Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

Firewalker

I had an idea – why don’t I combine my creative writing and budgeting. It might actually work out OK seeing that my budgeting does not seem to be anything more than fiction at the moment.

OK, time for the weekly accounts:
Food - £43 but one has to add to this the cost of milk, meat and cheese which we buy from Costco. So in reality more like £70.
Other regular expenditure - £11 and this includes wine so not too bad.
Services - £10 (I don’t do ironing - yet; so although currently doing the cleaning we still have someone coming to do the ironing)
Exceptional - £178 (Ahhhhhhhhh). This includes a tent and other camping stuff, an ice-maker and my visit to the osteopath. Camping stuff is the most dubious purchase – potentially waste because I don’t do camping – yet.

Total – a lot. Too much in fact.

I will need to get back to the drawing board on the cutting of expenditure points. Seem to be down on ingenuity and self control – or family control.

A very thoughtful Firewalker

ninky_2

Firewalker wrote: »

Other regular expenditure - £11 and this includes wine so not too bad.
Services - £10 (I don’t do ironing - yet; so although currently doing the cleaning we still have someone coming to do the ironing)
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i don't do ironing either. well, maybe a couple of times a year. however, i just shake clothes out and generally buy things that favour not being ironed. it helps that OH doesn't do a job that requires suit and tie (and therefore shirts). have to say though if he did he'd have to do the ironing himself. at school we were taught how to iron a man's shirt. so sexist. if men wear shirts they need to work out how to iron them surely?

regarding your 26 year old semi dependent. what relationship is this person to the two of you? i suppose that might effect how unreasonable their behaviour is.

Firewalker

Good evening Ninky and thanks for writing. Ironing is a big problem in our house - it is not only that I really dislike it but I also really stink at it. If I need something delicate ironed OH does it for me - I suspect he quite likes doing it. But it is time consuming and we are really busy. I lately run my life as an army camp - no wonder have been feeling a bit cross with the world, I am probably just tired and need to exhale.

Our young man is son number one - I have two step-sons and a little son. I raised the older boys as well - they have always lived with us. If young man was my 'biological' son I probably would have been stricter. And of course he is one of the young people who got caught in the 'finish degree but no job' situation - so he is not in a good place psychologically and emotionally. But sometimes children of different ages can display such lack of consideration for their parents - or for most people, really - that is very hard to take at the moment. All sons see us as very resourceful, caring and good providers - but now we need them to 'pull with us'. But I certainly cannot kill myself working all hours - there is a little son as well.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

I am sure the family will pull together very soon. You seem to have a warm, loving relationship and it will ease the tremendous pressure you are under at the moment. I hope your back is better Firewalker. Hugs,

SW.

Firewalker

Thanks SW. Were you up early or late? Back is getting better but while it is still hurting I can't run and other exercise (probably could have done swimming but did not get to the pool). And once used to doing loads of exercise it is hard - driving you mad in fact.

I am thinking of starting a blog? What do you reckon?

Look after yourself and hope you are doing loads of fun things during the weekend.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Hello Firewalker i fell asleep at 9ish then woke up late/early worrying (the usual). What a beautiful day.

I think your diary counts as a blog. I love it. A sauna (at gym) is good if back hurts and gentle yoga type stretching exercises. More conspicuous consumption i am afraid, but i have one of those tempur mattresses for about 2 years now and i have not had too many bad back problems since i have had it.

I hope you have a wonderful day with this glorious weather.

hugs, sw

Firewalker

The house is very quiet – grown up sons gone to watch football, little boy is away with the school for two nights, OH is around but not making any noise. I am sitting here, reflecting on the day.

Today the weather was the kind that makes living in Manchester and putting up with the pollution, the drizzle, the rain and the darkness completely worth it. Brilliant day – bright but not blinding, warm but not stifling. This was as well because today was the local fair – it apparently started 31 years ago and I have been going for 19 of these. When the weather is nice it is great, when not – well nothing can stop us but the atmosphere is different.

OH is very involved in the local rugby club where little boy plays – this is very father and son, I hasten to add. I went to one match and when I saw my little boy sprawled in the mud, his nose bleeding, immediately suggested he does ballet instead. Then remembered that ballet causes horrific injuries – but still rugby practice is too much for me.

The fair, as customary, is also a way to raise funds for things – so there are loads of cakes and other things being sold by amateurs. I was asked to do something that is very specific for my place of origin – feta cheese pie. It is delicious and always sells – well like warm feta cheese pie, really. It is also very easy to make. It goes like this:

Buy filo pastry from somewhere – usually there are 6 sheets in a pack (I get it from a Turkish shop we have nearby but it is sold elsewhere; my mum used to make it);
Mix 5-6 eggs in a largish bowl;
Crumble feta cheese and put in the eggs (about 300-400g);
Add yoghurt to the mixture (about 250ml)

Mix well but keep the feta crumbly not smooth.

Melt butter – about 100g but might need more.

Spread the pastry. On each sheet smudge melted butter and spread some of the mixture. Then roll the pastry and put on a buttered tray. When all sheets are done smudge butter on top.

Put in pre-heated over (fan 170C) for 30 min. When out cover with a towel for 5-10 min.

I made two portions for the fair and was also rather MSE about it. Used 10 eggs instead of 12 and the feta was a special blend which was much cheaper than the high quality one.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Oh Firewalker, regardless of the time that i read your posts it is always such a treat for me and they always brighten my day. I love the recipe!!! Do have a wonderful weekend. Big Hugs.

adrisco

Firewalker, I agree with savingwannabe - I love reading your diary. Find myself checking every day to see if you have posted. Good luck with family - and money of course! My 4 kids are adults now but 2 are still a worry - financially and otherwise. Grandchild too - adorable but expensive. Keep on posting love - you make my day!

Firewalker

He is back – seeing little boy coming up the road with his Dad made me feel like there was a little sun shining inside me. I missed him so much and he being away for two nights has made me realise that he is still a little boy and I think of him as grown up. Especially for him we had macaroni cheese tonight – which is about 2,000 calories a serving so no good for my marathon running, really. But neither is my bad back – so we shall see how things pan out.

Today we did the weekly shop for food which came to £23.69; we also spent £10 on drinks – some beer and wine. Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating son number two’s birthday – he will be 25 next Thursday and is a very decent poet and working towards becoming a writer as well. But I won’t be around on Thursday – off to Germany to a small and not very attractive town called Kassel for work.

Today I did two other things. First, I found and read the diary of Jacks. What a great story, what a feat of human spirit. Jacks cleared over £97,000 debt (so very slightly over our debt) in roughly three years on a not very large income. She worked several jobs, e-bayed, did occasional work, got help from her children and did it. I am so full of admiration and feel so inspired. It is possible, my life is not over as I thought last October. This certainly deserves more thought and a plan – all I have done to date is to try and start understanding.

The second thing I did today was to go back to my mum’s old recipe notebook and to make some biscuits. They are very delicate and I never had the courage to tackle them – but I have entered a new stage in my life where I do as a matter of course many things that I did not like doing, could not do or was afraid to do. These particular biscuits also are best spitzed and to do that one needs a cookie maker. Well, you guessed it – yesterday I bought one for myself so today I tried it. So now, we have two very large bowls full of biscuits for all my men (I am trying to resist) that cost about £2 to make.

Soon I could become a knight of MSE.

Firewalker