Smart Mart - Health, wealth and happiness

Smart_Mart

Had a strange feeling all day that there was a cloud over me and so it proved tonight.

Went to the football club today then on to Dorset to visit my daughter (DS1 was in London watching a concert). On the way home afterwards and the twins' older sister (not mine) rang me up in tears. Her mum had got drunk tonight (having sunk a bottle and three quarters of wine) and fallen down the stairs. The paramedic and the ambulancemen were there and waiting for me to come and collect the boys...:(

Got there about half ten to find her absolutely paralytic and refusing to do anything the medics were asking her to. Her daughter and the twins were all upset and the place was in bedlam.

Anyhow, it's now getting on for 1am. After many phone calls between many people, I have the twins round with me and have got cover in for tomorrow morning's courier work. I'll take them to school and tomorrow afternoon I take the football coaching session there anyway so that will be easy enough. Her mother-in-law (not my mum, we never married) rang me and apparently she is refusing to keep her in hospital so her mum-in-law is taking her home with her daughter. They live a good 30 minutes away but I'm keeping hold of the boys.

Those of you who have followed me since the beginning of my first diary on here (five years ago) will remember she used to get drunk all the time and I ended up getting a contact order to stop her messing about with my times of seeing the blys. I also went for joint residency but failed to get it as the courts like to maintain the status quo where possible. The events of the last week have made me start to question whether I should be going for either joint residency or even sole residency as I'm f***ed if I can carry on living with the cloud over me that maybe something is going wrong at home. If this had happened two weeks ago, I was in Milton Keynes and the time to get home would have been three hours and not the 20-25 minutes I took tonight. Next Tuesday night I'm in Bournemouth, two hours from home. What happens if it happens next week.....:(

Smart_Mart

Much quieter day today after yesterday's shenanigans.

Boys awoke at 7.30am and I got them to school picking up their coats on the way. Had an apologetic phone call mid-morning saying she was ashamed of what she had done. I told her that I couldn't give a damn that she had inconvenienced me, more that the boys were too young to see their mum carted off paralytically drunk after tumbling down stairs.

Anyway she had discharged herself at 2am and got her ex mum in law to take her home. Then at dinnertime today, she was in so much pain from her arm that she went back into hospital for an x-ray and they found a fracture..... in her cheekbone!

Coached the boys at their school football training session and took them home where I saw her properly for the first time - very humble and told me she was finishing with the bloke she was with. I'll believe it when I see it.. I'll bet anyone here £100 that he will be round there within a week or two at the most.

Off to bed now as the 20 hour day of yesterday has caught up with me.

Smart_Mart

Good job that nobody took me up on the bet as they are back together again already....:eek:

Heartily sick of being kicked in the teeth now. Even the football club reneged on the deal to pay me as no money has gone into the bank account this morning. I won't be going to London tomorrow unless the money goes into the account overnight - that'll be a shame as the kids love doing this particular away game...:mad::(

So a recap of this week....

Saturday - mens team lose at home
Sunday - boys team lose at home
Monday - ex-g/f falls down stairs, upsets children, keeps me up till midnight and cancel work for morning.
Wednesday - youth team lose
Friday - wages don't go into bank as promised leaving me nigh on £700 short with rent to pay on Monday and twins birthday next Thursday.

Awful week.

Smart_Mart

Have thought about this for a while today and have decided to knock the blog on the head for a while. Can't really get into it lately - supposed to be inspiring for me and its readers but just lately, it's turned into a whingefest....:mad:

All I really wanted in life is a quiet, simple routine. One where I go to work in a job I love, earn some money and spend time with my kids. Not even bothered about having a partner to share it with really; I seem less likely every year to find anyone who will put up with my lifestyle as it is.

Sadly, either myself or someone else seems likely to screw things up at every corner. I don't demand perfection in life, just a simple way of life. I don't want to be rich, just comfortable. I don't want to be good looking, just average. I don't want to be stick thin, just "above average". I don't want to have a thousand friends, just popular.

It's just not possible. Over and out!:wave:

Eager_Elephant

(((Mart)))

Just catching up, I'm so sorry to hear about everything that has been going on.

If you feel that you should leave the blog then it is clearly the best thing for you to do at the moment. It will be a shame but needs must.

