Minniepoos: New Year - New Life (and it's GONNA be good!)

minniepoos_2

So much news!!!!

Finally - I'm getting JSA!!! They made the first payment yesterday afternoon £96.88! Nice to have some money going IN to my account for a change! :j

Then today, I finally got a call back from them about my previous JSA claim. They've decided I'm right after all (d'uh!), and are making a payment of £212.14 today, which I should have by Friday!!!! :j

And also yesterday, I phoned the DVLA again, and was told they received my last letter on the 23rd June, but it hadn't been looked at yet. I asked (very politely, I thought) whether they had any plans to look at it at any point this year, and he said he'd action it now, and I'd receive a cheque for £68.33 within 7-9 working days! :j

What an awesome start to the week!!!!!!

All going well, I should be able to catch up again with the small pile of bills that have been building up, as well as have money for petrol to Thorpe Park (I changed up some Tesco vouchers last week - thought I'd take DD for a big day out before she heads off to Spain).

It couldn't have come at a better time to be honest. I'd paid my deposit months ago (back when I had a good full-time job!) for my weeks walking holiday in the Lake District, and the balance had to be paid in 2 weeks. It was only £50 (only £70 in total - major bargain!), but I was pretty much gonna have to drop out. Which would have been awful - for me as walking is the only thing I seem to enjoy at the minute, and for the other 11 as their share of the accommodation would've gone up. So I'm very relieved that I can still go. One of the others has arranged to drive me, so all I really need to pay for is food, and I've become an expert at eating cheaply!

To celebrate, I've just bought some new strings for my guitar off of ebay - only £3 including postage. I've had it since I was 17 but I haven't played for years. In fact I've not long had it back - the XOH took it to work about 7 years ago and I only got it back last month. So hopefully they'll be here soon, and I can re-live my late teens :rotfl:

Bit of a long post - sorry, didn't mean to run on quite so much! You can tell I'm alone most of the day But at least it's cheerful! I'm feeling good

girlatplay

Things are sounding good minipoos! At least you seem to be getting somewhere finally :T

I'm so glad you have found the confidence to keep powering on with all this. I know it has been hard for you but you have done amazingly well. Not wanting to sound patronising but I am so proud of you Keep going.

Gap xx

minniepoos_2

Thanks Gap - I'm feeling SO much more positive now!

And I meant to say in my last post, that I watched Yes Man the other day, and it re-inspired me to get out there and have fun - not to hide away from life.

So, with that in mind, I've used some codes from lucozade packs to book canoeing and skiing - free taster sessions, and found a link on here to book a free motorbike session too.

Who says you need money to have fun?! Right....I'm off to see what else I can find


Almost forgot - Happy belated Birthday Gap!!!! xx

girlatplay

Thanks minniepoos and what a great birthday it was too

Well done you on getting the free things :T I think I need to look harder

Gap xx

minniepoos_2

God - it's been ages again! Where does the time go?!

Where to start..... Err...I got my DVLA refund! :j Only took them 8 months!

I'm trying to work out what money I'll have coming in every month so I can work out some kind of budget, but the tax credits people won't tell me how much I'll get once they change it to take into account my change of circs. It doesn't make any sense - it would be so much easier for people if they let you know what to expect. But I'm not moaning (much ), I'm just glad I'm finally getting everything I should be getting now.

I took DD to Thorpe Park yesterday - I'd changed up some tesco vouchers. It was such a great day. I only had about £12 left to take with us, and when we got there I found I had to pay £3 for parking :mad: but we still had just enough for a couple of drinks to keep us going until we got back to the car for our stash of food The car drove like a sack of s**t all the way down though (3 hours!) - I was really worried we weren't gonna make it. I'm in the RAC, but if we'd broken down I would've had to get towed home, which would have totally let DD down. Luckily though, it made it, and then drove perfectly all the way home. It's been playing up for a couple of months, but I just can't think about it right now. I have no money to get it fixed, and if it died completely I have no way of getting a new car. Times like this I really regret moving to a village - the bus service from here is worse than useless. Only 2 buses each day into the city - so finding work with no car would be a massive challenge. Not to mention my walking. And getting to the shops. Whoops, thought about it a bit too much there. Quick - need to change the subject...

I have 20 items finishing on eBay tomorrow. So far they're up to £76. I was planning on paying some bills with it, but maybe my new plan would be to have the car looked at. DD goes to high school this September, so I'm going to out all her old skirts, cardigans and shirts on ebay too - hopefully Friday if I get time.

I took DD to start getting her new uniform on Monday. Spent £64, and only got a blazer, 2 jumpers (which of course HAVE to have the school name embroidered onto them - god forbid they let you buy cheap ones!) and a tie :mad: When she's back from Spain I'll have to take her back to get her embroidered PE kit too. I had a look online, and while some county councils can give grants for new uniforms, mine just says to contact the school to buy from their lost property. Call me a snob, but that just isn't gonna happen. I have no problem with charity shops, no problem with being given clothes from friends etc, but just can't bring myself to buy lost property. The annoying thing is, I've just had to order the rest of what she needs from Next - shirts, skirts, trousers and a swimsuit. It costs more than a lot of places, but I can spread the cost. So it's the Dorothy Perkins xmas present scenario all over again. But that's all I can do for now.

