SOA Help

SueP19

Hi trina2010, these are all thought we are mulling over, the Jeep is off the road so its all up in the air. I can argue good and bad for lots of reasons. The current caravan is about 1300kg in weight and needs a 4X4 to tow, an estate would struggle (not impossible but would strain the car)
As with all these things a big lighter caravan is more sought after and commands a higher price ??? £2000 ish The citreon is very light and has no towbar so that would cost about £200 to fit..............................it just goes round and round in my head and as things are at the mo we aren't going away this year, so we have shelved all options...............at least the Jeep can be taxed at a moments notice (re job thing)
We went to Lidl yesterday was not that impressed (usually go to Aldi) didn't really spend less

Pollycat

Hi Sue
have you been over to the OldStyle board yet to get ideas on meal planning, recipes and general cut down on your grocery budget?

I guess it's getting to the wrong season but there's some fab recipes for slow cookers.

SueP19

Hi Pollycat

I have briefly visited the site but have subscribed to a thread with tips on and so far yesterday OH squashed the loo rolls and today I watered down whole milk to make semi skimmed

fabfuture

Hi Sue, good on you for starting your diary and for taking control of your debts. I too, am a fan of Aldi and Lidl, but only on some products. I'm a subscriber to mysupermarket.co.uk - and I tend to look at the various supermarket specials and 241s, then plan what I'm going to eat, often shopping at a couple of stores. Supermarket value is almost always cheaper for most things and most of the time I can't tell the difference. So shopping starts by looking at the supermarket specials, also being aware of what is in my local high street, then planning and doing a list online which tells me now much I'm going to spend.

Also, a thought on your daughter's pocket money. I had a Saturday job when I was a teenager and on the first payday, my dad marched me down to the bank to open an account & put it in. I then got into the habit of doing that (we lived in the middle of nowhere too, so were always being driven places) and worked more in the holidays, saving up for things like a camera and musical instrument - things my parents could never have afforded. Unfortunately, when I left home, I moved in with a partner who had rubbish spending habits & I got out of the saving mentality ... working my way back! Guess, I'm just saying that by cutting your daughter's pocket money, you may be helping her for the future ... as well as the rather obvious benefits.

Glad your husband is beginning to take responsibility for his behaviour. This isn't 'your' fault - it's a shared thing. If your husband had behaved like a responsible adult from the get-go, you wouldn't be here. I'm not trying to give him or you a hard time over this (haven't been through anything like the difficult times you've had, but enough of my own to know that was when I built up debts) ... just to look after yourself.

Could you involve your husband in decisions like menu planning? If he takes his lunch to work - and is in a tough alpha male environment - then perhaps his 'brag' thing could be his home-cooked, tasty meals - and perhaps his cooking ability. I also bet that if he got one-to-one with his colleagues and said that he was really getting into saving for his future, that he might find others opening up too, but that's a very personal decision.

Hope you find a way to get on top of things very soon.

bluekp

Hi Sue,

I was just wondering if you had called Orange re: broadband, and if so whether you managed to knock your monthly charge down?

SueP19

Bless you Bluekp, its on my long list to do..........................................I really don't know what happens to my time.
I have just combed through this thread to make a note of all the helpful suggestions and found I had forgotten a few!!!! So it was a good job I decided to write them down.
I am going to have a look at a comparison site to see about the BB costs..........then call them, we have been with them since the freeserve days, then wanadoo now orange...........................so they had better want to keep me, hehehe!!!

I also started a diary on the diary thread, thought it would be great to look back at how things come along. Crossed fingers and gritted teeth.

I have signed up for 4 challenges PAD- just started, Make £10/day-seem to be good at this, Loose change- not doing bad either, NSD's-boy is this my Achilles heal.

Haven't heard from the card companies, all 3 cashed their cheques. They were sent on Saturday 31st, Citi cashed on Wednesday 3rd and both MBNA on 4th..............................not sure if this means acceptance or not???