Learning to live my dreams not trample on them

savingholmes

Hi CMD - glad that your OH is getting more on target with his ideas. I made mine take me to the shoe shop - he sat in the car and read a book while I sorted out 2 sets of school shoes (£70), casual shoes (£11.20) for DS and football boots (£34) I managed to wangle about £14 off :money:so that's good. Just the stuff directly from the school to sort out now.

Well I've spent most of the evening forecasting/planning our budget. We have been way overspending so will need to use our savings to prop up our account unfortunately. Thing is I've spent about £600 related to my new business so its not all fritter spend...

However, If we stick to our new budget then hopefully we can stabilise. That would then mean we can save to pay for things like

• holidays
• clothes
• gym
• car maintenance
• house/garden maintenance
• courses

etc

It does however show that unless we are willing to sacrifice, holidays, clothes and treats that we are going to struggle to afford other things I want like sofas, new flooring etc... Not to say I am not tempted by the 4 year deals tho cos actually at say £30 a month that would be easy for us to afford... But will try to continue to resist... At least until I am back at work full time again and bringing in a proper income. We can then review if it is still top of my list... I think by then tho I will be focusing on how to pay for xmas so it will drop down again for a bit.

Hopefully if I get back in control financially - and I do get a payrise either thro work or launching my own business - then it can go towards long term goals rather than being frittered

savingholmes

Hi guys - well got up late... DD has already got her friend over to play so she's happy. she and DS have also made a gorgeous chocolate fudge cake that I just happened to get the ingredients in for... It is so yummy its divine - a b3tty cr*ck3r special!!

OH made me an omelette for dinner - I thought that was a nice MSE choice. I suddenly realised it was almost bank closing time and got OH to whisk me to the bank to put £1180 IN! Now that was a very nice feeling... sadly tho it is just going into our naughty (but agreed) overdraft and we're still not in credit. Hence why I need to buckle down... Talking about buckling down - I decided to wear my seat belt normally rather than holding some of it out from my tummy as protection and even when he emergency braked it was okay so may be able to get back to driving sooner than I thought. The pain from earlier in the week seems to have gone away, decided to just take one 8 cocodomol and 1 normal paracetamol (on top of diclofenic) this am and have been okay so far...

I'm also reading a book OH got me for my birthday - at the time I couldn't read as my brain felt shut down but now can read again normally which is good - I missed it.

I have a plum tree in the garden so may go and pick a few.... Need to see if we have any cherries left - think missed them. We also have apples in the garden so need to see how they are doing. I think I missed the raspberries. Thinking of cutting them right back and tidying that up and seeing what comes back next year... Don't want to overdo it - but don't want to not push myself and just stay a "weakling" either.... In case you can't tell I am fiercely independent and not being able to do stuff is really really irritating... especially when you only find out if you over did it hours later...

savingholmes

Hi guys - well need this diary to become a bit more MSE like and be a bit more frugal - especially in the run up to xmas - as despite best laid plans I don't have the separate gift savings account I'd planned as it got used up during the year.

I've just rejoined the Make £10 a day challenge - altho I've set my target as £150 for this month but am quite pleased that from previous habits - I already have £26 for this month.

I've also subscribed to a whole load of diaries to try and get myself back on track and suggested to OH that he looks at my new budget with me. I have allowed money for luxuries but equally we could use it to repay stuff if needed - we'll see how things go. Hopefully if I can start regularly making an extra £10 a day then there will be more play in our budget anyway. I still do woohoo bingo but annoyingly it is a) down for maintenance this week and be they have nearly doubled the amount of stars you need to get £10 amazon voucher - I only found this out when I was nearly at the previous required level so that was gutting! I think I may give bingoport a go again and have a look at what I could ebay or take to a car boot sale...

lucielle

I think its free listing on ebay this weekend.
L

savingholmes

Thanks Lucielle - I've been saying for 3years I'll do ebay but it hasn't happened yet...:o I have good intentions but they've not go further yet

OH and I sat outside on my swinging bench under its little mini gazebo roof with our fire pit last night chatting. We want to re-establish a regular date night and are probably going to go for Tuesday or Wednesday night. It may be we just go for a walk or a drink or watch a film or occasioanlly have a meal together but we want to carve out time for us and our marriage - and now our DS is older we don't have babysitting costs! :beer:

Today OH took the kids to church - I stayed in bed and then got up had shower etc. I then unpacked and packed the dishwasher including heavy pans, put roast beef in the oven and peeled and cooked some potatoes ready to roast... They're in now! Can't wait... Sadly we have no other fresh veg to go with them so will need to raid freezer... I am having fresh food delivered later today but it will be too late for dinner.

I spent £109ish I think but that included some stationery... I'm planning to restart my juicing diet from tomorrow (just one home made breakfast juice a day) - I found when I did it before it helped me cut out some of the snacking... OH and DS are interested in giving it a go but not sure if I can afford it as fresh fruit is expensive!! We'll see.

We've decided not to do the gym for now as can't afford it at the moment and I am still not well enough anyway. They had put the price up by over £100 compared with last year and I wasn't happy about that at all.:money: Now I've rediscovered my legs LOL (post Jan blood transfusion) I am hoping I can regularly walk to work which will save petrol and around £2.40 a day in parking fees!:money: If I did just that piece of exercise that would be 2.4 miles every day which would probably help my fitness and shape a lot. Now DS is going to be looking after DD after school every night then I don't have to be back for a fixed time either which makes walking more doable. It will still be pain if they are ever ill and need picking up - but even walking - it is about 15-20 minutes to get home instead of 10 mins in a car which is perfectly respectable.

