Carry on Questing

Buffythedebtslayer

Lula, if you did live like a frugal wosit for the next 16 wks you could have a really lovely summer with DD right?

Sounds like a plan to me xxx

makeup

Hurrah for pimms season - thanks for reminder Gwen.

I have an almost irrational hatred of dungarees, with the exception of those for small children. on adults, no, never, in no way shape or form.

niccatw

Makeup, it's most definitely not an irrational hatred! It is the most sensible one I've heard! Closely followed by my feelings on cullottes!

Though I too have fallen back into the leggings trap. Mostly for yoga. Otherwise I feel I've forgotten to put a skirt on .

Lula-Hula

:eek: niccatw - I had completely forgotten that culottes even existed.

I do confess to stuffing DD into dungarees for the first 2 years of her life - they hold babies & their clothes together in a much neater & more aesthetically pleasing manner than dresses & frilly knickers .

My lethargy has now become a full blown " oh, you're off work, so you now have time for that disturbed sleep, swollen glands & sore throat" lurgy :mad:.

Refuse to lie down & simper though so by 8.40 we were heading off to the only shop where one can buy : a small conifer, (to put in the pot that the neighours will hopefully now stop driving over in their attempt to completely block access to my home by parking over the path) a fuel can with a hose attached, ( I have 2 without a hose - pointless) 2 comfort saddles, a bike pump, a pack of pens to use for pointillation style colouring, a box of plasters so small they must be for dolls but they're decorated with monkeys so thats' ok then, some fab cake tins with a fairy cake pattern on them, a pack of nurofen, a pack of 8 toothbrushes for £1 & some food items.

Total cost - irrelevant , grocery items cost - £13.67. Total grocery cost so far ... £101.32p _pale_.

I have almost completed home-job load today & have been pondering the pros & cons of quitting. Need to go throw some food in the oven for DD so will return with a comprehensive list in a bit ...

Lula-Hula

I've just spent a delicious couple of hours watching food related programmes on channel 4 with DD.

I had my polling card delivered today - great, that's another day the school will be closed then - & realised that the 1st of April has been & gone & as yet I have not had a new & improved council tax bill. I am however, expecting a red reminder for the one I do have. (without the single occupancy discount)


I have come up with a list of pros & cons of the home-job:

Cons

- clutters up the hall / equipment takes up space
- creates huge amounts of dust
- restricts what I can cook
- hinders having any guests for all reasons above
- means we cant go out on those 3 days
- makes meal times awkward
- the time taken on those 3 days makes the rest of the week a rush
- it makes my back, legs & neck ache
- I dont get any home improvement projects done as too tired or busy
- I'm not pulling my weight at the allotment
- I have no time or enthusiasm to try out other income ventures (ebay)
- I hate the driver having to collect at 7.50 am
- my weekends pass in a blur of either chores or relative-visiting
- DD is no longer as tolerant about the time it takes up

Pros

- it's extra income
- it will help to clear the debt quicker
- I can sometimes choose the amount I do & get first refusal on any extra
- it's delivered to me & collected
- there is some flexibility as to when I choose to do the work
- the boss rarely appears

So, that's the main things that I have thought of. Although I started off whingeing about not wanting to work during the holidays due to spending time with DD, I've now realise just how much easier life would be if I were to have those 3 extra afternoons or eveings a week.

I will still be able to overpay the debts & by reducing the payments by £150 a month it will take me until December 2011 to clear the debt. That is 6 months later than my original aim but without taking into account any further balance transfer deals.

This is also based on my still only working 4 days a week - I believe I could increase to 5 at any time before the agreed date of September 2011. At the moment I prefer not to as the schools current preference is for having the 5 extra inset days on a friday & it's also handy to have the flexiblity to swap eg in the case of forthcoming election on a thursday, & I occasionally like to meet up with friends for coffee or lunch

Yes, I will have to be very careful with my budgeting, I will probably have to do another year of the Clothes Challenge _pale_, I will have to save towards next year's holiday starting from about now & there will be no camper van or boat any time soon .

On the other hand, I will have more time to shop around for bargains, cook from scratch, work on the allotment, do home improvements & exercise :j Oh no, I didnt buy a comfort saddle & new pump just for fun .

On a completely different level; I also believe that to quit that job would be closing the door on a difficult & troubled chapter of my life. I started that home-job during a dark & desperate time at one of my lowest points ever & it has been a long & very hard fought battle to get where I am now in terms of my health, state of mind, self esteem, various relationships, my attitudes towards & perceptions of wealth & consumerism, my hopes & dreams for the future & most of all my own values.