I almost got a desk for DD from Freecycle, but someone else emailed the owner about 3 minutes before me. She said she'd let me know if they didn't collect, but I've heard nothing, so I guess we lucked out on that one! Oh well - back to Freecycle....

girlatplay

Morning minniepoos!

You are sounding quite positive.

It is annoying about the uniforms, isn't it? I got away with Little Miss wearing the same jumpers for two years in a row but this year she goes into P7 and will be a "senior pupil" so they are allowed to wear black jumpers with "senior pupil" embroidered on them so I couldn't get away with not getting her any. In P1, 2, 3 and 4 when things were really bad for us I managed to get away with putting her in Mr A jumpers but she was the only one in the class who didn't have a school jumper so in P5 I managed to scrape together enough money to buy her school ones. They lasted P5 and P6 thank goodness! At least they don't have a specific PE kit, just any shorts and t shirt will do.

Hope everything stays okay with the car. It would make things difficult for you if you didn't have it.

Glad you enjoyed Thorpe Park. I have never been so must look into that.

Take care

Gap x

minniepoos_2

Yep, I'm still feeling fairly positive - not sure why, but not gonna question it!

DD is now in Spain, so I'm all on my lonesome for the summer. It's ok so far - although it has only been since Tuesday! I went for a 12 mile walk on Wednesday with a friend, then slept the night at another friends house (we had a DVD night). He's kinda my best friend, and whenever I sleepover we share a bed. I have to admit, it's SO nice just to be able to lay there and chat until we fall asleep. I miss that kinda stuff more than anything. So - spirits are high right now

Although....I went for an interview today, for a job I really wanted. And I was rubbish - if I had the final say, I wouldn't have hired me based on today. The pre-interview test went ok (I think), but when the actual interview started, my brain managed to forget ALL words over 1 syllable. It was awful But, there is still a chance - maybe the other applicants just sat there and dribbled.....
Oh well, I've got another interview next week. Hopefully I can learn from this one.

But, to perk me up, I've got my free skiing taster session tomorrow morning, so I'm very excited about that.

And I managed to get a desk for DD off of Gumtree - only cost me £5. It's a bit shabby to be honest, but DD absolutely loves it. Still looking for a chest of drawers - would be nice to get her room sorted out before she comes home. I've already got new curtains that I have to get around to altering. I need to buy a new curtain track though, as hers has a big lump on it which makes it hard to open or close the curtains. I'll try to get that all done next week.

Right, I'm gonna get off to bed for a good read. Night all!

girlatplay

All sounds good I find with interviews, the ones I think I have done terribly in are the ones I get the job offers from. The ones I think I have done great in don't even bother getting back to me

I know you will miss DD while she is away but what a great opportunity to get stuff done!

Have a great day.

Gap xx

Sun_Addict

Hi Minniepoos

Just wanted to let you know I've still be following your diary and it's great to see you are really picking yourself up. Good luck with the job - you never know you may get it. I went for a job interview once for a brilliant job. I came back home and said there's no way I'll get that job it's way above my station. I was gobsmacked when I got a phone call offering me the job. So you never know. However, I still think I must have been the only one who turned up for the interview! Unfortunately it only lasted four years before the place closed down (must've jinxed it) but I am now in a job I like even more!

Make the most of all that lovely freedom while your daughter is away.

All the best and good luck!

minniepoos_2

Thanks Gap & SunAddict, but I got a call about the interview yesterday, and they didn't want me. Apparently they loved my 'can-do' attitude but feel I was wrong for that particular role. BUT, I went to the other interview today and it went amazingly well. We all got on so well from the second I walked in the room. I managed to answer all their questions without rambling or talking rubbish (definite improvement on the last one ), and they all kept saying things like how impressed they were with all the things I've done, and whenever I said things about my previous roles they said they wanted this one to be a lot like them. So, my fingers are crossed. I'll hear one way or another by Monday - please think positive thoughts until then!

My rent is due to go out tomorrow, and I've almost got enough to cover it. I think I should be getting some TC tomoz, but it's hard to say as it's been coming on random days for the last few weeks. So fingers crossed for that too. If not I'm gonna have to ring my dad and ask him to transfer about £30, which I don't want to do. I'll see what happens tomorrow.

I think if I don't get this job I'm going to have to start selling my DVDs. It's annoying as all I'm doing is watching DVDs as I can't afford to go anywhere, but I think they're the only things I have that are worth anything. And I doubt they're worth much! Got to do something though - this is crazy. All I ate yesterday was a bowl of cereal and 3 packs of Tesco 11p super noodles. I had to get a few groceries today, so I've got a jacket potato in the oven for tonight and a tin of value tuna to go with it. Whoo-hoo. Lol.

So yeah, maybe my DVDs can go. Maybe some of my books too - although I sold a lot of them last year. Just got my favourites left. Still, rent and food are more important I guess.

Things will get better. Things will get better. Things will get better.


Just came back to add this - I know I sound a bit down. I was meant to go out with a friend tonight, but just couldn't afford petrol to get to his. It was the only thing I had planned all week (except interview and signing on), and I was SO looking forward to it. We're gonna try to do it next week.
I'll perk up.