I've suggested to DD that she tries to join any after school clubs like drama or cheerleading to give her some exercise but also reduce the pressure on DS. That would also mean he could potentially still join some after school clubs. He's at high school.

I need to take DS to get some uniform tomorrow ideally. I'm expecting that to be around £55 :eek: OH and I are hoping to nip to a national trust property later and leave DS in to get the online delivery :rotfl:DD is playing at a friends...

savingholmes

Hi guys - well I thought I'd rebooked Mr As to come today instead of tomorrow but for whatever reason the message didn't get saved so they are still coming tomorrow and I stayed in for them for nothing... Having said that didn't feel that well today so probably just as well OH and I didn't go anywhere far.

We did nip to B&Q and buy a new fire pit and some batteries as our other one was collapsing last night - but I must admit that it isn't really in the budget... We also showed our new neighbours our kids rooms so they could get a feel for the space they will have once they knock the unnecessary walls down. They were delighted - apparently their builder starts tomorrow and its just confirmed to them it was the right thing to do. Apparently she is a mobile hairdresser - so I am sending DS over there tomorrow for a £4.50 hair cut! I normally spend more like £12 on him so pleased about that... We've also invited them over Wednesday night (after the cleaner has been LOL) They seem really nice. I got up today and DD had done a stunning job in tidying her bedroom - so got DS to hoover both their rooms and OH to hoover the lounge after I'd tidied it before inviting them over...

Result - I am now sat in a lovely tidy room! Will ask OH to unpack and pack dishwasher as I've already done that today. DS and I had an MSE tea of macaroni milk. DD ate out... No idea what OH had?

Have come off the cocodomol completely today and my painkillers seem to be lasting longer. Still on Diclofenic but took it 2 hours late this morning and a bit late tonight. I've had 2 lots of paracetamol all day - where as normally I would have fit about 4 lots in by now. I hit week 6 after the operation Tuesday lunch time so it may be that I am on track after all.... The GP last week said it could be pain from the operation or equally could be pain from wrenching my muscles (that had been cut) trying to do too much at week 4.... My consultant appointment is Friday... Need to test out on the drive - whether I can put the foot on the accelerator and brake hard without it hurting.... preferably before Friday. That way I can get the consultant to sign me as fit to drive if I am...

OH and I picked 2 huge bowls of plums tonight.... could make jam or stew some plums but have nothing to put them in... I would have to spend money to store them. All the plastic boxes we had seem to have disappeared... Need to buy new ones of them too... May see if OH will take me to poundstretcher when he gets back from work if its still open....

savingholmes

Hi guys

This is a great thread about random acts of kindness

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3434643

It certainly made my eyes water in a good way as I read it...

Well today - my food processor arrived... It looks brilliant. My Mr A delivery finally came too - but the bananas are too green to use in a smoothie - so I need to go to the corner shop and get some that are riper before I can make any smoothies which is frustrating... DD had a friend over - and she and the friend put everything away for me which was brill - I gave them chocolate icecream as a reward...

DS's hair cut was fine and for £4.50 so absolute bargain!! Went and got DS's school uniform - I got him an aged 20!! jacket so hopefully it will last a couple of years... I also got him some baggy pe kit...

savingholmes

I nearly fainted today.... I was looking for my phone and bent over on the bed looking for it - when I suddenly felt like a cartoon character with ringing in my ears and things going round my head!! I shouted for DS and just lay on the bed.... until I recovered...

DS now has a friend round - and wants to use my fire pit before I do so not sure about that.... I think he is hoping to make cookies or bread - I can live with that... yummy!

savingholmes

DS made some bread - was quite nice...:) Just caught DS out of bed - an hour after I'd told him to go to sleep so planning some lovely little job to torture him tomorrow... I know sorting all the washing in the utility. I did try and convince him and DD to do it today, but DD had a friend round and then he did so they both escaped!

I've had a really good day in terms of what I can do (other than the near faint) so think I may be able to drive... Thinking of getting OH to park on the level part of our cul-de-sac and then see how I feel with the pedals... So it may be that 6 week point really is the miracle cure... :cool: Have been cutting down on the painkillers the last few days - leaving longer between them but I am having some withdrawal type symptoms... unsteady tummy etc I'm wondering about trying to ditch the diclofenic and move to normal ibuprofen with paracetamol and see how I get on...

I did do a bit of juicing tonight - apple, orange, banana and put some plums in as we have loads.. I gave some to OH and DS so happy that they got lovely vitamins... I tried to use the liquidiser to crush ice - but it didn't work that well until I added the liquid... so know that for next time... I forgot to add the yoghurt LOL - but can give it another go tomorrow.

I've put on 1.5 stone of the 2.5stone I'd lost this year so that's my next focus to try and get back on top of it... Hopefully as I get more active again that will help too

tirlittan

Hi SH!
Seems like you are getting on quite well. Hopefully the pain will soon disappear altogether and you can start leading a normal life again.
Sounds like the kids are helping a lot which is nice.
You're doing really well! Keep it going!