Goal - 3 debts paid by Christmas

SAHMto2boys

Happy Birthday to your DS!

Love the list! Really like the idea of no shouty days but think I would fail that one :0) I think it just seems easier to achieve things when they are written down.

Good luck on get things crossed off!

Triggles

100 Day Challenge Goals

Personal
1. Alcohol free days 1/72
2. Non-shouty days 1/100
3. Work outs 0/23
4. Walking 1/23

Family
1. Cook one new recipe a week 1/14
2. Organise Christmas and birthday gifts, cards
3. Give each son half an hour quality time per day (on top of usual play/time spent together) DS2 2/100 DS3 2/100

Financial
1. Dedicate time at least each week to updating budget spreadsheet 0/30
2. Do 2 positive MS things each day 6/200
3. NO buying clothes for 100 days!! 3/100
4. Stick to grocery budget 2/100
5. NSDs 0/50
6. Dedicate time each week to replying to creditor letters and organising debt situation. 1/14
7. Post every day in order to make sure I'm working towards my list. 3/100

House
1. Strip wallpaper in entryway
2. Strip wallpaper in stairway
3. Strip wallpaper in upstairs landing
4. Sand staircase
5. Sand banister
6. Finish on banister
7. Finish or paint staircase
8. [STRIKE]Clean out and organise sideboard[/STRIKE] done
9. Clean our bedroom (seems to be a catchall for everything)
10. Sort through too-small clothing for boys
11. Put together stuff for eBay, freecycle
12. Scan MILs family photos and return
13. Put all photos on disc for safekeeping
14. Organise craft items in preparation for making christmas and family cards from now on

DAY 3 today

Let's see...2 MS things today... called DD to wish her happy birthday on the mobile (saving money on the landline), and did 2 loads of laundry on quickwash (rather than a full wash).

Finished at least 7 pieces of correspondence last night and printed it off to post today regarding DMP/debts. Feels good to keep on top of this, even though it's somewhat aggravating that we have to be constantly corresponding with the creditors - if they'd hassle us less so that I'm constantly having to answer correspondence, we'd be able to pay more - all this printer ink, envelopes, paper, postage does cost money!

We cooked the turkey drumstick in the slow cooker yesterday - I think it cooked about 6-8 hours with some water in the bottom of the cooker. Wow! When we took it out, the meat just literally fell off the bones. DH mixed it up with curry sauce, tinned pineapple, and tinned mushrooms. It was soooo tasty - and cost was very nice! £1.49 for turkey drumstick, 9p for basics curry sauce, 13p for basics tinned pineapple, and 39p for basics tinned mushrooms. And served with either basics rice or basics tortilla crisps (to dunk in curry instead of popadoms). We'll definitely be making that again! :cool:

I am having a bit of a stressful day, but I think that normally follows a busy chaotic day. I'm having to get done today all the things that got bypassed yesterday due to family, washing machine delivery, birthday celebrations, and such! I have a huge pile of laundry to get through, but have already done 2 loads - may try to fit in one more load today if the weather holds. I've already got one load hanging up inside the house, and I don't want a second - it gets a bit silly otherwise.

DH is off getting a tattoo today. He got a bunch of vouchers for his birthday in May for a tattoo at a very good local tattoo shop, so he's been waiting to get this done. I certainly don't begrudge him the tattoo, after all, the vouchers were for his birthday, and it isn't coming out of the budget. I'm just tired and dealing with both kids, while my back is still hurting and I'm trying to get a lot done at the same time. I'm sitting here now having a short break before off to cleaning again. I've cleaned the kitchen and done the washing up, tidied up the dining room a bit, and sorted out breakfast and such for the boys. I still need to clean the upstairs bedrooms and hoover them. Plus clean the bathrooms. I suppose I'm slightly envious of the day out without having to monitor children or do housework. DS2 is being a bit of a pill today - possibly the aftereffect of a very exciting day and now not today? I'm thinking he may need a nap this afternoon, as he is acting like he does when he is tired.

