Horace's Biting the Bullet Diary

Aesop

that looks lovely Horace. How lovely it will be to own your home with a garden

Horace

Fingers crossed Dad gets it for me because it would be fab to have a garden - the things I could plant in it..more veg to be a bit more self sufficient, I could have a proper cooker too so that I can bake and cook in the oven which will be easier for batch cooking.

The house will be warm too because it has central heating - I try and not put my oil filled radiator on until I am almost blue with cold, not that I will use the central heating all the time either as terraced houses tend to be a bit warmer. I must admit that I am intrigued by two outside brick built sheds but then I will have a place to store my camping gear and my tool box.

The job hunt continues...

LondonGirl252

What a lovely house!! Keeping everything crossed for you, it sounds like it would be a real improvement, a garden would be lovely I'd love a place to grow veg too!

What an ignorant girl! Shame they couldn't do anything about it though.

Good luck on the job hunt

Horace

Today has been a sofa day - I really couldn't be bothered because I felt quite cold. My loo has been fixed for the umpteenth time today and I haven't been totally lazy as I did two lots of washing up - including washing some glassware (this includes a little jug I picked up in a charity shop that has cup sizes on it and dates from the war). I made myself some lunch using the remainder of the ciabatta loaf I bought before Crimble for 45p and used the Dolmio Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce mum bought me - this is totally cack if truth be known and I added my discounted cheese and made pizzas.

I have been using my phone to look on the internet so my jobs for tomorrow will be to send my CV off to large garden centre as they are open to receiving CVs and I will be logging into skype as a business person I know has offered me some free business coaching and will be helping me to make some money.

I still have panics about how I am going to pay for things especially if I have a house and won't get housing benefit - it has 2 bedrooms so I will get a bed from freecycle and maybe consider renting out the spare room to business person who goes home at weekends. That way I can get some money coming in to pay the bills. Already, my little business brain is ticking away.

Today was an NSD as was yesterday:cool:

MrsPorridge

Horace I am a landlady for Plymouth Uni and I take student teachers - the arrive at the house on Monday night and leave on Friday morning - payment is made by the Uni - so no "uncomfortable moments". I provide breakfast (which they do themselves) and an evening meal - same as we have and we just sit as a "family". I have done this for around 5 years now and its great. I have one at the moment who came last week - he is just here for 2 nights for 5 weeks and then for the 4 nights from then on till July. Also they are not around during half term and the school holidays. Its probably not as much money but its great to have the house to ourselves at the weekends. As you are in Brum you might find out about this kind of deal?

When I lived in London I used to take foreign students from the language schools - however that does involve them staying over weekends - but again the school paid so no excuses for non-payment or embarrassment.

Just an idea maybe?

Horace

MrsP that certainly is an idea - if the universe provides me with the house (fingers crossed that it will), this is something I will investigate because I would need to know how I would stand council tax wise because these folks wouldn't be staying all year round. There are certainly 3 Universities in Birmingham and various FE colleges around and about.

I didnt sleep too well last night as my brain would not switch off but as a result I have vowed to ask for more than £15K although I would be happy with that as a settlement, I shall ask for more - I worked out that he gets around £4500 a year in rent from his property up on the Welsh Border that he rents out and has done since he did the renovations on it. I am not asking him to sell it because it belonged to his mum - however, I do think that I should come out of the marriage with something other than furniture after all - I did support him food wise for 3 years whilst he was unemployed - he never signed on the dole either so he must have had money to support himself and pay the bills on the house. I still won't be too greedy.

Today, I have done a load of washing, even washing the drawer for the washing machine where the powder goes. I have washed all my plates and the remaining drinking glasses. I have been working out what can be carbooted and what can be disposed of via other means.

I am also not spending anything today and dinner will be jacket spud (the last of the big spenders me:rotfl:).

LG - I have windowboxes at my current abode that I use to grow flowers and veg - maybe you could do the same and grow salad leaves or baby veg?

scaredy_cat

does this help Horace - http://divorce.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/splitting-what-you-have/married-couples-and-partners.html

Horace

At last something positive. I had a 2hr skype chat yesterday with a chap I met when I was networking back in the summer - he has flung me a lifeline. It means marketing a social media course to the business peeps that I know in exchange for a hefty whack of commission.

You may think it strange but for some weeks' now I have been having dreams about working with plants and on looking at a local garden centre website today, they have a job going in their houseplant dept which means talking to customers, advising them about care of houseplants etc - no experience necessary as training will be given - they have said that a face to face customer service role and/or retail experience would be a bonus. I actually have both - retail from running the honesty box canteen in an old university job (it was part of my job to look after that area - restock with muffins, flapjacks, sandwiches and pasties etc) - that place made a healthy profit by the time I left but I understand that it no longer makes a profit at all. I have tons of customer service experience and I just happen to love plants.

In other news, Healthy Minds whom I was referred to by my GP referred me on to Health Trainers and Mitre Employment - well, I have just gotten off the phone to the Health Trainers and I have a meeting with them next Thursday afternoon at my local GP surgery. This will help with my mood and help me eat healthily (there are days when I can live on nothing or a liberal dose of biscuits) and get me to have more exercise - I shall start by walking to the doctors. Mitre as yet haven't been in contact with me:(

So despite my skintyness - I am feeling a tad more positive about stuff.

Scaredy-Cat the link helps, however, the divorce will be amicable and there are only certain things that I want (we need to discuss the money side of things) - if we can sort it out then there won't be any need to have half of everything because I don't want that. Thankfully we don't have kids.

Aesop

sounding positive Horace

Verbatim

That all sounds very positive H. I hope you get a) loadsa money with the commission and b) the job in the garden centr. And c) a boost with the healthy lifestyle.