Starting Again

Skint_but_Optimistic

:beer:

Its the day of Woden! I am snow boot clad as its Ice Station Zebra out there and it will be lucky to climb up to zero C today.

I had to get some coal last night but luckily we found a buy 40kg get 10kg free offer. So that was something.:money:

I am seeing my solicitor on Friday to sign for my house and that will make immediate savings which I can use to do up the last of the other house, cycling via the credit card of course. Helps with the interest and as long as I keep making the payments its no issue. :A

Also on Friday is the advent of the big budget. My husband is attacking this with renewed enthusiasm and is looking to find ways to make meat stretch. Not with horse meat of course.:p

Ive suggested toasting some aubergine as the texture can lend itself to some of the mince or cubed meat based dishes. I am not being lazy with this but if he is on board and has some responsibility for it we can work on this better together. :T

Ebay wise things are moving pretty slowly.:mad: No great shakes to report but I shall be continuing to plug away and use free listings to shift my stuff. .

MIL gave us a lovely bag of things for the kids yesterday, plus some gorgeous bath stuff for me and some mustard for DH. We are very spoilt and it was really kind of her.;)


Made a couple of paper logs last night, having to wait til these ones have dried out before I make any more. Productivity is much improved with my 5 pound shredder. Husband has said we need to make the equivalent of 5 bags of logs to make break even on the expenditure of the compressor and the shredder. Hes learning!:money:

I have no more capacity to pay any more bills for a couple of days. I had a ten pound note of 'walking around money' but some of this was utilised in the purchase of further coal due to the cold snap.The change was then retained by DH. He is really naughty. Crabby Claws.


Didnt paint last night. I really must tonight.

Also on Friday, my day off, I shall be doing the school runs, shopping, working on the other house and making a lamb dinner.

Not to mention cleaning washing and ironing. :rotfl::rotfl:

Then there is the matter of paying bills, updating snowballs, doing surveys and comping.

Hope everyone is ok and stays safe in this FFFRRRREEEZZZIIINNGG weather!

Skint_but_Optimistic

Tonight.

Ring tax credits
Paint
tidy n stuff
Surveys
Comping
iron

Skint_but_Optimistic

Another lightbulb moment!!!!

have subscribed to a thread of Want not Need. I think this might be something to help keep me on track.

Its not like how many times can I deny myself - its more about putting your money where it matters to make life easier for you down the road. It fits with my austerity drive.

The whole ethos of my cutting out wine in the week is not about health reasons although of course this is a consideration - it was primarily as the (average) four pounds per day that my wine consumption worked out at was a smidge wasteful.

Therefore I have a budget now of 10 a week for wine. I prefer a nice binge on a weekend, and a few days of abstinance.

I am also going to dabble in saving *coin types*. A woman in my position (skint) cannot be dallying about saving 2pound coins (failed attempt last year) or even 20ps. I think a simple start will be 1ps, and I will run that for 6 months. After 6 months, I will upgrade to 2ps! I will open my tin in June. Oh the excitement!

OK. Its coming up to payday and a good time to take stock following the Christmas hangover and the self *harming* of abstinance in January.... this is a red and green rating....

1. Mortgage is being signed on Friday. I shall be then 200 quid a month less to pay.

2. P2P last full payment this month. From February 20 pcm better off, and from March 160 less to pay.

3. Solicitors fees will be due

4. Water rates to be paid in full.

Things are looking positive.I will be able to shift loads more debt! Once I repay solicitors of course.
I just need to get my head round everything and get it sorted.
Onwards and Upwards.

Skint_but_Optimistic

Last night - in ice station zebra - I didnt manage half of what I intended to.....

:mad:

I managed to paint the cupboard and light the fire and do one solitary survey.

My finger will be well and truly out tonight! I shall give the cupboard another coat and I will also iron and do some surveys and comps.....Ring tax credits!!!! Oh all those things. I will make a paper list and work through it.

Payday on Friday but my capacity for any payments has gone. Im at the limit of my limit. Nothing new payment wise today.

I am getting really disillusioned today, just at my own capacity for doing things, I seem to have failed to get half the stuff done. I need to write things down in a physical list which I carry about and refer to.

Its minus 4 here currently. It should reach the dizzy heights of -1 later. This is why we need a fire in all the time! It was minus 9 a lot of yesterday and it was down to -6 this morning. Urg.

I spend loads of time doing things like defrosting the car.

will do some comping at work. I will make some headway into the list of things to do!

