Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

whitewing

mini_huny_money,

I hear you, naughty person. Hope you had a good night's sleep now you have 'fessed up.

We've only got one car, and now 3 adults with 4 jobs and 1 child at school 10 miles away. So, we are spending a lot of time in the car. (Frugally, not driving but waiting to drop off/collect the next person, rather than going home to come out again. It's only for a month or so until everyone's settled in and my little brother manages to source a bargain second car).

Am around still and still being careful but not saying too much either.

grandma247

Morning everyone.
I hope you are all ok. I have been busy sorting out and freecycling more clutter.
Lovely sunshine here but very windy and cooold.
I have finally sorted out my mortgage payments to weekly and upped them a bit. Planning to increase the amount every time we start getting comfortable with the payment. Next year will see us able to pay a lot more as a large loan we got will be done with then. I also got a brainwave to ring the loan company and arrange to pay them weekly at a higher rate so will take 1 instead of 2 years to finish.
Its all thanks to all of you here and the fact that we had a wake up call a couple of years ago when we had to live off half wages.

sophiesmum_2

Good morning mini_huny_money and whitewing, and everyone else to follow:D

Big day planned in garden today so hope the weather holds, OH is moving my greenhouse, laying a new base of recycled flags, and putting it in a sheltered spot away from the high winds. Had some serious damage when the winds were bad:o Also having two tonnes of topsoil delivered by a friend who is a landscape gardener to use on veggie plot and in potato barrels:D so there will be lots of barrowing and digging going on today.

Just about to throw something in slowcooker as definately won't feel like cooking later. Calls for damage limitation or OH will start talking takeaways.

sophiesmum_2

grandma247 wrote: »

Morning everyone.
I hope you are all ok. I have been busy sorting out and freecycling more clutter.
Lovely sunshine here but very windy and cooold.
I have finally sorted out my mortgage payments to weekly and upped them a bit. Planning to increase the amount every time we start getting comfortable with the payment. Next year will see us able to pay a lot more as a large loan we got will be done with then. I also got a brainwave to ring the loan company and arrange to pay them weekly at a higher rate so will take 1 instead of 2 years to finish.
Its all thanks to all of you here and the fact that we had a wake up call a couple of years ago when we had to live off half wages.

Hi grandma247,
good luck with the overpayments, should save you a fair bit in interest over the periods:D

Aril

Hello all fellow frugalites!
Very little frugalling going on here today unless you count the cushion I am making for the frugalmite completely from bits of my fabric stash:D Mind you shouldn't be out spending either...the venus fly trap carrying receptacle is flatly refusing to open her jaws again after I ambushed her last weekend and stole a pound. She's still sulking:D:D Just aswell the snitch like credit card was happy to fly over and oblige me on my whoopsie walk to Mr T instead. If the weather is okish tomorrow I shall pick some nettles and turn said treasure into soup. With regards to the nettle twine Nyk---pick it fresh and strip off the leaves. You then bash the end of it to loosen the fibres and peel off the outer casing. This is discarded. With the remaining fibres you then start twisting them and adding more in as you go along. Leave it to dry once it's got to the length required. It's incredibly strong.
Aril

Frugaldom

Good morning to all, it's blustery and sunny here today, too and I'll pretend that I overlooked Mini-s Dotty-P trip as I am a big fan of the reduced items in there, especially when it's like 3 for £15 with a discount code, free delivery and paid on a cashback card (last year's clothes shopping spree.)

I've got 3 hours extra work (council contract) this afternoon and then some homebased work that's hitting deadlines and needs to be on someone's desk by first thing Monday morning. Just off to speak to someone who wants me to do some book-keeping for them and, whilst reading Sophiesmum's post, have been reminded that the slow cooker would be the way to go to ensure dinner got made here, too, as we might have one extra when I get back. Better safe than sorry

Have a good day, don't let Frugal Moon Syndrome catch you out and make the most of days off to get some more seeds planted - I will do the Broccoli, herbs, cherry tomatoes and more peppers tomorrow, I think. Trying not to visit eBid too much, in case I spot some more BOGOFs!

looby-loo_2

Hello everyone
A NSD for me today and we are going to a Golden Wedding party later at an Indian Restaurant - all inclusive. I made a card knowing that I have received HM cards from them - we think alike.

I made an Easter tea-ring for afters at lunch time. It was so hot I hope they don't all get indigestion! Also cooked a gammon for this weeks lunches. DH piles it on his sandwich but it's OK as it still works out so cheap.

I finally got round to listing stuff on Gumtree. I've had such a lot of replies so people really do look - I did wonder a bit, but it's free so worth a try. We have just made our first sale. We expected them to knock us down and agreed our lowest price, however, they were so nice and we could see they didn't really have two pennies to rub together, and also knew from their address, that when the man handed the full price over with out any discussion my DH gave him £10 back. Everyone was happy. Then they had tea and ate the Easter tea-ring - oh well, I'd better make some more!

I couldn't believe what had happened this morning. I have a propagator on the kitchen window sill containing 9 pots of lettuce, basil, broccoli, etc. They were all doing well. This morning there were slug trails over everything and more than half had been shaved off - 5 pots looked just like cut off cress. I found a HUGH green/brown slug in the corner but what I want to know is how did it get into the lidded propagator? If it had been there all along why did it just 'wake up' last night, they have been there for a couple of weeks now. I'm so mad!

Here's hoping everyone else has more success

Prudent

I have been out in the garden today too tidying up and planting. I don't have a greenhouse 9and garden is tiny, so no option to get one). Does anyone know which of the veg that are usually quite pricey like peppers, courgettes, tomatoes etc I can grow in pots with no greenhouse?

I have planted a plum tree (£3.99 from lidl), a tayberry bush, a raspberry cane, and six strawberry plants. Mulched the rhubarb too. Space is really limited here. Going to investigate the potential of bf's garden for veg growing

sophiesmum_2

Prudent wrote: »

I have been out in the garden today too tidying up and planting. I don't have a greenhouse 9and garden is tiny, so no option to get one). Does anyone know which of the veg that are usually quite pricey like peppers, courgettes, tomatoes etc I can grow in pots with no greenhouse?

I have planted a plum tree (£3.99 from lidl), a tayberry bush, a raspberry cane, and six strawberry plants. Mulched the rhubarb too. Space is really limited here. Going to investigate the potential of bf's garden for veg growing

OOh must have a trip to Lidl to find a plum tree have been looking for one locally:D

Tomatoes(tumblers) and cherry tomatoes grow well in hanging baskets and don't take up much room.Peppers might be okay if you have a warm , sheltered area I have grown peppers and chillis in pots in the kitchen.
A friend of mine grows courgettes in the garden in a well composted, manured area they seem to do okay.

Looby - Bet you were fuming about the slug

System

hello fruglets!

iv been out at jumbles again today (surprise surprise!) but i didnt get the vast hoards of stuff i usually get

i went to get a new isa and some new accounts and yet again couldnt (last sat bank was closed, fri didnt have passport, today the guy was fully booked) so i now dont have an appointment till next saturday!

wah, think of all that lost interest. Boo hoo. might skive off work during the week when it will hopefully be quiet