Sorting through my rubbish

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 3 September 2012 at 11:38AM

Hi Hun,

Stay on your soap box, cos I couldn't have said it better myself!! My neighbours are surviving solely on various types of benefits and they live the life of riley!! Other people play the system and do work etc undeclared and seem to get away scot free. We have both worked from before we left school and despite having children to raise, usually have more than 1 job each to cover the bills etc, are totally honest with HMRC and yet we are struggling and neck deep in debts. I can't believe we are £1000pm down on 4/5 months ago and they are going to give us £30 a month!!! The belts are definately going to be tightened!!

DS2 has just rung me asking why he only has 1 school jumper and 2 polo shirts for when he starts the college this week, have had to tell him that thats it for now unless we ABSOLUTELY have to buy him more, he will have to get into a routine of making sure its washed when he comes in ready for the next day, ditto sports kit. The frustrating thing is there are about 10 jumpers and goodness knows how many polo shirts in the loft from DS1 and his best friend but they are all too big for now!

I am thrilled for DS1 that he has been accepted into the army, he has wanted this for about 3 years now and worked very hard to get there, he even studied for the exam (never been heard of before!!!). He still doesn't know when he will start training as his recruiting officer has been on leave, may not be until the New Year now. I obviously have fears and worries as any mother would, he will be front line and I'm not sure how I will deal with him being posted overseas but at the end of the day it is his life and this is what he wants. There are dangers everywhere and I have to remember that, a young girl in his college was killed in a car crash this year and it made me realise that anything can happen to anyone at anytime and you have to just live for now and do what makes you happy. I know I will be incredibly proud and emotional when we go to his passing out ceremony!! Better bulk buy the tissues!!! oh and some gin!

Hope all is well with you hun

321
xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 4 September 2012 at 11:19AM

:mad::mad::mad:Argggggg just wrote a huge long post and have lost it!!!! Haven't got time now so will hopefully be back later!:mad::mad::mad:

trixiepix · 4 September 2012 at 11:26AM

Hey hun,

I'm glad it's not just me that gets totally infuriated by 'The workers & The shirkers' situation - DH is continually working as much overtime as he can to make ends meet, whereas a few years ago the overtime could have been used for stuff like holidays etc! and as for your tax credits, how can a £1000 drop in salary be replaced by £30, that can never be right!!!! You would think as a hard working family they would be falling over themselves to help you - tut!!

Anyway, DD1 started secondary school today and fortunately it proved to be quite painless this morning, she slept well and was very upbeat this morning and looked like a really big girl in her uniform, aww i wish she was little all over again!!! - DD2 started back too but as she was back to familiar territory as soon as she saw her friends she was gone!!

Found time yesterday to do the monthly finances:eek: - started thinking about christmas and how we're going to have to actively try to start saving a bit towards it, so next few months are going to be uber tight!! - last month the food budget went over (surprising how much the kids ate when they were home!), spent more than i should trying to entertain them on the very wet days!!!, the car needed 2 new tyres + tracking and the expense of the rest of the school uniforms - was hoping it would just be DD1 but DD2 had a growth spurt over the summer and had to get new trousers (she won't wear skirts!!), and was between sizes with her shoes so had to get more expensive shoes than had budgeted for! - There's always something!!!!!

Sooooo, back to seriously strict food budgeting, i've got just enough sandwich fillers for school this week, gonna have to get a bit creative with the rest of the lunch box so think i'll be making flapjacks tonight! and getting some fruit on the way home, (but just enough for lunches as we've had quite a bit of fruit waste over the last couple of weeks).

Ordered some christmas cards from Nxt book as had 15% off plus free delivery and a fluffy bath robe for DD2 for xmas (from their ongoing sale) also ordered a couple of things for friends children from the sale too and a few bits from bombay duck sale - so i'm going to have to get an official christmas cardboard box shortly to put it in - lol :rotfl:

So please for you and DS, he must have worked so hard to get accepted into the army, i guess it just goes to prove if you want something badly enough you put your heart and soul into getting it

As usual i've waffled on for far too long!!!!