Skint_but_Optimistic

:jRedeemed myself!:beer:

Have sent off for a freebie and I have entered 5 competitions. made a list of things to do tonight and tomorrow. Feeling rather virtious. Lets just hope I actually do it.

Bought kids a sledge and bought a bottle of wine.

Recipie for disaster?/?

Skint_but_Optimistic

Ok just popped on cos I have had a along weekend off, and have paid some bills, so want to update sigs!

Skint_but_Optimistic

Its Wednesday. I am still in ice station zebra. I have paid another 71p off my amex and my dfd has come down from March 2016 to February 2016.

Ive done no surveys for a couple of days and have sold a couple of items on ebay, enough for some additional pennies to be repaid to cards, but nothing more.

Its been snowing here for what seems like years but its actually a week and depressingly, it looks like another big snow is coming on Friday.

Best get those kids on making more paper logs!


I am hoping its another free listing weekend on ebay. Ive money to make and I want to make it soon, want to get the debt free date another month closer.

On the upside there is only 142 left on p2p. I would love to make that less, will see what I can do.

Skint_but_Optimistic

Paid another 73p off my amex, it will come down. If it kills me... and it just might!

Skint_but_Optimistic

I am a little bit upset by events which took place last night and here is as good a place as any to vent, so you lucky readers who happen to read this diatribe, please offer me some advice on how to handle things, I am battle weary.

I have a 12 year old daughter from my first marriage. She has regular contact with her dad, alternate weekends and she frequently goes to his mothers for her meal on a Wednesday evening (he lives with his mother.)

He has lived with his mother since his last live out relationship ended last Christmas. Since then he has had a few married lady friends who my daughter has been introduced too and been on day trips with. She sees him regularly packing overnight bags, but he denies any romantic involvement, stating they are just friends. He takes them on camping holidays, the lucky girls. Im sure hes not keeping to a seperate sleeping bag ethic.

Hes recently reintroduced the lady who he lived with into the picture, my daughter hasnt seen her again since he told her about it, but again, they are just friends. (yawn) This has followed the swift cessation of the previous lady friend, who seemed to be very nice to my daughter and is what Rachel describes as his go to friend. If he is with no one else, she is on the scene.

Anyway, this man bascially has not turned up to parents nights for 18 months, so I stopped inviting him and said he could make his own arrangements, myself and my husband attend.

He is frequently late despite requesting early pick up times. If we try to accomodate he is often later than his original time.

Very unreliable.

Anyway, my daughter is going through the whole teenager stage.

She was meant to be with her dad and his mother tonight, fits well with me as I have a meeting, and his mother tends to get her. My dad who is pushing 70 regularly collects her from school but his street is bad and he needs a break.

She rang up last night... bascially gran cant get her, there is snow on her drive, and her dad will collect her from home at 5pm. So she can go for her tea
5pm?
I was furious. That is not an answer to the Wednesday night issue. One night a week is all I ask of that pair to help with. My mum has a hospital appointment which my dad has to take her to. And I am at work. - no I need to sort a meeting because they dont take responsibility to sort her one day a week.

I was annoyed but my daughter defended him. He has a good job and needs to be at work... oh well he could finish early once for your benefit, he does it for his son (from another relationship) , I responded. She texted him and asked if he could pick her up, this once. He did not respond.

I lost my temper I am afraid. The weather is shocking here. I am also busy at work. Why do I have to pick up the slack and he can finsih when he wants then just collect her from my house so she can go for her tea?

She told her dad she wanted to live with him.

Now, he lives with her grandma. They are absolute horrors. Snidey - sneaky, my eldest has more or less washed her hands of them.

I am constantly dealing with the fallout after DD2 weekends with them. Part of me thinks she should go then she will see how she has it here!

She came off the phone to him. Once he gets his own place she can move in. I laughed.

Hes out most nights. Different women on the go all the time. Moreso, hes still living with his mother a year after the last relationship failed.

I laughed as I said hell might freeze over by then.

She was furious.

I am fed up of picking up the slack for that man. I needed to reschedule my meeting so I could pick my daughter up. All for his benefit.

I am just upset and feel like I am worthless.

Money_mayhem

You're not worthless Skint. Unfortunately your DD isn't able to see the bigger picture for what it is and so can't see the problem, it's you and your daughter who have been inconvenienced and you who has witnessed his shenanigans. Obviously your good enough to rearrange your meeting to accommodate your daughter but maybe next time you need to tell your ex and your daughter that you won't be so accommodating. It's one night a week where your ex is the parent. He needs to get a grip and be more organised.

Mm