My new SOA - need motivation

Ames

The one I've got now has a removable dish, which is why I like it - I don't need to plate up either since it's single portion size, just eat out of the bowl! I'll check the one I've seen has a removable bowl, I didn't realise some were all in one.

Thanks for the sofa link, I was going to get one from asda till everyone on here told me how crap they are! I'd definitely need scotchguard protection, I twitch and shake a lot so my furniture gets covered in stains quickly. That's why I'm going to use a duvet on whatever I get, so that I can clean it easily. And so I can put off using the heating as much as possible.

Wow, just looked at the sofa link, the prices look fantastic! I've already ordered a fabric sample. Thank you so much!

Fire_Fox

moo2moo wrote: »

I know you said you have ME and you can't cook but if you have a bit of a rethink you'll find you can, just not in the traditional sense of the term. If like most ME sufferers you have a good part to your day its generally mid morning once you've got going but before you've overdone it for the day. Thats the ideal time to lob dinner in the slow cooker. You can be as lazy as you like with the ingredients too. Pack of diced meat (you don't need to brown it first just chuck it in raw), lob in some frozen veg, a jar of sauce (anything from 16p upwards) or beer, stir and turn it on for 6-8 hours. Stick some bread or instant noodles or a microwaved jacket spud with it and you've got a pretty cheap yet well balanced meal. A slow cooker full will do 4-6 meals depending on your appetite at roughly £3.50 per batch. Eat one, stick one in the fridge and freeze the rest. On a good day cook the next lot and on a bad day grab one out of the fridge or freezer.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest - Asda have slow cookers for £6 at present.

Fire_Fox

Can you get to an IKEA? My sofa is actually the Beddinge sofa bed with the highest quality mattress/ seating (suitable for everyday use) and is really comfy and durable. It comes with an off-white cover but you can buy extra ones in all sorts of colours and patterns and also a storage box for underneath.
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/series/11701/

moneymakestheworldgoround

Hi Ames,

I have just stumbled across this thread and read from start to finish - hooray you for the changes you have made already :j:j:j

Only point I would have is about the cleaner. For £10 ish, you should be able to get a homehelper. Someone who would clean and do some cooking. I used to do this for a disabled lady. I would work out meals for the week, she would do the shopping, and then I would clean once a week for 1 -2 hours, and cook up a storm in the oven and slow cooker at the same time.

The amount you could save on ingredients by batch cooking would outweigh the cost of maybe employing someone for an extra hour a week.

Hope this makes sense !

Ames

Firefox, I can get to Ikea, I've been meaning to go for the last couple of weeks. The Beddinge sofa's a bit more expensive than the others I've seen, but thanks for the suggestion and taking the time to find a link.

MMTWGR, I looked on the council directory of agencies to help around the house, £10 was the cheapest and that's just for a cleaner, I'd be looking at twice that for someone to help with cooking. It was a good suggestion though. I'm waiting for an assessment with social services (need to chase that up actually) for direct payments, which would let me pay someone to prepare veg etc.

Elspeth

Hurrah for you Ames. Sounds like you're really sorting things out, and concentrating on what you CAN improve - your life - and letting your sister look after herself.

I think the fact that your sister is failing to think about budgeting for food once she's got a new job is very telling. I won't repeat my earlier post.

I take people's point about too much time on forums and not enough with 'real' people; but if the 'real' people have a negative impact on your life then sometimes drastic action is called for while you take stock. I'm guessing that once you've got your money well under control and really made your home comfy, you'll feel a lot more confident and like socialising (with people who make you feel good). You seem to have lots of ideas of your own of things to do, but another possible is adult education courses, which are cheap/free to people on low incomes?

You're an example of what can be done. Keep going!

Elspeth

redmel1621

Hi Ames

I have just read your thread and am glad you are no longer paying for your sisters food...for both of your sakes. I will say in your sisters defence is that once you become reliant on somebody, it is hard to make that break...and sometimes tough love is the best kind:)

Why are you paying £100pa for the Open University. Being on benefits means you will get your course fees paid, you will also get a grant of £250 to buy books/materials;) Plus, I don't really understand how it is £100pa anyway..all the 60pt courses are £600(ish)pa

I will be subscribing to your thread and I really hope you don't start giving your sister money again. It honestly won't help her in the long run you said your position in your family was precarious...to be totally honest, I bet you would do far better without them anyway! I know I am a better, happier person for distancing myself from mine, and living my own life without their constant judgement.

Ames

The OU thing... I want to do two degrees, history and literature. I have £175 left from my yearly financial award, then the £255 grant, which leaves me with £100 to pay towards a second course each year. It'll be cheaper than getting the first degree paid for then paying the whole fees for a second one. I hope you see what I mean there!

Sister hasn't spoken to me since last weekend when this all kicked off, I'll have to sort something out soon though. We're supposed to be going to Leeds festival, I paid my half of the ticket to dad (it was bought on his credit card) but the ticket will be going to her, so we need to sort something out.

Elspeth, I have lots to do to get out and about, I'm on lots of committees and things. In fact, my sister was holding me back from them, she didn't agree with me trying to help the local community because people on benefits don't deserve help! I've been thinking about doing some more A levels, but the adult education colleges have a very limited number.

In new news - the house sorting is going well, I've just listed loads of stuff on freecycle, hopefully they'll be gone over the weekend. Then I'm hoping that by monday the place is sorted out enough that I can order the bed and sofa. I've realised that if I wait to order them till the place is tidy it'll never happen, I need a deadline for it.

Also got loads of stuff to ebay, now that I've got my account back, but I need to buy some things to get a recent feedback rating. So the things I wanted for the flat (duvet, bookcases etc) are coming from there. It's cheaper anyway, so a win win!

I had a letter the other day about a parking fine I'm appealing. My informal appeal has been rejected. I was going to cave in and pay, but then I realised that since the government regulations say I was in the right, I should appeal. According to people on pepipoo every case that's gone to tribunal has been won by the appellant, and in some cases the council have had to pay back all the fines for that 'offense'. So formal appeal it is.

I think that's all my news recently.

Does anyone know how I'd get this moved to the diary's board?

redmel1621

Ames wrote: »

The OU thing... I want to do two degrees, history and literature. I have £175 left from my yearly financial award, then the £255 grant, which leaves me with £100 to pay towards a second course each year. It'll be cheaper than getting the first degree paid for then paying the whole fees for a second one. I hope you see what I mean there!

Does anyone know how I'd get this moved to the diary's board?

Yep, I get you:D

I think you need to find a board guide/administrator...if you pm them they will move it for you.
You could always start a new thread over there and then put a link to it on this one so your followers can...follow you:p I'm sure someone will come along shortly and explain how to do either of these things, as I have no idea!!

Good luck with everything and I will keep popping in to see how you are getting along:)

Mel x

Horace

Definitely formally appeal your parking fine - I got ticketted loads of times in London and won all my cases. I even noticed an error on one of the tickets and got the case flung out..the silly council had used the words..the parking charge notice is payable...you cannot pay the notice you can only pay the charge so they should have written the parking charge is payable...so I quoted the Al's Bar case and got off:j

Duvets can be a bit bulky - if you have a Primark near you visit their homewares section as you can buy fleecy throws quite cheaply and I use them all the time in my flat as they are great to snuggle under when there is a chill in the air and you just bung them in the washing machine to clean.

Well done on getting sorted out too - you have come on leaps and bounds since the weekend:D:j