Juggling, Organising, and Holding it All Together - 2011

Triggles

DH's counselling is finally starting!!! :j This week, thank goodness! I know he is a bit better than he was, but he absolutely needs this counselling. He has some days where he is so angry, impatient, and difficult. Today has been one of them.

We had a bit of a lazy day today. But on the flip side, that's cheap, right? Obviously a few things around the house had to be done - washing up, laundry, general picking up - and the children to take care of. So I suppose not too lazy a day. :rotfl: DS2 was awake by 5am, so we certainly didn't have a lie in!!

I've been looking at some expenses. We have pet insurance. We do qualify to have free vet care (with small donations) through PDSA, however, we can afford pet insurance, and prefer to take care of it ourselves. Yes, I suppose it would be cheaper for us to allow PDSA to cover it, but how socially responsible is that? I guess I think that there are others in more need that can't afford pet insurance, and PDSA has only limited funds. So even though we're looking at trimming our outgoings, this is something we insist on paying.

I also considered whether or not it would be worth it to learn how to do the trim for our dog so we could do it ourselves, rather than paying a groomer every 2 months. Careful consideration, including that she has a very reasonable price, bathes, trims, clips and inspects nails, and picks up and delivers him back to us... she's worth her weight in gold. Plus she's very experienced, and I am not certain I want to have the responsibility and maybe overlook something that she may note as a health concern (condition of coat, nails, etc). Again, if you have a pet, you need to be prepared to take good care of him.

We also need to budget for our dog to be fixed around summertime. Again, just feel it's the responsible thing to do.

We have found that he is attached to Baker's puppy food. Any other type he tips his food bowl over. Had to laugh at that! So we watch for sales, otherwise he just wastes the less expensive food, which really isn't economical is it?

So I guess not a whole lot to economise on the pet front. Ah, well.

Oh, goodness, I forgot to look up on the pet forum to see if anyone had any suggestions on previous threads on how to keep a dog from digging the garden up. Must go do that before I forget...

brizzledfw

Hi to hear about the puppy Triggles. W don't have a dog.. The chooks wouldnt like that!! But we do have a cat for which we
Pay quite a lot of insurance and other fees..eg. dematting for. So a reasonable expense. But..he is 15 and part of the family. So non negotiable! :-)

But looking at what can be trimmed is undoubtedly a good thing. Best of luck with making the decisions :-)

Brizzle

Triggles

Brizzle - thanks. I honestly thought "oh gosh, we have a lot going out regularly in dog stuff, surely we can trim that a bit." But I can't honestly see where.

We got the lowest price for the coverage level we wanted for pet insurance. We try to make sure we stock up on dog food and treats when it's on sale. We did find when we were buying things for him initially that Poundland actually has a good supply of decent quality pet supplies, so that helped. We use Sainsburys nappy sacks (around 20-30p for a pack of 100) to pick up dog poop, which is much cheaper than the dog bags we've seen (plus we already have them at home, as DS2 is still in nappies). And we think the trim is important for him as well, and we called around loads of places, the place we use has very good rates and collects and delivers, so bonus of not using our petrol and car! :cool:

I suppose it's really a lesson in "pets are not cheap", isn't it? But then, we researched it quite a bit before we got the dog anyway, so the cost wasn't a huge shock. You know how it is though... every now and then you go through a section of expenses just to see if there is something you can do to cut them a bit.

Our heater was off last night, and I'm hoping that can be the norm from here until summer. I'll be the first to admit that we probably run the heater more often than some. Both boys are dreadful about keeping their covers on to stay warm. DS2 doesn't recognise temperature changes and will literally lay in bed without covers shivering and won't realise he needs to do something about it - it's just part of his SNs. DS3 is 2yo and when he finally realises he's cold, he often shouts for help with his blanket, so at least that's progress. :rotfl: We do bundle them up fairly well at night for that reason.

I actually put clothing outside on the line to dry the other day, and literally TEN MINUTES later.... it rained! :rotfl: As I dragged the clothing back inside and put it on airers near the radiators, I just kept muttering "fine... not ready to put them outside yet anyway." I will say that our decision to use double airers instead of buying the condenser dryer was a good one! Certainly cheaper, and other than when we were ill or had a particularly chaotic week, the laundry went through pretty steadily. So that's money saved - £290 on the dryer we didn't purchase, plus any electricity we would have been using all along the way. A good thing when you consider other expenses that pop up - like new tyres for example.

Mother's Day coming up soon. DH & I are trying to figure out what to get for MIL. I'm not really fussed about getting anything myself. DH has asked me if there was anything in particular I'd like from the boys, and I just can't think of anything.

