Massive debts

gargrave50

never_too_old wrote: »

Evening.when do we see your new figures,
you did well to negotiate that price. Hope you werent too tired with work and training:D

Hey NTO

Planning to update the figures next week when I am home, surrounded by my mountains of paperwork:p.

Not sure there will be much difference as I've made some F&Fs on the ones which were outstanding, and they were all rejected. So I've written to them again saying "take it or leave it" basically and lining that news with the little gem that I will no longer be resident in the UK from August;). Expecting to go back to some replies from those, so will fill you all in accordingly.

gargrave50

Decided to meal plan again, its probably the only way we are going to get through if hubby doesn't get regular work for a while:o.

We have a little "habit" where we always get a chinese the first night I'm home so I don't have to cook. It's a habit I'm going to carry on because it makes me happy to be home, and takes the pressure off a bit. Plus, we share one so it costs less than £10:j.

Saw the Co-op doing half price gammon joints, so might invest in one of them, and somewhere else advertising half price leg of lamb, so off to sort out some groceries.

Plus, Cole's communion is next weekend - all paid for mind you;). The buffet courtesy of M&S (mostly paid in vouchers from survey sites), the wine from Laithwaites, they replaced my box of wine which I thought had been stolen however my nice neighbour had put it in the garage for safe keeping! Also his kilt is all paid for and we have a deposit to get back if he doesn't shred it.

Also we have donated the furniture we were taking to Oz and decided to get some from gumtree over there to start with. Saves us £39.80 a month in storage and a huge chunk on the shipping. Just shipping some essentials now at a cost of £825:p.

chevalier

Before you donate the furniture, make sure you price check for similar goods over in Oz. I am VERY glad we bought our furniture with us. Admittedly NZ is different, but the cost of things like white goods is extortionate. We have spent $1500NZD for a fridge freezer, which I could have got in the UK from Argos for 400 pounds. So nearly double the price. Same with the washing machine too. Furniture well that is just as bad too. I am guessing Australia won't be quite as bad as this, but I definitely know that what we paid out in shipping to get our household contents here (5000pounds) would have been twice that to rebuy over here....

ETA can your OH get job seekers for the next couple of months?

gargrave50

chevalier wrote: »

Before you donate the furniture, make sure you price check for similar goods over in Oz. I am VERY glad we bought our furniture with us. Admittedly NZ is different, but the cost of things like white goods is extortionate. We have spent $1500NZD for a fridge freezer, which I could have got in the UK from Argos for 400 pounds. So nearly double the price. Same with the washing machine too. Furniture well that is just as bad too. I am guessing Australia won't be quite as bad as this, but I definitely know that what we paid out in shipping to get our household contents here (5000pounds) would have been twice that to rebuy over here....

ETA can your OH get job seekers for the next couple of months?

Hi Chevalier

We are in a good position whereby a friend of ours out there is a Manager at Masters who sell white goods etc and are getting us a 35% discount, so overall comparing prices it makes little difference whether we buy new or ship. Pretty similar story for furniture, taking our bedroom furniture but not very much else. Planning on getting second hand from gumtree to get started and slowly over time building up the rest:money:.

gargrave50

Have printed off some very yummy looking "live well for less" recipes from Sainsburys. Going to try to piece together a meal plan for the time I'm home and cost it up.

You all know me, I bloody love a challenge AND saving money. This is going to be so much fun:D!

Hubby was horrified when I suggested that £125 could do me 3 weeks:eek:. I feel an education coming his way.

gargrave50

Well thats another bank nightshift under my belt. Handover expresso style then straight to bed for 11 hours, then up and do it all over again .

never_too_old

Will you be doing normal day shifts in Oz?:D

PinotGrigio41

Coming out of lurkdom once again, just to say that we have cooked someof the Sainsburys Live Well For Less recipes and they have gone down a treat, well most of them anyway !

Yours has been a great story, Ive followed it from the start and I cant believe its only a few months before you leave for Oz.

So pleased for you all xx

gargrave50

never_too_old wrote: »

Will you be doing normal day shifts in Oz?:D

Hey NTO,

Well I don't really know, would like to do a balance where I do 2 nights, and 2 afternoons a week. Wouldn't that be lovely?!:D

They don't do long days over there like we do here. Initially I was disappointed by that as I like to get large portions of my hours over and done with so I have more days off. However, by doing a couple of afternoons, I can take my son to school every day and my hubby can pick him up every day - something we haven't been able to do for 3 years:j.

The good thing is they are exceptionally keen to have me and pretty much said I can dictate my shifts round about Alan's hours of work and Cole's schooling - isn't that fab?!:T

gargrave50

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

Coming out of lurkdom once again, just to say that we have cooked someof the Sainsburys Live Well For Less recipes and they have gone down a treat, well most of them anyway !

Yours has been a great story, Ive followed it from the start and I cant believe its only a few months before you leave for Oz.

So pleased for you all xx

Ooh I'm excited to try them now! Going to have to sit down with the ones I printed off and try to work out a menu whereby I can use the mince over 2 meals etc and I don't have leftovers left to go bad which would TOTALLY defeat the object:rotfl::rotfl:.

Thanks Pinot, let's just say I never saw myself here when I had my LBM years ago:D. I'm incredibly proud of myself for getting this far - I couldn't and wouldn't have stuck at it without this website and the lovelies on the forum (including you in that!). I'm not known for staying power - or wasn't!