The Quest

moo2moo

Hi Tea, Nice to hear you're on the mend. Hope the pain goes away quickly and your mobility improves.

Hi Lula, Congrats on your NSDs and your October 2009 target. I'm sure you'll make it.

My weekend with the wrinklies went. They arrived several hours late in the dark and left early next morning so I don't think they noticed Sally or much else. Dad was a bit pre-occupied as he was expecting to be made redundant but wasn't in work for the announcement having taken a few days holiday. The DDs went back with them and had a great time. Meanwhile I found myself with a child free day and ended up at an off-road driving centre. Haven't been so scared in years. Mostly due to driving a friends new Landrover with less than 350 miles on it over large rocks and through deep mud. Fortunately I didn't damage that one.

Dog is off to be groomed (for free) at a local college. They're in for a shock! Its a full flea bath, blow dry and nail clip and she hates all 3. That and she doesn't respond to vocal commands or take instructions from anyone but me. Even ignores OH (unless he has her dinner). It'll be a bit of a challenge for them.

The schol tea towel proof arrived back fromthe printers yesterday. Its fab, even after all the ammendments so have placed an order for 505. Now onto the next project. Disco for 300 tomorrow rapidly followed by locating a raffle ticket printer for 12,000 tickets for schools X-mas fayre. Technically I had an NSD yesterday as although I spent lots again (Baker Rosss 1/2 price sale) none of it was my money.

Off to persuade the DDs to join the land of the living.

moo2moo

1/2 a dog returned late last night. Was mildly beginning to panic when the 4pm return didn't happen and there was still no sign at 5 or 6. Turns out her being double coated, long haired and mid-moult complicated things a bit and took an incredibley long time to dry (shes still damp this morning). She does smell lovely although shes looking a bit sheepish.

School disco tonight. Once again the PTA are on top form. It starts at 5:45 but they leave it till today to say that they can't make it until 6:30. Ho hum. DDs are highly excited. DD1 has spent all day looking for her favourite top. Not surprisingly shes failed to locate it (its been donated to a local charity shop). Hideous thing more suited to a teenage drag queen than an 8 year old. Can't think what her great aunt was thinking of when she gave it to her. Well actually I can... it was something along the lines of "bleeding norah, theres no way one of my daughters is going to wear that thing in public I'll give it to some other parent to give them nightmares".

Off to hijack Hypnos plan to declutter the planet by disposing of 10 items a day. I guess last nights beer cans don't count, even though they are hidden down the side of the sofa.

Planning a cashback afternoon (a super NSD). Going to take a 2 ton trolley jack back to the shop and complain about it. Apparently its suitable for 4x4s but collapsed under the weight of a car, bending the jack frame and dropping the car at an angle which demolised part of the hedge. Just glad I had the wheel back on it at that point.

Forgot to say its school book fair day today. Made it as far as the car before DD1 threw a wobbly because she'd left her purse inside. Went to get it following her specific instructions. Red purse on art table. Looked on and under art table no purse but a schhol pencil case was lurking. Returned to car. Apparently red purse had been on table but had then migrated to a dog shaped handbag hung on a door handle. Abanded hope at that point. Got to school to find that between me placing tie round DD2s neck at 7:35am and our arrival at school at 7:40am DD2 had mysteriously lost her tie.

Lula-Hula

It's a lovely sunny morning here :j

I should be doing something in the garden but it's too cold & anyway I need to catch up here.

I had another NSD yesterday & it should be another one today. I've just had my virgin e-bill & I'm very grumpy about it too, it's £43.86 :eek: I knew it would be loads as I had to make so many calls. I've been really tight with it the last couple of weeks though ; I keep meaning to call people then I remember that my calls are now only free at the week end so I leave it & usually forget .

I'm still unsure as to the work situation although my boss filled in my certificate of earings form on monday & didnt mention anything about business being bad. So, I dont really know whether my job is secure or whethter she would just 'let me go' overnight with no notice. I really hope not as I dont take much time off & when I do I always give a months notice so hopefully will be treated with same consideration .

I've always planned to do this job while DD still at primary school which is just along the road & then look for something more 'serious & lucrative' when she starts secondary school & can take care of herself a bit more. So, unless I want to start paying out for childcare & travel I need this job for the next 2 1/2 to 3 years, or at least until I can clear my debts :rolleyes: .

Right, I'm heading off to gumtree now to check out local part time work opportunities just in case ...

Bye for now

Lula x

Lula-Hula

Quick update to say that I have completed day 8 of the NSD challenge so over halfway now

Having been adamant since the begining of term that she did not want to continue swimming after half term...DD has now changed her mind & decided that a swim class on friday evening's is just what she wants :rolleyes: . So on top of the £39 for half term club I now have to find another £35 by next week :eek:. If it was something frivolous she wanted to do I would probably try to get out of it til next year but she loves swimming & is getting more confident & it is still cheaper than me taking her swimming every week. The only problem is that in DD's clubs & hobbies fund I have exactly £10, so need to find another £27 by next thursday. My private customer owes £21 which I should collect next tuesday as long as she doesnt cancel, again :rolleyes: . I can squeeze the other £6 out of the weekly spending budget .

