Goal - 3 debts paid by Christmas

Triggles

Well, we had our dinner out. It was a lovely meal, and we enjoyed it. But to be honest, our hearts weren't in it. We had some stressful information from the school that morning and spent most of the meal discussing the children. And then we went home afterwards as we were tired and anxious to get home. I think going out without your children takes practice. We were quite edgy about it, and I think that took some of the enjoyment out of it. We did enjoy it while we were there though! And we definitely appreciated DD & MIL making it possible and told them so. :cool:

Our rollercoaster life is going round quite a few bends and twists lately. Lots of ups and downs. I think the main problem with this is that while we're focusing on these new things that pop up, everything else has to take a back seat, which means the budgeting stuff and the paperwork ended up being ignored for a couple days. I'm still stressed and trying to cope, however, it's now this morning also occurred to me that I have to sort through a few debt things as well.

We got our SAR finally that we requested, so I've got to read through it, highlight any fees for PPI and such, and then request reimbursement. Time consuming, at a time when I just don't have the focus or time to do it. But needs must.

Thank god for Christmas coming. This is my favourite time of year, Christmas music provides me with a lift, and I think if everything we're dealing with had hit at any other time of year, I would have been buried in the crush. Looking forward to Christmas gives me just enough of a boost to get by for now.

DD took me out for coffee yesterday, and we met with one of her friends who also has had to fight the system and the school to get sorted what is best for her child. Made me feel like I was not alone and really helped me. She also gave me helpful information on who to contact (an agency) to assist me in dealing with the school, as there are a lot of meetings coming up and I don't want to do the wrong thing. What a massive relief!! And very sweet of DD to take me out for a morning out.

DH has his hospital appointment this morning to check the metal plate in his leg. I'm just waiting to see if they say it will need to be realigned or taken out. There's also some muscle damage they need to check. While I would like it fixed, as it's causing him considerable pain, I dread dealing with post-surgical care (with a 4yo and 1yo running around) as well as the budget with DH off work for that time. DH has not been coping well with the stress again, so I think it's time for him to speak to the GP again about some type of counselling. I cannot (and will not for that matter) go through a major depression on his part again right now. I am just barely coping and that would literally pull me right down under the water. So I'm going to insist he contact the GP NOW before it gets worse. Last time it took MONTHS before he had any type of counselling, and even that was relatively useless. I think the main reason he pulled out of it was because some of the pressure on us eased off temporarily. I cannot let him get that bad again and then have to wait months AGAIN for assistance. (and the counsellor even said that he was a serious concern over the level of his depression last time, and STILL it took months! How incredibly awful is that?? :eek: :mad:)

I think I am just looking forward to the end of November and the beginning of December. New month, new start and all. sigh....

Triggles

Well, consultant said DH needs to have surgery to have the metal plate removed from his leg. It means he'll be off work for minimum of 2 wks, possibly more depending on how well it heals. Probably won't be for 3-4 months, with the waiting list, although he said he might be able to get him in sooner. I'm sure DH's work will be annoyed, but in the long run it means he won't be working in pain all the time, which is probably better all the way around. Besides, there's not much he can do, if it needs to come out, that's what he needs to have done.

Oh, the Eastenders/Coronation Street mixup on Children in Need was hilarious. Love the scene with Gail from Corrie and Denise from Enders comparing homicidal husbands! :rotfl:

DH went to sleep early tonight. I think he has a mild tummy bug (I had it last night, so pretty sure I know where he caught it! ).

Going to do some serious "how to save money" browsing tomorrow, I think. All our recent stress has not been great on our budget - we are "stress spenders" I think. It's almost like a way of fighting back at the unbelievable stress we've had recently. So we're hoping to curb this drastically.

maman

Don't want to 'read and run' (as the saying goes) triggles but I'm really tired now having fallen asleep in front of Children in Need:o Sorry things are stressful for you esp at DD2's school. Talk more soon.

Triggles

Well, that's it then. Obviously I'm going to have to kill my DH. It's all down to the rubbish and the recycling. But then, isn't it always?? :mad::D

Seriously though, how hard is it to take out the rubbish? How complicated to fold a thin cardboard box (like a cereal box) and put it in the recycling bin? Yet every time - box on counter as apparently it's too much for him. :mad: He says "tell me when you want me to take the rubbish out and I'll do it" and yet the response is always "ok, I'll get to it later" or "I'll do it after ...." And then next day the bin is still full!! :mad: Sorry, it's an ongoing aggravation. I don't get why he can't just fold up the blasted cardboard! It takes 10 seconds!!

Alright.. back to the money saving at hand. What things can I do to bump up savings and lessen expenses?
- turn down heating (doing today)
- wear more jumpers (all of us)
- use candles and such (we have plenty!) for "imagined warmth" lol sounds odd, but I'm always warmer when there's a candle burning (sensory warmth??)
- extra curtains on windows (done)
- use freebies and competitions boards more
- check tesco site for vouchers that we didn't receive before we updated address on tesco card
- turn lights off in rooms not being used
- use remoska for more meals (we already use it at least 2 times per week, so goal of 3 times then bump up more if needed)
- take mobiles off charge right away
- source out more "leftover meals" such as casseroles or meals to make from leftover gammon, lamb, and such

I'm sure I can come up with more by looking through the site, but it's a start. I need to do my tax form online as well - will get that done next week when DS2 is in school and DS3 is napping.

