Learning to Love Life again, and Clear this Blooming Debt!!

Xandersmum

Well, I thought I'd start a new diary - I was pretty useless with the last one and things have changed so much, it's time for a fresh start. My last diary was almost a year ago - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2939320

Hope that link works, saves the big intros!!

Anyway since the last diary:

I lost my mum - 4 weeks ago today. The last few months before she went, and since I have lost my sparkle. Cancer is such a B*****d of a disease. However I am glad she is free of pain, although I'm still not sure if I have taken it all in. Luckily my little man gives me a reason to get up in the morning and paint on a smile (and occasionaly a genuine one). I think that is one of the reasons I restarted the diary - she was like my priest and I could tell her anything without judgement, so hopefully I can do the same with this diary.

My gorgeous little man started nursery - was not due to start until January, but the offered him a place in september and after much deliberating I let him go. Glad I did, even though he is the youngest in his group and a foot shorter than all the other kids - however he has masses of girlfriends. Means I have more time, so think it is kick up the bum time!!

Debts are no better, but no worse!! So not going to beat myself up over that - as I said before, it's only money! But it is time to get myself sorted. My little Man's school is almost 8 miles away in a lovely area - but they have dropped his DLA to middle (currently trying to appeal) and it is costing me around £30 in petrol to get him there and back if I attempt to come home and get some jobs done!! Ideally would like to save up and move closer, would only need an extra £100k - but that is more of a long term goal :rotfl:

Anyway - I really just want to move forward with clearing this debt, and get to a point where the good days are outnumbering the bad again. I feel like the last year I have been stuck in limbo, and now I want to take those first steps forward again......

Xandersmum

Right - Time to tackle those targets from last year. I know I've failed most of them, but hey ho - onwards an upwards!!

· Repay the MIL £3k – if I can do this every year will reduce the term by almost a year! Paid £2200 back so far this year so not too bad!
· Make £200 in Amazon vouchers via surveys etc by November to cover Hubbies Birthday and various Xmas presents Recently joined Shop & Scan which helped achieve this one - that and boots points & tesco double up for toys should make Christmas almost money neutral!
· Write a minimum of 3 DooYoo Reviews a week – I know it’s not many, but want to get up to 1 a day by the end of the year and would rather write quality people Failed miserably on this one - although did manage to get my second crown!
· Sort out the spare room and get at least 10 things a week on Ebay (secondhand) until it’s all gone! Ongoing since little man started at nursery in september, slowly getting there!!
· Join the NSD and make £10 a Day challenges every month and do them!!! Erm...... Have started a lot of challenges, say no more!!
· Not buy an books until I have read the ones I have – my fave board! – I will fail miserably on this one, but will promise to limit any purchases to boot sales and charity shops!! I have a genuine addiction, honest, LOL!:rotfl: Not a chance!
· Do a hugely overdue stock take and get my Ebay shop stocked with over 200 items by beginning of February (when hopefully sales will start to pick up again) Hoevering at about 150, but it is so slow over there at the mo....
· Keep monthly shopping bills under £300 per month (thanks thrifty board for getting me this far!) – will try for £250 once we stop using nappies! Mostly achieved, although still in nappies so no further progress
· Attempt to potty train little man – not sure how much feeling he has ‘down there’, but we can but try! No luck - being referred to a specialist
· Get little man more competent with his crutches – one for later in the year! Exceeded!! He is like Greased Lightening on those things now!!
· Lose at least another stone – lost 5 so far. 3 pre pregnancy, and 2 more since (plus baby weight) – never gonna be skinny, but want to be a size 14 all over! Another 9lbs gone! Big push before Christmas should sort this one! And now a 14 on top - woo hoo!

Wow - actually not as bad as I thought - feeling quite positive today!! Off to parcel up last nights ebay sales and check for surveys, before an afternoon at GOSH with the mini monster.....

natlie

Hi XM
Found it! Sorry to hear about your mum I lost my grandad to cancer of the throat and I still havent got over it - that was 2001 my gran now has altzheimers and she thinks he is still alive - she cooks him dinner and waits up for him to come home from nightshifts. My friend has 3 children with Talipes of varying abilities only 1 in a wheelchair. Your debt doesnt look too bad, I think like with me its the rising day-to-day costs - shopping etc Looking forward to following your diary
Nat
x

Xandersmum

Made just over £70 on ebay this weekend, and now my wireless router is completely knackered so using my dongle which is beyond slow!! Keep trying to write a dooyoo review but brain keeps fuzzing up!! Bought a few Christmas prezzies with my amazon voucher stash, made a big pot of meatball pasta to see hubbie through the next few nights at work, and put some old dvd's on ebay. Hoping for another free listing weekend as they seem to be following an every other week pattern, so I can put my nicer bits on starting a bit higher!!!

Xandersmum

Gave up on the Dongle - hence the long gap!! New router arrived today so back in the land of broadband!! Woo Hoo!! However a couple of weeks without internet access means we started on the decorating and decluttering!! I am such a horder!! I now have 5 big bags of stuff to go on ebay, and about the same to go to the charity shop, as well as a load that went in the bin!! Now I need to get the bits on there - hoping for a free listing weekend if they are following the usual pattern!! And I actually need to take the bags to the charity shop - at the moment they are still cluttering up the bedroom!!

Anyway back on line and fired up - have already written a review on dooyoo, and have made some suggestions of little man's toys as they pay better than my normal book and dvd reviews!! Will check for new reviews and stuff later too!!

Diet completely gone to pot with DH being off last week for his birthday, but made a big butternut squash and other random reduced veggie soup yeasterday, so that will do for lunch until wednesday! Had my first physio sesh today too - have finally been diagnosed with frozen shoulder, although the physio has cleared me to jog at slow pace again, went for a mile and a bit power walk earlier so hopefully the scales will start going in the right direction again soon. I'm meeting a friend for a meal at the weekend who is going to talk me through the pros and cons of being a Slimming World comsultant, which I have been toying with for a while. Hopefully it will fire me up to get back on plan 100% - especially if I may be able to make money out of it!!!

Xandersmum

Been stuck at home last few days with little man - has this horrible croup like cough. so lots of snuggling on the sofa watching the disney channel!! Low spend last couple of days anyway!! Taken loads of piccies for ebay, hoping for another free listing weekend as only have 28 freelistings left for the rest of the month and so much to get rid of!!

Wrote another dooyoo review - two in a week is probably the best I have done in ages!! Need to get reading some so that I get some return reads!!

Put on 2.5lb at fat club tonight but not disheartened - that will be all those free meals out for hubbies birthdays so would have been rude not to!!! Want to do 3 next week to get back below the next stone!!

Xandersmum

Right - had a rubbish unproductive couple of weeks, so need to get focused for the final push before Christmas. Here is this weekends list of things to Achieve....

• Get the Xmas tree out of the loft and up!
• Get Xmas Cards posted
• Make soup for my lunches
• Make big sausagemeat pasta for DH nightshifts
• Get 10 items on sh ebay
• Get my ebay shop over 100 items (currently at 88)
• Finish Grindstore order for little sis
• Purchase calendars
• Clean oven
• Start on wrapping Xmas Pressies
• 1 Dooyoo Review

Think thats it for now - should keep me out of trouble

Xandersmum

God I really am useless at the mo - shouldn't be updating last weekends objectives on a friday - Did everything bar cleaning the oven, though I did buy one of those oven power kits to do it!! Shop has now dropped to below 100 again, so need to have another stocktake in the quiet lull now to catch any bored after christmas shoppers!! So new objectives to get done before crimbo....

• Clean Oven - really this time
• 3 Dooyoo Reviews
• Finish Wrapping Pressies
• Bill Dad for all the pressies I have ordered on his behalf and get cheque made out to CC company!
• Get shop over 100 again (not that I am complaining about the sales!!)
• Read two books to get to my six before Christmas objective
• Take a bag of bits to the charity shop
• List 10 sh ebay items to end post Xmas - 10 day listing?

Xandersmum

Right - Midweek update!!

• Finished after the party and started catching babies - should have that one done and dusted by sunday when hopefully santa will bring me some lovely new ones!!
• 2 Dooyoo's done
• Wrapped a load of pressies - still not quite halfway through - knew I shouldn't have got ds lots of little things!!
• Got a few bits in the shop but had to take all the xmas lines out so hovering at 80!! And done no second hand!! Useless!!
• Took a big bag to the charity shop - little old lady in Cancer Research was actually very grateful after some of the hit and miss responses!!
• Don't ask about the oven!!

On a positive note - I have joined swag bucks, but think I am getting a bit addicted. Spend ages doing stoff for two SB when I would make far more listing on ebay!!

Xandersmum

Right - as one of my positive steps a day I said I would dust off this old diary, so here I am. Love being part of the steppers crew as they give me a focus and help me see that I am achieving stuff every day even if it is only baby steps!

I have found Mothers Day really hard this year without Mum, I'm having a few issues with both families (both forgot about a really big appointment for Xan) and it is something she would never do. The results weren't great and I ended up having a bit of an emotional meltdown, so thought I would did this out as an anoymous vent zone, and to keep me focused on the ultimate goal - being debt free and being happy!!

Anyway at the moment I am full of this snotty cold, which is getting me down. The upside is we are off to skeggy on Monday - hope the weather stays like today, then it will be lush! Leaving it there today, will be back tomorrow when hopefully head will be less foggy!!

Xandersmum

Still Foggy - Crashed out on the sofa when I got back off the school run so not much of an update for now! I have been thinking a lot since yesterday about what I want to achieve with the rest of this year, but just a jumbled mess at the mo!

Just hoping for a good night sleep tonight!