Trying to take the stress out of the debt - little steps

Triggles

After going through CCCS's online debt remedy, we've decided to send token payments for 3 months, as basically we have more going out than we do coming in. We will make the effort to scrape together the money for the token payments, and see in those three months where we can save money and cut expenses, then we will adjust our payments accordingly with the creditors, including a letter explaining that we have done so. I'm hoping if we make the effort to touch base with them at least every 3 months, indicating that there is no change (so they don't keep asking if there is) and stating what amount we can currently afford to pay them per month, that they will be a bit more tolerant of the situation. (We can dream, right? :rotfl:)

SuzyWuzy_2

Hi Triggles,

I've been reading your thread for a few days now and wanted to say your an inspiration and despite what you may (or not) think you are doing really well. I enjoy keeping up with what you're up to.

I know your "name" from the pregnancy thread , I have an 11 week old (tomorrow) girl and 4 boys. 16,15,12 and 10. I hope you don't mind me popping in to say hello - Hello.

Suzanne

Edit P.s You were up at 4am, money on your mind or a night feed? lol

maman

Hi Triggles

I've been following your diary and want to say how much I admire all your efforts. I so understand you spending on putting your children through university, I've been there and the cost can be scary.

Ignore this if you want but I'm curious about your current circumstances. I understand from your diary that now there's you, OH and 2 LOs with OH's salary and you on maternity leave but doesn't at least one of your older children live at home? If I'm right, do you eat together/share bills?? Don't mean to be nosy but when you write about the older children/gchildren I wonder how it all fits together.

Hope you haven't been too plagued by trick or treaters, we were but fortunately they stopped coming just as the box of sweets ran out!

Triggles

SuzyWuzy - Hi! Yes, it was a night feed at 4am. :rotfl:I was using the laptop while waiting for DS3 to drop back off to sleep. I have to stop going on the computer during the night like that, though, as he is better now at dropping off to sleep, but I end up online for an hour! LOL I'm cutting into my own sleep! All those teenagers you have! Wow! And congrats on your little one! DS3 is almost 14 wks (I think - how bad of me not to know for certain!).

I keep waiting for a harassing call from the HV, as I never went back in for a 6wk check, and DS3 hasn't been in either since the last HV visit, and needs his immunisations as well. But we've had a lot going on, and people being ill, and I keep planning on a day, then something crops up. I am going to try again next week, once I get our car back! (although I'm not keen on going anywhere on Friday the 13th!!!!)

Maman - I suppose it does sound a bit complicated. LOL Our DD and her DS(our DGS1) live with us currently, but will be moving out just after the holidays. DS1 lives with DIL & their DS (our DGS2) on their own, a few hours drive from us, so we don't see them as often, unfortunately. I am a SAHM, DH works, and DD helps out as much as she can, after she pays for childcare and her own expenses. So after January, it will just be DH & I with the two LOs in the house. There...that's clear as mud, right??

Still working on potty training DS2. I'm not really sure if there is progress or not! He's been wearing training pants and not having as many accidents, so I guess that's good. He still isn't really TELLING us when he has to go - although yesterday when he had to go, he stripped down in the living room. Is that progress? :rolleyes::rotfl:

No trick or treaters last night - thankfully, DH bought chocolate for the treats to give away - so now we have chocolate to nibble!

Well, we've finally decided we are not going to send DS2 to nursery. The HV was really pushing it, saying we might as well, as he's old enough for funded nursery, but he's fine at home. He's learning well and can do the following:
- count from 1 to 130something unaided
- count from 20 backwards to 1 (usually followed by BLAST OFF! )
- recognises numbers from 0-90 on sight and says them out loud (ok, so him peeking over my shoulder while playing online free bingo did this, but obviously it was good for SOMETHING! :rotfl:)
- knows his alphabet and can sing it or say it
- recognises and knows the letters
- and unfortunately for us, is starting to recognise letter groups and patterns, so we can't even SPELL certain words in front of him, the little monkey!
He also has loads of time with our DGS, so he socialises with him and our other DGS on occasion, (and also with the other kids at playgroup when we went there), and plays quite happily and shares very easily.
So I can't see where it's a big issue right now. We do craft stuff and colouring and things like that at home, so I just don't see the point of sending him elsewhere at his age. He's got plenty of time for that when reception starts. (Speaking of which, I need to get him registered for school as well! Another big decision, as we have 3 equidistant from our home to choose from!)

I will admit that part of the decision was the whole "trudging him back and forth to nursery lugging along DS3" twice a day, 3 days a week. We have a fairly decent little schedule going on here, and I am loath to disrupt it.

More paperwork coming in regarding changing the direct debits (yesterday's mail, I mean), but thankfully nothing bad yet. I know it's coming but I'm hoping it won't be too dreadful. I can put the stress of it aside somewhat, but DH really lets it get to him. I'll probably field most of it, just to keep the tension level down in the house.

Today starts a bunch of new challenges for me. Grocery challenge (£250), make £5 a day (£130/mo), and payment a day (towards debts). I like having stuff like that to keep me motivated. I'm also doing the free bingo (to earn £ or amazon credit) as well as scratchcards.

We found a lovely fix (hopefully) for our stairs. We wanted to carpet them, but just can't afford it. And they currently desperately need to be painted (were painted with carpet runner on it before, but previous owners ripped up the carpet so it looks awful!), so I'm going to sand them and paint them ivory (matching the wall, so the trim will offset it). Then we're thinking to buy the set of 15 stair carpeting pads for £20 from Lidls. They're on sale there this week. £20 is so much easier to deal with than the expense of someone fitting expensive carpet. We have £25 budgeted per month for home repairs and such, so I think this is a good expenditure.

slm6002

I think i may give the £5 per day a go. nothing to loose right. I could then split it 50:50 for both the holiday and debts. Those carpets for the steps look great so good luck with that.

Triggles

Argh!!! Mechanic said car would most likely be ready this morning and now it won't be ready until tomorrow morning! :mad: So I still can't get the shop done, and I can't get it delivered as I'm still waiting on the bank card from my new account! He's usually quite reliable, so this is just an unfortunate thing really, but still aggravates me! And breathe, breathe....

Done so far today:
- washing up
- laundry washed, hung up to dry
- folded yesterday's laundry
- cooked chicken in Remoska, stripped meat off bones, put meat in fridge for DH's lunches, put bones in water and making stock for tonights supper of chicken soup with dumplings
- washing, sterilised, and made bottles for today
- picked up living room
- got DGS ready this morning and took him to nursery for his mum
- picked up bin bags and bread, which we were out of (so not a NSD - rats!)
- went through mail and sorted, still need to action a few things though

Okay. DH has been stressing big time over the expected "everything hitting the fan" part of the DMP. I'm reminding him regularly that we have everything that is important - family, kids, healthy, roof over our heads (and now money to pay rent without worry the bills will take the rent money out of the account before we get to it!). And he's slowly calming down again. I think this is quite hard for him to relax as he hates even having a bill paid a day late, much less not at all! I'm a bit more logical about it - can't give them what we don't have and will have to do our best until we can do better.

slm, I'm going to try the pattern for those slippers this week - I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out! I hope I don't mess it up! Have you tried it yet?

I'm already thinking ahead to next year for Christmas presents. I've decided it's homemade all the way. There will be handknit hats,mittens, and/or scarves, and quilted throws for snuggling under. That way I have a month or so in 2010 to sort out the patterns, then I can start working on them all year. :jI'm quite looking forward to it.

I've currently got chicken stock cooking for soup on the stove, chicken meat stripped from the bones and put in the fridge for DH's lunches at work for the next couple days. And I need to make some more banana bread, as we have some bananas getting overripe. I think I'll make some apple crisp tomorrow as I have a few baking apples that need to be used.

Very pleased with my "make £5 a day" so far this month! Ebay sales have put us up over £50 already! And we still have some things to put on ebay as well! I also have a few old rings I'd like to send in to get money for (to that garden place, which seems reputable). I just have to pop into a jewellers and check the stones and see if they are valuable or not. If not, won't worry about it. If they are, we'll take them out and keep them safely in case maybe in a few years we'd like to use them in some other piece of jewellry.

Well, off to wander into the kitchen and get a cup of coffee. Starting to yawn, but still have tons to do!

slm6002

Hi there, yes i have tried the slippers and quite a few of the kids will be getting them this year for christmas as long as i can get my bum into gear. I am quite slow at knitting but even i can manage one slipper a night as long as the kids stay asleep and OH is out! Oh i forgot to mention that i use 2 bits of wool at the same time to make it quite bulky wool if that makes sense. It means you can see progress a little quicker! I worked it out that with the wool i bought at QD it should cost 50p per pair.

SuzyWuzy_2

Hi Triggles -

Which "garden place " do you mean about the gold? We sent ours in about a month ago and got £170 which was great! I've spotted though that they give cashback on fatcheese for a gold company if your interested, (think its about £25) might be worth checking out.

These slipper sound interesting - any pics Slm? Wish I had the patience for things like that.

Your doing good on your M5AD - I've signed up for that but I'm on a big zero for now, I have things on ebay (not much though) as I'm all ebayed out and I sent lots to music magpie last month. I could do with the extra this month though as it's OH's 30th. Oh to be 30 again! In my head I'm stuck on 28 I never seem to age !

Hope you get your car back soon !

slm6002

i will have a look and see if i can post pictures. never done it before so bear with me. need to find camera 1st though!

slm6002

ok hope this works
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/saramnk/georginasphotos050.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/saramnk/georginasphotos051.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy234/saramnk/georginasphotos052.jpg

these are some of the ones that i have knitted so far. not got around to putting the pom poms on the pink ones yet