I hope everything works out for you, I hope you can sort something for the children. I think the not knowing is worse as you will be constantly on edge all the time and it is not fair to live your life like that.

Never mind what it is doing to the kids. ((((Mart's Twins)))

See you around some time!!

EE

Smart_Mart

Decided to update the blog after more than a month absent from it although still unsure whether I will continue doing it daily as before...:o

Last few weeks have been a little better although still have problems now and again with the money side of things. The football club have agreed to one lump standing order going into the bank on the 20th of the month which helps immensely because I can now at least plan for the rent and maintenance payments to go out on that day. The expenses cheques are still taking way too long to be paid, so much so that I got October and November's payments last Thursday. It was a tidy sum so I couldn't wait until the cheque cleared so I had to cash it at Cheques and Change losing more than £15 from the value...:(

Managed to get all Christmas presents required. There was a couple of duplicates so will get refunds tomorrow or Tuesday so £18 to come back from there. My PC is on its last legs so having set aside £70 for a refurbished one, my oldest DS1 has built me a new one; just have to wait until Thursday when he puts Windows 7 and Word on there...:T

Have about £70 in the bank plus about the same in my wallet and Working Tax Credit due in on Wednesday. Six matches have been postponed lately so thankfully the fuel bill isn't as high as before.

Determined to keep on top of things next year with a steady, no-nonsense approach to money management. Each month, on the last day, will do a budget for the following month now that I'm 99% sure what income will be coming into the accounts. Will try to post one up on Friday night or earlier if I can.

pinkladyof66

Thanks Smart Mart for updating us I have been thinking about how you are doing and also was sad you stopped posting, welcome back and hope 2011 brings you all you deserve. Try to keep smiling

Smart_Mart

Well here goes on another journey, this time to last the whole of 2011 with a bit of luck....:beer:

Staying in tonight with the boys and off to football in Plymouth tomorrow. Hoping to see this year a little more organised, a better attitude to money, a sensible approach to eating and a stronger determination to get thigns right first time.

Have actually managed to do my first ever budget being that I know exactly how much income I have got coming in this month. I say "exactly" but the football club owe me £150 from October & November that may or may not get paid this month so I haven't included it. If it comes in, even better but I can't count on it.

Rather than confuse things with pence, it's all rounded up to the next pound.

Incomings...total £1,535

Couriers Contract - £610
Football Contract - £925

Outgoings....total £1,533

Rent - £600
Electric - £30
Gas - £40
TV Licence - £49 (inc arrears)
Council tax - £88 (arrears)
Water - 0

Car tax - 0 (saving from March for next years disc)
Car Insurance - £35
Mobile phone - £30
Virgin Media - £133 (don't ask!!)
Football subs - £60 (inc 2 months arrears)
Gym/golf subs - £20

Maintenance - £100
Housekeeping - £150
Fuel - £200


Very tight for the first month (as every month seems to be) but there's a couple of things extra this month that won't always be there. Football subs will normally be £20 a month, Virgin Media was extra because while I was setting up my mobile contract, I made a lot of phone calls from the home phone. TV licence will normally be £25 although in a few months time, it will be down to £12 - £15 a month.

The fuel is a bit of a guesstimate as I really have no idea how much it will be but we'll see how we go.

benbenandme

How many calls did you make from the home phone?? :eek: :eek:
Good luck with your goals for 2011

Smart_Mart

benbenandme wrote: »

How many calls did you make from the home phone?? :eek: :eek:
Good luck with your goals for 2011

Not as many as appears. My "normal" Virgin Media bill would be £75 because, as one of very few privileges, I have XL tv package, broadband and phone with them plus Sky Sports which I need for work (no, honestly I do) but that still means £50+ of calls.... now I have the mobile contract sorted, this will drop like a stone shortly.

Yesterday went down to Plymouth for the football, the team drew 0-0 which is a good base to build from as we try to escape relegation this season. Petrol was put in on Friday so doesn't count in the New Years spends. On the way home, topped up a tenner of petrol (it was £1.27 a litre so didn't put any more than necessary in) plus £8 of gas and snacks and bread (£3.59)....

This morning is football training, this evening might be a quiz!!