'speak' soon xxx

trixiepix · 4 September 2012 at 11:28AM

Oh no about your lonnnnnnnnggggggggg post!!!! - i've done that so many times i now 'copy' the text before submitting the reply just in case i need to 'paste' it!!!

xx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 7 September 2012 at 2:35PM

Hi Trixie (and anyone else 'lurking'!)

Well I've finally found time to post again.

Can't believe this weather, well I suppose I can really, it's typical that once the children go back to school the weather improves. DH is making the most of his time at home and has started tiling the conservatory floor whilst the weather is nice (means he can empty it of everything I have put in there). It's looking really nice apart from the hole in the wall where our 'friend' hasn't finished the brickwork, but DON'T get me started on that:mad::mad:. Can't wait the get the little sofa, table and kitchen units in there properly, all of my bargains! The floor tiles were half price, the cane sofa and table cost a total of £52 online! Kitchen units £70 courtesy of ebay and the wall tiles and finishing touches we either already had or came from carboot sales! Just need to get some blinds to stop the nosey neighbours looking in and we're sorted!

Been very good with the food spends so far this month, had an order from ASDA (I know I wasn't going to use them again but they gave me a £10 voucher:o), just £65 which included meat, dogfood, cheese etc for the month. Made a lovely spinach, roasted butternut squash and lentil lasagna with spinach that was given to me, thought the kids would turn their noses up but they cleared their plates. Have been using things up, baking my own goodies and generally trying NOT TO SPEND!!!

Feel for you with all the expenditure, luckily DS2 and DD are still in the shoes they had last year, gave them a good polish and (almost) as good as new. DD is having no more uniform this year, whatever, as she leaves that school in July. I've told DS2 we will play it by ear before buying him more but will get it if needs be.

The trouble is this time of year all of their clubs start again which means subs!! I did a car boot sale on Sunday and when I got home all of the proceeds went in to seperate envelopes for swimming lessons, street dance, rugby and girls brigades, £80 gone just like that!! But at least it's all covered for the year/term. Think I will do that again next year.

You mentioned the dreaded Christmas word!!! I have actually started to put things away. Have got DS1 a lovely Lyle and Scot hoody, £25 in the sale instead of £100, he will love it as he always wears their stuff. He isn't getting as much as the others this year as he is an adult now and will soon be on a very good salary. I have told DS2 that he must tell us what he would like as I don't want to waste money and if there is nothing he can think of I will give him cash. DD is still easy thank goodness and I have got several stocking fillers stashed away already. As for everyone else I am picking up things as and when I see a good deal, keep watching the grabbit board! I think several gifts will be hampers made up of the glitches from boots and bargains from superdrug!! (see my other posts on the grabbit board) I already have loads of cards and wrapping paper etc in the loft (bought in the Jan sales) so that's covered.

I was on a course for work yesterday which involved a 50mile round trip so I popped to Homebase to get more grout and whilst there picked up 10 plants all readuced to £1 each, really large plants as well as some lillies. There were loads of bedding plants reduced to 75p or less but I went for hardly perennials which will flower year after year so I will be doing a spot of gardening tomorrow before raiding the loft for booty stock!!
The decluttering continues, will aim for another booty this weekend. DH is selling the big items on Facebook (I have told him he can keep the proceeds of anything he sells as an incentive) and I really will try to get back into ebaying.

Must dash now. Hope DD is still enjoying secondary school, have a great weekend with the children

321 xx

trixiepix · 10 September 2012 at 11:59AM

Hey hun,

You are always an inspiration!!!!

Ooh, the conservatory sounds fab, and as for your bargain buys - blimey that's amazing!!

I'm 'watching' some slate floor tiles on ebay that have been removed during shopfitting and currently have a bid of 99p for 34 tiles - couple of days to run but it's local to us and would cover both downstairs loo and upstairs bathroom floors - i'll let you know how i get on!!

The food budget so far is on track went to Morries yesterday and picked up a few end of day bargains - didn't have to get a great deal as using up freezer stuff.

Project for this week is the front garden, (ahead of the winter!!!) - we did a mini makeover on it soon after we moved in but it's still pretty shocking and i can't put up with looking at it any more!! - needless to say it's got to be on a budget, so may bob off to homebase to see if they have any bargains!!.