I need to let it go, take the risk & step in to the future

moo2moo

It sounds rather like you've already made your mind up Lula. In fact I would hazard a guess that the last day you do the home job will coincide neatly with the end of the summer school term. With some dedicated budgeting you can still clear your debts. If it takes 6 months longer but gains you a whole heap of extra time with DD before she morphs into an obnoxious teenager surely its good for everybody.

I'm sure you'll manage to fill the extra time rather rapidly. Theres mystery shopping, random surveys, E-bay, DooYoo, free bingo, free scratchcards and 1001 other ways of making the odd bit of money here and there without tying yourself down to any one thing all of which will go a long way towards Christmas gifts and all the unexpected extras that crop up.

Souk08

I think you've just anwered your own question lady!

Lula-Hula

Morning all,

my voice starting to sound very Barry White ish now:o but I feel a bit better.

DD woke up, declared a headache & lethargy & is still in bed now . The headache may be due to her having fallen on it while doing handstands, but I think she the same lurgy as me.

Actually Moo, the last day of home job coincides with the end of the first week of school hols. As I wont be able to do work-job that week due to clubs not starting until the following one, I thought I might as well do home job & then end at the end of July & start August with my shiny new life full of ebay & doo yoos .

Of course, all this planning & plotting & musing is just spinning around in my head & on here at the moment. I do apolgise if it's getting boring, it helps me to think things through when I see it in writing. I am rather good at loathing & detesting a situation, being very bitter & resentful about it but still carrying on until an ideal opportunity to escape occurrs as I can see the financial benefits.

DDs long lost (hurray) paternal parent would probably agree. He got an extra 6 months of living here ( & eating my scrumptious cat food shepherds pies :rotfl:) just because once I had discovered that he hadnt paid the rent for 6 months & we were about to be evicted :mad: I felt that he should spend the next 6 months living in sheer & uttery misery never knowing whether he was going to be evicted from my life . Vindictive, moi ? dont know what you mean.


Cant even remember why I turned up here today now ... oh yes, to declare that today will be another NSD, I have completed another 3 surveys & should be able to get some cash out of my paypal account & claim another £5 voucher very soon. I actually feel quite jealous that I dont have the time or headspace to do bingoing, scratchcarding or doo yooing, everyone else is clearly having a lot of fun with it.

I have also said that I am willing to give my opinions on the forthcoming live political debates on tv in return for points. I am such a shameless tart, but then ... opinions are my thing , It's just a shame that it wasnt until I'd already agreed & given my phone number, that I realised I would actually have to watch them :eek:

Whilst I've been sat here, my lovely washing machine has been dyeing my jeans, & a couple of tops black. They were originally black, just rather faded so for £5.50 they will hopefully look new.

Is it very sad that I get so excited about seeing the result ?

I'm now wondering if it would be possible to do home job just 1 or 2 days a week . Will miss having the cash, & who else will fill DDs boyfriend's car up with fuel as she's been borrowing it while he's on holiday ? I asked how she knew I'd actually have the money to lend her & she replied " 'cos you always have cash stashed away "

I really must think this through very throroughly :think: .

Lula-Hula

DD still in pyjamas & ailing. Lucky it's been raining all day so she doesnt feel as though she's missing out on the sunshine. I have now developed an annoying cough.

Did a bit of extra work today so if all goes well tomorrow I hope to be able to pay another £50 towards CC1.

Freshly dyed clothes look fab - now wondering what to dye next & which colour

His Royal Richardness is toying with me .

Today postie brought me a letter from him. It contained a secret compartment with a pin number. You know the type; peel back this flap while standing on one leg & then scratch the grey patch with the claw of a crow, then turn it upside down & read backwards through a glass of water.

Yes, the pin number for the card I dont have with the credit limit I dont know the value of :rotfl:.

Cant take much more of this supense.

makeup

Lula - I think you will make the right decision whichever you plump for.

I have to say that both options make sense and if you said you were giving up job for definite - or keeping it on until debt was cleared - well neither option would have me posting an emergency 'stop right now with this crazy plan' post.

I do definitely get the whole 'draw a line' aspect of giving up the home job and 6 months later isn't a horrendous amount of time to wait to be DF - I find 6 months just whizzes by.

Hope you and DD are better soon! xx