I have to get some more contact lens solution tomorrow which is a pain but until my 2 years sight test & discount are due I have to wedge out £17.00 :mad:.

Is it very wrong of me to secretly harbour a desire for Barclays to have to write off all outstanding credit card holders debts . In fact I think the best way for the goverment to get people spending again would be to write off all outstanding credit card debts. I would love the opportunity to start all over again with a clean slate. I would be so savvy this time around; instead of paying £300 a month off my debts I would save half that money & enjoy spending the rest & not owe a single penny.......

Anyway back here on earth, it's time for me to snuggle up with my calculator again

G'nite
lula x

Bowski_1011

You'll get there Lula!! You're still doing really well. Think what position you'd be in right now if you weren't working extra hard to pay off your debts!

I want to say thanks to you Lula because when it was your DD's b'day you had in your diary about how you ended up spending loads more than you intended because you had to buy lots of bits for the sleepover and all that, I've done that almost every year and my DD decided she wanted to go to the cinema for her b'day, I said she could and then she asked if she could have a tea party after it and some of them sleep over I said I'd think about it. Anyways reading about your experience I've since said she can't have anyone sleep over and no tea party. we're just going to the cinema. And I think that's enough!! I really felt for ya when you had to spend lots extra and reading it made me think I am NOT going to do that! I've done it too may times before, I don't NEED to do it and I certainly can't afford it so it's just not going to happen. So thankyou, you've saved me probably at least £50! I'm just sorry you had to go thru it, but it goes to show how diaries do help people even if you don't realise it and you think you're having a moan, it's all real life stuff that other people go through too. I will be having a tea party on her actual b'day but thats just for me, my sister, DD, niece and nephew. And coz its just us it will be cheap as possible. I've already got a couple of bits in the freezer for it. and my sister is making the cake :j oh i'm getting excited now just thinking about it, I love her b'day, can never sleep the night before, she makes me feel sooooo proud!:D

Keep at it Lula, you're doing so well.

Your posts make me laugh so much by the way!!

Hope you have a good weekend

moo2moo

Kids! Walked into school yesterday afternoon to be greeted by the school secretary with a demand for £4.99. Apparently DD1 had chosen a book and told her class teacher that dippy mummy had forgotten to give her any money and really wouldn't mind so class teacher agreed. How gullible? Worse still its not even a book. Its a chuffing diary. Have told her she'll be earning the money by tackling Mount Ironmore.

Successfully returned the dodgy jack to a full refund which OH promptly spent on another jack at almost double the cost. So long as this one doesn't collapse onto him or anything else I don't mind.

Disco was dire. I was mean and nasty and refused to let children in until some parents volunteered to help. 5:45 came and went and went some more and at 6pm several caved and stayed to help. Still ended up much shorter of help than I would have liked and didn't leave until 9:15 because the place was a Marie Celeste style disaster zone with just 4 of us (and the DDs) clearing up. DD2 will be exhausted this morning and it really does seem mean to wake her up. Will elave it as late as possible. Debating whether to take her to school in PJs and let her get dressed there so that she can stay in bed until 7:30.

Lula-Hula

Good morning

It's friday :j hurray, the sun is shining, I dont work today, I got paid today, DD is going to tea at a friends so I can take my time over shopping & really search for best prices/deals :cool: .

Thankfully I had a busy day yesterday so I earned enough to put money into all the funds - car now £ 90 , dentist/optician £ 70 (but going to use £17 to buy solution tomorrow) presents £20 :eek: need to boost this as christmas looming. Nothing in the clothes fund I have plenty, just need to shrink into them :rolleyes: . Only £10 in DDs clubs & hobbies but I have the swimming fees covered as per previous post . I'm going to wing it on the half term club, I know I'm on their 'regulars' list so I'm expecting a call next week to ask if DD coming then will say yes & charm my way into paying on her first day rather than now. :shhh: but I quite like the guy who runs the club ...

Moo, sounds like you are running that school single handed but it sounds like you have it all under control. Should make the kids clear up for 10 minutes after it finishes . I'll be honest & say that I have always avoided helping out at school discos, they fill me with utter :eek: but I salute people like you & can only say thanks :A on behalf of the 'drop & run' parents like me .

Bowski - I'm delighted that my diary has saved you from overspending , I've gathered all sorts of useful nuggets of knowledge from other peoples diaries so l'm glad to return the favour. I am going to be really thrifty with christmas presents this year. I'm going to try to buy one small thing every week from now from the grocery budget towards stocking presents then it wont be such a shock on the 23rd december :eek: . I've thought long & hard & have decided to follow Moo2 s advice on asking for kitchen stuff as presents
as there'still lots of bits I'd like but am now not buying due to being very sensible these days .

Best get my act together & go do some shopping, I'm almost scared of what I'll spend so will vow to report back here when done...

bye for now
lula x

Lula-Hula

Right,

this is not what I wanted to declare but shamefully I spent £ 48.70 today; £38 on groceries, £8 on household stuff & £2.50 on a stocking present.

I now have about £3 left for a week :eek: . I overheard DD & her friend talking yesterday & they were saying how they wished there was a menu for the week s meals in the kitchen then they would always know what they were having - presumably so they can stock up on secret biscuits when it's something they dont like :rolleyes: but it's a good plan. I'm rubbish at meal planning, but think I'd better make a start. I'm actually quite rubbish at cooking too, I used to cook a lot before I became a single working parent but quick & easy is what I look for now so we eat loads of pasta & sauce meals .

I'm saving the thrill of buying lens solution til tomorrow as DD wants to go shopping with her birthday money, so I'll have to spend on parking anyway & there's no point using the fuel & parking fee twice .

I havent topped up the gas or electricity this week but have now got £50 towards the barclaycard payment - minimin £114 :eek: due on 4th November so still need to find another £75 as I like to pay £10 over although this is not the priority card. I will be able to dip into savings if necessary in order to meet the payment but I'm going to try really hard to adjust my weekly spending budget to achieve it instead.

I actually reckon it will take a year from when my budget & funds started until I fully reap the rewards, particularly where DDs clubs & hobbies, the car & presents fund are concerned. Oh well, it's learning for life so it's bound to take a while & it's not like I'm going to go back to living how I did before when this debt quest is over :rolleyes: .

lula x

moo2moo

Don't be too hard on yourself Lula we all have to eat and £38 for 2 for a week isn't astronomically awful.

If DD wants a menu planner let her and her friend do it. It'll give you a bit of peace while shes occupied and she may well surprise you with the things she'll include. Whilst you are at it allocate her a weekend day as her day to cook (rules state shes allowed to rope you in as an assistant). We do this and its loads of fun. Today is DD2s day. I woke up to cold coffee (not allowed to use the kettle) and coco pops in bed as a treat. Apparently I'd slept in (all of 7:15am) and she didn't want to miss her riding lesson. For lunch we're having bacon and egg butties (her assistant will be in charge of cooking bacon and egg) and for dinner shes making fishermans pie, only the cheese sauce needs cooking and she can do that as it doesn't spit, everything else cooks once its in the oven.

Taking the DDs food shopping this afternoon. Rumor has it the local Asda ha s petrol for 99p a litre.

moo2moo

Its confesssion time. Dear Lula, Tea and fellow DFWers I have been a very bad girl and have fallen off the NSD bandwagon in style. Spent £20 on the DDs horse riding lesson, then £60 in Tesco, rapidly followed by another £115. Total splurge £195 and today I have to purchase a buffalo joint for the M-I-L which will set me back another £20. Thats 1/3rd of my monthly wage gone in in 24 hours. Mind you I am now the proud owner of a swanky printer which prints every word on every page rather than missing chunks out at random and omitting the centre of every letter just because it can.

OH got paid yesterday. A rock bottom month. he forgot to submit his overtime claim so won't be paid that until mid November.That and a great letter from the Halifax. Last months credit card statement got lost in the post and arrived damaged 2 days before the due date. Phoned them and they helpfully said pay it in cash at a bank or we'll charge you a late payment fee. Drove to the bank and paid in full all £9.49 of it with a crisp £10 note. Dopey cashier gave me 51p change but entered a payment of £9.46 so I've been charged 50p interest on the 3p which I paid but they haven't acknowledged. Phoning the Halifax again resulted in a sorry but you've underpaid and we've charged you conversation (did argue and get the 50p refunded - glad phonecalls are free at a weekend though as it took 15 minutes). The customer is always right unless we're a bank in which case theres obviously an error and its all yours, that'll be a large wodge of cash please.

Operation "Slovenly Ho" has been moved up a gear. The wrinklies are coming to stay over Christmas for 3 days bringing with them my not so little sister and her equally not so little fella. Not sure the sofa bed is up to them if they decide to try any nocturnal athletics. You can just imagine the phone call to Ikea. Hello I'm enquiring about the Ektorp sofa bed. Will the legs withstand the combined bouncings of some 450 kg of human flesh without collapse? Does your product testing extend to that range? Perhaps an inflatable bed on the floor is a better idea at least that can only blow a bung.

Will also have to tackle the cupboard under the stairs as they will see inside it at some point and are liable to loose limbs if they open it without assuming the nescessary restraining posistion.