Triggles

I will leave this one here and update it regularly, rather than repaste it constantly, I think.

100 Day Challenge Goals

Personal
1. Alcohol free days 46/72
2. Non-shouty days 37/100
3. Work outs 0/23 (ok, think this is going to have to wait)
4. Walking 23/23 - whoooooo this is maxed - honestly, we're walking DS2 to school and home again every day, which is a fairly long walk - so we're getting plenty of exercise in that regard!!

Family
1. Cook one new recipe a week 7/14
2. Organise Christmas and birthday gifts, cards (started)
3. Give each son half an hour quality time per day (on top of usual play/time spent together) DS2 58/100 DS3 58/100

Financial
1. Dedicate time at least each week to updating budget spreadsheet 19/30
2. Do 2 positive MS things each day 130/200
3. NO buying clothes for 100 days!! 60/100
4. Stick to grocery budget 43/100
5. NSDs 26/50
6. Dedicate time each week to replying to creditor letters and organising debt situation. 14/14 - ok this is just maxing because I'm working to keep on top of things - so doing okay in this.
7. Post every day in order to make sure I'm working towards my list. 30/100 (oh my, rather slacking in this one - shame! will do better!)

House
1. [STRIKE]Strip wallpaper in entryway[/STRIKE] done
2. [STRIKE]Strip wallpaper in stairway[/STRIKE] done
3. Strip wallpaper in upstairs landing (partially done)
4. Sand staircase
5. Sand banister
6. Finish on banister
7. Finish or paint staircase
8. [STRIKE]Clean out and organise sideboard[/STRIKE] done
9. [STRIKE] Clean our bedroom[/STRIKE] done
10. [STRIKE]Sort through too-small clothing for boys[/STRIKE] done
11. Put together stuff for eBay, freecycle (done some, more to do)
12. Scan MILs family photos and return
13. [STRIKE]Put all photos on disc for safekeeping[/STRIKE] done
14. [STRIKE]Organise craft items in preparation for making christmas and family cards from now on[/STRIKE] done

DAY 65 today 21/09/2010

Triggles

It's been rather busy here. I went to the GP's yesterday, as my back pain was worse, and found that I have a kidney infection. So antibiotics and a higher dose of ibuprofen are part of my day for a while. The ibuprofen is helping with some of the pain, so I can move more freely today. I'm hoping we can get some wallpaper steamed off in the hallway this evening when the boys are in bed.

Tea last night was sweet and sour pork. Basics chopped pork shoulder (£2.00), basics sweet and sour sauce (28p/jar), basics tinned pineapple (13p/tin), basics tinned mushrooms (39p), cooked together in the remoska, and served over basics rice (79p/large bag). Very nice meal!! We have this whenever we're craving takeaway chinese food.

We spent £3.50 to take the boys to a soft play place today. DS2 really loves to go there, and he literally wears himself out running and playing. DS3 crawled all over the baby section, so he's now taking a nap! We're hoping to take the boys to the park next Monday or Tuesday. But possibly a nice walk tomorrow, just to stretch our legs.

I've worked on the spreadsheet for the budget and found some overspends. Our petrol this month was £35 too high - mainly because we spent almost £45 in petrol driving to Devon to visit DS1 and his family. But as we don't do this too horribly often, I'm not going to worry about it. We'll not be taking any long driving trips in August, and DS2 is done with preschool which we had to drive to, so I'm hoping the petrol bill will be quite low next month. I'd like to keep it under £50... we'll see.
We also have our road tax due for the car, which I was told was going to be about £245. :eek: Thank goodness the MOT isn't due until February. We were doing quite well on groceries and then slid a little - so we are pulling that back again. It's so easy to slack off in that regard that I really have to push myself to stay in budget. I think that is our worst thing is grocery bills.

After going round in circles with various creditors, since most of them have defaulted, we're going to send CCA requests to all of them to see where we stand, then go from there. It doesn't sit well with me to just not pay a bill due to unenforceability, however, there's a law about it for a reason, and if nothing else, any that are unenforceable will simply be leverage to get a small F&F.

Just when I thought I was all caught up with the laundry, now that we have our new washing machine (which we're quite happy with so far!), it's that time of week to change the sheets!! LOL And now I have a huge pile of bedding to wash! I'll have to check the weather and see if there's a nice day soon, so I can hang it outside to dry. I absolutely HATE drying sheets indoors!!!

I'm having a real problem with the 64bit programming on my computer. Seems like my printer is being stubborn and the programming keeps freezing, and it just appears to be incompatible with so many things I want to do. I'm tempted to do the reboot and put it into 32bit mode. I know it says you can't change it back to 64bit if you do this, but I don't care. I'm so tired of things not working on this!! I'm not a big computer person about that kind of stuff, although one of DH's best mates does computer stuff for his job all the time, so I might ask him if he'd help us out with that, so I don't ruin the computer! LOL

I've managed to find a storage place in a cabinet for all the files for the budgeting and debts, so it's not stacked in the dining room. I didn't want to resort to a file cabinet as we just don't have room for it. So I cleaned out one cupboard in a cabinet and lined it all up in there. Nice and tidy, and tucked away from sight! :j I still have a bit to go on cleaning out my craft/sewing stuff in the dining room though. I can't wait until we are at the point where we can do the dining room properly, removing the wallpaper and painting and such. But we agreed that other rooms are a priority, as the wallpaper in here, while old and a tad scruffy, is the least nasty of the old wallpaper in the house. "Least nasty." :rotfl:

In updating my Christmas list, I've looked to see what I have purchased so far for presents:

DS2 - 2 50pc puzzles, matchbox fire truck
DS3 - Handy Manny slippers, roadmap rug for his bedroom
DD - disney handbag

It's not a whole lot, but a good start, and most of it was on clearance or greatly reduced, so well pleased!! I've still got 1 and a half boxes of Christmas cards left over from previous years, so I won't need to buy more cards this year, and I'm hoping to make some as well.

The plastic folders we purchased in Poundland are working great - much happier to pay £1 for them than the £4.99 that were being charged for the same thing in other shops. In fact, I'll probably purchase a couple more for overflow from Poundland as well.

Well, I must go print off the CCA letters, and get them sorted. And then put away the paperwork for the day. Too much of it makes my head ache. Not a clue what we're going to make for tea tonight - possibly tossing a frozen quiche in the oven with some veg on the side.

Triggles

Arrrrggghhh! Trying not to go into meltdown mode today. The new (well, new to us!) car had an "engine fault" Saturday, and now we have to take it to dealer on Monday to have them figure out what's wrong and fix it. So we're without a vehicle for the short term. Not comfortable driving it (other than the short distance to the dealer's garage), especially with the kids in it, so we're not going anywhere. I was hoping to get more paint so we could continue with a bit of DIY, but that cancels the drive to B&Q, so DIY plans delayed as well. :mad: I sincerely hope the dealer can sort it and return the car quickly. It's still in warranty, but still, that won't cover high value fixes.

I've sent out all the CCA requests. Now we're just waiting to see what happens.

I was so pleased at feeling in control of things, then the car problem just pulled the rug out from under me. I swear there are days I'd just say "forget it, we can do without one" but realistically we can't. At least not at the moment, while I'm still having back problems and illness. It's enough to make you scream.

