Breakfast at epihanies...

Knitting_Nora

Ouch! One of those days best spent under the quilt! Well, brave you for surviving it and as you say, choir to look forward to.

Nora.x

dealwithdebtdot

It was a bit ouchy, but also very funny indeed.

banwa

Come on, where are you? I hope your fails haven't sent you into hiding.:rotfl: V funny indeed

Now then, more, please:D

dealwithdebtdot

No, no, I'm here. Just been stupid busy and lots of family and uni stuff going on.

Now then, let me see if I have some funny tales to tell, as well as catching up on the finance situation.

...i can't think of the funnies, so I'll move onto the monies...

So, as yet the credit card has not been out I've got 2.34 in my purse and £7 something left of the overdraft until Monday...when the child maintaince comes in (fingers and legs crossed that it does) when i need to buy my travel card. I am a little shorter than anticipated as i went to see the quack and he prescribed me 2 things (and a load of tests), so that was 14 odd quid. Still a shock to me to pay for prescriptions after living in Wales for 10 years.

So tomorrow I need to get some ingridents for Dad and Grandma's b'day cake. Some milk and a bit of salad for family Lunch on Sunday. Just about doable I think.

So its maintance day on Monday and pay day on Thursday. It's gonna be tight, i have stuff to pay for,but should just make it!

The Golightly glamour has taken another turn for the worst. Not a scrap of foundation in the house...and I can't get the CC out for that, will have to wait til pay day for sure.

Choir is getting very exciting, but also scary. This week we start to rehearse with a choir, who are all homeless and use the crisis centre up in Shoreditch. We will be accompanying them for a concert up in town (the Actors church, Covent garden), an the London Phylomonic will be playing. Amazing experience! That's on the 30th, and then singing our own stuff on the 9th....i think we will be a bit rough around the edges!

Essay to write by the 14th, and a casual congregration of friends for lunch a week on sunday...at this rate I will be glad when Christmas turns up, so i can have a rest!

That's all for now....apart form saying I looking forward to being taken out for dinner tomorrow night.

Am off to see how others have been getting on now.

Dot x

dealwithdebtdot

Now then, good news on the Golightly glamour; foundation bought, and will be slapped tomorrow. Lush. I am thinking I may get my haircut, Not been done since June/July, so it really is getting a bit rubbish now. A friend of mine gave me the contact details of his friend who will come do it in the house, on the cheap, so may give that a bash.

Family b'day celebrations went well at the weekend, needed to fish in the 5p pot to buy lettuce for lunch yesterday, but it was all good, the CC has not seen the light of day.:j
So plans for the week, rehersal in Shoreditch tomorrow, study day Thursday when I shall henna my hair as well as start on the essay, Sunday is the casual lunch for friends (menu low key thanksgiving inspires, well American anyway, so Mac and cheese, Sloppy Joes, salad and wedges, pumpkin pie).

In other news, DD has a Christmas job, and is delighted, as am I.

All good wishes,

Dot x

Knitting_Nora

Oooo, congrats on not hitting the credit card! And to DD for the Christmas job (she's not Santa by any chance, is she?).

Nora.x

dealwithdebtdot

My goodness, I have been AWOL for longer than I thought!

So, what is the news....

1. Choir has been awesome, 2 gigs done and it was lush feel like we are like a proper little family now. (Gig 2 allowed for a ramping up of the Golightly Glamour - and a visit by my sister)
2. Amazingness: my loan was settled on the 5th of December...£120 pm (at least) to go to the CC now.
3. Essay written, it was such a slog and hated every minute of it - suspect it will fail, but then they will tell me what to do and then I will just do it. Whatever.
4. Cash flow is hideous
5. Christmas prep well behind schedule - but have cakes on the go and some wrapping paper made.
6. Been seeing friends on the cheap...very lovely (hip flask getting some use)
7. Case of wine arrived yesterday, as a present, 2 bottles gone already!
8. CC used for some gifts:eek: annoying, but I really limited it. It's bare bones gits this year, with a bit of homemade loving.
9. Finished uni for the year, and it is very welcome!
10. I am alive, and all is well

So the plan....I can only really think of 2 weeks ahead.

Lots! Today finish cakes, maybe go to a party, but I am feeling relly tired and its an hour journey on the bus each way. Quicker by train bur would have to go into zone 1 for that, and my travel card don't cover it! Maybe just make a nice roast dinner and rest up a bit. Have 3 days at work, and then 2 study days...not much studying will be occurring, I shall get the decs up - all home made me thinks. DD's Bf is coming for a few days next week, and he eats a lot. Visit to Grandma on Christmas Eve. Lush day with DD on xmas day....then family stuff. Night out with college mates. NYE, no idea yet, but a Ramblers walk me thinks in the am. I am hoping my MSEness will crystalize a bit.

On with the cakes then!

Dot

dealwithdebtdot

Breakfast time!
So I have been super busy, Christmassing. All gifts bought / made and it feels nice and they look so pretty in my homemade wrap. I think I may have overspent a little yesterday need to work it out really, but it will just mean I will cut my cloth more later in the month. My main bargain in yesterday's shop were: John Rocha napkins for my step mum reduced from 6 squid to 1.90 for 2, I bought 3 pairs which cost less than a pair would have! Also made good use of Tesco offers for booze, and I made pork rilletes, marinated olives and just gonna whip up some pickled red onions, for gifts and me. Cakes all now iced and looking lush and sparkly.

I need to buy food for xmas day yet, but have some. DD and I are having a low key but lovely day with an alternative dinner and patchwork quilt making (It's her main christmas present) and lots of films. I don't have live telly.

Today, is cleaning and trimming. No decs up yet, and nearly all will be homemade (save the items my best friend sent in a parcel). Lots of holly and ivy and salt dough and some old fashioned paper chains. No tree, I am a bit if a tree snob and the one i wanted was £40 so am going without, I am pretty sure its more enviromentally friendly that way anyway!

So a busy day ahead.

Oh yes, paid off a debt to a friend yesterday, so the next target is the CC - the one with about £500 on it.

Knitting_Nora

Hi Dot

Lovely to have you back - and my, how busy you've been! Clever you on such great bargains, and I love the sound of Christmas in your house...ahhh, paper chains....*promises herself paper chains next year*.

And huge congrats on paying off a debt in this most expensive of all months - feel proud....feel smug...go on, we'll wait! And how fab to start the new year with that debt down, and onto the next one...just brilliant.

Have a lovely Christmassey day.

Nora.x

dealwithdebtdot

Happy Christmas eve!

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

I love the sound of Christmas in your house...ahhh, paper chains....*promises herself paper chains next year*.

Gulp, actually paper chains still not done...not sure they will be now. Somewhat ran out of steam yesterday. However, a glorious amount of holly and ivy (all from the garden) is glowing at me this breakfast time. And *some* parts of the house look a lot cleaner.

(But I came up with a bit of a plan re chains for next year: all gift wrap from presents I get next year will be saved and then cut and folded ready for stapling for chains...i quite like it as a plan as it means that my freinds and family will be represented in the trimmings! - lets just see if it happens though!)

Thus far today, I have checked the bank - I have £210 left til next payday. eeek. But I am not counting child maintaince and child benifit, as i hope that the £160 i claw back from that can go on CC1 before payday. Definately no sales for Dot this year! - its hardly gonna kill me though is it.

So today...a trip to the market and the supermarket for the last bits for tomorrow and up until Thursday at least. Then I am going to see my Grandma this afternoon and deliver her Christmas cake.

Soo looking forward to tomorrow. :xmastree: