Tales from a country cottage

Lemon_Tree

great about the non smoking.
we've got lots of froggies of various sizes, unfortunately my cats like to make them squeek as they sound like mice. they don't kill them though. when they were kittens they were about the only things they caught and brought home for me

Igamogam

Have you got a student card? I have one for a part time course I am doing - I use it for cinema and theatre tickets as well as any where else I can get a student discount like the gym! Hope you are still on the no smoking track and weight loss too - you are really going for it! Enjoy your 2 weeks off

ani*fan

Why is it cats are so mean, so cute but so mean too? More mouse carnage on my doorstep this morning. Entrails everywhere.

I need to find out what student discounts I'm entitled to. Do you get a reduction on council tax if you're a part-time student? I really need to get onto that.

Otherwise, all is well. I'm still not smoking. I'm approaching the end of my 72 hour withdrawal period so looking forward to less cravings and fewer feelings of going mad. But really, so far its ok. I've managed to lose 2.5 lbs by being careful to not eat any chocolate biscuits or crisps. This was a plan to not gain weight while quitting the fags but then I thought, may as well go for it. I gained weight during my last quit, about a stone, so if I can shift that it would be helpful.

All of this is about energy 'cos I'm doing more right now than I have done in years. I need to work extra to get the debt down, I need to study to improve job prospects (and 'cos I want to) and I was already getting tired from the rushing around. Overall today I'm physically feeling better than I have done in a good long while. So long may that continue.

Stuff to do today:

• Car to the garage, brakes failing now and got it booked in this morning
• book eyebrow wax
• clean like crazy
• read for uni
• plan a celebration for 4pm when I reach 72 hours nicotine-free and the official end of the worst of the withdrawal
• cut the grass. can i really be bothered? wonder how much astro turf costs?

Spends yesterday included £10.20 on travel and £1.20 on a large coffee (totally essential). I can't see me doing a NSD today with the car going to the garage. Tomorrow, maybe. These NSDs are harder than you think. I used to do them all the time too by mistake.

Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone.

ani*fan

Well, have I had the day from hell.

Drove to work and the brakes sounded bad, all crunchy metal on metal. So I drove to Kwik Fit and left the car there for them to look at. Later this morning was quoted £670 for new brake pads. Oh hello! Naturally I was quite upset and said I would need to get a second opinion when the guy told me he wasn't spending all that time looking at my car to have me get the work done somewhere else. And that he wouldn't allow me to drive it out of the garage.

I was in total shock, more at being bullied by this man than anything. After taking some advice from another garage, I phoned him and told him I'd be picking up the car and that he'd given me incorrect information saying he wouldn't let me drive my car. I took a pal with me to pick it up and got an apology from the manager. But really, too little too late. I'm furious.

I'm getting it done elsewhere for £300 and picking it up tomorrow.

I've been so upset all day. Work is stressful just now anyway and today just took the biscuit.

What is it with garages who take a look at women and decide to rip them off? Really? What is that all about? I still feel like I want to complain to someone but can't think who.

Plus the extra cash we had for my annual leave has now just been spent on the car. I still want to cry thinking about it. But at least we have the money. I guess it could be worse.

I hope everyone else had a better day than me.

ani*fan

I've got over the shock of the car situation now. Thankfully. It cost £400 to fix as needed new discs too and also something to do with a caliper. Anyway, I knew they were in a bad way and now they're sorted. I had the full support of my work colleagues ferrying me around while it was in the garage. Bless them all.

Then today I did a very stupid thing. I was out with a pal from work killing time at lunch time and she offered to buy me some lunch. I said no and went to the bank and took out a tenner. (Even though I had sandwiches with me. :mad:) So we had lunch and I picked the cheapest thing on the menu. I went to pay for mine while she faffed around and they gave me the bill for both together...and I just paid it! Like an idiot! And she said 'are you sure? That's so nice. I'll get it next time.'

Is it any wonder I'm in the mess I'm in?

And since the car cost so much we now do not have enough money to cover the bills this month. Never mind food and petrol. Good job I'm on annual leave cos I'd have to phone in sick. I'll probably be poorly anyway from having nothing to eat.

Ok. So sometimes I'm a drama queen.

Anyway, I'm very happy to be off work as of now. I'll have to take a proper look at what we have left of the cash tomorrow and also what's in the kitchen cupboards. This will be the most frugal month ever as we try to get through it without any cash at all. I guess I like a challenge.