Sometimes I think our house has a seriously sick sense of humour. As soon as I gain control in one room, another room seems to slide out of control. I finished the dining room, then went to work on our bedroom. I got our bedroom sorted, and now the dining room is starting to get out of control again. Hmmmm... and I'm not moving stuff back and forth between the rooms, as I briefly considered that might be what I was doing. But no. Just new stuff I guess. I've realised recently that our old house (small though it was) had a couple huge closets and one outdoor attached storage unit that was like a Tardis, and therefore the old house had more storage space. This house has more rooms, but less storage space. The under the stairs area was remodeled into a bathroom by the previous owners, so no storage there. There's a small amount of storage room in the airing cupboard. And we have tucked a few light items up in the attic. But short of putting flooring in the attic to create a bigger storage area or building on, there's just not any storage room. So I guess that means we need to be more creative. Well, and get rid of some stuff. (that got an interesting reaction :eek: from DH)

Still mulling over the shopping budget. I can't decide if I'd be better to do a weekly shop for everything, or do one huge stock up per month of basics and non-perishables, then a very small stock up each week of bread, milk, fresh fruit and veg. I'm still mulling over pros and cons.

I really need to clean out the freezers as well. They are quite full, but we are dreadful about rotating the stuff and making use of what's there. My biggest downfall on meal planning - not taking the meat out of the freezer and putting it in the fridge the day prior - so no meat thawed for tea.

maman

Hello triggles, love our thread and sending hugs about the car and life in general!

Just an opinion on your weekly/monthly shopping dilemma: I'd go for weekly, especially as you have a storage problem and it also helps to use up bits of leftover veg etc as you go along. I have an inventory of my freezer that I use each week, with my storecupboards, to write my shopping list/meal plan. It's a personal challenge to use as much from the freezer/cupboards as possible by just adding in veg and carbs. I'd also suggest making some HM ready meals (like pasta sauce/chilli type stuff) which you can use when you forget to take the meat out:rotfl:

You do need discipline to keep the inventory up to date but if I lose track it's a good excuse for a tidy up the freezer. Oh and it's hard to not buy more when I see offers/whoopsies but some weeks I just tell myself essentials only.

Triggles

Maman - thank you - that's a good idea about keeping inventory of the freezer. Maybe I can put that on a laminated sheet of paper as well, so it's a write-on/wipe-off sort of thing, and pin it on the bulletin board in the kitchen. (I can't fasten it to the freezer as my DS2 would be constantly taking it off the freezer LOL) I do like the idea of making sauces and freezing them - it would make things easier.

The car is back at the dealer's this morning. Here's hoping it is an easy fix. They offered to give me a car to use in the meantime, but they only had manuals available and I have an automatic licence. Oh well, not their fault. So we're without a car until it's fixed. Just waiting for their call to find out what's wrong with it.

Ooooh, Lakeland catalogue just arrived. Off to browse (without buying!!)...

Triggles

Hopefully the car will be done today. I will have to get paperwork showing what's been done, so if it's a recurring problem, if it continues outside of warranty they will still need to fix it. A bit paranoid, but I have seen it happen to other people (not with this dealer, of course).

Good grief - kids are watching Fraggle Rock on television. I haven't seen that in years! (it's still annoying, btw)

It's overcast today, will probably rain, but I'm going to just do one load of laundry and hang it up to dry inside. We have a three-armed stand to hang laundry on that works well, and I just crack open the window to avoid any damp problem in the room. The weather report says a few days of sunshine coming up, but if I wait around too long for good weather, the laundry piles up far too much! So I tend to do a little bit here and there even on days I have to hang it inside, so I don't have too much of a pile waiting.

I've seen so many adverts for Drayton Manor, Legoland, and such - all the different amusement parks. But thankfully, the boys are too young to go. We'd eventually like to take them to Disneyland Paris - but not until our youngest is at least 9 or 10 years old. If we're going to spend that kind of money on a holiday, I want the kids to be able to use the toilets themselves, feed themselves, walk without a pushchair, and be able to wait patiently in a queue without much whinging. LOL So we've got a few years yet. Plus then they'll be big enough to go on all the rides, rather than too short for certain ones.

Oh, I loved looking through the Lakeland catalogue yesterday. Had a brief giggle at the cupcake maker - we don't make enough cupcakes or fairy cakes here to justify that expense! I liked the little cupcake/muffin moulds that were autumn shaped (leaves, pumpkins) as I thought DS2 would like them... well, okay I do have a weakness for autumn things, especially leaves!! But I'm not going to buy them. (although my birthday is coming up in November and I could hint to DH that I like them LOL) The individual traybake pan is nice too, but I just decided it's just as easy to make it all in one pan and just cut things evenly and save myself the £14.99. :rotfl: All these cool things that would be fun to have, but don't really need! I do have the Kenwood Prospero (slightly smaller version of the Kenwood Chef and works great!!) and I like that a lot, but haven't used it much lately. Will have to get busy and start doing more with it. And I have to admit that Lakeland customer service is excellent! So if we do need something they carry, I often will opt to pay slightly more to buy it from them for that reason alone. Looking forward to their Christmas catalogue coming out.

I think we're going to need to replace the ceiling fan in DS3's room. It seems to get quite warm and smell a bit when it's run all night - which makes me uncomfortable. DS2's doesn't do that and they are the same model fan, which leads me to believe something might be wrong with DS3's. So we'll have to take it back to Argos and get another one. (well, we ordered them online, so I'll have to email them - personally since we had someone come out and hook it up, I want them to pay for us to have him come out and install the new one, since it's their faulty product that caused this). We'll see... I'll email them later today, once I've sorted out what I want to say in my head.

I was having problems with my word processor programme on the computer, and DD told me about Open Office, which is free and you can get online. LOVE IT LOVE IT!! This will make it so much easier to do letters to creditors, rather than fighting with my faulty word programme. What a relief!

MS things yesterday - asked the garage to give me a lift home instead of just opting to call a taxi (they were happy to do so, and it saved me the taxi fare - don't ask, don't get, eh?), DH walked up to Farm Foods and picked up milk (cheaper there than at supermarket), and DS3 is now on milk instead of formula - soooo much cheaper on the grocery budget!! yay!!

ooops.. better go update my 100 day challenge post....

maman

Hope the car gets back safe and sound triggles and good luck with sorting out the fan with Argos. I'd have thought as you have two and only one playing up you should have a good case. We have a Farmfoods quite near and, while lots of what the sell is a bit too full of fat/calories for me, the deals on milk are excellent. I also buy their bread sometimes (2 Hovis for £1), orange juice (50p litre) aand excellent Nicky loo roll and kitchen towel. Have a good day.

Triggles

maman - we buy bread, milk, sugar, and toilet roll at Farmfoods as it is much cheaper there. Then I buy roasts at the local butcher. And most of the rest at various supermarkets, but mostly Sains as we get a discount there and I like the quality of most of their basics brands.

I just realised I will need to buy DS2 some shoes for school. Does this count as clothing on my 100 days challenge?? eeek!

I just spoke to the dealer and the car will be ready this afternoon. He seems agreeable for someone from there to come pick me up and give me a lift back to the car. Again, don't ask, don't get. If they're happy to do it, it's much better than paying a taxi!!

We've freecycled a few things today - a curtain pole, a playpen. We have some things we'd like to put on ebay, but I need to get the pictures taken before I do that. I'm still mulling over the baby clothing. We have some nice clothing, but last time I looked at ebay, baby clothing wasn't selling for much, even the more expensive brands. And I thought about doing a car boot sale, as they have a local one, but it would mean me setting up and doing the car boot, and DH being home with both boys all day. And while he's generally fine with them, as he is having a bit of difficulty dealing with stress (hence the meds he is on), I don't want to put him in the position of being overly stressed if I can help it. And even then, the clothing doesn't sell for much. I may just freecycle the clothing, and put a few of the more expensive items on ebay instead. It's sometimes a bit hard finding a balance between hassle creating stress and things that can reasonably be done.

I have at least done a number of things today:
- load of laundry washed and now hanging inside drying (it's been sprinkling on and off all day, so not risking hanging outside)
- finally downloaded the proper drivers for my laptop so it will work with the printer (yay - no more transferring to DH's computer to print!!)
- washing up done
- dining room tidied up
- budget checked, bank accounts checked
- clean clothing put away

off to get some more done....