So far, as the whole of it is gravelled ( but not professionally done) i'm thinking of getting some contrasting block pavers and edging the gravel beds with maybe more pavers in the middle to put a pot or something on plus some troughs along the fence (so that i can get some shrubs to grow as the ground is useless for growing) - hmmm will let you know how that goes too!!!

As for ebaying (ahem.....:rotfl:) - not managed to get around to that yet, i'm sure i must just be finding excuses not to get on with it but it does feel (in my mind

) that i just haven't had time!!

DD's first week at secondary was fine - a bit up and down by the end of the week but that was friend issues rather than school issues.

Anyway take good card

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 14 September 2012 at 7:28PM

Hi Hun,

I have to ask.....did you win the floor tiles???? I really hope so, it's great when you find a bargain. Also any luck with the garden, hope you managed to find some cheap plants.

I've had a funny old week. Feel really exhausted and was due to work 3 evening shifts but due to property issues this is the first evening I've actually had to do. We've had one thing after another go wrong at work and then the new head honchos decided to visit!! All very stressful!

I've been very frugal with food, just been buying bread and milk. We have been using up stocks from the fridge and freezer. I popped home this afternoon between shifts and organised DS2 to make some homemade pizzas for tea. Had a slow cooker chicken and roast veg etc on Sunday, leftover chicken and potato curry on Monday, Slimming world crustless quiche and salad on Tuesday, chilli con carne from the freezer on Wednesday and ate up the remaining quiche and chilli yesterday with jacket potatoes and salad yesterday.

DH is busy putting up the wall tiles in the utility area of the conservatory (£2 at a car boot sale - brand new). We need to get it finished and the house tidy for a family gathering on Sunday so the pressure is on. Got a day of housework tomorrow and all of the food for the party is being delivered tomorrow evening, I am going halves with my sister as it is our mum's birthday. I am sure I have way over ordered so should be ok for food for the rest of the week! Next Asda order booked for 1st October.

DS1 is not starting his training until January so I am really pleased that he will be at home for Xmas, we will make sure it is a really good one!!

DD is really pleased with me at the moment, she went to a country and western fancy dress party last week and I made her a Jessie outfit (from Toy Story) complete with red wool wig and she won 1st prize, she was well chuffed!! She is currently running for house captain and made her campaign posters with DH last night, they are now plastered around the school, lol!

DS2 is getting on well at college, had lots of tests this week so that they can put them in the right streams, does make you wonder what information (if any) the middle schools have provided, you would think they would know what stream to place the children in even before they arrived at the college!

Money wise things are bad, I will update my signature at some point but in denial at the moment. Need to clear as much as possible before DS1 leaves as I know things will be really tight then, Next should be cleared by end October and then I will start on the credit cards. DH has just produced another £300+ bill for the builders merchants, he is terrible for going down there, picking stuff up and not having a clue what he has spent, he will even put small purchases on the account whereas I pay for most things and just account things like bricks!! I thought the bill would be about £100 so got a nasty shock!

Oh well, that's about all for now, have a great weekend.

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 20 September 2012 at 2:34PM

Hi Trixie and any other lurkers.

Well another week has almost sped by!

Mother's birthday surprise went well and the weather was very kind to us. Had some food left over but not an obscene amount. Have bunged the last of the vege burgers and sausages in the slow cooker today together with grated carrot and courgette, celery and the usual chilli ingredients, hopefully it will turn out ok. Yesterday I was on a late shift but DS2 was cooking at schoool so dinner was the curried pasta he made, Tuesday we had bacon and mushroom pasta (a family favourite and the mushrooms were starting to look a bit sad!) and on Monday I was training so DH cooked Nuggets and chips from the freezer! So only had to buy the bare essentials this week of bread and milk. Did pop into Superdrag today and picked up 2 x 400ml Head and Shoulders conditioner for 50p each, bargain!!

We managed to finish the conservatory in time for the party and it is so nice to be able to use it at last. I have put 2 airers in there, they attach to the wall and are like half a rotary line and they fold up to about 100cmx10cmx10cm when not in use, perfect, and they each hold about 1.5 loads of washing!! bargain price from Argos, reduced to £9.99 each!! I sat out there the other might with my friend who brought round a bottle of wine, we lit loads of candes and it was really cosy out there and away from the family too! We are getting power out there soon, DH spent some time helping a friend with his pc, the friend happens to be an electrician so in exchange he is going to fit us some power points and lights!

