A Thread for After Debt?

rising_from_the_ashes

SOT2011 wrote: »

This is the post I saw the other day that had the details of an email for free kindle books - I can't vouch for it I'm afraid, stumbled across it on Milly / Pixiechick99's diary thread whilst I was having a random lurk trying to avoid starting OU work (again! - anyone spot a pattern developing? Not good!)

Fantastic! Thanks - will have a look tomorrow (had a cider with dinner and feeling a bit ..... light headed:o).

Re walks with the dog, I used to be like that as we've a fantastic beach just over 7 miles away - however, realised that a 15 mile round trip every day really added to the fuel bill so we changed and only went twice a week with the other days going to the nearer beach or wood (only 6 miles round trip). IMHO well worth the cost and we need to enjoy every moment we have with them ....

Re coursework - I was the same. I always had around 8 weeks to do a unit with 4 assignments due at the end of each one. I worked on the "theory" of 4 weeks of working through it/preparing and then one week for each assignment. Roll on 2 weekends of sitting looking at them and saying "it's too hard / I can't do it / I don't understand it" etc and having to sit and write all 4 in the weekend before the deadline.

Funnily enough, I always managed to do them (and got good marks for all of them) ...... I think my personality must need the pressure of a deadline to be able to actually produce something:rotfl:Good luck with them ....

Mort

samtoby wrote: »

Job application is in! Closing date is Friday....x

Good luck samtoby

JulieGeorgiana

Wow this thread can move in just 24 hours.

I've had a busy day today. We had a lay-in (8.5hrs sleep with two wake-up calls) then tidied the house (read: not cleaned) and DH went to the butchers and took the car to the garage to fix the break lights (cost me 70p... not sure how or why it was so cheap, but it saved me a ton). We also batch cooked today and were all sorted for a week, no cooking required the rest of the week... and very MSE.

DS and DH took Eliza on her first outing (in her carrier) and went charity shop bargain hunting. DS spent most the afternoon on homework, after dinner we watched a dvd with him.

We've had two visitors, and Eliza got some lovely church clothes from her future god-mother. Reading the thread from last night and preparing for church tomorrow has got me sentimental. As mentioned by rising, I've had a few losses. Eliza was our miracle as she's my 8th baby, I started going back to church to help me move forward and accept I would only ever have DS, and just after a healing prayer service I conceived Eliza (such a shock as I don't ovulate from the right, but I did that month... and we realised after we were past the point I normally lost my babies) and here is Eliza. I've not missed church since I started... until last week. DH went though and lit a candle for our angels and thanked god for our Eliza. I suppose I'm feeling sentimental because I am going tomorrow with Eliza, and I'm so grateful for her. And its the one time a week Eliza went crazy... she loves the organ

Anyway...

QueenB hope DS is better soon, you are so strong to cope as you have x

Aly glad my DS gift gave you ideas, and well done on the savings account.

BiB so sad about the money... bit congrats on making 1 year debt free

SOT when I did uni part time I was the same... last weekend before it was due I'd scramble, but passed with distinction in the end (even though many had been in the industry 20 years and i was new... I got top marks)

Rising just think how much easier next month will be. And ref. The extra £1k budget.. that's £1k less of unexpected expenditure

Dizzy I hope you enjoyed your meal

JulieGeorgiana

... my phone bill came in much higher then expected due to me sorting out my finances before Eliza was born (and my mobile bill is due tuesday and I ran out of text allowance a week ago and have a lot of 'extra expenses' on my next bill)! I was gutted...

... then I checked DH mobile bill, and due to them charging for something they shouldn't last month the refund means I saved £10 on his bill... which more then covers all the overspends on the house and mobile bills

As much as I hate unexpected bills... I LOVE unexpected refunds

AlyBaly

Originally Posted by QueenB.
I second the idea that unexpected bills should be banned. How are we supposed to budget and put money aside when things keep cropping up but we keep juggling and smilling and jumping those hurrdles........maybe we should create our own olympic sports

Speed budgeting, spreadsheet creation, batch cooking.......just a start.

With everyone else - sounds fantastic and sure we'd be the winning team!

I think I would be better as team mascot the way my spreadsheetitis is LOL. I was going to write cheerleader but a bit to old and fat for that ! Actually that image is rather disturbing.

Today's plan is to get organised for my mums birthday, I don't want to be rushing at the last minute and just making silly , probably over budget choices.

JD I love when you get an unexpected bonus like that, no matter how small, glad one bill balances out the other.

BIB What a disappointment that the £500 was not for you ! It did seem kind of random but it would have been rather nice to have been for you x

rising_from_the_ashes

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Rising just think how much easier next month will be. And ref. The extra £1k budget.. that's £1k less of unexpected expenditure

Now .... I hadn't thought of it like that

I must say your post made my eyes fill up ...... and the new avatar pic is absolutely gorgeous:D

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

As much as I hate unexpected bills... I LOVE unexpected refunds

:rotfl:Wish there was more of them!


Well, chicken casserole was yum (even if I say so myself:o), one portion in the fridge for the start of the week and 3 in the freezer. Only needed one pack of the beef casserole chunks (it was 2 for £7) so one is in the freezer for next month and the other is in the SC - have no idea how I'm going to cram the portions into the freezer as it seems to be full but sure I can do some juggling with the outside one and squeeze them in.

I decided to switch to frozen veg for the majority of things (I find it difficult to get through whole packs of stuff before they go off being on my own) and also got a load of leeks on offer at Mr A yesterday which have been chopped and frozen so .... there's a lot of veg in there!

Note to self: do not buy any more stuff until you've used some stuff already in the freezers!

A bit of spreadsheet tweaking this morning and then not sure what else I'll be up to - was going to go to the beach/woods for a walk but it's horrible outside - hopefully it'll clear up later on (aiming for a NSD)

Have a great day everyone:)

JulieGeorgiana

Rising I think she looks adorable in that outfit

Well done on not eating all your casserole. Like you I stick to frozen veg (its cheaper and healthier) but I buy my leeks at farmfoods... they do them frozen and sliced in a bag. Leeks are sooooo expensive.

I do buy stew packs fresh, because they stick celery in the frozen bags... celery is torture!

rising_from_the_ashes

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Like you I stick to frozen veg (its cheaper and healthier) but I buy my leeks at farmfoods... they do them frozen and sliced in a bag. Leeks are sooooo expensive.

I do buy stew packs fresh, because they stick celery in the frozen bags... celery is torture!

I went to FF (for the first time) earlier this week as had to run an errand for DM to the town who have one (unfortunately not one here) and I was really impressed by the look of their frozen veg & the price - several bags of stuff were purchased which is why the freezers are so full!

Thinking it may be worth a trip every couple of months to stock up as there's also a L*dl and £land (neither of those here either).

I didn't see any frozen leeks tho' ...... it's the only veg I use (and use a lot of them as don't have onion) that I couldn't find - glad to hear they do have them and will have a better hunt the next time I go

SOT2011

Thanks for the tip re: FF - I've never been, but sounds as though it would be worth a trip if I ever clear any space in the freezer - I have real problems eating out of it, except frozen peas & sweetcorn that I eat regularly. As soon as I get an inch of space I am cramming more in.

I have the same problem, Rising, getting through a whole pack myself can be tricky. The cauli i bought a couple of weeks ago was huge and I was so fed up of eating it that it is going to be a while before I buy another!

I've never seen frozen leeks, though I use loads of leeks so usually get through a whole fresh pack. I've never tried most of them as I thought they would be like school veg used to be back in my day (I believe things have improved considerably recently!) a bit soft and soggy so thought I might just end up wasting my money. Are most of the others worth trying?

2 OU activities done this morning - yay! - longest one still to do today though. The course is well structured for a skiver like me as there are weekly readings and then activities to be done & posted on the forum every week that are helping me keep fairly up to date, otherwise I would definitely be trying to get 6 weeks worth done in the week before the next assignment.

samtoby

I am loving the fact I am picking up so many new skills for when I move out of Mums into what will hopefully be my mortgage property! Batch cooking, frozen veg all this is very MSE.

I have not received my pass book yet from Nationwide as I have changed my savings account to a mortgage account and this could mean better rates on my mortgage. I am waiting patiently but you know how it is; its addictive once you start putting little payments onto a debt or saving and you want to keep going. So I have like £20 left over from this week which I want to switch over into my savings before pay day.....but no passbook means no new account number.....boo.....its truley evident I have no patience at all.

Worried about the job application; feel like I am going for a job that is truley out of my reach salary and skills wise. But I worked hard to evidence all that I have learnt through my previous positions and how these could be adapted. I just want an interview really; I shine much better face to face that on paper. Just have to be patient....again.....!

Being with my DS today has been lovely. As I work full time I only get a short time in the evenings in the week and then usually a sunday as on a Saturday he is often out with his other grandparents or my mum. My mum has an allotment and enjoys spending her time there and DS enjoys it just as much!

Targets for today are-
1. To clean my car
2. Order the numbers for our sail on our Topper boat. (Mum has offered to stitch these on once they come)
3. Visit Michelle my friend who is 20 weeks pregnant and see how she is getting on
4. Check my bank balance.....:(

Hope you all have a lovely day xx