OberonSH's DFW Diary Thread - 1 Woman, 1 Toddler & A Whole Lotta Debt!

wannabe_free_2

Hi Obi

I've been reading for a while, but haven't posted, and I nearly wet myself about the 'watching the washing machine to see if it doesn't leak'! I have a 2 year old and haven't tried that one yet - at the moment her favourite is 'washing up' which involves lots of water usually all over her, the worktop and the kitchen floor, but she loves it.

Hope all is going well with number 2 - keep posting please!

WF

OberonSH

Kids and houses clean, but the satisfaction they get from a few empty jars and a bucket of water is phenomenal - we can all take a lesson there I reckon.

Natlou_2

Hi Obi - thanks for the advice re knitting - I'll definitely have a look at that website you mentioned. Ive been cracking on with a little Debbie Bliss vest top today, I started it a while ago, and should have done the next size up for my little girl - so now its too small, but luckily my sister has just had a baby girl, so its going to be part of her christmas present - very MSE! Its been very quiet in my shop today, bucketing it down here loads too - I only took £26 all day, but luckily its the kind of business where everything can change by one customer coming through the door - I sell Interiors stuff - curtains/blinds/wallpapers, and you only need one person to have a couple of big windows they want dressing and that makes up for the crap days! I have thought about listing some of my older stuff on ebay, to make way for new lines - do you do everything in auction or buy-it-now?
Have a nice Evening
Nat x

OberonSH

Hey Nat,

Sorry, misread your message as 16 years!!! Below are a few links to free knitting patterns - mostly American, so some very [STRIKE]interesting[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]unusual[/STRIKE]okay, just plain weird designs, but some are very much worth a look. PLus They're free!!!

http://www.freepatterns.com/

http://www.theknittingpatterne-library.com/

There's a little shop like that in Grimsby, does more like fancy mirrors, pointless bits to dot around the house, ornate chandeliers (that look nice, but are the very devil to clean) - I sometimes wonder how she stays open, as there's never anyone in there, but like you say - one big customer and that's the bills covered.

At the moment I just want to get rid, so I have very low start prices, and run 1 day auctions. I wouldn't advise a lot of high price items - people don't use Ebay to buy at full price!! Smaller bits should b fine - I'd also advise very very good pictures. Postage might be a bit of a !!!!!!, but see what you think. Describe stuff as best as you can, and make sure you research beforehand - type what it is you're selling onthe search, sort by completed items and see what categories the item sells best in. Have you considered doing an aution for a 10% discount at your store as away to getting your name out there?

In_Search_Of_Me

keep em coming! God to hear that you're back on form if having difficuty getting up from the chair! Mha turtle fully appreciates howyou feel as she keeps getting stuck between a rock & a hard place & needs rescuing! Also done with a chucckle in this house but with human/turtle discussion not as much interaction as with oh laughing his head off I am sure...!

OberonSH

Being turtle-fied is nowt to laugh at........well...............okay, maybe it is a bit funny. There's a lot of huffng and puffing involved and dignity went right out the window with that little blue line, along with my sense of style, balance and the ability to resist tiny white babygros.

Up and down few days my chicks, more ups than downs which is always good.

Up:

I saved a tenner by using some old stamps that I had given by a strange friend who apprently just went out and bought sheets of 4p stamps every now and again. Weird, but useful.

Down:

Made the mistake of taping a few of them on, as the sticky had gone. Ended up having to pay for them again, as apparently this voids the stamp - the expensive, cutting edge technology employed by the Post Office gets upset and confused by sticky tape. So another £6 paid out Grrrrr.

Up

A lot of mucking about with the new house - not sure if I mentioned the theft of all the copper piping? No? Well someone broke in, and nicked every available bit of copper piping in the new heating system. Then the mortgage company pulled its horns in thanks to the trouble in America (apprently) and would only offer a 90% to [STRIKE]deadbeats[/STRIKE] adverse credit customers, so our brilliant mortgae guy had to phone around for a new deal. But surely this is a down Obi? I hear you yell. No - for Glenn the Great Mortgage Wrangler found a better deal at a lower rate. Saving before we even move in - that's a REAL DFW!! (Plug for my mortgage guy - Glen @DMM Grimsby branch - he's ace, quick and really really good. Recommended by 100% of Keatleys suveyed)

Down

This upset has meant additional delay, we're getting awfully close to the 5th October deadline for being moved out of here, agreed with the Council. Which means either we ask nicely if vendors will alllow us to put our stuff in the house for a few days, or the expense of a move to a strogae unit/family garage, then another one from storage to house. Not to mention having to pay for another survey (£130, but he's going to get us at least £100 back) and Mr Obi only had his (second!!) reference for work today, meaning it's not going to be sorted til start of next week. Can you say PANIC!!!!

