sj`s diary

savingmummy

I know i was shocked when he gave a new lightshade and the money back!! I just wish i could get bargains on bigger things lol!

DD has enjoyed her first week and it really has tired her out! She was going to bed at 7 and now it is 6.30pm up at 7am. By 5pm of an evening she is yawning and her eyes are all red and watery bless her.

Got my `bargain` bathroom furniture today - it arrived well within the 21 days!!! Wall cabinet is up under sink cupboard is now done!



SO thats one job to do off the list:j
Kitchen wall to be tiled (DH can`t do this!) and painted throughout (no idea on colour at all!!)
Hall cupboard shelved out - so it is a mini utility room 3ftx3ft.
Hall way - wallpapered (still choosing that!!)
Living room - feature wall wallpapered and walls painted (not chosen either yet!)
Top landing - wallpapered (not chosen yet)
Our bedroom - feature wall papered (got paint and wallpaper) and WARDROBE!!
DD/DS room walls painted (got paint for both)
[STRIKE]Bathroom furniture - coming in approx 3 weeks then that room is 100% complete.

[/STRIKE]

savingmummy

DD is enjoying her school and has in 24hrs learnt 6 words (A, I, in, to, the, was) :j SO proud of her!!!
I was quite shocked as she dont know her alphabet as yet, it has been a on going thing but she just hasnt picked it up. She sings it but dont know it by looking at it written down :rotfl:

My older sister has come down for the week (we only see her once a year) she is staying with my parents and has been coming to me everyday. She was asking about when DD starts school fulltime on Monday and whether she was having packed lunch or school meals. I said she was having packed lunch but she had wanting meals in school but due to the cost (£9.50 a week) it wasnt an option!
Today she came round and handed me £40 and said it was for the next month:eek: THEN she said she will be sending a cheque each month so DD can have dinners. I was so shocked and couldnt believe it tbh! Her reasons were i know you cant afford it so i would like to help So generous and i am very grateful, not only will she be eating a full healthy meal but her best friend is also having school meal so they can stay together at lunch and she wont feel left out(most have school meals in her class).

I have paid my catologue in full today :T So i am very pleased with that. Means i have no pennies for my savings and no money until February BUT i have paid a `debt` so can`t be too down about that

I have a cracked back tooth and im in pain BUT can`t afford to go to the dentist :eek: Just hope it holds out for a while longer otherwise i will have to do a IOU to the dentist LOL! It is quite painful mainly of an evening in bed - typical!!

I have been looking at white furniture for DD`s bedroom, i want a wardrobe and a desk to match BUT they are all so expensive I have seen a reasonable one in Argos BUT it isnt very nice on the eye but i think it will have to do as it is in our price range.

We had a letter through today to say our rent is rising in April :mad: It is high as it is BUT i will accept it as it happens every year and am grateful for the roof over my head Just a !!!!!! when you see the words on paper lol!

Pinky15

Hi SJ - just too let you know you are not alone - in sept mine will all be back to packed lunches as I cannot afford it at all and we are loosing sooo much money next year due to reduced wages. I am thinking of maybe extending our mortgage to help but will have to ring and see if they can do that - am not sure. I really think the next few years are going to be sooo hard xx
Ps glad little one is enjoying school x

savingmummy

Its an awful lot of money sint it? How on earth do people pay for 3 or 4 children :eek:
Packed lunch is ideal 110% as it is using food you have anyway and what you would give them to lunch anyway if they were home so no income loss.
Only thing i do like about the dinners are they are good solid meals and i have noticed she only wants a light meal at tea time. She enjoys them aswell which is good.
Only bad side is obviously the cost and the children sit seperate from those having packed lunch which means if they have close friends having the other they cant be with them at lunch.
I have told my sister that in the summer months she will be having packed lunch as they have picnic areas and can socialise in the sun

DD is really enjoying school, and doing so well already! She is now recognising the basic words when we read books together .


DH has been working saturdays to make up for the xmas and bank hols (his a dustman) but tomorrow is his last one so we are back to normal from Monday.
We havent done Betterware this year as DH working saturdays meant he couldnt put the books out and collecting was a difficult one as he has been finishing late (5.30pm) and the areas due to be done were too far for me to do them. So today DH put books out and then i can collect them on tuesday - we have already received 1 order of £37.97 A few more of them would be nice!!

I was hoping to get DD`s wardobe and desk this month but it wont be happening so am going to try for February.
I saw a gorgeous white set in Next (VERY costly) and i was tempted to order it and pay bit by bit, BUT i didnt/wont and have decided i am going to do a replica of it :money:
I am going to buy the white wardrobe and desk from Argos (£90 wardrobe £60 desk) and then decorate it with diamonte stick ons (£3 ebay) using the same design as the ones in next just hope it looks ok when it is done - I think it will work.
Will save me £449 anyway :j

I dont see anything else being done this year apart form decorating (we have paint and wallpapers ready). No big purchases anyway
I am trying to save the betterware commision BUT it is very hard because when we get it there is always a use for it ie, petrol, milk, bread or a bill!

savingmummy

Nothing much to update.
I have found a nicer looking wardrobe for DD`s bedroom from Ikea (£90) so am going to get that one when i can - it is almost the same as the one in Next (same shape).
It dont have a desk to match so i am going to buy a plain white basic one from Argos unless i find something else in the mean time.

