My Kick Bottom in 2011 Diary

Xandersmum

I have been toying with the idea of setting up a debt free diary for ages, just to have somewhere to put my random mumblings and help keep me on the straight and narrow!! I am sitting at home with my little man full of a cold and feeling sorry for myself so it seemed like a good time to start! Was going to do it in the New Year but knowing me that would turn into February, by which time I would have raided the sales and be feeling even more miserable!!

So a bit about me – I’m a 31 year old mum of a rowdy two year old little man! I have been chipping in to various boards for the last few months, but been a lurker for years! I never meant to get into debt – 3 years ago my life was completely unrecognisable! I had a good job in the city, just moved into a nice 3 bed house with hubbie, went on nice holidays and life was great. The only thing missing was a little one, and then lo and behold just before we started fertility treatment I took hubbie on a second honeymoon for his 30th and came back with an extra souvenir!!

Anyway – at the 22 week scan we found out our longed for little man had bilateral talipes, a spinal abnormality and problems with his knees – we still don’t know exactly what caused it or what is wrong with him – he is a quandary! However apart from his iffy legs and his bionic scaffolding in his back courtesy of a big op at GOSH, he is as strong as an ox and bright as a button!! Anyway I digress....

3 months before I was due to go back to work my whole department was made redundant, and finding another job within the company for a mum with a disabled child, well it didn’t happen! To be honest, as much as it hit us financially, it was probably a blessing in disguise. Little Man is now walking with a frame, which without the constant physio and stuff he wouldn’t be doing....

I managed to get DLA and Carers allowance for little man, but the impact of losing a £29k a year salary meant we ended up running up the credit card to the tune of just over 10 grand!

Through this site and making changes to our lifestyle, hubbie moving to nights, me setting up a little Ebay business, we are getting back on our feet. The bills are always paid, I have never defaulted on anything, and I’m a savvy shopper so we never go without the essentials (and the occasional bar of chocolate!) But when we got rate jacked on the credit card twice in 6 months we had to admit that that debt was crippling us and we borrowed £10k off the MIL – as hard as it was to ask, she refuses to take an interest as opposed to the near 30% MBNA were asking for, which makes it a lot easier to sleep at night! We are paying her back £200 a month so should be debt free in 4 Years and two months!!

This diary is really for me to start taking back my life!! 2011 is going to be a tough year – My mum was diagnosed with terminal Lung Cancer in August and if she makes it to 2012 it will be a miracle and little man will start nursery in January 2012 so I need to work hard to get him ready for that. I won’t let this debt break me – its only money after all! Yes we have less than we did, but I have a little man who I see come on leaps and bounds every day, and I wouldn’t swap that for anything! So this is somewhere for me to vent, and if anyone wants to chip in anything then feel free!

Xandersmum

My action plan for 2011 – so far

• · Repay the MIL £3k – if I can do this every year will reduce the term by almost a year!

• · Make £200 in Amazon vouchers via surveys etc by November to cover Hubbies Birthday and various Xmas presents

• · Write a minimum of 3 DooYoo Reviews a week – I know it’s not many, but want to get up to 1 a day by the end of the year and would rather write quality people

• · Sort out the spare room and get at least 10 things a week on Ebay (secondhand) until it’s all gone!

• · Join the NSD and make £10 a Day challenges every month and do them!!!

• · Not buy an books until I have read the ones I have – my fave board! – I will fail miserably on this one, but will promise to limit any purchases to boot sales and charity shops!! I have a genuine addiction, honest, LOL!:rotfl:

• · Do a hugely overdue stock take and get my Ebay shop stocked with over 200 items by beginning of February (when hopefully sales will start to pick up again)

• · Keep monthly shopping bills under £300 per month (thanks thrifty board for getting me this far!) – will try for £250 once we stop using nappies!

• · Attempt to potty train little man – not sure how much feeling he has ‘down there’, but we can but try!

• · Get little man more competent with his crutches – one for later in the year!

• · Lose at least another stone – lost 5 so far. 3 pre pregnancy, and 2 more since (plus baby weight) – never gonna be skinny, but want to be a size 14 all over!

I will add to this as I think of other stuff, but not a bad start even if I say so myself

BILLIE

Well Xanders if you can do there is no excuse for anyone else. Well done you for not wallowing self pity. I hope that "little man" continues to come on in "leaps and bounds" and that 2011 proves to be wonderful for you all as a family. Billie xx

yummymommy

Hi Xander

Great to do list and determination:j I have some similar ones on mine aswell. I am burying my head in the sand until the NY though! tut tut;);)

babstalu1984

hi, i've done similar to you and decided to post on here. compiling my 2011 list of resolutions etc and i hope you don't mind but a couple of yours are very relevant to me so have added them on. LOts of inspiration here so i'm hoping it will rub off. Good luck to you and well done for the positive attitude x

Xandersmum

Aw Thanks Guys! Your encouragement means a lot!

Babstalu, Steal away! They are only the random mumblings of a mad woman!!

Right have two urgent jobs to do today!

Take little man to get fitted for new walking boots
Buy Sellotape!!!!

Other than that will be at home trying to fight this cough and cold so I can go to Mum's on Christmas Day, looking out for surveys, and watching Fireman Sam!

Xandersmum

So that was christmas - and what have we done....

Well not a lot really - on Christmas Eve little man came down with the cold that has been plaguing me for the past week. By Christmas Day he really didn't care less about the pile of pressies! In fact he has spent the last four days either asleep or curled up on my lap - I think both sets of parents are a bit narked at him, but hey ho these things can't be helped! But we still managed to have a good one, eating far too much as usual, just spent more time curled up in the warm. DH went back to work boxing day night, which was a bit of a shame, but the money will come in handy!

Well I'm back to Slimming world tomorrow which I am dreading, but decided to use this week as the base for 2001 and go forward from there. Had the new EA Active heart rate monitor thing for crimbo, along with a pedometer and new fitness DVD so no excuses - well from Thursday!!

Not been out to the sales yet - nothing I need, although may get some bits for little man clothes wise if there are some real bargains - I tend to wait til the prices get slashed a bit further!

Jobs for today

• make sausage casserole
• do the few surveys that has rolled in
• Break up cardboard for recyling

just a short list as Kilingon boy will be up again soon!!

Xandersmum

So I attended the dreaded SW weigh in last night and I stayed the same - must have lost a bit the week before when I was poorly as deffo deserved a gain!! Was so fired Up I finally set a target - want to lose another stone and a half - won't make me super skinny but I can always knock a bit more off should i get there!!!

Took Mum to matalan today - was like a !!!!! carbook sale!!! All i bought was little man some socks - he wears through his with his funny crawling. I wish you could just buy plain black socks for toddlers like I do hubbie - then I wouldn't have to lose complete pairs!!!

Oh, and I bought a new project book for £1.49 in wilko to do my ebay stocktake for 2011 - once I've counted it all I just need to sit and upload it all!! Need to crack through all my secondhand old clothes too - every penny helps at the mo!!

[Deleted User]

I look forward to keeping up with your diary!

Xandersmum

Can't believe its 2011 already!!! Spent Yesterday afternoon at Mum's as DH has man flu and was working last night. Watching my Dad play Just Dance 2 was the funniest thing I have seen for ages - was almost crying with laughter! Was sparko by 11.30 though - didn't even here the fireworks!!

Food shopping tomorrow - so doing my menu plan and shopping list for tomorrow. Need nappies for little man, so not going to be a really cheap one, but got a cheap joint of lamb, packet of mince and sausages yesterday so most of next weeks meals are sorted! Will be working on my to do list for next week too so will post that tomorrow. For now, I need to finish clearing up the mess in the living room as little man has had his train set out - still trying to find space for all his santa gifts - wish he'd bought me an extention!!!

fizzypops

hi,

i think this has been the worst christmas with people coming down with illnesses, i hope your little one is ok now and your husband gets over his too.
you have reminded me i have a leg of lamb in my freezer i must get out as i promised the boys a roast (their fav!!!) before they go back to school!!!

happy new year :beer: