been reading all the posts each day. I am too much of a coward to start betting too - slippery slope and all that.

H2B had a chat with MIL to make her see the errors of her ways! So things are easing up there and we are all getting on better.

Picked up our wedding rings and H2B let me wear mine for a couple of days but has now put them away for the wedding. Mine is ruby and diamond. It's lovely. Like Marru, I don't wear jewellery, but my goodness how I love my ring.

Having spent a while making wedding invitations, I was struck by inspiration and have invented a beautiful new design using photos of roses taken at my nan's diamond wedding. So the ones I have made will be recycled as thank you cards, and I should be able to finish the new design today. Just off to the Paper Mill shop for more card.

We are seeing a tailor next week for a quote on a made-to-measure suit for H2B. He's looking at a retro design, so we'll see. May be a lot of money, but he was well under budget on his ring (and still doesn't know how much I spent on my dress - oops).

Aside from his outfit we have had to cut back even more on the wedding now, as sadly my part time job looks like it will be going. They just keep telling me they're 'investigating' but don't achieve anything. Last week I said very nicely that I wouldn't be coming in this weekend if it isn't sorted, and they still seem to be ignoring me. So I shall contact my solicitor later. It's very sad because I love the job. But I don't deserve to be treated like this.

Well, that's all for now. Have a lovely day, everybody.