I have been out today collecting in the Betterware books and so far have 7 orders which dont add up to much (over £100) but it is my first week back doing it and i`m sure most people dont have any money spare after the holidays and sales! Some of my regular customers didnt order BUT i had a few new ones
It isnt one of my stronger rounds so im pleased i have what i do.
I bumped into a lady while doing my round who i see at the school in the mornings and she said she wanted to order and would give me the book in the morning so that was nice.

Car tax is due next month :eek: That sure creeps round and as usual we dont have it put aside so it will have to come out of the monthly income :eek: Which means either a bill dont get paid OR no food!!

I have so many things i want and so many plans BUT it really is all fantasy at the moment, I thought this year would be good but it is going to be a real struggle.
I was watching best house wins today on itv and thought `if my house was finished i could apply` :rotfl:I wouldnt win it is so tactical and no doubt id be up against a interior geek or something BUT the 1k would be something to try for LOL!

savingmummy

Just claimed my £10 Argos voucher with Valued opinions think that can go towards DD`s desk :beer:

Just redeemed 375 points for £3 paypal from Lightspeed :beer:
Popped onto Toluna and i`m close to receiving £15 voucher Will go on later and do some surveys when i have some peace and quiet.

savingmummy

I had a nice weekend.
On Saturday we delivered the betterware books and came across a nice house with a skip in the front garden:rotfl:Being frugal as DH is he knocked at the door and asked if he could have a look and they said `of course help yourself`:cool:
I was so shocked......bags of childrens clothes - some still with tags on most hardly worn, shoes unworn in boxes, handbags, you name it it was there!!
We took 2 large bags for life of clothes (girls 1-2yrs) and i washed and ironing them and will try and sell them on ebay if not then bootsale this summer.
We went back today to get the betterware book and had another nosey and got a carrier bag of approx 10 books and 8 dvds (all fab ones!) and DD is currently enjoying them very much and is so pleased!

On Sunday we went to see DH`s grandad who is very poorly but luckily we got him on a very good day.
The sun was shining and it was a lovely journey up there. We had a wonderful day and it was so nice to see him light up when he saw the great grandchildren
He gave DD and DS £10 each for their bank account which was lovely and both held their money all the way home - anyone would think they had never seen money before:rotfl:

We have done extremely well with Betterware Today was the first pick up of saturdays drop out and we got £283 in orders already:j
Will go out tomorrow afternoon to collect any books which werent out today i hope we reach £300.

Pinky15

Wow - the skip hunting sounds good - nice one - it is amazing what stuff people chuck out isnt it? more there loss.
Sounds like things are going really well and you sound motivated - wish I could remotivate myself and pull things round - just a bit sick of the money saving at the moment - wishing we had some money lol:rotfl:
Glad to hear things with the betterware are going well tho x

savingmummy

It amazes me too! Sometimes he comes home from work saying how he saw this and that and i do actually find it hard to believe sometimes.
His a dustman and gets asked to take alsorts, most recently a brand new cream leather sofa still in the clear wrapping!!! Unfortunately it had to be put in the dustcart but could of done someone nicely. I always say to him if that happens tell them to freecycle it - always a willing person there!

I do feel very motivated but will my efforts pay off? LOL! I am trying to keep positive even when black clouds loom.
My trouble is i have too much i want to do and deep down i know it may never happen, reality is i am almost fantasising about a dream future when infact we are currently poor and struggling.


Betterware last week reached £335 so thats £67 commision we will get :j
So pleased with that and hope it continues along those lines, must say the new books we currently have are good and have some nice things in for spring and summer months especially baking and decorating bits.

We currently have no money now until payday, it is a struggle but we do have a freezer of things i can knock together and a cupboard of tins Meal plans are still continuing but we have gone off of it abit lately and been having lighter meals.
Car tax will need to be done on payday so we wont have a lot left over after the bills and tax is paid for. Means we will have very little for food infact nothing :eek:
I am not going to let it worry me though as we always find something in the end that helps albeit savings to help us out, or the betterware - i am wanting to save this desperately BUT it is always needed.

I am still wanting to buy this house deep down (future plans again!) It is 110% impossible to start saving for a deposit and even if we did start it really wouldnt be a lot as we have nothing to save each month at the moment.
Anything we do save we always seem to dip in and use it as a emergency fund then we are back to 0.
I know everyone is struggling right now but it is getting me down when i think we will never have anything else and that this (moving into our 1st house) was our final journey in life.
I`ll be here until i`m elderly unless we get wealthy and thats a tough thing to accept. So many people move to their dream home or move to a new city/coast etc.

Pinky15

I know the black cloud feeling - we have a massive one looming at the moment! I hope goes soon I try not to worry too much about money but of course it is part of life and does stress me. Some months I know we are getting no further forward which in itself is fairly disheartening! I am just hoping the interest rates dont shoot up between now and summer as I am gong to pay £300 to get out of our rate which means we will save £60 per month on the morgage - which at the moment would be a really welcome saving!
Unfortunately with all the council cuts I honestly think things are going to get worse - I think we will just have to sit tight and keep our fingers crossed!
Glad to hear little ones reading is coming on she is doing so well!!!:):)