Live on £4000 for a year - Part 2

Frugaldom

taka wrote: »

Come on Nyk... I'm all curious now... what was the £150 spent on??

Shares! I ventured into a trading site that I set up a few years ago when I used to 'play' penny shares with friends from the South. I now own some tiny shares. I splurged the massive amount of £150 (including £10 fees) on tiny shares and I hope to sell them again and make a tiny profit. Even if they only grow as quickly as my pepper seeds, they might beat the 6.5% that I need to succeed in my interest beater. I will put the money back into my 4k challenge if and when I get it back... won't I?

I just remembered Marru asked about easy peasy pizza! Sorry, meant to answer that earlier, as I cheat for pizzas. Anytime you get the change of the plain baguettes (often reduced in our local supermarket) grab them for the freezer. I slice them lengthways and use a mixture of tinned chopped tomatoes and tomatoe puree as the sauce and then throw on everything that's available - onions, chopped peppers, mushrooms, chicken, sweetcorn, sliced tomato, anything at all that's left over really, and then grate cheese over the top, bung it in the oven for 10 or 15 mins and voila! Luxury French bread pizza! DS loves them! Better still, you can even make them up and cook them from frozen! :j

mini_huny_money

Hello again everyone, Hya Sophiesmum sorry to hear about one of your ladies, , You read so many bad things about care of the elderly at least you know that you made her end of life a wee bit more pleasant.

I can agree with everything Taka, Whitewing and Nyk say. Ive not posted much recently, in fact I didnt even come online all weekend and thats unheard of since I found MSE last February. Im not really feeling down but Im worrying terribly. After 27 years renting and worrying cos I was not a house owner and fretting cos I wouldnt be able to rent after retirement I bought a house last year and now Im terrified I'll lose it. No reason to worry but I just do.....!!!!!

It doesnt help that every day you hear on TV (GMTV are the worst) about people losing their homes, it was starting to really get me down and then I log on tonight and find that I'm not the only one!!!!

Thank you everyone for sharing your worries and helping me know that Im not the only one worrying, hopefully needlessly

Frugaldom

mini_huny_money wrote: »

It doesnt help that every day you hear on TV (GMTV are the worst) about people losing their homes, it was starting to really get me down and then I log on tonight and find that I'm not the only one!!!!

Thank you everyone for sharing your worries and helping me know that Im not the only one worrying, hopefully needlessly

Hi Mini, I have a suggestion - don't turn on the TV in the mornings Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. I learned this from a friend who asked me the unforgettable question, 'what war?' about 6 months after the bombing of Iraq began! Worrying is a basic essential for us, we need to worry about things, anything, everything, even nothing, otherwise it would be a really funny world in which to live. Imagine if we were all so laid back that nothing really mattered.... Oh! Why does that make me think of Jamaica and comedy sketches? :rotfl:

mini_huny_money

:rotfl: Those tv adverts for bacardi rum !!!!! I WATCH TOO MUCH TV!!!!.....too easy to snuggle up with the laptop on the couch with one eye on the TV, though God knows whats on just now.....hang on....A Gaelic music programme, mmmm....depressing , much prefer happy deedle dee dee music!!!!!

You know what Ive been doing over the past few days....well trying to do anytime any bad....worrying thoughts come into my mind, Ive been consciously saying .......nope not thinking about that. hopefully that will work, as for me its very easy to get into a negative mind set. and I know Ive done really well moneywise over the past few months. I think it was Bails who mentioned a few pages ago that she had listed all the good things that she had done since starting this challenge and my big one is getting my grocery shopping down to about 35 a week, me, DS, dog and occasional meals for OH, who when he read my posts hates the abbreviation OH, so now Ive to refer to him as DF, darling fiance!!!!!

Sorry for the ramble ........feel better though XX

sophiesmum_2

Morning fellow frugallers, up bright and early this morning, couldn't sleep so decided to do something productive. Now have dishwasher on, bread making in breadmaker, apple rings drying in the dehydrator, and pea, leek and ham soup bubbling away on stove and its 5am:eek: I am a comfort cooker, it helps take my mind off things:o

Plans for today, have half a litre of cream to use up from oldies sunday tea so hoping to try and make some butter at lunch time:rolleyes: may add some herbs.
Doing a couple of hours babysitting after work (another £20 for interest beater challenge) then just plan on pootling about the house for the evening.

Nyk good luck with the shares, that is one area i am not going again. OH invested a substantial amount of money in a share portfolio several years ago and lost a lot of money when the market fell, but that's the risk you take.It can easily work in your favour too:D

Prudent

Morning everyone. Just a quick post, although would love to reply to all of you as some really interesting discussion. Off to work in 10 mins :eek: Briefly mini - don't don't worry, I took that gamble and it has really paid off. I now have a lovely home outright and there was often a chance I would loose it.

Just was reflected on my awfully high amount for last month and realised I added in the council tax. Just off to ammend it. Have a nice day everyone

Janey51

Morning frugallers. A quick post from me as well before I'm off to do my extra few hours at work.
Nyk Interesting about Penny shares. Think I might have a root around and investigate. I could use some of my bingo winnings to speculate and then its not lost money if it goes pear shaped.

Little frugal challenge...DH has been asked to be a king in August at a local fun day. So I will need to make a really spectacular frugal regal outfit. I have very large fabric stash which I can raid.
Any ideas for crowns, robes etc will be received gratefully.
DH is a big bloke...think Santa shaped and you have the picture.

bails

For all the people worrying out there, firstly I understand what you're talking about and especially since being ill which brought on anxiety (thinking every car was going to crash into our car type stuff). What I would say is that worry takes a massive amount of energy, and once your energy is drained, worries come far more easily. I know it's not easy but try really hard to break that cycle and believe that everything will be ok; there is an awful lot to be said for positive thought. Of course I am by no means perfect at this :rotfl:but actively choosing to think in a positive way certainly does help.

Janey, I would love a material stash! Will get my thinking cap on about king's costumes...
Good luck with the shares Nyk.
SophiesMum, blimey, how do you have so much energy to fit everything into your days?

Having my 'day off' today so no looking at the GC, working out spends, looking after stray cats and stray people etc :T I'm not sure what the day entails but it's going to be all about me :rotfl:(something I'm still not very good at so wish me luck).

bails

ARRGHHHHHHHH! My me day has gone out of the window courtesy of The Benefits [STRIKE]Shambles[/STRIKE] System. It didn't arrive yesterday as normal so 6 phonecalls all around the country later, including some 0845 I couldn't get an alternative for :mad: and I find out that they have my address wrong - someone typed in 7 instead of 73 - so my benefit has been cancelled! :mad::mad::mad: And of course, not one person even apologised, no chance of any collective responsibility there. I am grateful that we even have a benefits system in this country but **** me, I can't WAIT to get out of the hellhole it consists of!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

bails

bails wrote: »

Of course I am by no means perfect at this :rotfl:

Oh, the irony (see above post) :rolleyes: Worried? I've been distraught