Have avoided the Nxt VIP sale like the plague because to be quite honest we have too many clothes anyway and I know something lovely will jump out at me for myself or DD.

I have bought 6 cheap fleece blankets from ASd@, less than £3 each, I am going to hang them in the bedroom windows, over the vertical blinds as an extra layer for the winter months, might even put some over the lounge windows and take them down if we have guests. Am also going to was the old duvets I found in the loft and put them under the bottom sheets on the kids beds to keep them cosy.

Think that's all my news for now

Take Care

321 xxx

trixiepix · 21 September 2012 at 4:46PM

Hey lovely,

I'm sooooooooooo glad your mums birthday surprise went well and you could use the conservatory, i bet you are over the moon that everything came together!

The conservatory sounds fab, especially when you added the candles and chilled out there - (((jealous - lol)))

Finances have been exceptionally rubbish, on a bit of a spending rollercoater at the moment and this week starting to panic a bit about the credit card and catalogues so time to reign myself in - oh and i've not accepted my nxt vip slot either - just to dangerous for a spendthrift like me!!!

Oh and as for the ebay tiles, no i didn't win them

- the auction end was in the afternoon of what was to be a busy day, so i put a reminder on my mobile which then didn't go off - so ended up not even bidding !!! - very disappointing as they only sold for £11 - Tut!!

Managed to sort out the front garden so that looks heaps better and i feel quite proud pulling up on the drive again!! and it didn't cost much either.

Bought a couple of new hanging baskets in the sale yesterday as my willow ones were looking the worse for wear, so replanted them last night, dug up a small conifer and moved into the back garden and just did the last of the tidying - still have to get another bag of slate to finish off but hopefully will be completed over the weekend.

As for the whole christmas malarky - have done quite a bit of sale/bargain shopping for family and friends (on the cc - NOOOOOO) - the girls gifts will hopefully be sorted at the end of this month - then everyone else's the month after - you never know DH & I might be able to buy a token something for each other!!!!!!! ( won't hold my breath for a Jaguar 4x4 - lol lol!!)

Well time to hit the frugal button again!, should be interesting as we're away next weekend for 4 days, make that 4 frugal days!!!

Take care xx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog · 24 September 2012 at 2:28PM

Hi Trix

Gutted for you re the floor tiles, how frustrating is that? The number of times I have forgotten to bid on things only to see they went for pennies!!

It sounds like you have done really well with the gardening, hard work but well worth it when you can stand back and think 'that looks good'

Glad you are getting sorted with the Xmas preps, I've just ordered the brave fancy dress set DD wanted from [EMAIL="Disn@y"]Disn@y[/EMAIL] (she looks a bit like Merida), used some codes on the discount board so £83 down to £58. DD is pretty well sorted now, got loads of stocking fillers for her. DS2 is always a problem, he never wants anything!

Have been getting the house ready for winter, sticking draft excluder tape everywhere, found the spare duvets, washed them and they are now under the kids bottom sheets. Need to put the silver car sun shades behind the radiators and buy a curtain pole for the front door.

We sat in the lounge last night with the lights off and all the candles lit, it was really cosy. Some of the candles are the ones I made by melting down odd left over bits and pouring it into empty coffee jars, you know the posh type with 'glass' lids, they work really well. Have got a basket full of fleece blankets in there so we can snuggle up, the kids have all got extra blankets in their rooms too so they can put them on the beds if they get chilly.

Had a cooking session on Saturday, stewed up the carrier bag of apples my neighbour gave me, made 3 choc and banana cakes and 2 quiches. We've got meatballs tonight and a chicken stew and dumplings for Tues and Weds (I'm working Weds night).

My dishwasher went bang (literally, flash of light etc) yesterday. We had to demolish half of the kitchen to get to the socket (my kitchen is not at all well fitted) . We do have a friendly repair guy but if its gonna cost over £50 it will have to wait (that's if he can repair it at all!) May have to go back to the old basin and dishbrush method (ha the kids will LOVE that!!).

Have a great day hun, enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

321 xxx

Sorting through my rubbish

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