I'm still amazed I had the money to pay for the car. Usually it would have gone on a credit card and since they are all maxed out I don't know what I would have done. Doesn't bear thinking about.

ani*fan

So, in the kitchen we have:

• a ton of brown rice (I love this but it takes so long to cook I don't eat it very often)
• white rice
• 3 tomatoes
• most of a bag of pasta
• half a block of cheese
• 2 packets of noodles
• a bag of potatoes
• 4 veggie sausages
• 4 other veggie things with cheese
• OH has bacon and sausages in the freezer (i don't eat meat)
• a whole bag of porridge
• a bag of frozen brussels sprouts
• tins of chicken soup
• coconut milk
• half a dozen onions
• too many chocolate biscuits (gifts from MiL)
• no fruit or veg other than sprouts
• garlic, herbs, olive oil, soy sauce, ketchup and stuff
• 6 eggs
• loads of milk

So its time for a ready steady cook style challenge. I plan to cook up all the brown rice and freeze in small portions. No point in using up all that electricity cooking a pot from scratch every night.

Looks like porridge with a spoonful of jam all week. It'll be good for me!

Baked potatoes for lunch.

Rice with veggie stuff for dinner. Use tomatoes to make a sauce. Pad it out with veggie stock and garlic and herbs and freeze in portions. Nice crisply fried onions for flavour.

So it's not as bad as I thought. We could probably eat for a fortnight on that. It may help with the weight loss.

wot-a-mess

Hi Ani

Cant believe u're workmate was so much of a sponger.... but u live & learn I guess. Car expense is a real horror when it happens.

Im now also looking at wot can be done with food to save £s.

Tonight I had no time & altho there was actually quite a lot of foodstuffs available I had beans on toast quite simply for convenience & u know wot... it was brilliant.

Keep u're chin up ani

Igamogam

hello!

Oh no the car....... I know just how you feel. Unfortunately like your self in a rural spot there is no getting away from it - a car is essential and we have 2:eek:

Oh no buying lunch..... I know just how you feel - I took lunch to work to day but just had to get out for a walk round at lunch time and bought myself a sandwhich etc and spent £3.99 :eek:


Store cupboard looks good though - should be able to eat like Kings on that lot

Missed my T*sco delivery slot this week - too busy with work - just about to go now. Plenty of whoopsies at this time of night - that and policeman and a few drunken students :rotfl: Mustnt forget the shopping bags - 5p a carrier here now

ani*fan

Well, I've done a fair bit of sleeping since my AL started. It's been just lovely; feel a bit like a cat. Also managed to spend yesterday afternoon with some friends who came over for coffe and biscuits so the cost was minimal.

We ended up planning a short skiing trip for new year sometime. Me and OH cannot afford this. However, it gives us such a boost to go away in January which can be a fairly miserable month. Instead of saying no, I've started thinking about how we could afford it. First of all, the resort is close by so we could car share and split petrol costs. Secondly, we have started looking now for cheap accomodation. Thirdly, we could ask for no presents at christmas but some cash instead. (Mine and OH's mum tend to go a bit mad with us at christmas.) This could be put towards the break. So I'm giving it a bit of thought at the moment.

Then spent a very relaxed evening watching X factor and cutting each others' hair. Very MSE.

After the cost of fixing the car, the budget is in a bad way. I looked at all the bills still to go out, the amount of cash still to come in, and we have exactly £20 surplus 'til the end of the month. I tried not to panic, after all I'm on AL so do not need to spend overly on petrol or anything work-related. We needed electricity and a pouch of tobacco for OH, and that was it gone. Yikes.:eek: It's very clear that we will not make it through the month without using the credit cards unless we generate some extra income.

I immediately rooted through my dvds and found a few to sell on music magpie. £20. All parceled up and ready to be posted tomorrow. Then OH got a little upset and we had a long chat about the debt and how some difficulties now will be worth it in the end. But it left me exhausted.

I had hoped to go and visit a friend in the second week of my AL. Train ticket costs £25. Just don't have it. Will need to get my thinking cap on. I'm not too fed up though as I have a lot of work to do for uni this week and need to get onto that.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

Igamogam

There are peaks and troughs with this debt busting lark and the decisions are often very difficult to make - easy to carry on as before even though you know which way it will lead But you are on the right track and know where all the pot holes are - hope your OH feels better about it all now.

Asking for cash for Christmas to go towards your ski trip is a great idea - planned spending/saving.

Think we will be on the CC by the end of the month - car bill, DD1 rent, DD2 dance/music/swim lessons, roof repairs and new immersion - all taking its toll. However I have decided the amount we spend on the CC will have to be paid in full - in the past I would kid myself that paying over the minimum was good enough.

Enjoy the AL and dont wor k too hard on the uni stuff