I got the new Tesco in-store magazine yesterday, so am going to take a few minutes to read through it in case there are any interesting articles in it. But first I need to sort out DS2 with some art to work on.

Triggles

Few things that are occurring to me regarding Christmas while reading this article in the Tesco magazine:

-"involve everyone in the planning" it says. Alright. Our DD has been asking us every year "what would you like me to bring to contribute to the Christmas meal and such?" and we usually say "oh nothing, don't worry" but I think this year, I shall ask her to be in charge of getting Christmas crackers. She loves looking around the a good buy and something nice, so she will enjoy it. And she can control the expense involved, so no problem there. She's already asked once, so I will mention it to her later today. And for us, just one less thing we have to worry about! :j
***********edited to add: Wow - her ears must have been burning!! she just rang! So I mentioned the crackers, and she's all excited about shopping for them. And she said "It's about time you let me contribute - we're all adults and can shoulder some of it! No need for you to have to deal with everything!" What a great kid she is!

- we bought some wine the other day (it was £6 for one bottle or £12 for 3 bottles!), so we're going to put away at least 1 bottle to enjoy around Christmas time.

- DS2 loves the paper cut out snowflakes, so I think we will spend some time today cutting out snowflakes and letting him decorate them with glue and glitter and then put them up in his bedroom. :cool:

- 10 December is the last posting date to USA, so I need to get moving on my Christmas cards to the states.

- start making list for Christmas grocery shop now - pick up any nonperishables over the next few weeks if possible

- Double check shopping list to make sure we've got all the gifts sorted, and then wrap them early

- 15 December is the last posting date for Santa letter to Santa, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, SAN TA1. "must include children's name and address to receive a reply) Looking to try it this year.

- Would like to make Christmas stockings for the boys, but not sure if I will get to them this year. This may have to wait until next year. We'll see.

- Am planning on stitching a few drawstring bags in Christmas materials as "reuseable gift bags" for some gifts under the tree. Just watching for the material now.

- will be using brown postal paper and some of my christmas stamps for some of my wrapping paper this year, along with some matching ribbon (matching ribbon is easy - I have tons of white ribbon, which I can just pull through the case of my ink pads I use for stamping - voila! perfect colour match!).

Much as I would love to make a christmas pudding, I'm still a bit nervous to attempt it. Although admittedly I felt that way about christmas cakes at first, and we've been making them for the last few years with no problems. Still debating this one.....

maman

You're sounding so much brighter today triggles.

Sorry to hear your meal out wasn't the tranquil haven you'd hoped (guess bad news at IEP review?) and :mad: to OH and his recycling issues.

Love the idea of DS2 and the snowflakes. They'll look so pretty with glitter too. I expect DS2 would enjoy stamping the wrapping paper too, especially for grandma's present

I'm taking on board what you said about candles. I keep tealights in my hearth and will think hard about lighting them rather than gas fire when it gets a bit colder. Meanwhile heating (lowish) and jumpers are enough.

Good idea to say yes to help from DD especially as she loves shopping. Are you OK with all the food or could she help with that too? I must admit I'm useless at delegating things like that. Generally I do all the shopping and cooking and DDs just help with carrying in serving dishes/clearing away and washing up. Just make sure you get a bit of a rest at Christmas and if sharing workload also equates to sharing cost then go for it.

Triggles

Maman - with Christmas we always have a beef roast meal, so DH always cooks it. MIL & SIL are planning on visiting for about an hour or so in the late morning on Christmas Day, so I imagine DD will be here for that, and then stay the day. She will help with anything that needs doing as well. She's really good about that. We've already made the Christmas cake. Perhaps I'll ask DD (as she doesn't like Christmas cake) to pick up another type of pudding (like a chocolate yule log ) to share as well. They're not horribly expensive (plus she works at Mr T's & gets a discount LOL). So I won't have a lot of cooking time on Christmas, as DH takes care of the majority of it. :j

DS2 enjoyed the snowflake craft - and I'll probably be sweeping glitter up for the next year! :rotfl: But that's okay. They're all dry now, and I told him we'd put them up - he wants a couple in the living room and a couple in his bedroom.

DH got down all the Christmas stuff (tree, ornaments, lights, etc) from the attic - all 7 boxes of it. It's all the things we've collected over the years, including ornaments made by the children when they were small. I can't part with any of it. We'll be putting the tree and decorations up next weekend. So I am going to be baking Christmas cookies on Thursday or Friday so we have some to nibble while decorating the tree. Yummmmmm.... And a nice casserole Saturday, as we're having roast turkey meal on Sunday (our Thanksgiving).

maman

Triggles wrote: »

Maman - with Christmas we always have a beef roast meal, so DH always cooks it. MIL & SIL are planning on visiting for about an hour or so in the late morning on Christmas Day, so I imagine DD will be here for that, and then stay the day. She will help with anything that needs doing as well. She's really good about that. We've already made the Christmas cake. Perhaps I'll ask DD (as she doesn't like Christmas cake) to pick up another type of pudding (like a chocolate yule log ) to share as well. They're not horribly expensive (plus she works at Mr T's & gets a discount LOL). So I won't have a lot of cooking time on Christmas, as DH takes care of the majority of it. :j

DS2 enjoyed the snowflake craft - and I'll probably be sweeping glitter up for the next year! :rotfl: But that's okay. They're all dry now, and I told him we'd put them up - he wants a couple in the living room and a couple in his bedroom.

DH got down all the Christmas stuff (tree, ornaments, lights, etc) from the attic - all 7 boxes of it. It's all the things we've collected over the years, including ornaments made by the children when they were small. I can't part with any of it. We'll be putting the tree and decorations up next weekend. So I am going to be baking Christmas cookies on Thursday or Friday so we have some to nibble while decorating the tree. Yummmmmm.... And a nice casserole Saturday, as we're having roast turkey meal on Sunday (our Thanksgiving).

I'm glad to hear you're all in the swing of Christmas preparations (esp DS2 and his snowflakes) but it's a little early for me. Hope you don't mind me asking but is that because of Thanksgiving? i.e. do you put up Christmas decs for Thanksgiving?

I suppose in my home we're traditionally a bit late in the day with preparations for Christmas. My DD1 has a birthday on 20th December so it's been my habit ever since to get things done by that date at the latest. Usually the nearest weekend when we have a family party - probably 19th this year. When she was little we always had the house decorated, tree up etc for her birthday.

I got into a converation today about Christmas birthdays and young mums were talking about celebrating half birthdays:eek: I can see the point about having a summer party for Christmas babies but it can get a bit OTT if you're not careful.

Triggles

maman - No, actually Thanksgiving is on a Thursday (tomorrow) and then Saturday and Sunday we always put up the tree and decorations (mainly because when I was a child that's when our whole family was home, including siblings in university). So it's been a tradition that I have continued and with which DH has had no problems. LOL But since Thanksgiving is not a bank holiday (here in UK), we celebrate it over the weekend as DH is working during the week. So it rather gets jumbled up together with decorating for Christmas. I'm a "the earlier the better" kind of person when it comes to Christmas decorations - if I'm going to make an effort to make the house look all joyful and seasonal, then by golly I want to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Oh, I know that some people are touchy about Christmas decorations up when they have a birthday in December (and some aren't fussed either I imagine). Luckily, all our birthdays are July or October, so no half-birthday celebrations here!!:rotfl:

Wow, it is cold!! Possibly snow showers here tomorrow - fingers crossed!!! We're probably going to have to buy a bus pass soon to use for school runs. DS2 is 4, so won't cost anything, but the walk can often be a bit too much for him, parking is horrible (sometimes have to drive around a couple times to find a spot!), and it drives me mental (children walking right out in front of cars, cars parking up on pavement and blocking). Less hassle, cheaper to have a monthly bus pass, which we then can use anytime during the month as well. We added up the cost of petrol we would use for 2 school runs per day, plus a few miscellaneous trips to town, and the bus pass is definitely cheaper! (and no parking problems!! :cool:)

Huuuuuge chicken to cook tomorrow. Pondered at the shop - smaller chicken for £3 or huge chicken for £5. £2 more expensive, but vastly more meat on the chicken, so will go further for meals. Just realised we'll be having chicken for a few days, then turkey. We'll be fowled out by next week!

Picked up a few inexpensive craft supplies this week (some from poundland, some from the range) to do some crafts. I'm going to be getting some penne pasta from the shop and painting it red and green, then letting DS2 string it together to hang. It's a good coordination exercise as well as a nice Christmas decoration.

Had coffee with a friend this morning - it's so nice to relax a bit and chat. It was DS3's naptime and DH was home, so worked out well. Of course, now I have a bunch of housework to do tomorrow. Thought about going to playgroup tomorrow, but have far too much to do in the house. So when DS3 is napping, I'll be blitzing through the dining room, kitchen, and living room! Plus laundry - which is desperately piled up! School uniforms come first, so other stuff tends to be put aside.

Off to grab a cup of coffee.....

Triggles

Thank goodness for Postman Pat. Both boys happily drinking milk, eating a teacake, and watching Postman Pat. A few moments of relaxation before the day really begins. :j

Supposed to be cold and possibly snowy today. Should make for an interesting school run!

I am hoping to whiz through a bunch of cleaning this morning so I can do a little crafting this afternoon or evening. I will probably pick up some penne pasta today so I can paint it for DS2 to string this weekend.

Oooops... quiet is over now. LOL off to sort cereals....:D