The Quest

moo2moo

Ok your new hours are carp but there are ways of bumping them up to over 16 hours a week to qualify for tax credits. Phone your local council school meals service and have yourself added to the list of relief lunchtime supervisers and dinner ladies. Its easy money. You get to turn down the jobs you don't want or need and if you only need an extra hour or so a week you'd only need one dinner lady a week to be off for things to work out for you. Its not difficult work and as a temp no one expects you to do much more than basic prep and washing up. Best of all it would be term time only so would fit in with DD and most areas seem to be desperate paying £6.50 an hour, sometimes with travel allowance of 50p a mile if its too far for you to go. The council will provide basic training too.

Things will work out for you! Its almost the spring so at least you won't need the heating on as much and growing your own veggies will dramatically reduce your grocery bill. I'm not envious of your allotment at all! Honest I'm not.

Good luck with the detox. I haven't the willpower. I've troughed a kilo of chocolate in the last 48 hours in anticipation of 5 days with the mother-in-law.

SmellyOldSock

Hi Lula Hula

just wanted to thank you for your kind words on my thread!

You are a star, don't let anyone tell you differently!

I'll be keeping an eye on your thread, and spend more time being 'active'.

best wishes and huggles
Charlotte

Lula-Hula

Hello all & sorry for not having been here for a while
mainly because i've been so busy with other threads & sarahb got me completely sloshed last night :rotfl: which was great fun & worth feeling a bit _pale_ today .

Things have been all over the place & i just havent had the energy to post but a big thank you to charlotte for popping in ; you're pretty dam :A yourself sweetie


thanks also to Moo for usual practical solutions; have been in contact with local council & seems they have a full bank at the moment but left my details anyway.

New job blokey called & will be dropping my route details in on monday so I can start tuesday :j - wont get any money for a couple of weeks but now that I know it's secure I'm not worried. Have earned a pittance the last 2 weeks, nothing added to the funds at all & have add to use savings/emergency money to keep us supplied with gas & electricity :rolleyes: but that's exactly what it's there for so quite happy with that & have plenty of time to fill it up again before holiday.

It's actually been realy great ot having much work on over half term; made me realise that U cant actually remember the last one when I had time to just hang out with DD . I 've been contemplating the way our life is changing & have to admit that these enforced changes are going to be beneficial. As long as we can eat, be warm, fed & clothed & have a roof over our heads & can keep the car on the road, that's fine with me. I've reasessed our life a lot since joining MSE & we werent having a better quality /value of life when i did have more money... in fact probably less as when i was doing 10 hour days i was so stressed & tired all the time, never had the time or energy to eat proper food or be with DD or go to the allotment much either.

We went there on wednesday with one of my friends & it was just so wonderful to get away from everything & just 'work the earth'. What with losing my mum & having a very possessive & unsocial xbf around I've been in hibernation for a couple of years & I really feel that I'm finally breaking out of it & regaining the things i enjoy in life :j . Today DD had a friend round & we went to the park by the river, it was sunny & they played hapily while i read my book in the sun , we came home & had some good food then this evening DD & I went to the cinema. We havent done that - just the two of us - for ages, she's so good & never asks for stuff as she know we're 'money savers' :rolleyes: but she really really enjoyed the whole outing & really appreciated it.

I did do another tesco shop today but again have stocked up on loads of stuff that was on offer & yes, my fave fabric softener is on offer this week .

doing ok on the NSDs - have 3 more to get which should be manageable & eating much more healthily this week & consequently feel so much more healthy ( apart form this morning ).

Local paper says council tax going up by 60p a week & have already had letter saying the garge rent is going up by 50p a week & NO I'm not going to give that up can make saving s elsewhere. no word on the rent as of yet but assume that TC increase also imminent & have been on slightly reduced rate this year due to changing bank accounts & consequent overpayment :rolleyes: so not too worrried... yet . Need to get in touch with fuel supplier about changing payment method & also need to pay £80 off CC2 by 1st March - again all under control so no panic there - phew.

big hugs to all for just being you
G'nite
lula
xx

Bowski_1011

Lula you're sounding very calm and in control of everything :A

Your DD sounds alot like mine, she also know's we're 'money savers' and she makes me so proud :heartpuls I can tell the way you talk about your DD that you're very proud of her! going to the cinema together sounds great. My DD is away on a school trip for 4 days next week and I said I'd plan us a special nite on the day she gets back, so I think we may end up going to the cinema too. Either that or getting a DVD and having what we call a 'treat night'. It involves a DVD, sofa with a quilt, takeaway of her choice and sweets and fizzy pop :j

You're doing fab with your NSD's :T I certainly won't be hitting this months target...AGAIN!