UP

Money has not been spent. It's not been there to spend, but that's not the point. We had £20 to overpay a debt, bu then realised that DD is in dire need of clothes, so went out and managed to spend a measly £15 in the local charity shops to kit the mite out, got a gorgeous Disney Winnie the Pooh dressing gown for £2, and now she won't take it off. So now only thing missing is some nice little winter boots and a thicker coat, which shouldn't be more than another £20 and my little chicken pie is a snug bug again. Very proud of myself for that.

Up

The Keatley household is now a smooth, lean, efficient one. I Got All my banking online sorted, filed anything not pinned down and got all my letters written to anyone who I owe money to and sent, budgets done, (important as OH's wages drop from November payday). One creditor seems to be getting arsey about it, but the letters may have crossed int he post. Written another one basically telling them 'I've offered to pay in installments, you don;t want that, no worries - take me to court as I really couldn't care less, and I won't be losing sleep over it, you bunch of corporate tosswads - who incidentely were partly responsible for the failure of my business, thanks to yuor inability to regulate the people who set up 100metres from my place selling our stuff at half the price'. Obviously I paraphrase there, but you get the idea. I already have a CCJ, so what do I have to worry about? My credit file is already blacker than the ace of spades, credit agreements turn to ash whenever I touch them and the banks won;t give me more than a kiddy account. Not worth the worry. They accept or they don;t.

Which leads me to another point (bear with me chicks, you may want to atke a bathroom break at this point. Don't worry, I'll wait for you). I see a lot of different people on this board, but I'm struck by the sheer TOGETHERNESS of it all. For example, you get a lot of first time posters - 'Arrgh arrgh please help I realise I owe loads of money what do I do oh my god bailiffs at the door they want to repossess my kidney argh argh argh', you advise the to read SS's sticky and never hear from them again. In my happy mind, they all find a load of spare change down the sofa, become solvent overnight and have a wonderful, long happy life. The realist in me says they didn;' hear what they want, realise it's going to be more complicated than they thought and so continue on their merry, spending way.

But those of us who are here for the long haul never fail to renew my faith in humanity, chicks. Take MumOfTwins. That lady has been to hell and back in an economy seat with a pack of rancid peanuts and a flight attendant that reminds you of Babs Cartland with more makeup. The offers of a spare room, a place for her stuff and the general 'heres a link to some forms that might help' was phenomenal. This lady is still standing - she's still fighting, and she's still aware of how important her kids are to her. When you become a DFW, you realise that it's not the vast telly, the stereo that has more settings than a normal human being needs or the designer clothing that makes you happy, it's the time with the family and the satisfaction of whipping up a great meal from a packet of lentils, a tired pepper and a bottle of all-purpose seasoning. We're getting there, ladies and gents, and when we do we may find that the journey wasn't as bad as we thought.

Okay, you can all go now.

Lucy1982_2

That was wonderful!

Your right there are far more important things than my tv is bigger than your (which as mine is a portable it probably is!)

Hope that the move goes ok, haven't you got someone who could help with storage?

I would offer, but I don't have room to swing a cat.

OberonSH

We have his Dad, with a nice big garage - he's next town over (30 miles) but okay in an emergency. We're very forunate in that we have loads of mates that are willing to lend a hand with moving and storage in needs be. Plus have offered us a bed if we need it. So we should be sorted, just depneds how scattered our household is going to be for a while! If it's likely to be a while (like over a few days), I'm considering renting a self storage unit for a bit, will be cheaper than hiring and then rehiring a van and the associated messing. That is if the bank selling the house we're buying won;t let us use the house before completion. Thanks for the offer though, very kind!!

Looking forward to being under our own bricks, but the runup is a major pain in the !!!!, isn;t it!! I must be the only person who covets my neighbours boxes......

Lucy1982_2

I still live at home, can't afford to rent on my own. May approach the subject with OH at some point in the new year, but we have both been on our own for so long, living with someone is going to be a big step....

Although he is desperate to move to may only want me for my half of the rent!!!

OberonSH

lol, Mr Obi was living with his mother when we met, it was a big step for him - couldn't even work a washing machine, burnt himself badly first attempt to cook and still has a blissful ignorance as to the purpose of a laundry basket. Bless.

Might work out cheaper for you both, you never know until you try. If you can take 6 months of their dirty socks in the bathroom, inability to notice when the dishes need doing and amazing talent at damaging themselves when attempting to dust, then you know it's meant to be.