Yes, it sounds dreadfully silly, but we both have a tendency to ask the other if there's something they'd like for an upcoming holiday/birthday/anniversary. It just makes things easier. For example, I know that DH wants to get a tattoo for his birthday present, so he would like money for his birthday, as obviously we're not paying for a tattoo out of the regular budget. So he'll get money from me, MIL, my mum, and our older children, and between that and any he has saved from his own pocket money (we each have some each month) he can pay for his tattoo. Simples. And then he'll still get a small present from the boys. We have a rule not to criticise each others choices of gifts either. I personally wouldn't want a tattoo, but if that's what he wants, and it's doable, that's fine with me. I tend to like things like cookbooks, books, and cool stuff from Lakeland. :rotfl: He was initially horrified that I wanted "kitchen stuff" as presents, but he understands now that I LIKE that kind of stuff. :cool:

But anyway, Mother's Day? Not a clue. I'd be happy with a homemade coloured card from the boys and time for a nice relaxing bath with a couple nicely smelling candles and a good book. My mum is in the states, so Mother's Day for her isn't until May. I buy the card now, put it aside, and coordinate her Mother's Day stuff in May.

brizzledfw

Hi Triggles

Mothering Sunday is a tricky one isn't it? I don't want anything really but I know my mum and MIL like to be remembered ( as it were) so it was cheap chocolates all round (£3) each plus postage for MILs. My mum is coming over this Sunday so will just wrap and give from my girls.

I love reading about all your plans. Given your DS2s needs and the fact that you have so many people relying on you, you really are a tower of strength. What's your secret??!

Weather a bit sad today. Wish it would brighten up!

Over and out

Brizzle

Triggles

Eeeek! A week with no posts! Yes, I'm a slacker!

Actually, it's been a busy week. Annual review for DS2 at school, DS2's asthma flared up and he was ill for about 5 days with his asthma meds doubled up (but thankfully he's better now), various other appointments. It seems to all go at once!

I'm now playing catchup. Washing machine going, washing up done. Lovely easy tea tonight of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas. And both boys actually ate some of it! DS3 has been a bit wary of mash, and I think it's because DS2 has so far refused to eat it (food issues). But DS2 actually tried a couple bites tonight, so DS3 decided to as well. Happy days! (doesn't take much to make me happy, does it? :j )

DH plans on doing some serious work on the back garden this weekend, which I'm thrilled about! We've rearranged our room upstairs and got rid of an old chest of drawers that was falling apart. Incentive to get rid of some clothing that we don't wear much. :rotfl: But the room is looking less cluttered.

A friend is giving us a nice single sized bed (football deco) for DS2, so his room is probably going to be next to do some work on. I need to source some inexpensive but fun sheet sets for him, as well as curtains. He has an older rocking chair in his room that he used to sit in a lot, but rarely does anymore, so I think we'll be taking that out to make some more room and adding a bookcase for him. We're going to look at the furniture recycling place locally, and I'm hoping to find an older well built bookcase there for a good price. We got his chest of drawers there, well built and only £10, so hoping to get lucky again.

I found a couple gorgeous wooden picture frames in Sainsburys for 75% off last week and bought them. Well worth the price, very pleased with that bargain! :T

We're still waiting for the decision regarding DS2 going to the local SS. Fingers crossed. It's going to make a big change for us, requiring a daily drive for school run, which obviously increases our petrol use. I've also applied for carer's allowance. I technically qualified for it well over a year ago, but initially didn't realise it, then was too stressed to even contemplate dealing with it. Now I've realised it's important because it gives me pension credit (yep, bit of a grey area for me as I don't understand quite how it all works) for when I'm older. It also means that if we have a family problem (due to DS2's disability most likely), then DH can drop his work hours to help out temporarily without worrying about qualifying for working tax credit, due to the new info regarding the new budget.

I'm off for now to work on the meal plan for next week.

Triggles

Righty-ho! (DS2's new phrase of choice! ) I am so pleased with my new purchases from the recycling place. We bought the following:

- beach picture with actual sand and shells in it with blue memorabilia type frame £1
- wooden bench with 3 blue wooden boxes (on small wheels) for storage (of toys) in DS2's room £15
- 2 wicker wall decorations that I can embellish with my craft equipment 50p each
- small stone Egyptian statue to add to DD's birthday present basket £2
- decorative old fashioned copper wall plate £1
- wall clock with wooden frame and woodsy/flowery face £2

total spend £22 which is more than we would have paid for a new toy box for DS2, so I'm very happy!! The bench is great in his room as he can sit on it or put things on it; it's very sturdy. :cool: And super hurrah for the decorative items that I can use throughout the house!

We needed a clock in the kitchen, and although we have both a microwave and a cooker with a built in digital clock, they are switched off at the wall (for safety reasons) when they are not in use, so the digital clocks are pretty much useless to us.

I have written out a letter to a DCA re a debt, not anticipating any big shake up with that one. And then I need to write to a loan company that took our payment for SAR, used it as a payment against the balance, and then didn't send the SAR. :mad: This same company has been incredibly obstructive (we suspect they lost the original loan paperwork as they admitted that on the phone a few years ago), and it's just getting ridiculous now. I'll be demanding the SAR within 14 days, otherwise there'll be a complaint filed with the appropriate agencies.