It's good to hear you're starting to get out and about again :j Enjoying the simple things in life too!

I had such a laugh reading single and in debt when you and Sarah were drunk...DD was gettin annoyed with me for laughing but I just couldn't help it, it was soooo funny! That Gordon has alot to answer for!

Hope you have a great weekend

mum2one

Totally agree with Bowski great to see you getting out and about and leading a normal life, youve had a rough time over the last vouple of yrs and xbf keep getting in touch, hes a pain in the rear.
Sometimes it the simpler things that make the difference.
Hope u have a gd weekend, and all goes well, u take care x

Lula-Hula

Hello again & thank you all for your lovely posts ... feeeling the love

Have had a pretty good weekend really; yesterday had a bit of a lie in to finish the book i was reading while DD held the pc captive :rolleyes: It was really quite warm & sunny so I headed into the garden & filled 4 bags with leaves & weeds. Sounds a lot but most of the leaves were on the grass (still ) & I only managed to clear one small area of a flower bed but at least now I can actually see the bulbs coming up. They're all ones my mum gave me so it's very cheering to be able to actually see them.

After lunch DD had a friend round to play & they spent most of the time in the garden until I had to feed them so I just pottered about indoors... fending off phone calls from the xbf :rolleyes: I actually think he's lost it now... he offered to pay me for 'services' :eek: :mad: :eek: . I swear I am not making any of this up unbelievable though it seems. I am mostly very miffed as the previous day when he called he offered to send me some money just to help me out until work picks up again - I thanked him but refused as am making sure to be consistent in my rejection of him. The offer of payment for 'services' was 3 x less than the offer for just helping out .


I baked some hobnonbs this morning & burnt the last lot as I was too busy on here then we went to the allotment ( yes, twice in one week ) & I did an hours digging & weeding while DD sat in the shed reading :rolleyes: . DD1 came over for lunch today & we all then went to visit my grandmother who was really pleased to see us & loved the hobnobs we took over - no, not the burnt ones, the birds had those .

So, we've had a NSWeekend & been very busy & productive. Back to school tomorrow & as I'm now not starting work until about midday I'm planning on taking all those bags to the dump first thing & then can start to refill them again.

I only managed to lose 2lb the whole of last week & am very :mad: with myself but hopefully doing exercise with the new job will start to take effect & my aim is to just eat real food & snack on fruit & nuts rather than crisps & biscuits...

Thanks again to all :A

lula
xx

Shoe_Gal

Hi Lula

You always sound so positive - I am going to try to be more like you!

Shoe Gal

Buffythedebtslayer

Wow Lula I havent been here for a while, really impressed with how you are mananging everything.

you are truly Fabulous xxxx

Lula-Hula

You're both pretty fab yourselves - you're welcome here anytime

Lula-Hula

Straight down to business tonight :

1) I checked online banking & worked out that I could pay the £80 to CC2 this week... so I have that is now hovering around the £2,400 mark & the total debt is currently under £6,000 :j . Unfortunately I wont be able to make any payment to CC2 this week or probably next week either as there are loads of DD's going out but I can make it up when / if new jobby starts :rolleyes: ... no phone call today or route delivered today :mad: .

2) I was at the tip first thing this morning to empty bags of garden rubbish & as tuesday I rarely have more than 3 hours work for current jobby I shall just concentrate on doing some more gardening; it's exercise, keeps me from getting stressed & there is actually an end result too

3) I have had a NSD so achieved my Februrary target :j

4) The 2 parties that DD was invited to that were on the same day... are now on 2 different days . Typical that they're the 2 week ends after the DFW meet in Manchester so I cant go... but I'm sure there's some karma in there somewhere (probably the fact that I cant really afford the petrol, alchocol or hotel :rolleyes: )

5) There has been no contact from the xbf for over 24 hours :silenced:

That's good enough for me for a monday

bye for now

lula
xx