I'm mainly taking a break from filing paperwork right now. I think I'm going to change my paperwork set up. I'm looking at scanning all paperwork and keeping scanned copies on file, not only for backup, but for ease of printing and such. Slightly more time consuming, but perhaps cheaper paperwise? Then I don't have to print off a second copy of my response letter unless it's needed for something at a later date, saving on paper. I want to keep the info on those little sticks (oh, the brain is not functioning well this morning - what are they called?? ), but will have to price them first.

Anyway, back to filing for a bit. I'm making a chocolate sponge cake later with MIL's recipe, looking forward to a bit of a treat. :cool:

brizzledfw

Well done on the spends..they sound lovely

Fingers crossed re the SS place. Sounds like it could be very helpful. Also am very pleased you applied for the carers allowance..you deserve it and so should get it IMO.

Have a good eve

Brizzle

Triggles

Brizzle - thank you. Hope you're doing well!

I spent most of the day working on paperwork. Sorting out papers that have been stacked up for far too long. Rearranging files. A few bits of correspondence. Double checking the budget.

Another huge list of things I need to get done tomorrow as well.

But... at least it was lovely weather today, so laundry was hung outside to dry. There is nothing that beats the smell of laundry that is freshly dried outside.

Went to the supermarket, managed to get in and out without going over budget. :cool: I have enough left this week for a top up of milk, bread, and bananas. Excellent! Week 1 going well so far! :j

Triggles

I am elated, thrilled, excited... all that happy stuff! :j

We have inspected the wallpaper in the downstairs toilet.. and it is NOT the chipboard stuff that is miserable to get off!!! :j :j :j I was so worried that it would be, so we've avoided even looking at it. :rotfl: But I am pleased to report that it should come off relatively easily (fingers crossed), and DH is going to get that done this weekend. Then we can paint it and put a few nice touches to it. On a shoestring budget, of course! :cool: I just need to decide what colour scheme I want in there. The upstairs bathroom is blue and white with a beachy theme. I'll have to spend the next couple days perusing online to decide.

I'm sure we sound odd. Working on the house, and what are the highest priority rooms we go for? The toilets.:rotfl: But they're small, relatively easy to get done in a short time, and it will give us the confidence to do the bigger rooms then.

THEN we'll move on to the entryway/hallway and dining room. In and amongst that, I'm slowly organising what we'd like to do in DS2's room and then DS3's room. DS3's room is almost complete, really. Just a few finishing touches. I'm waiting to see how the new bed (from friends) fits in DS2's room next month before doing any serious work on it. I'm just looking for ideas to put together right now and looking at curtains/sheet sets.

Another lovely day - clothes drying out on the line. Chocolate cake just out of oven. Chicken going in to roast. It will be roaster for tonight, chicken curry (introducing the boys to korma) tomorrow, and then soup on Friday. Cottage pie on Thursday, to break up the streak of chicken meals.

We've also got to get out the summer clothing as all I have is winter stuff - tooooo warm to wear most of it! So I'll pack away most of the winter stuff, leaving just a few items available, and start enjoying this sunshine.

It's also time to make sure the boys have sunscreen on. Yes, technically I should be putting it on them all year long, but like a lot of people I tend to slack a bit on it over the winter. They both have eczema and we already put cream on them for that... sunscreen means a new addition to the routine, so some shuffling around a bit of when we put the other creams on.

I'm torn between eating healthier and the chocolate spread I found in the cupboard. I think chocolate spread in moderation can't be that bad, right?

Triggles

On Tuesday, DH went out and got work started on the rear garden of the house. Today we will be continuing. He has a short day at work, so after he's home, had some coffee and a break, it's back to work we go. The plan today is to load up anything that we are not either keeping or freecycling and haul it out to the tip (bagged up and in the boot of the car).

We had some blue and white tiles left over from work in the upstairs bathroom (had a shower put in when we first moved in a few years ago), and they were in the shed out back. DD was getting a shower put in her bathroom a few months ago, and we offered her the remainder of the tiles. I thought she had taken them all, but she left the white ones. So there is a box of white tiles available for us to use. I am mulling over using them and putting stencils on them to finish off the upstairs bathroom. It would be easy and inexpensive, and would provide a nice neat border for where that large raised square is. Ah, decisions.

I was going to use the lighthouse border upstairs (hadn't done that yet - need uninterrupted time to do that which I haven't had yet! :rotfl:). But I'm now thinking that perhaps it would be better to put the stencilled tile up there and use the lighthouse border in the downstairs toilet. There's no shower downstairs, so no issue with steam, like there is upstairs. We do open the window upstairs frequently, but we've had spots of that black mould a couple times (bleach sorts it quite quickly). I do think we need to use some of that antimould paint and paint the room with it at some point. Then I can put more navy blue and nautical deco in the smaller downstairs toilet as well. :cool:

I am nothing like decisive, am I? :rotfl:

Well, at least I'm having a brief moment of relaxation (rare in the mornings) while the boys are eating their toast and fruit bowl (cut up strawberries, bananas, and grapes).

I also need to make a quick trip into town this week as I need to get a birthday present for a family friend for a party this weekend.

So much for relaxation. Back to getting things done. :rotfl: